One More Dance

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Prologue

1: For you are mine, at last.

2: It started with a headache.

3: Sometimes you must get so weak to realize how strong you are.

4: If God brings you to it, He will see you through it.

5: One day at a time.

6: Life is meant to be lived.

7: The Avastin summer.

8: Retired, and loving it.

9: Until next time.

10: If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.

11: You don’t really get over it, you get used to it.

12: One person can make a difference.

13: It takes a lifetime to forget someone.

14: I have you in my heart.

Epilogue

Resources and Information

Dedication

For Michael Bennett Schott—my guy. Forever in my heart.

For my parents, Ronald and Rosemary Bedway, and my sons Sam and Tom Stevenson, and their unconditional love and support.

To my soul mate and best friend, Ellen; and to all the brave individuals afflicted with cancer of one form or another. One day we will find a cure.

Acknowledgements

I would have not been able to get through this most difficult time in my life without all of the love, care, and support from family and friends. Thank you for being my pillar of strength.

I think of endless days and nights in and out of the hospital and always knew my sons Sam and Tom were being taken care of.

My family … the Bedways, Ciaramitaros, Lundgrens, Amines, Nahras, the LaHood-Sarkis families, Bobby Nahra and Uncle Joe. Barbara Schott Boyd, Linda, Colleen, my book club: Sheila, Jan, Stephanie, Sally, Pat and Cindy. John Ahee, Ross Beckley, the staff at Dr. Margolis’s office. Michael Gordon and Mike Fox … your friendship is priceless.

The compassion shown to my sons and I would make Mike Schott proud.

My sincere heartfelt gratitude to all those who touched our lives in some special way. The amazing women who have come into my life since this began: Susan Foley, Laure Kalisz and Nicole Lasky.

Dr. Satish Krishnamurthy will forever have a special place in my heart.

A special thank you to Ed Rabinowitz for allowing me the opportunity to share my story.

To all those experiencing the challenges of uncertainty and fear, never give up hope, and remember that each day is truly a gift.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to fund cancer research on multiple levels. The Michael B. Schott Fund at the Henry Ford Health System Hermelin Brain Tumor Center targets three specific areas of cancer research:

molecular trials, personalized medicine, and quality of life clinical trials. The REaCH Organization in Syracuse, NY, focuses on promoting a better quality of life for children and adults through research and education with the goal of curing hydrocephalus, also known as fluid on the brain. The work of these two organizations will play a key role in advancing a cure for cancer in the years to come.

—ESS, 2011

Prologue

THE PHONE CALL to my parents had been brief. I told them that Mike had just received a CAT scan, and that he was resting comfortably in the hospital bed no more than three feet from the chair where I was sitting. I’d phone again when we had the results.

The clock approached midnight. The smell of antiseptic and Pine Sol from freshly scrubbed floors invaded my sinuses; the dimly lit overhead fluorescent lights cast strange shadows on the walls and on the floor. I looked over at Mike. It was just a headache, I kept telling myself, as the words of the on-duty nurse echoed through my head. It’s probably just a cluster headache; men get them, she reassured me. My husband used to get them. No big deal. Thank God, I thought … a little relief from the anxiety that gripped my body.

The sound of footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway caught my attention, and I looked up just as a doctor entered the room. He walked to a spot near the foot of Mike’s bed, and glanced down at a chart he’d been carrying. When he spoke, the seven words that rolled off his tongue, a summary analysis of the CAT scan, would forever change our lives.

He has a mass on his brain.

I rose quickly from my chair, anger fueling my reaction before the shock and the meaning of those seven words could sink in.

Could you come out here please? I asked, and led the doctor into the hallway. You just walk in here and drop news like that on us? What are you thinking? I don’t even know who you are.

The doctor was unfazed. Well, he’s the patient. He has every right to know.

I shook my head, struggling unsuccessfully to clear my senses. The doctor’s words were now ringing inside my ears. Like an old phonograph record with a scratch, the words kept repeating. … mass on his brain. …mass on his brain.

