At the end of the day, we're all Still Kickin

Five days ago, after his obituary was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Aaron Purmort became an internet celebrity. After all, it's not everyday that "Spiderman" dies "peacefully at home on November 25 after complications from a radioactive spider bite that led to years of crime-fighting and a years long battle with a nefarious criminal named Cancer, who has plagued our society for far too long."

Yeah, that is his real obituary, which he and his wife, Nora, wrote together in the final days of his life while he was in hospice care. I know, I know, Coolest Person Ever Award, right?

Aaron Purmort, as pictured in his awesome obituary

While I didn't know Aaron (which is unfortunate, since he was a fellow Minnesotan!), I have enjoyed virtually "getting to know" him, Nora, and their cutie patootie son Ralph (who, according to Aaron's obituary, "will grow up to avenge his father's untimely death"), through Nora's blog, My Husband's Tumor, which will -- spoiler alert -- both inspire you and also make you ball your eyes out.

Many people compliment me on my positive attitude with Hodgkin's. While I definitely have good and bad days -- as you can see, I'm no stranger to complaining -- I have many more good days than bad days, and even though the neurotic in me is worried about becoming one of the 15% of people who relapse after first line chemotherapy, at the end of the day I feel pretty good about things.

But I've got nothing on Aaron and Nora! In the three years Aaron battled his brain tumor, they both lived their life as normally as possible and, above all, kept a sense of humor about things, even as it became clear that Aaron's cancer was no longer treatable. While all cancer sucks and is horrible and pretty much the worst thing ever, let's be honest: it's much easier to stay positive when you're going through a relatively treatable cancer than when you have a fucking brain tumor. The next time someone asks me "how do you stay so positive?" I will point them to Aaron and Nora Purmort, the masters of positivity.

And the next time I'm in a bad mood, whether it be from having cancer, going through a quarter life crises, or the fact that some asshole cut me off on the freeway, I'm going to think of this quote from Nora's blog, which perfectly sums up the Purmorts unique blend of positivity/humor/snark:

Go live your wild and precious life. Don’t let the bastards get you down. Don’t let idiots ruin your day. Be good to one another, even the bastards and the idiots, because we’re all just humans doing our best in this crazy little world.

While Aaron is no longer with us, his wife and son are -- in his words -- "still kickin", which means they have to deal with annoying everyday things like crawling out of medical debt after three years of cancer treatment. If you have a few bucks to spare, consider donating to the family here.