Mark W
Well-known member
"Who is Todd and why did he sign Jersey Boy?"
As some of you long timers on this site may recall, I had my best buddy in the world go through some terrible cancer exactly 10 years ago. To celebrate, we went out for a hunt the day of his 10th anniversary of being on the operating table for 14 hours.
Some background
Todd had been having troubles with a bump on his cheek. He kept thinking it was a bug bite or something non serious. This bump stayed with him for quite sometime and got worse. He went it to see some dental specialists who thought it might be something worse but weren't quite sure. One guy took some cells and had them tested. It came back cancer positive. Todd messed around with people up in the Cities but was not really getting answers. At the time, my Uncle was a blood specialist down at the Mayo clinic so I gave him a call and passed on the information Todd had been given to date. Almost immediately Todd got a call from a cancer specialist at Mayo and was told to get down there then next day for some tests. Todd scheduled an appointment for the next day. The day after that we were to go on another duck hunt together over at a special spot in Wisconsin.
Testing memories some more. The day Todd went down to Mayo I was to have dinner with Rod Johnson - the old DBHF legal eagle. Remember him? I met up with Rod in downtown Minneapolis at a very nice establishment Rod had chosen and since the meal was on him, I couldn't say no. Just as I got to the retaurant, I got a call from Todd's wife who was balling and hysterical. Turns out what the doctors found during their testing was so serious they scheduled him for immediate surgery that very afternoon. Luck was on Todd's side already as it just so happened the world's expert on this rare cancer happened to be making the rounds with the guy Todd was scheduled to see. He was going to be the lead surgeon and had called in his team of specialists.
All during dinner my mind was elsewhere. I kept getting calls from Todd's wife and some of Todd's coworkers as Sheila had called them as well. I really appreciated Rod being so understanding as those of you who met him would understand.
The day after surgery I went down to Mayo to visit. I was warned by my uncle on what to expect. As I walked in the room to be hoest, it was worse than I had thought. Todd was bandaged completely from the neck up. Turned out they had to make an incision from where his neck meets his shoulders, up through the jaw line, in front of his ear and then to the top of his skull. They peeled back his face and took a large chuck out of it and threw it away. He had very aggressive cancer and was told that had they not operated that day, he would have been dead within a month. Recovery was going to be long with no promise of anything.
To make this long story short, 10 years to the day later, I scheduled a duck hunt to the same spot we were to have hunted the day he was in recovery. It just so happened that I had "Jersey Boy" for this particular point in time. We went out on an afternoon hunt not really expecting to see anything much less shoot anything. Got all set up and just talked about all that he has been through the past 10 years (he has been declared cancer free some time ago). It was an emotional day to say the lesat.
Towards the end of the hunt, a lone Mallard came into view. We got it close to the dekes and then made a couple of short quacks on the old call and the mallard came right in - wings cupped and feet down. I looked over at Todd and gave him the "this one is all yours bud" nod. He stood up and one shot later the duck had surrendered its life. Some sort of metaphor here I am sure - it was like the diuck knew we were there but didn't mind. It was a very strange feeling.
We both sat there and looked at each other thinking the same thing - it is a miracle that Todd was even here exactly 10 years later shooting the duck he should have a shot at back then. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the day. Sorry they are greenish - don't know why.
Todd solemly and respectfully signed Jersey Boy that day. As someone used to say - "now you know the rest of the story"
View attachment Todd.jpg
View attachment Todd2.jpg
View attachment Todd3.jpg
Mark W
As some of you long timers on this site may recall, I had my best buddy in the world go through some terrible cancer exactly 10 years ago. To celebrate, we went out for a hunt the day of his 10th anniversary of being on the operating table for 14 hours.
Some background
Todd had been having troubles with a bump on his cheek. He kept thinking it was a bug bite or something non serious. This bump stayed with him for quite sometime and got worse. He went it to see some dental specialists who thought it might be something worse but weren't quite sure. One guy took some cells and had them tested. It came back cancer positive. Todd messed around with people up in the Cities but was not really getting answers. At the time, my Uncle was a blood specialist down at the Mayo clinic so I gave him a call and passed on the information Todd had been given to date. Almost immediately Todd got a call from a cancer specialist at Mayo and was told to get down there then next day for some tests. Todd scheduled an appointment for the next day. The day after that we were to go on another duck hunt together over at a special spot in Wisconsin.
Testing memories some more. The day Todd went down to Mayo I was to have dinner with Rod Johnson - the old DBHF legal eagle. Remember him? I met up with Rod in downtown Minneapolis at a very nice establishment Rod had chosen and since the meal was on him, I couldn't say no. Just as I got to the retaurant, I got a call from Todd's wife who was balling and hysterical. Turns out what the doctors found during their testing was so serious they scheduled him for immediate surgery that very afternoon. Luck was on Todd's side already as it just so happened the world's expert on this rare cancer happened to be making the rounds with the guy Todd was scheduled to see. He was going to be the lead surgeon and had called in his team of specialists.
All during dinner my mind was elsewhere. I kept getting calls from Todd's wife and some of Todd's coworkers as Sheila had called them as well. I really appreciated Rod being so understanding as those of you who met him would understand.
The day after surgery I went down to Mayo to visit. I was warned by my uncle on what to expect. As I walked in the room to be hoest, it was worse than I had thought. Todd was bandaged completely from the neck up. Turned out they had to make an incision from where his neck meets his shoulders, up through the jaw line, in front of his ear and then to the top of his skull. They peeled back his face and took a large chuck out of it and threw it away. He had very aggressive cancer and was told that had they not operated that day, he would have been dead within a month. Recovery was going to be long with no promise of anything.
To make this long story short, 10 years to the day later, I scheduled a duck hunt to the same spot we were to have hunted the day he was in recovery. It just so happened that I had "Jersey Boy" for this particular point in time. We went out on an afternoon hunt not really expecting to see anything much less shoot anything. Got all set up and just talked about all that he has been through the past 10 years (he has been declared cancer free some time ago). It was an emotional day to say the lesat.
Towards the end of the hunt, a lone Mallard came into view. We got it close to the dekes and then made a couple of short quacks on the old call and the mallard came right in - wings cupped and feet down. I looked over at Todd and gave him the "this one is all yours bud" nod. He stood up and one shot later the duck had surrendered its life. Some sort of metaphor here I am sure - it was like the diuck knew we were there but didn't mind. It was a very strange feeling.
We both sat there and looked at each other thinking the same thing - it is a miracle that Todd was even here exactly 10 years later shooting the duck he should have a shot at back then. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the day. Sorry they are greenish - don't know why.
Todd solemly and respectfully signed Jersey Boy that day. As someone used to say - "now you know the rest of the story"
View attachment Todd.jpg
View attachment Todd2.jpg
View attachment Todd3.jpg
Mark W
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