I turned and walked quickly back into the room where Mike was laying quietly in bed. Breathing was difficult, as though I’d been punched squarely in the stomach. We need to get out of here, I thought, then pulled the cell phone from my handbag and hit the speed dial number for my parents. My father answered.

It’s bad, I told him. Come.

My father woke my mother. Evonne called from the hospital; something’s wrong. By the time my parents arrived at the hospital I was frantic. The sight of them coming toward me in the hallway pushed me over the edge. It’s bad. It’s bad. Mike has a brain tumor. Get the ambulance and let’s get out of here.

My mother began assuring Mike, and perhaps herself as well, that everything would be okay, because the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of me. I don’t want you to worry, she told Mike. If I have to, I’m going to get in the bed with you. We’re not going to leave you alone.

Mike was placed in an ambulance for the transfer to Beaumont Hospital. My father drove his car, and my mother rode with me. It was like driving to Hell. There’s something about the night, the darkness, and the harsh glare of the streetlights and the occasional headlamps of a passing car, which tends to cast a more horrific shadow on everything. It was the loneliest of rides.

I thought about Mike’s five children who live all over the country. If something was seriously wrong, they had to know. They would have to make arrangements to travel to Detroit. Those would be five of the hardest phone calls I would ever make.

I kept my eyes glued to the flashing red lights of the ambulance the entire drive, and as we neared the entrance to Beaumont Hospital, I saw an array of doctors and nurses awaiting our arrival. It was nearly 2 a.m., and the scene was surreal. I kept thinking, this cannot be true. Mike Schott, the most brilliant mind, a Harvard grad… there has to be a mistake. We are just starting our lives together. This is not happening. But it was happening, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

1: For you are mine, at last.

I MET MIKE SCHOTT in the late 1990s when he began attending one of the early morning exercise classes I taught. It was impossible not to notice him. He was very carefree; some might even say goofy. It was a 6 a.m. class, and half the time he entered the room he had a cell phone pressed to his ear listening to business-related voice mail. Or he would carry a note pad and stop in the middle of class to jot down notes. The ladies in the class would say, Well, that’s Mike Schott. He does whatever he wants. His spontaneous actions, which included stopping in the middle of a routine to do push-ups, would become a running joke, but Mike could care less. Those personality traits were also what made him so successful.

Mike attended Ohio University on a full football scholarship and excelled not only on the field but in the classroom as well. After leading his team to an undefeated season and the 1968 Tangerine Bowl, he was inducted into the Ohio University Hall of Fame, and received an offer to try out for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. However, the president of Ohio University and former Associate Dean of Harvard Business School, became Mike’s mentor, and guided his decision to pursue a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard Business School rather than a professional football career. After graduation from Harvard in 1972, Mike began his career and eventual rise as the industry king in the beverage world. He soon moved to the New York metro area and began working for Pepsi Bottling Co. He eventually became president of Poland Spring Water, holding the position until the company’s purchase by Perrier. Upon the sale of Poland, Mike moved back to Cincinnati, to be a partner in the Hudepohl Schoenling Brewing Co. Soon thereafter, Mike moved to Detroit where he turned his efforts to Don Lee Distributor. Within a year, he was tapped to launch AriZona Iced Tea. At AriZona, Mike further demonstrated his ability to improve operations and manage rapid sales growth in the beverage industry. He was quickly promoted into senior management at Nantucket Nectars, Snapple, SoBe, Everfresh, and others, eventually becoming the lynchpin in building Monster Energy, the backbone of the unprecedented growth of Hansen Beverage Company.

Mike had a very confident—some would say almost arrogant—way about him. He was a character, but he was also intriguing; his mind worked in five different ways at once. Even at six in the morning.

