I never really thought much about the way I communicate verbally until my friend Matt said I spoke in “Arthur-speak." I asked him, “what the hell is Arthur-speak?” He tells me, “it’s a lot and not like a lot of things. It’s a rare form of dignified double talk.”... Learn More

That my father would kick my ass, my gambling addiction would return, and my pet snake would disappear into the woods. I also feared I’d marry an angry, needy woman—which I did. Most of that doesn’t matter much anymore—Dad died young, my money dried up from gambling, and I don’t drive much... Learn More

I’ve been close so many times, I don’t even think about it anymore. When the time comes, the time times. In the meantime, I told God "you created one tough old buzzard, and I’m not going down without a fight". Even though I’ve won more than I’ve lost, my friends think it’s... Learn More

The simple answer...yes. But, I’ve never much minded much because the operating procedures came with a lot of benefits. I wasn’t just some guy on a gurney, I was Arthur. All the nurses and doctors knew me by my first name. And, they always had my heated corner bed ready during the... Learn More

  God gives a humble, ordinary man named Arthur Mercado a bunch of “little” tests: including 51 heart procedures, 32 stents, 36 cancer treatments, a five-bypass, 2 outer-body experiences, and advanced Parkinson's, among others. Arthur passes every test with a smile and a wink, comforted by the belief that God will never give him... Learn More

  For whatever reason, God selected a humble, ordinary man named Arthur Mercado—known simply as Papa Cado by his grandchildren—to take an extraordinary roller-coaster ride through a life filled with “little” tests. When the dust settled, Arthur had 51 heart procedures, 32 stents, 36 cancer treatments, a five-bypass, 2 outer-body experiences, and advanced Parkinson's,... Learn More

A humble man known simply as Papa Cado by his grandchildren handled all of God's little tests—40+ heart procedures, a five-by-pass, 30+ radiation treatments, Stage Four Parkinson’s and more, with grace, dignity, wit, and grit. His life—delivered in his own words—is a collection of life lessons that will inspire every reader to make... Learn More