Ronnie Patterson stand with his wife, Sherri, beneath a garden trellis in front of their home on Boucher Street. Patterson battled colon cancer with the same optimism and determination with which he lives his daily life. [Click to enlarge]

Managing Editor

Perhaps it was his competitive spirit that helped Ronnie Patterson beat the odds when he learned in 1997 that he had colon cancer. To say that the 60-year-old Dexter resident has a passion for sports is an understatement. He simply loves basketball and volleyball, but especially when one of his grandchildren appears on the playing roster. Eleven years ago, though, he wasn't sure how many more ball seasons he had ahead of him.

Patterson, like many men, used to subscribe to the theory that as long as he wasn't sick, there wasn't any reason to visit a doctor.

"I hadn't been to the doctor in over 30 years," he says. "But I suddenly began dropping a lot of weight and I needed a physical for work purposes, so I went to see Dr. Alan Chen."

The sudden weight loss, 51 pounds in all over a period of only a few months, wasn't the only concern that Chen found when he examined Patterson. Blood work analysis revealed that there was a real problem at hand.

"I wasn't having any other problems," Patterson recalls. "Never had any bleeding or anything and I still felt pretty good, but I was advised to have a colonoscopy."

The initial colonoscopy did not reveal any problem areas, but after a second one was prescribed at a Cape Girardeau medical facility, Dr. Chen's fears were confirmed. Ronnie Patterson had a tumor in the colon that was the size of a baseball.

The big, gentle giant and teddy bear of a man who had always been the strength behind the Patterson family unit, had finally met up with a real enemy. It was cancer and it needed to come out.

"After getting the test results," he recalls, "I didn't even go home. After an overnight stay in Cape, I was in surgery the next morning."

Doctors removed over a foot of the colon and the massive tumor that had literally been taking the life's blood from Patterson. The tumor, doctors estimated, had been present for about seven years. Although it was slow-growing, it had begun to take a toll on him and Patterson credits an astute Chen with having not only recognized there was a problem, but speaking with the Cape specialists prior to Patterson's visits there.

Loyalty is a characteristic that Ronnie Patterson seems to exude. He and his wife, Sherri, have been married for 42 years and he has been a loyal employee of Williams Moving Company for all of those same 42 years. When Patterson commits himself or makes a promise, he's a man on a mission and a man of his word. With that kind of determination in mind, he faced the challenges that a diagnosis of colon cancer delivers and committed to survive.

"I was told by a good friend, Butch Beard (who would later lose his battle with cancer) that I could go about recovering from cancer in one of two ways. I could feel sorry for myself or I could go on about my life."

Patterson chose the latter and did so with a direction that only pointed forward. For an entire year following his surgery, he reported to Cape Girardeau for chemotherapy every Friday and he never missed a day of work. The weekly schedule for chemo would be a commitment for anyone with the disease, but for a man who drives a truck long distance for a living, keeping that appointment each Friday afternoon often called for a little luck and a lot of faith.

"Many Fridays, I'd time my return trip home so that I'd pull my rig up near the doctor's office, go in for my treatment and drive on home to Dexter for the weekend. There was only one Friday that I missed and I actually showed up for my treatment, but the office had closed because there was an ice storm."

Now, that's commitment. And for his efforts, and those of his physicians, Ronnie Patterson has been cancer-free for over ten years. And as he had done before his diagnosis, he spends every day appreciating his blessings and fully participating in life. He still works for the moving company, but his trips are now closer to home, which allows him more time to do what he loves the most. Two of his seven grandchildren play middle school level volleyball and basketball and Ronnie and Sherri Patterson rarely miss a game. While Sherri views the games from a seat in the stands, Ronnie can most often be found at courtside, serving as the official scorekeeper. He is the girls' biggest cheerleader, both in stature and in spirit!

On a display of family portraits in his living room on Boucher Street, there are dozens of photographs depicting the grandchildren at different stages of their young lives, and while he is proud of them all, Ronnie takes special pride in a particular framed group photo of a team of young girls in their playing jerseys. Inscribed on its borders are brief messages of thanks to their number one fan and scorekeeper.

"It's one of my favorite things," he says with a wink.

Patterson has scheduled a walk in his neighborhood into this daily routine recently and even that task is not completed without welcomed visits with neighbors along his path. When he and wife find time to enjoy their manicured lawn and garden from a seat on their porch or swing, they're not alone for long. Every neighborhood child is drawn to the Patterson home and to the humble, gentle giant of a man with the big heart of gold.

Ronnie and Sherri Patterson, along with their grandchildren, will walk proudly when the Survivor Walk kicks off Relay for Life activities on the evening of August 1 at West City Park. He has walked the walk for many years, going all the way back to a time when the "Walk of Life" took place at the high school football field.