Edward Benson

Three years ago, my father was diagnosed with an advanced form of prostate cancer. When I found out, I was scared to death. I didn’t want to lose my father. However, he stayed calm, and he stayed brave. During his two years of treatments, he never once showed any fear or anger or frustration, just bravery.

When my dad was forced into an early retirement due to the severity of his treatments, I am sure that he was worried how he could support his family. But at the same time, he knew that he didn’t have the strength to work full time. After taking three months off to regain his strength, my dad went out and got a new, and better, job. He worked hard to make sure that he could once again support my family.

Throughout my life, whenever I have had a dream, my father (and lets not forget my mom!) was one of the great influences in my life. He always taught me to pursue my dreams, no matter what. When I entered third grade, and I realized that I wanted to become an actor, he was there for me, and he helped me to pursue that dream. He is one of the people that I owe most of my success to.

Even though there were many “worst days of my life,” my dad was always there to make each incident seem like it didn’t matter, and that I would move on and be happy. He always makes me feel better, whether it be when my world is caving in, or when I simply got a bad test grade. My father had always been there for me when I needed him the most!