Sam Major I was born in downtown Chicago in 1939, of African-American parents. I was the middle child of three. My parents both smoked, but there wasn’t any history of cancer in the family.
0-19 years I was an okay student and finished high school with no problems. I was sick a lot as a child, but mostly it was just little stuff, like colds and the flu and such. Seemed like I was always on antibiotics as a child though. I was a picky eater. Mostly, I liked really basic food, like my mom’s fried chicken and such. For sure, I didn’t like eating vegetables. I started smoking when I was 17, but I never had what you’d call a bad habit. Maybe three-quarters of a pack a day, maybe a pack now and then. Nothing really big. ·	20-39 years I moved to Milwaukee when I left home and became a salesman. I got a little college under my belt by going to night school and eventually got to be in charge of auto parts sales in a pretty large district. By then, I was married and had a son, but I didn’t see my family too much because I was traveling three and four days each week.
40-59 years I slowed down a little as I got older and picked up some hobbies- a little woodcarving and some reading. I was still traveling, though, which was hard on my wife. How she put up with me for 32 years, I’ll never know. When I was 57, I started feeling pain in my abdomen and finally went to the doctor. He thought it might be a bladder infection and put me on antibiotics, but they didn’t work. Finally, they did a test and found a tumor in the lining of my bladder. The tumor was pressing against my urethra, and that was what was causing the pain. They had to take the bladder out and put in a pouch for my urine that I have to drain by hand. They also put me on both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It was a tough time.	60+ years I’m 60 now and doing just fine. I still see the oncologist regularly, and he makes sure I’m taking good care of myself. Last year, I even quit smoking, at his insistence. Next thing you know, I’ll be eating my vegetables!