The last thing I expected to see when I opened the New Hampshire Union Leader at my mom’s house this morning was a full color 7″ x 7″ photo of Scott’s and my friend Michael Uvanni. The piece was excerpted from USA Today and is titled “Cancer Treatment Hype Gives False Hope”. The article in full can be read here. The article gives voice to Michael and others who feel that cancer has become a big business beast that constantly wants to be fed: cancer research programs and treatment facilities eagerly solicit funding via luring new terminally ill patients in with false hope of recovery. Michael discusses how this can bankrupt the patient but robs them of quality time unfettered by doctor appointments and the affects of treatments that ultimately will not work. As readers of this blog already know, Scott Morgan chose an alternate way that allowed him to experience his last year of life to the fullest possible. I’m hoping the book I’m writing will give encouragement to others like Scott who don’t want to spend their remaining time wired up to machines and drugs.

During High Point International Furniture Market Week we usually had a party at our house for Scott’s many industry friends and colleagues. Scott personally invited only people that he  knew well. One year, our friend Seemore Simmons showed up with 3 strangers. Ruth Olbrych (read her account  in ‘Your Scott Stories‘, another designer from Australia, and Michael Uvanni dressed in flamboyant threads and a wild pair of hand made shoes. Scott’s feigned annoyance over these party crashers quickly turned to amusement. Michael had redeemed himself by rolling up the sleeves of his very fancy shirt and cleaning up the dishes piling up in my kitchen. Scott ran back and forth between entertaining our guests in the living room and bringing one of his own crazily patterned shirts and neckties in to the kitchen to show Michael. A fashion duel of sorts began that night with the two of them becoming fast friends and later on exchanging gifts– Scott sent Michael a tie made out of jig-sawed wood and Michael sent Scott a black satin shirt patterned with the planets of our galaxy. In hindsight, that was very prescient: I’m certain Scott is galaxy hopping even as I write this and perhaps garbed in the colorful fashion he and Michael loved.