Casper & Cancer
Before the ocean and the Harley, Casper learned how to stay.
Cancer made life smaller. Appointments, recovery, fear, quiet rooms. Casper did not perform some dramatic miracle. He did something better and more believable: he stayed close every day.
This is the chapter that gives the adventure stories their weight. Casper was not just along for the beautiful parts. He was there when I was bald, tired, scared, and trying to recognize myself.
Calling him a service dog is true, but it still feels too small. He was structure. He was warmth. He was a reason to get up and a witness to the days I would rather forget.
The later stories look bigger because they have oceans and engines in them. This one matters because it explains why Casper is the center of everything.
Loyalty
The strongest adventure was surviving ordinary days together.
That truth keeps the site grounded. Casper is not a prop in a travel story. He is the reason the travel story matters.