My Little Pal

Meet Matthew Asher Adkins - Grandson number four.





He is my little pal...





We celebrated Asher's third birthday this week, and it is hard for me to comprehend where the time has gone. When my mind goes back to that morning (May 12, 2005) when Asher made his first appearance at Kings Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, my eyes well up with tears of joy. It was truly a bright moment in the midst of one of the darkest times of my life. This little guy was sent from God to give me hope in a time when hope was a rare commodity.



It was barely six months earlier that I had been diagnosed with "incurable, fourth stage" colon cancer. The big tumor had metastasized to my liver and a number of lymph nodes. Facing "an average survival time" of 18 to 22 months, the outlook was bleak. Linda and I were exploring every avenue of treatment, and trusting God to perform His perfect plan in our lives - whatever that might be. When Asher came into this world I was in the midst of my first six month course of chemotherapy. In fact, that very morning I waited around the hospital, I was scheduled for a chemo treatment at the Ashland Belfonte Cancer Center in nearby Russell, KY. Fortunately, Leigh Anne cooperated by delivering the little guy in time for me to meet him before hurrying along to make my appointment for the four hour drip.



Asher has been a joy.



During the tough two years that we were battling the malignancy, he was an important part of my therapy. At first I was depressed, thinking that I might never see Asher or his cousin Canon (who was born the week before my cancer was discovered) grow beyond the toddler stage. Anyone who has gone through chemotherapy knows just how bad one feels during those times of treatments. The effects are both physical and emotional. Well, Friday evenings became a time that took my mind off the troubles and sickness for a little while. Those sleep overs and other visits from Will and Asher were good medicine for me and Linda, and have built a lasting bond between us and these two local grandsons.

Asher shares the name of one of Jacob's sons in the book of Genesis. The name means "happy", which pretty much sums up Asher's existence. He is a happy little guy - until someone tells him he is not big enough or old enough to do a particular thing. I have told others that he is three - going on sixteen. Oh, how he wants to be a big boy! He is big for his age and most folks think he is older than he really is. But despite his protests of "But I AM a big boy", he still endures the frustration of standing on the sidelines watching Will play soccer, basketball, football, and baseball. He wants to play so badly too. It's just hard for him to understand why he can't be in the middle of the action when he is 6' 4" tall - on the inside...



He loves and admires his brother who is four years his senior, but he is not going to be a doormat for Will and his friends. Asher demands equal time and equal treatment, and exhibits a competitive spirit. He is a determined little guy, and one can't help but think that Asher will make his mark in life. But for now, he watches his brother, imitates his actions, and loves the times that he and Will play ball together in the back yard.




Asher has an unruly shock of curly hair that will probably be a major source of aggravation for him as he gets older (it was for me!) His little gap toothed grin will win your heart in no time. Like his brother and his two cousins in New Orleans, Asher is sharp as a tack and has a sweet, loving spirit. He is blessed to have both grandfathers close by, but he simply takes "Poppy" Clanton and "Papaw" Adkins for granted. Not long ago, in a moment of excitement, he came running up to me wanting some help with something.

"Poppy! Poppy! Poppy!" he called.

"Who?", I asked.

He screwed his face up in frustration and said, "I mean Papaw!"

I thought I'd have some fun with him so I asked, "Who is Poppy?"

Asher looked at me like I was crazy and announced, "He's that OTHER guy!"

Lance and I may just be those "two guys" to him right now, but he's pretty special to us.