Congressman Baron Hill's office released a statement this afternoon about his son-in-law, Josh Huddleston, who lost his two-year battle with leukemia today. He was 31.
Would that you could have seen him smile.
Josh fought the disease bravely and fiercely through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. I never knew him when he was well, but he made the best of his un-wellness. He was strong both for himself and those he loved, most especially for his wife, Cara.
There is nothing fair about death, but there is something so much more painful when someone is put through a series of unthinkable physical ordeals at such a young age.
I write this with nary a partisan thought in my mind: Please say a prayer tonight for the Hill and Huddleston families. What they have lost -- a son, a husband, a friend, an indefatigable spirit -- can never be replaced.
And when you get up tomorrow, remember that while we wage these political fights, and we write these snarky things, they do not matter. There's always another campaign. There are always new messages and polls and talking points and attack ads. But this is all we have. This thing. This right now thing.
Be as strong as you can for as long as you're able, and never forget that "as long as you're able" may not be what you expected.
Rest in peace, Josh.
