They Say We Are Judged By How We Handle Life's Adversities

Since he was a very private man, I won't even mention his full name. But I felt during times like these, especially during times like this, I relay his full struggle. Because while this old colleague and friend is now gone, I think his example lives.

You see, John had a very cruel disease. Diagnosed only a few months ago, he succumbed rapidly and he suffered greatly. As if the disease wasn't painful enough, the methods to treat it and him, turned out even more so.

He once joked about all the needles. And being a man of some girth, he would always add, "They have to keep poking, Neil. Or try extra long needles."

And it seemed they did: All sorts of needles, all sorts of pain, all sorts of unspeakable medical horrors.
Yet for all he endured, he never complained. He never whined to a wife who clearly saw what he was going through and visiting adult kids who wondered how the heck he was going through it.

He only smiled for them, asked about them, looked after them.

And as he got worse, it seemed the only thing that grew more urgent were his inquiries as to their well being. I don't think I’ve seen someone suffer this much since I watched my own mom endure the ravages of brain cancer.

I remember her character. I remember John's class. A man who could have been bitter, but wasn't. Who led such a good and decent life and could have shouted, "Why me?" But didn't.

John was no one famous. No one rich. No one of whom, like my mom, historians will ever write or pundits will ever ponder.

He was just a guy like so many of us, trying to fight the good fight until he couldn't, until he was gone.

They say we are judged not by how we handle the good things in life, but how we deal with the bad. Some carp and turn small, nasty — even mean. They snap at those who come near them, curse those who don't, until their rage is silenced, along with whatever meaning was their lives.

Not John.

I'm told he died with a smile on his face. I am not at all surprised. That was John. He often joked I was his famous pal and big dude in TV.

Funny, I should be half so classy as my not-so-famous pal and clearly bigger dude. A bigger dude in something else: life.

— Watch Neil Cavuto weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on "Your World with Cavuto" and send your comments to cavuto@foxnews.com