RFD
By Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager The True Citizen

Two people who have been very dear to me died last week. Mrs. Catherine Daniel, affectionately known to me as "Kat" and a classmate of mine, Mike Lutes.

Kat was one of those people you are drawn to the first time you meet ... kind, sweet and loving. She was an angel here on earth and she befriended many and took care of many while they were ailing.

She had the prettiest complexion. When you were close to her talking you just wanted to reach out and stroke her face to see if it was as soft as it looked.

She was a loving wife, mother and friend. During the many years I knew her from 1967 on there was always someone in her family that needed her care ... granny, aunt, son-in-law, husband until they died ... while meeting the needs of her own family and still found time to be a great friend, too.

She was a great cook ... maybe that is where her grandson, Adam, gets his gift as a chef.

To her daughters, Arlene and Carol Ann, son, Hoss, I say, "thank you for sharing your mama with me."

My friend, Mike, suffered for many years from complications from two liver transplants and cancer.

He too, was one of those people once you meet, you are drawn to them. He was a friend to many and he was a friend you could count on. If you were feeling down, he made you feel good about yourself.

He was a talented man. He made some of the most beautiful flower arrangements I have ever seen. He could take an old rusty bucket and fill it with weeds and it would bring top dollar and much satisfaction to the buyer.

He loved life and even in his days of sickness he found time to check on others who were ailing and made sure their needs were met. He placed others' needs above himself.

He will be sorely missed by his friends and family. To his aunt Juanita, and sisters, Linda and Brenda, and the rest of the Mobley clan, I extend my deepest sympathy.

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I received a news release Monday on Terry Leiden. Terry is an attorney from Augusta. I am sure you have seen him on television commercials over the years.

I first met him when he came to Waynesboro to have a newspaper published about his neighborhood, The Pinchgut Press.

Terry has written a book entitled Get Back in the Game: An Inspirational Story of Cancer Survivors.

Terry is a Vietnam vet who was exposed to Agent Orange during the war. "We had no idea the use of the herbicide would devastate the lives of so many. "Although there is a lot of controversy about the connection between Agent Orange and prostate cancer, I firmly believe my cancer is a result of it," Terry said.

His book is about five prostate cancer patients who refuse to let a diagnosis stop them from living. After the men meet during treatment, they formed the RECNAC softball team and developed a bond that allows them to achieve personal and professional goals. This male camaraderie is the glue that holds the men together during the tough disappointments and losses they experience after their diagnoses.

The culmination of events that leads the men to deeper healing will serve as an inspiration and beacon of hope to men with the disease and their families.

The book is from Harbor House Publishers, 111 Tenth St., Augusta, phone 706-738-0354.