One of my best friends for almost thirty years, coached football with him, a grizzly old goat who is the hardest worker I have ever met made an incredible impression on me.  Bill Costello, who is more comfortable with a chainsaw in his hand than a keyboard, and as close to a backwoods mountain man as you would ever imagine called me about fifteen years ago, and in his matter of fact hard ass tone said, "I have cancer"

As it turned out, he had cancer in almost every major organ of his body at the highest stages.   That "C" word hit like a death hammer, it seemed like the Old Goat had run his last path.

We were coaching a team that year, and even through chemo, radiation, and finally many surgeries Old Bill would still show up at practice when he could.  He stood up on the hill so that when sickness hit him from the chemo he could go behind a car so kids could not see it.  

To make a long story and struggle short I will tell you that somehow that tough old goat beat cancer with all odds against him some say it was a miracle others say it was prayer, I believe God didn't want him and the devil would not have him.

Years later, my mother-in-law was dying of cancer my wife and I were visiting her at the hospital on the oncology floor and while standing at the foot of her bed I noticed a painting, the more I looked at it and admired it I began to notice the name of the artist on the bottom of the canvas, "Bill Costello."

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