Tomorrow on WORLDOFHURTONLINE.COM is the beginning of the month-long series, WESTERN SUN RISING, which will serve as an “intermission” between The Thrill-Seekers and the next WORLD OF HURT story arc, The Black Fist. Be prepared, when East meets West in a violent contest of cold steel and hot lead!
- JEP
Me, My Dad, and my brother, Philip - June 20, 2010
Since I started WORLD OF HURT in April 2009, I’ve experienced a number of momentous developments in my life. During the course of The Thrill-Seekers run, I’ve gotten engaged AND married. I’ve garnered attention and praise for the strip that far exceeded any of my expectations. I’ve earned three Glyph Awards. However, along with those fantastic moments have been some shocking and heart-rending moments as well. My old college roommate, who taught a course in webcomics, and was instrumental in introducing me to my wife, died in a hiking accident. We had to put down our 14 year-old Chocolate Lab, Scout, after a sad, slow decline in her health. A dear friend was diagnosed with cancer and another lost his job, and two months ago, my brother’s father-in-law died as a result of cardiac arrest.
Most recently, on the day the day after I got married, I learned my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Before I continue, let me tell you a little something about my Dad. His name is Nehemiah Potts. He’s 71 years old and he was born and raised in southwest Georgia. My Dad never shied away from a hard day’s work. He knows the back-breaking, finger-blistering labor of working a cotton field and harvesting peanuts. As a result of his experiences, he placed a premium on an education. His own college career was interrupted by family illness, so he joined the United States Air Force. During his twenty-eight years of distinguished service, he met my mother, to whom he has been married 47 years, raised a family, and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees and eventually rose to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. Even after he retired from active duty, my Dad spent another twenty years as a civil servant for the federal government.
My father has a nimble, analytical mind and a facility for processing and remembering details. He brought these skills into play in the service of his country. On flight lines around the world, he worked on, and managed other airmen, in repairing and servicing everything from the massive C-5 cargo planes to the sleek, powerful 5-4 Phantom fighter jets. At home, nothing stayed broken for long, either. Whether you threw a busted head gasket or a broken washing machine motor at him, Dad could find a way to fix it. If he didn’t know how, he would poke around, talk someone up, jerry-rig something, and keep pressing on until he found an answer. As my brother said, “The Chief can fix anything.”
On the day the final strip in The Thrill-Seekers arc ran, doctors successfully removed the brain tumor. It was as large as a tennis ball. Thankfully, it was benign. However, the effects of the tumor are not as innocuous as the word “benign” might suggest. All in all, his prognosis is very good, but he has a difficult road of physical and occupational therapy ahead of him. It’s an unusual situation for him, because he hasn’t spent a day in the hospital since he was twelve years old. He’s facing a tough set of physical challenges, but I believe–I KNOW– he is up to it. My father has never been afraid of hard work and, after all, “the Chief can fix anything.” Even himself.
- JEP
