Faces of Blue: Caitlin Cline

Written By: Caitlin Cline, for her father.

I always viewed my dad as a strong person. He was a printer (a very successful one at that), he loved to golf, he loved to spend hours with me at the beach, and overcame a lot of personal issues. In 2002, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was only nine when my dad was diagnosed so everything was very confusing. All I had ever seen of the “C” word was in movies or on TV shows. Most of the outcomes were very sad. I was scared and for the first time and I saw my strong dad defeated.

Over the years, I have witnessed chemo, radiation, a coma, countless surgeries, ostomy/urostomy bags, and kidney disease just to name a few things. My dad is still the strongest person I know. He has been through so much, but he still finds it in him to smile and keep his sense of humor.

Being the child of someone who had colon cancer, I really understand the importance of early detection. I want everybody to know that while the idea of a colonoscopy sounds terrible, it can make such a difference. I don’t want anybody to go through what my dad did. I love you, John boy. We all do!