The Story of Mike Duncan

The Story of Mike Duncan
or
My Most favorite present

Back in 1995 I was given an assignment at school which was to Enter a contest in my local newspaper. The contest was to write a holiday story. Originally I started work on a silly story about Christmas in space but my mother convinced me to start over. I ended up writing a story, with her help, about my friend Mike. I have known Mike since the eigth grade and we have been best friends ever since. According to Mike when we met was even before what I claim in the story. Though I asked him a while back and he said he doesn't remember...oh well. The actual date I put on my paper before I turned it in was the 12 of November which was exactly a month before my sixteenth birthday. Now, enough babbling, on with the story.

The best Christmas present I will have this year is knowing that my friend Mike Duncan will still be here.

Mike is very much like a brother to me. When I need to talk to someone I talk to him. I have probably known him since the eighth grade. We have been through alot together. He was my first real friend. My life would not be the way it is today if it weren't for him. I met him at a church youth group dance. It was the second dance I had ever been to in my life, the first one was at school the day before. We had alot of fun and told jokes and laughed and had munch attacks. Munch attacks are when we run up to the table with munchies on it and say "Munchies" real loud and get handfuls of chips, and pretzels and stuff them in our mouths. Mike isn't afraid to be silly or have fun. He is always laughing and can see the humor in lots of things other people miss. There was a period of time when I didn't see him at youth group. Somehow it just wasn't the same. There was not as much to laugh about. One day after I had not been to youth group for a while, I showed up and he was there. Ever since we have kept in touch and promised that we would never leave each other again. We didn't know when we made the promise to always be friends that we might have to test that promise.

This summer Mike was diagnosed with Bone Cancer. I still find it hard to believe. Cancer belongs to other people's friends. It is something you talk about other people having. I just couldn't believe it could happen to Mike.

He has been very sick for months. It has been very rough for him. At one time he really gave all of us a scare - the doctors said it was renal failure. All I know is that I have never been so scared. I have never seen Mike so brave. We always said that we would help each other through anything. I didn't know if I could be strong enough for something this big. Mike is a fighter - even more than we all knew. He fought his way through it and we both survived. I missed school when ever I could, to visit him in the hospital. I especially went on days off. Even when I had a History report to do I went to see him and worked on the report while I visited him.

It is hard to be brave when you have bone cancer. It is hard to be brave when you feel so sick from chemotherapy and your hair is gone. It is hard to be brave when you are really, really afraid deep inside. I know how it feels to be scared. I can be the one who understands now - I hope I can give Mike some of the gift he has given me.

His battle isn't over yet. He bravely let them take his knee. "Let's get this over with" he said. There is still more chemotherapy - "I look good bald" he said. He loves soccer - "I can coach now" he said.

Mike is always there for me. My life hasn't always been very easy. I have cerebral palsy - but it's pretty mild. I guess I'm lucky in a lot of ways but in a lot of ways I wish I could be like some of the other kids I know. I sometimes think about what it would be like to be a star athelete, or to be one of the popular crowd but then I realize that I wouldn't be me then. Mike says I am brave because I have gone through a lot. I guess Mike would know what brave is wouldn't he? But it is easy to be brave when you have Mike as a best friend.

Christmas is a time for giving and sharing. Mike has been living Christmas year round for a long time. He has always been there when I needed him and he taught me how to be there for him. The gift of friendship is one of the most precious of God's gifts because the gift of a true friend is Christmas all year long. Here is to you Mike - Merry Christmas my friend.

The one thing I am happy about is that Mike and I are still friends after all these years. We promised each other we would stick together just look at us now. Many things have changed since I wrote this story. He got an infection, they replaced his knee again. Then he relapsed and it was his decision to amputate. So far so good he's been in remission for a while now.

Once again Here is to you Mike - Merry Christmas my friend.

Updated Thursday August 12, 1999 1:10 PM EST