'Push through'

Tampa restaurant executive Nick Vojnovic found himself in a surreal spot late last year when some friends and peers began to eulogize him — while he was still alive.

People were telling Vojnovic, former president of Beef O'Brady's, how much he meant to them, his mentorship and friendship, his good cheer and business smarts. The source of the outpouring of affection? Vojnovic was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare and life threatening form of bone marrow cancer, and he needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. Myelofibrosis disrupts the body's normal blood cell production, and can lead to a host of other issues, include fatigue and weakness.

Vojnovic, 57, was both touched and embarrassed by the warmth.