Leroy had the best smile.

He smiled a lot too.  Even during the cancer years, he found smiling time.  Oh sure, there were days when treatment and procedures swallowed up any hint of a smile.  Those were really tough days.  I knew he was struggling when I couldn’t get him to smile about something…anything.

He was lucky that his friends kept him smiling.  He had such great support from them.  When the house was full of visitors, it wasn’t just the chatter that lifted his spirits.  There were so many smiles in the room, he had no choice but to smile too.  And that made him feel better.  It made everyone feel better. 

Cancer has a way of making you forget how good a smile can make you feel.  It’s one of those “beat-back the beast” tricks that cost nothing, but is worth millions. 

So often, a smile is followed by a laugh and if you can get your cancer patient to find a laugh through all of this, you’ve found a treasure. 

But start with a smile….it works like magic!