Sonny is my uncle, although he has fulfilled more of a father role for my brother and I since our biological father was killed in a boating accident when I was 8 years old, nearly 28 years ago.  I can honestly say that Sonny is the kindest and most honest man I know and I doubt there is anyone that has a negative thing to say about him.

Sonny is a husband to my mother's twin sister, Teresa, who has been faithfully married to Sonny for 40 years.  She is my hero for the amount of love, patience, partnership and care-giving she has shown Sonny during his 18-year fight with Prostate Cancer and beyond.

Sonny is a father to a wonderful, kind woman named Lucia who shares many of his human traits - compassion, kindness, empathy and honesty (although she received her captivating beauty from her mother!)  Because we have all lived in proximity to one another during our childhood years, Lucia is much more of a sister than a cousin.

Sonny is an accomplished photographer and has been the chief photographer of the West Virginia state magazine for the past 35 years and Editor for the past 25 years.  His nature photography has been featured in world class publications such as National Geographic, Life, Reader's Digest and National Wildlife.  Sonny has also written and published five pictoral books, all displaying his photography and articulating his love for the state of West Virgina and its beautiful natural resources.  Click here for more on Sonny's professional accomplishments or here for his gallery of stunning nature photography (www.hydephoto.com).

Sonny has prostrate cancer which was diagnosed nearly 18 years ago.  His case has impressed physicians at Johns Hopkins for years due to the localization (non-metastisizing) of his tumor and the longevity of his survival.  His cancer is now metastatic although relatively localized.  Sonny and Teresa together have battled this horrific disease which has involved surgery, 37 radiation treatments, 3 cycles of chemotherapy (each with 6 treatments), 1 trial study, endless weekly car travel between Baltimore, MD and Charleston, WV, and the constant and frustrating uncertainty of not knowing what the next 3 months will bring or when the next treatment option will emerge.  My family has been blessed by having Sonny with us for the past 18 years, particularly after his early physicians gave him 1-5 years of probable life expectancy.