That Smile!

                                                                               Nick Badida 

        The wonderful man in this picture is the main reason I am excited and driven to begin this journey. In all honesty, I have been searching for a while now where I could best use my gift of expressing my heart to uplift others through writing. Everything is always in God's timing. 

What better way to provide hope and inspiration to those that are experiencing first hand the wrath of Cancer than from the hearts, mouths, and faces of those that have been in or are in the middle of that battle. 

So it only seemed fitting to start with the sweetest, most humble man that I had the privilege of being married to for 19 years. Nick certainly Fought Against Cancer with Extraordinary Strength. During his courageous battle he taught myself, his kids, and so many others so much about finding joy in all circumstances. 

That smile you see was absolutely contagious and he never lost it, even on the darkest days. He inspired us to dig deep into our faith, forgive often, and just be happy. There are endless memories that I could share, but one in particular is the vision of Nick in the neck and back brace he had to wear, standing in church, raising his hands to the praise and worship music, even though it brought on immense pain. It was such an amazing sight to see. I am thankful and blessed that I was able to witness such moments. 

He asked about the things that really mattered to him towards the end of his journey: 

"Was I a good husband?" 

"Was I a good father?" 

"Was I a good friend?" 

 And with all the love that I had in my heart I gently replied, "Without a doubt, my love". 

Every journey will be different, every story will shed a unique prospective on something that a patient, survivor, or caretaker can relate to. My prayer is that through the heartfelt words and beautiful faces, encouragement will be given and hope will overflow. 

I will honor the hearts and stories of the amazing warriors that I am blessed to write about. 

Blessings, 

Tammy