THOUGHTS OF A POET IN THE RAIN

I lost a good friend on Wednesday, 5/6/15. His name was Dan Anders. He was a Vietnam Vet. He died at 1420 hours about 5 to 10 minutes after I walked out of his room. I had spent over an hour visiting with him and his wife. He had pancreatic cancer. He was in the hospice unit of C. W. Bill Young’s VA hospital located at Bay Pines.

Dan was unique. He is the only person known to have lived following being exposed to anthrax. The National Institute of Health had been following him for several years after it was discovered that he had been exposed and survived. His pancreatic cancer was a surprise to everyone. Only a little over a month back he was told he had 7 to 9 months to live. Then less than two weeks later it was reduced to 3 months. Then a week later it was down to 3 weeks. He leaves a wife and a daughter. He also leaves a group of friends, vets and non-vets. He was an avid hunter and loved the outdoors. He will be buried in a family cemetery next to the woods he roamed as a young man.

He’ll be missed.