October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please do all you can to help kick cancer in the butt! Any cancer! I hate cancer.

It just took another great person this week I had admired quite a bit. If you have ever been to Albert Lea Medical Center’s emergency room, you will know that I am talking about Janet Olson.

Janet was the nicest person who ever took care of my wife, daughter, and me at ALMC. We first met her when my wife was having kidney stones, and she was our ER nurse. Janet made visiting the hospital bearable for my wife and for me.

She had a great way about her. I think it was just her common sense combined with her devotion and caring that stood out so much. Just about a year ago, I ended up in the emergency room after hurting my knee and again had the pleasure of Janet being my nurse.

Janet remembered me and my wife as if we were longtime friends. She nursed me back to a better knee, and we left happier than we came in. That was the Janet I knew. I did not know her well at all and a bit later was surprised to find out that I knew her daughter Cher through a mutual friend.

Cher just recently became a nurse, too, and I know that if she is the kind of nurse her mother was, she will be amazing. You know, it is the kind of people like Janet you meet just a couple times in your life who sometimes help you get through the roughest times. I hope and pray that her family gets through this tough time of losing an angel like Janet. God bless.

I hate cancer!

Go girls!

Speaking of cancer, how about those Albert Lea High School girls’ soccer players. They are wearing pink jerseys for their game against the Austin Packers at 7 p.m. today. They hope to have pink soccer balls, too. Some of the proceeds from gate receipts will go to fight breast cancer.

Did I mention that I hate cancer?

Go to the game!

One for the history books

How about that Twins game! Wow! Twelve innings to beat the Detroit Tigers in the 163rd game of the year.

Now David needs to knock off Goliath — otherwise known was the New York Yankees. I think that David has a little bit of fight left. The day off today hopefully will help the Twins be ready for Friday’s game.

Go Twins!

Eating crow

Alright, Viking fans, your team beat my Packers. I can take it! It was a good game. My thoughts about it:

Good: Jared Allen.

Bad: interception/holding call in end zone.

Good: Brett Favre.

Bad: Packers offensive line.

Good: Aaron Rodgers.

Bad: Packers whining about Jared Allen’s sack to end the half; it was clean.

Good: Clay Mathews strip and touchdown.

Bad: final score.

Good: everyone wearing pink to draw awareness to breast cancer.

The countdown to Nov. 1 at Lambeau begins.

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears every Thursday.