Bob is my age, 53. We share the same neighborhood, most of a backyard, and we both like most of the same people. Most importantly, we share the same birthday. Different mothers and fathers, and born at different hospitals, but both of them were in Charleston. He was born at Roper and I was born at St. Francis Xavier. He was born a few hours before me.
Bob is a great guy! He's a good friend and if I need anything, I just ask him and if he has it, then I have it. That's the way he is and don't let anyone tell you different. His heart is gold and it's huge.
Five years ago Bob had a little pimple on the left nostril. It bled when he messed with it, and it would scab over and then fall off... but it came back. The cycle repeated itself ceaselessly, and each time it came back, it was a little bit bigger. After about a year, it was the size of a pencil eraser, and looked like a shiny mole - until he bumped it or something, and then it would scab up and fall off... Finally he went to the doctor because he started to get another little pimple on the left cheek. The doctor biopsied that and it was cancer, as was the place on his nose.
They operated and took the cancer out of his cheek which left a thin scar about 3 inches long. Apparently the cancer was already that deep, that early. The surgeon did a wonderful job and you can barely see the scar. They made tentative plans to get the other cancer, but business and money seemed to dissolve right when he needed both the most and the surgery was cancelled.
The cancer did not take notice of this economic crisis however and it continued to grow, and it seemed to grow even faster than ever before.
It finally ate a hole completely through the flesh of his nostril and if Bob held his nose, he could still get air through the hole that the cancer created.
Things were getting scarier and scarier as time passed. The cancer was too close to his sinus and that was only a thin line of bone away from his brain, and still the money was the obstacle to having the surgery.
Bob has four kids, Jesse, Boo (Bobby jr,), Missy and Amy. Missy decided that we could find the money to put the down payment on the surgery - $1200.00 And so it was that on July 3rd, 2010, we had a huge barbeque fund raiser in his backyard.
The pool was made ready,
the tents were put up,
tables were loaned from Easterby's, and we were ready.
William's BBQ (our neighbor and great guy Keith) brought on some 'bodacious' BBQ pork, chicken, and ribs!
Easterby's donated several pans of wonderful coleslaw and Mr. Marvin, of Marvin's Meats donated the half-pig that was on the smoker, the plates, tea, dirty rice and the utensils.
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William's BBQ has some of the best chicken you'll ever put in your mouth and the rub that he uses for his ribs and the chicken is to die for.
We expected 200 people to show up. For the first hour there were only a few, and Teresa, Bob's wife, was worried that no one was going to show up and that if they showed up late there wouldn't be any food. She need not have worried about either thing. People started showing up, in droves, and in crowds and in packs and parcels and in any kind of grouping you could imagine. 1 and 2 and 4 and 7... they came, seemingly out of the woods... and indeed some did. More than 200... More than 250.
Missy had organized raffles, getting donations from anywhere that would give a donation to help Bob. There were oil changes, tire rotations, bar tabs, golf outings, Riverdogs baseball tickets... blankets, doggie baskets, and many more items. Tickets were 1.00 -5.00 each and everyone bought some! Some people just dropped money in the large plastic water bottle and proceeded to the food line.
Bob and about 250 people who love him had the best time mingling, eating, laughing, swimming and all for a good cause which made it even better!
After the party there were fireworks and the kids had a blast! A true to life Cherokee Indian came and honored us with a tribal dance to the drums, and he was in full regalia... It was awesome.
Here's Bob.
Here's Dakota, Cherokee.