While I was going through my divorce, Mike approached me about a job opportunity that required knowledge of and working closely with the health club industry. I had been an aerobics instructor for 20 years, and had produced exercise shows for local cable in Detroit. Mike thought that with my background and personality I would be a perfect fit. But timing is everything. The job involved some travel, and my boys, Sammy and Tommy, were young at the time. It wasn’t convenient, so I politely declined.

About a year later, I found myself in need of an additional part-time job. I asked Mike if there were any part-time openings at Hansen, and he told me his assistant could use some help. He set me up with a computer at home so I could work out of my house, which was perfect with my boys still being young, and I soon learned about the business side of Mike Schott. He was not easy to work for, but you could learn a lot from him. He had a time for work, and a time for play, and he’d always say, It’s not a popularity contest; I’m here to do a job. I’m here to sell Monster. I’m here to take care of business. He wasn’t mean; he just wanted things done a certain way, so you’d better have those spreadsheets accurate.

Gradually, an acquaintance and business relationship grew into friendship, and eventually turned into love. It wasn’t something I was seeking. The expression is that love happens when you’re not looking for it. He was older; there was almost a 14-year difference between us. It’s difficult to explain. I just know there was a point in our relationship where I looked at him and thought, I don’t think I can live without you.

It was the same with our wedding song, At Last by Etta James. We were sitting in Starbucks, which became our meeting place, when I heard the song for the first time. Mike asked, You’ve never heard this song? I love this song. I said, This is our wedding song. I just knew it, because like the words to the song, he was mine at last. When you have that person … when you find that love that is unconditional … he was my best friend. Everything was easy.

Mike went to my father and asked for his permission to marry me. He also asked my two sons, which I thought was very classy. But that’s one thing Mike definitely had—a lot of class.

My father held him in the highest regard.

Mike was a gentleman, my father said. In a room full of gentlemen, he would be the gentleman. The amount of joy I witnessed when Evonne was with Mike, as a parent, made me feel very good.

My mother’s feelings toward Mike were no different, though at first she was concerned. She was concerned because both Mike and I were recently divorced. And she was concerned because Mike had five children, and she didn’t know where I would fit in that equation. She didn’t want me to rush into anything.

I wanted her to take her time because I didn’t want her to get hurt again, my mother explained. She was hurt before that, and I was concerned about whether or not he could really take care of her. I said, ‘I know you love my daughter,’ but I wanted to know if Evonne would be able to put her head on his shoulder at night and not have to worry about anything. I asked him, ‘Will you be able to take care of my daughter so I don’t have to worry about her? Because I just want to know that she’s going to be okay.’

Mike told my mother, I love your daughter very much, Rose. I’m not a kid. Life is short. Life is to be lived. Life is to be enjoyed. Why waste time? I want to marry her, and I promise you with all my heart I will take care of her, and she will never have to worry, ever. I will take care of her.

Mike bought our house in Grosse Pointe shortly before we got engaged, and together we remodeled it—top to bottom,

My mother gave us her blessings. Mike was Evonne’s Prince Charming, she said. I’m with my husband 52 years, and I can honestly tell you that I loved Mike as much as Evonne did, in my own way, as a mother. He came into our life from out of nowhere, and he just fit in with us. He was a gentleman. When we went out to dinner, and I would get up to go to the rest room, Mike would stand up. When I came back, Mike would stand up again. I said, ‘Mike, I appreciate that, but you don’t have to do that. Relax. I go to the ladies room a lot.’

Mike and my sons, Sam and Tom, during a February, 2005 vacation to Aruba.

inside and out. Mike was a swimmer, so he wanted a lap pool in the back yard. I picked out the appliances, but any time I would pick something out, Mike would phone the store and say, Give her the bigger one. Give her the deluxe model.

In particular, we had an argument over a refrigerator. I said, Mike, what are you doing? Why do we need such a big refrigerator?

You have sons. They’re teenagers. They like to eat. And they have friends.

So now I have this huge refrigerator, and it turns out I could use another one.

