Posted on 04/11/2007 4:12:08 AM PDT by Thebaddog
Nobody dislikes Tony Snow. By acclamation, people who know him say the White House press secretary is the most decent, kind and encouraging human being they have ever met. Speaking from personal experience, I can testify not only to his inner warmth and outer kindness, but also to the goodness of his wife, Jill, and their three children.
The return of Snow's colon cancer comes only days after Elizabeth Edwards announced the return of her breast cancer. Snow was quick in his warm comments about the wife of the presidential candidate, which came just days before the discovery that cancer had moved to his liver. He can identify with Elizabeth Edwards.
At a Jan. 31 dinner for media people in conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Snow revealed his soul to the 100-plus hardened journalists and others in a hotel banquet room. He told us, "In many ways, having cancer was the very best thing that ever happened to me, other than marrying my wife."
He said the death of his mother from colon cancer produced a "shadow that follows you." He said he wasn't afraid of dying, but is afraid of leaving his wife and kids. These are human emotions with which everyone can identify, whether or not they have had to deal with a potentially fatal disease.
Snow spoke about the importance of "faith and attitude. You have to make a choice about whether you want to live." Speaking of a friend who had cancer in several parts of her body, he said faith and attitude are not decisive in whether you will live, "but they certainly are a great help, because those who give up, or give in to self-pity about how awful things are, a lot of times they don't make it."
He said the disease caused him to ask where he would go with faith: "For a lot of us as kids, having faith is like sitting on Santa's lap; you pray because you want things and you want outcomes. But instead when you're faced with death, you don't really die, you get to go to a cooler place with maybe a sterner teacher. It's not that big a leap and you're going to see a lot of friends there." Now there's a sermon!
So, how do you approach God, he wondered? Do you ask for favors, or do you do something that is very hard in the modern era, "which is learn how to give yourself to God, to surrender. It's not just saying 'God, it's in your hands,' but understanding whatever may come afterwards is a matter of not trying to get God to do stuff for you, except maybe to mow down some of the barriers that separate you from God, because for all of us, our vanities get in the way."
Snow says his deepening faith didn't happen overnight. It began with realizing "how many people loved me." He said a lot of life is figuring out you're not in charge and figuring out who is. He started to pray, he said, and began to sense a growing presence of God in his life. He said after his first cancer surgery many people sent him letters that included Bible verses.
After his first cancer surgery, Snow said he had to stay in bed and he began reading the Bible more, "learning to pray" and to ask God to "draw me closer, please, (which) develops a hunger that is also a form of joy." He said colleagues frequently ask him what he will do after the White House? He says he might have had an answer before, but now he has no clue. "I put everything in God's hands."
President Bush asked the country to pray for Tony. It was the right request. Knowing Tony Snow, he would also ask for prayers for his wife and children and, oh yes, for Elizabeth Edwards and her husband.
I have a bolshevik friend (yes I made some odd aliances in the 60’s), who made some very unkind remarks about Snow and his cancer.
The guy is usually pretty even handed and knows my politics and we tend to dance around the issues or we wouldn’t remain friends.....but I guess he forgot the ground rules and I found his statement pretty disgusting, but I guess its the kind of stuff that floats around at Move on Dot Orgasm sight etc.
anyway I told the guy how much I liked Snow and his viewpoints and especially how much I liked when he use to take over for Rush when Rush was on vacation and then we both shut up.
I saw some of that on the google search. It makes you wonder about politics sometimes.
I had Colon Cancer which went to Stage 4 when it metastasized into secondary Liver cancer. I have had a Liver resection and an going through my 4th Chemotherapy. I went through the identical emotions that Tony recounted. There is the apprehension of how well you have provided emotionally as well as financially for your loved ones. There is that closeness with God that deepens from no matter what level you had before.
You realize that even if you have the best Oncologist and Radiologists in the world, all of their ministries depend on you and your God. It actually becomes a comfortable area for your mind. You know that you are doing all that you can and you are trusting in your God for making the right choices. You value every day that you are blessed with and thank God for the gift.
For me, I am currently beating the cancer back and the Chemo is working, I am in my 5th year battling this little speed bump of life. I pray for Tony that he will have the will as well as hope that comes and builds as the battle goes on. Cancer used to be a death sentence years ago. Now it can wind up being more of a chronic illness that you deal with for many years of a quality life.
Good for you. My dad beat back lung cancer as a second occurrence of skin cancer.
Here's more proof via our beloved Tony Snow that prayer helps. See my tagline too!
Best to you and your family.
Very well put. I was surprised when I found that out. I'm in that situation now. Oncologist tells me he does not believe I'll ever be cured, but he also believes I'll live another 35 years with a pretty good quality of life. My biggest problem is holding on to health insurance. :-)
I pray that God would put His healing hand on you and give you strength and comfort.
Yea God!
Yea Tony!
Yeah! That’s a bummer. I’m 63 and working full time. My Doctor tells me that with Stage 4 Colon Cancer that has metastasized in my liver that he will sign the letter anytime that would qualify me as 100% disabled. I guess that would mean that I would get full Social Security benefits and qualify for Medicare or something, but I enjoy working. This way I have far better benefits than the Government can offer.
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