A few years ago I introduced you to Bruce, who, with two months left to live, started a videotape farewell to his loved ones. He wanted to create a meaningful goodbye…and leave a history.
Today I’d like to introduce you to former CNN sports anchor Nick Charles. On August 4, 2009 Nick was told he had incurable bladder cancer…and it had spread into his lungs. He was given four to six months to live if he opted for no treatment. With treatment, he could expect about 20 months. It is now 21 months later.
Like Bruce, Nick is creating a video message. While his wife Cory holds the camera, 64-year-old Nick records messages to his five-year-old daughter, Giovanna. He calls his daughter, “A gift from God. A blessing who came to me late in life.”
Nick has undergone rounds of chemotherapy that darkened the circles under his eyes, and, in his words, “Make me look like I’m halfway in the grave.” But for Nick every breath is a gift. And with the series of birthday videos he’s taping for Giovanna, he’s on a mission to leave a lingering presence for her.
Having three grown children from two previous marriages, his impending death has brought him closer to them—including his 39-year-old son who sits with him during chemo sessions.
For his wife, the pain is unbearable…to witness the slow decline of the person she loves. However, Charles calls Cory his rock. She is the love of his life.
Cory collapsed when she and her husband first learned of his illness. A producer for CNN International, she continues to work because it keeps her focused. Yet she’s already begun a grieving process to prepare “for when he won’t be here.” She’s in touch with bereavement groups and camps to help children who have lost a parent.
When Giovanna recently saw her mother crying, the girl consoled her. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Daddy will always be in your heart.”
Wondering whether he will be around to celebrate his upcoming 65th birthday on June 30th, Nick says, “I don’t know how long I have.” He stopped his chemo in January saying, “I can’t take this chemo any more. It’s going to kill me before the cancer. I want to feel everything in life while I can.”
Now just waking up to live one more day is blissful. Nick says he stays positive because he has no unfulfilled longings. “I’ve seen Paris,” he says.
There are fewer good days. “I hope,” he says, “that I go to sleep and just don’t wake up.”
He’s recorded 10 hours of oral history—essentially his life story—for all his children to hear after he’s gone. What a remarkable legacy he’s leaving!
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My Friend
Read an excerpt now
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