Throughout the remodeling, my parents questioned Mike why he was putting so much money into redoing everything in the house. My father said, Mike, you’ll never get your money out of it.

I’m not interested in that, Mike told him. It’s no secret I’m a little older than Evonne. Chances are I’ll die before her. And when I do, I don’t ever want her and the boys to worry about anything. Everything will be done.

I think back now and wonder: Did he sense something? Did Mike know something, even then? Those are questions that will never be answered.

Mike and I were married on Sunday, August 21, 2005, but the celebration of our love spanned the entire weekend. On Friday evening my parents, who live a mile-and-a-half from our home, hosted a cocktail party for family and friends. It was a very nice evening, and our way of entertaining out-of-town guests who arrived early for the wedding. On Saturday night Mike and I held a catered party in the backyard of our house. It was hot and humid, and rained most of the day. The night was humid, sticky, and I feared that the weather on Sunday was going to be awful. It wasn’t. It was a fabulous, sunny day.

I spent the night before our wedding at my old house. My boys spent the night in our new home with Mike, who woke on Sunday morning and swam 72 laps before the wedding. Burning up nervous energy? Not likely. When Mike’s best friend Hughes Norton asked him if he was nervous, Mike said, No, why would I be nervous? I’m getting married today. I’m not nervous because I’m happy, and I’m sure.

I wasn’t nervous either—calm, but excited. Mike brought me to a different place in my life. He was beyond handsome. He was kind, loving to my kids, and it was not easy when the kids were younger. Yet he was willing to take us all, and that was unique. There were no holds barred. The sky was the limit when it came to Mike Schott. He was a very generous man, and our wedding day was very special.

Our wedding was held in a family owned catering hall—the ceremony in one room, the reception in another. Our pastor presided over the ceremony, which was attended by approximately 150 family and friends. My two sons, Sammy and Tommy, walked me down the aisle, and presented me to Mike, who stood teary-eyed next to his best man, Hughes Norton. My best friend, Linda Bahr, was my matron of honor. I wore a cream-color gown with beaded straps. Very simple, very elegant, but not flashy—just as the reception itself. It was a simple, elegant way to start our future together.

While I was certainly aware of my feelings on that special day, a picture is indeed worth one thousand words … maybe more. And looking back on the photos and recordings from our ceremony, as I stood facing Mike, hands held between us, the expression on my face and the love in my eyes could only be matched by the love that was in his face as well.

We danced our first dance to At Last by Etta James. And as Mike led me around the dance floor, the words to the song were a perfect expression of my feelings at that moment. Closing my eyes, pressing my cheek to his, no words could have better expressed how I felt with Mike in my arms.

At last, my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

Oh, yeah, at last

The skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clovers

The night I looked at you

I found a dream that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to rest my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile

Oh, and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine

At last

I threw my arms around Mike toward the end of the song, my mother and others—following in the Lebanese tradition—showered us with dollar bills, and I knew that everything I had ever wanted was right there in front of me.

Midway through the reception, the time came for toasts and speeches. My matron of honor and best friend Linda Bahr summed up her wishes and thoughts for Mike and I in four succinct phrases that she had seen on a sheet of stationery. As you begin your married life together, I want you guys to dance as though no one is watching, sing as though no one can hear you, love as though you had never been hurt, and live as if heaven is on earth. I love you both.

Mike’s long-time friend and best man, Hughes Norton, spoke of their 35-year relationship, and how this was his first, and likely last, time serving as a best man. He also offered up a very special tribute and trivia question. What do the following companies have in common: Pepsi, 7-Up, Poland Spring Water, AriZona Ice Tea, Nantucket Nectars, Snapple, SoBe, Everfresh, and Monster Energy. The answer is Mike Schott. And you can go today to any of these companies and people will still talk about the contributions he made. He’s one of the most respected, admired, and loved people in the beverage industry. And someone once told me that if you had three friends who you could count on in life no matter what, you were a rich man. You know what? I’m a rich man, because this is one of those men right here.