I know my WOW (Word of the Week) readers are hoping to see the new WOW for today and learn the meaning of last week’s WOW. However, I’m afraid I can’t oblige right now. I’ve been reluctant to write about this because it is not my story to tell, but someone else’s. And I want to respect that person’s privacy.

However, someone very dear to me is struggling mightily against a vicious, vicious enemy right now: esophageal cancer. And while I have been a huge proponent of fighting breast cancer because of losing my best friend to that disease, I am now awakened to the fact that esophageal cancer is a far more devastating disease because of its mere location.

Without much warning esophageal cancer can quickly block a very important function in one’s body: swallowing, digesting and providing your body with nutrition. This creates horrific complications and yet, surgical removal of the tumor is also very risky. While this person is valiantly trying to get through this battle, he is fighting increasingly more difficult odds simply because a lack of nutrition to the body creates a multitude of problems.

The survival rates for esophageal cancer make the survival rates for breast cancer look great, even though that I know that those who fight that cancer have no less an easy route to survival. But, this has awakened me to an area of cancer that desperately needs funding, research, and support systems for those who fight it.

Contrary to popular belief (or at least my erroneous belief), you can be perfectly healthy, not smoke and still wind up with this cancer. It is increasing in the U.S. in men at alarming rates and no one knows why. This person was, indeed, perfectly healthy prior to this diagnosis and looked as if he would live a good 15 to 20 years more, at the very least. But, now that is deeply in doubt.

Thus, with great reluctance, yet again, I am going to suspend writing the blog posts for MIP for a while. His care is rather demanding at this point and he deserves my full attention. I hope you will understand and forgive the lack of posting. And when we are successfully past this chapter of his life and mine, I will be back, in full force to bring you my normal “insanity” here at MIP.

I hope you will return to MIP when I resume writing, but of course, that is completely your choice. But sometimes, some things are just more important than learning a new word for a new week.

May God be gracious to you and those you care about. And yes, those of you fighting your own struggles are still ever in my prayers and thoughts.

Until we “meet” again…