CUSHING, ME – “I grew up in Rockland, but I spent my summers out on Metinic Island until I was 10. My father lobstered off there; he did that for years. I remember going in his workshop and finding a long lath and putting a point on it – like the bow of a boat. Then I’d take a shorter lath and drive a nail through the two pieces to hold them together … and let the nail stick up a little. Made myself a little lobster boat. I’d go to one of the tidal pools on the island and play with it. When I was done, I’d leave it there and let the tide take it out … and the next day I’d go make another one.”
It was good to hear Danny Staples’ voice on the phone when he called me a couple months ago – it had been awhile since we’d talked. But we weren’t more than a few moments into the call when I realized he was calling on official CFN business: he wanted to sell his boat.
The 65-year-old lobsterman had been putting up with abdominal pains for months when he finally gave in and went to see a doctor back in December.
The news was tough to hear: there was a tumor – and Danny was in the early days of stage IV cancer.
Dan met the doctor’s assessment head-on with a flash of humor:
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