Monday, August 16, 2010

Dads for Daughters

So maybe it's not normal that Anderson Cooper with a dash of Sanjay Gupta are on my "Top Ten" list of male celebs I love.  I'm aware I am the exception to the rule but hey!  substance should count amongst dimples, six packs and Matthew M accents.  From the Gulf Oil Spill, Mosques at Ground Zero and Jesse cheating on Sandra -- I have found a rather refreshing, impactful story from my buddy Sanjay.  I hope you will take the time to read and listen about Dads for Daughters and the Council of Dads.  Wow!  

In summary, imagine being a father and finding out you were going to die. Who would be
there for your kids? Hear from one man who thought only of his daughters when he was faced with the news.

A father who learned he had cancer worried that his twin daughters would grow up without strong male influence. So he enlisted six friends to guide them through life's ups and downs. His thoughts immediately turned to his girls. And what would happen if he died and they were left fatherless. In the middle of the night he came up with an idea – contacting six of his closest friends and asking them to be there for his girls if he died. He asked them by reading each a letter he wrote - “ Dear Friend, As you know, I recently learned that I have a seven-inch cancerous tumor in my left leg. That afternoon, Tybee and Eden, who had just turned three, came running to greet me, laughing, giggling, and falling to the ground. I crumbled. I kept imagining all the walks I might not take with them, the ballet recitals I might not see. Would they wonder who I was? Would they yearn for my voice? I believe Eden and Tybee will have plenty of love, plenty of opportunities in their lives. But they may not have their dad. Will you help be their dad?”

All six men said yes -and Bruce created for Eden and Tybee what he would call “The Council of Dads.” A group of men who would be with him, his girls and his wife as he fought this rare and aggressive cancer.

MY SUMMARY:
LIVE for today but PLAN for tomorrow (a.k.a. Draw up a will and talk about the uncomfortable "what if's")


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/06/14/gupta.dads.for.daughters.cnn?iref=allsearch

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