Charles F. Porter 

Books

Get to know

Over the last five years of my life there have been many challenges. One was the fight for my life as my family, friends and I fought off stage 4 Cancer. I am now two years in remission after a stem cell transplant at UCLA. Many things changed in my philosophy of what is important in life. My circle became smaller but ever so stronger as I am able to pour more energy into relationships that mean the most to me. Many of these poems talk about that fight and what those who battled with me mean to me. You can also see a transition of a young boy turn into a grown man as I start to really search for my true meaning on earth. I always felt as though its to leave this place in a better way then when I entered. Even larger goals are in the balance as I continue to thrive as an artist and my voice starts to reach the masses.

choose your path

Choose Your Path' was written during the last three to four years of being in remission and is literally being published two weeks after Charles received the news that the cancer has returned. Making this title so much more compelling as Charles will once again try to grow from a life threatening challenge. During the years of medically and mentally being cancer free, Charles has climbed mountains, ran with the bulls and gotten engaged. Substantial changes in his mindset, actions and desires have taken place and Charles lays his private thoughts out for the world to see how he ended up on the path that he walks today. A path that no man has walked on before and one that no man will walk again.


Enjoying The Journey

In my second book, “Choose Your Path”, I talk about creating a unique journey through life. Learning from those who walked before us though never stepping directly in their tracks. I love to challenge myself along the way in life for with adversity one learns intimately of their weaknesses and more importantly of their strengths.
Getting my cancer into remission was no easy feat but it gave me and those around me proof that it was possible to do. So when I relapsed, which I’ve now done three times, my wife, family, friends and I believed that we could beat it again and again and again. Throughout life, it remains clear that choosing the right friends, doctors and most importantly, wife are key factors to my survival and overall happiness.
My family and bloodline are favor beyond belief. Both my father and mother came from modest beginnings and instilled in me values that I can stand by and pass on to future generations. Charles Sr. served in the U.S. Armed Forces for 25 years. Discipline, honesty and respect were coached daily. At times it was brutal to have a father who made every moment a teachable moment. Now, as a parent, I realize that his strictness was his love language and he was simply trying to protect me from and or prepare me for the pitfalls I would eventually encounter. Dorothy, my mother, a once model turned RN, was the yin to my dad’s yang. The epitome of flowing like water, Dorothy can make good out of any difficult situation. She was my first call from the emergency room the night Candice and I received the news of my possible diagnosis. My mom hopped on the first flight out to Los Angeles and never looked back. She never went back to Florida. She came out of retirement to help bring me back to life and through that challenge found life for herself in Los Angeles. Within two years of landing in L.A. she became one of the most sought-after private duty nurses in the field. Taking care of high-powered CEO’s, Academy Award winning actors and directors as well as past President’s wives. I had a front row seat on how to turn a tough situation into an opportunity to sharpen your skills and reinvent oneself.