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Hi all
My name is Ron Connatser I am from NH. This is my first album release with a specific purpose. Thats to highten awareness about colon cancer prevention and I need your help. All profit from the download and cd will be going to colon cancer research in my wife's name. So please help me in this effort
A story that needs to be told so bear with me:
It was September 17th, 2008, I had just returned home from my job as an Engineer I entered the kitchen and the answering machine was blinking. I pressed the play button…. what followed changed my life forever………………
My wife Cindy had gone to her doctor that morning for a checkup. The message was from her doctor. He said, “hi Cindy please call me as soon as you receive this it does not matter how late I must talk to you”. Needless to say, I was worried but never imagined what was about to follow.
About ten minutes later my wife walked in just returning from her tennis lesson. (Note she was never sick and always active.) I told her “You have a message from your doctor”. She called I knew from the look on her face this was very very bad news. She started crying then hung up the phone and said, “the doctor says I have colon cancer and he wants to see us first thing in the morning”. We hugged and all I could do was to try to ensure her we will fight this together.
But the next day brought things to a new low. We arrived at her doctor’s office and sat down in front of his desk. There was a long pause. I could tell the emotion on this caring Doctors face that what he was about to say was absolutely terrible.
He said, “all the tests indicate that you have late-stage colon cancer.” Of course, we asked “ok what do we do to fight this?”. There was another long pause then what he said is something no one wants to hear.
He then said “well unfortunately this is stage 4 colon cancer and we only have two options. If we do nothing you have maybe two months to live. If we do chemo maybe two years”. I then felt as if I had left my body and I was watching a horror movie. My only concern was for Cindy. What do you do when your best friend is given that News? All I could do was hold her and tell her we will fight this together.
For the next 20 months I watched my wife fight with such courage and positive conviction. She always would light up a room even during her chemo visits.
A week after our last trip to our Lake Winnipesaukee condo where she insisted I take her for a jet ski ride, we went for her next chemo and the doctor said we are getting to the end and asked her to enter the hospital. She did for a few days then insisted she wanted to be home with me and our two kids Julie and Scott. So that’s exactly what we did.
On August 3rd, 2010, in the morning her Mom, Dad brothers and sister, my parents and extended family came over to say goodbye.
At 6:03pm that evening with my son, daughter and myself by her side she took her last breath.
Well, the next few weeks were very very hard but not as hard as they were about to become. Both my son Scott and daughter Julie headed back to college the beginning of September just as they knew their mom would want them to do. I will never forget that first night with no one in the house but me. I never knew how total silence could drive one crazy. You see my wife was my best friend we did everything together I mean everything. It had been that way since the day I met her in high school so many many years ago.
Well, the weeks went by and looking back I think I was lost. I would go to work come home go to work come home it all seemed without purpose this is where music saved me.
A little history:
I started playing guitar around five or six. I was absolutely obsessed with it. I played in various bands from age 8 until about 20. I loved music and had a blast playing clubs, parties, dances whatever gigs we could get. When I was about 19 I realized that having Cindy was more important then anything in this world so I sold all my gear to be with her except a Ovation acoustic. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Now back to home alone:
So, one day I was at work and a friend knew I use to play in bands and said, “hey have you heard of Joe Bonamassa?”. No joke I said, “Joe who?”. He said, “yeah you need to check him out he is awesome.” So, I ordered his first “Live at Royal Albert Hall” DVD. I opened it and from beginning to end I could not believe what I was hearing.
Thanks to Jay Green for being there since I met him at a Joe Bonamassa show in 2011. Your kind heart and never wavering support speaks volumes of what friendship is about…. Thank You my friend.
Also, Johnny A , what can I say thank you for bringing me into your world. It has been a great adventure traveling with you on your gigs and being able to witness a true master of the guitar and be a friend to a wonderful like-minded Boston area individual… you rock.
To my late friend Chris Jacobs words cannot describe the support you gave me during my last days at work and until you left us.
Thanks to Joe Bonamassa for his inspiration and friendship that pulled me from a dark place and inspired me to make this album.
Most importantly to my kids Julie and Scott without them I cannot imagine how my life would be.
So thanks for listening and please support my effort at rconnatser.com buy a cd or download purchase. Thanks for listening cheers Ron