Don Becker

To those who know my father Donald Becker all know that he is a noble man. He is admired by his family and friends but also by anyone he meets . He is a hardworking man who loves his family , his job and his friends and would do anything for anyone without expecting anything in return. In the winter months he is the man who wakes up several hours before his work shift to snowblow his driveway and sidewalks but then also goes across the street to snowblow for all his neighbors too . He is the first to offer a helping hand to anyone even if you are a complete stranger . He loves the community that he lives in . He takes great pride in working for Bennett Bolts as it is a part of the community that he lives in and loves and he truly loves his profession. He enters the stores with a big smile and a wave and always says " hello how are you today " even if he is having a bad day . On October 13 th My fathers life took a dramatic turn . He was diagnosed with a rare cancer called lacrimal adenocarcinoma ( cancer of the tear duct ). Cancer so rare that it has only been seen 2 times in 20 years in Syracuse and left most of his physicians puzzled on what should be the best treatment approach . Unfortunately this cancer went undiagnosed for several months as Doctors in Auburn never referred him on to get a second opinion as this mass grew larger and larger and they did not know why or what it was . We took him to Upstate ER and from there they did extensive scans and testing after a week long hospital stay he was delivered news that will forever change his life . For the first time in my life , I watched the man I have loved and admired be devastated by his diagnosis. The look on his face will be something that I will never forget as in my 40 years as his daughter I have never seen my dad cry, feel week or vulnerable. We took him to Rosewell cancer institute where they agreed with Syracuse and felt that his best option was to stay local as the dr on his case has the most experience with this cancer because of where he did his training . The cancer is aggressive and destroys everything that surrounds it . The cancer has affected his left eye, cheek bone and skull next to his eye and the muscle that is attached to the cheek . On Monday November 27th my father underwent a 13 hour cranio facial surgery to which he lost his left eye , surrounding bone and muscle . This is the only way to save his life because the tumor itself does not respond to chemo or radiation and can travel through the body quickly through nerves and body parts that contain a salvitory gland . With all that he went through and in true Don Becker fashion , when he woke was only worried about all of his family and not him self . He apologized that it took so long , asked if we were all ok and was most worried about his grandson who was also with us as he did not want him to be sad . This is after 13 hours of a very difficult and painful procedure . When we visit him , he is in pain but you would never know it . Throughout his journey so far he has kept a brave front because he did not want us to be upset or worry and still does while in the hospital. He greets all the staff the same way as he would if he were home and they met on the street . He is a hero !! He has touched the lives of so many and I have not met one person who does not say he is "amazing" , "thoughtful", "loving", "helpful", "selfless", "noble", "brave" and much more . Not once has he ever said "why me" . We have been told that dependent upon the results of the pathology that he is looking at radiation and if margins are not clear he will also need chemo but will not have a definitive answer until the pathology report comes back . Money that is raised will be used for current and future medical bills , as well as , future surgery that the insurance may not cover as it is deemed " cosmetic " and living expenses. At this time they are living on just my Moms paycheck alone as his disability has not yet come in . We appreciate all the support and love that we have already received from family , friends and the community thus far . My dad is a proud person and not one to ask for help . We have told him that he would be the first person do to the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot . Happy Holidays to all of you from our Family To Yours ! Thank you