Daniel

I struggled with whether or not I should post this. My friend Daniel is really sick, and I sort of feel like I'm exploiting him by taking photos. But he was OK with it.

Daniel has acute myeloid leukemia. He was diagnosed in September. I don't know how long he has, but he is in good spirits and is pretty active, all things considered. Seeing him for the first time in 10 years was shocking. He was always a thin kid, but he's practically skeletal now. He's 32; 33 on April 13. In this photo, he's playing "Madden NFL 16" on his PlayStation 4.

I drove Zack around Tucson (he flew in from Santa Fe) to check out our old haunts when we lived there at the same time for a short period in 2006. We got lunch, caught up and had a good time.

I was glad the three of us got to hang out again. This was likely a goodbye visit for Zack since he can't come to Tucson often. I can visit again since it's only a two-hour drive for me.

I've never experienced seeing a friend waste away. My dad did (he had multiple sclerosis), but that was gradual over about 10 years. He wasn't really bad until the last couple of years. But seeing Daniel healthy a decade ago and then like this was rough. I feel numb.