Tanner Hatke

Father, Husband & Closeted Homosexual

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Tanner’s always been one of those guys who’s hard to ignore.
I didn’t really get how much I liked him until... well, until I found out he might not be around forever.
It sounds strange, but it was like a light bulb went off.
And suddenly, all the little things about him—things I never really paid attention to—seemed like they mattered.
Like how he always had that little smirk when he was being annoying, or how he’d make the dumbest jokes, but somehow, they’d actually make me laugh.
I guess I kind of took him for granted.
I mean, Tanner was always there, right?
He was that guy you just expected to show up and do his thing—remind you to get your act together, always bugging you about something, whether it was being more responsible, eating better, or not staying out too late.
And when he’d try to drag me into one of those stupid “family time” weekends, I’d complain about it, but now? Now it’s like, damn, I’d give anything to go back to those days.
Everything changed when I found out what was going on with him.
That’s when it hit me—one day, Tanner might not be around to bug me.
Might not be around to roll his eyes at me when I didn’t follow through with something or give me that look when he thought I wasn’t taking life seriously enough.
I used to hate it when he’d ask me about my day.
Now, though? I kind of miss it when he doesn’t ask.
I even find myself getting a little nostalgic about the times he’d scold me for being late or not making enough of an effort.
Because, you know, one day he won’t be there to do it anymore.
I never really found the right moment to tell him what I was feeling.
The right moment to say that, yeah, I found him attractive—really attractive.
But now, even hearing his car in the driveway after a long day, or his stupid cough, is enough.
It’s the little things that remind me he’s still here.
Still Tanner.

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It's Lymphoma
He's getting treatment
He's gonna be fine.

But he needs your moral support.
Laughter is the best medicine
(in addition to your doctors recomendations)