Curasore (sp?)

Aparently Papaw didn't get enough doing it to his kids. He had to start in on the grandkids. There you were, in misery, because your throat was hurting. It could be just starting or in the advanced stage. It could have been a simple sore throat or full blown strep. And here comes RW.
Bright-eyed because he saw a problem and was going to fix it in the next 90 seconds.
He'd walk out to the nearest bush or tree. He'd break off a sturdy twig. and then he'd wrap cotton around the end. And then he would wave his weapon in the air. It actually looked like a homemade q-tip. A huge and scary q-tip.
Then he'd dip that q-tip in some ungodly chemicals called curasore. This stuff could burn a whole in concrete. And with his curasore saturated q-tip, he'd shove it down your throat and swab everything from your tongue to your stomach.
Then you'd gage like you've never gaged before. Dry heaving at least 3 or 4 times, you would pray that something, anything would come up, just to stop to the pain. Tears would fill your eyes. finally, you would regain your breath. And you would look up to see Papaw say, "open up, we need to do it one more time."

In my experience with this procedure, my throat would feel tons better within a few hours. And almost totally healed within 24 hours.

Doesn't that capture a quality of Papaw? He had no qualms about pain, if it lead to gain. He could accept any amount of sacrifice, or suffering, or discomfort, if he saw how it would lead to success, or healing, or life. That's why I saw him as so strong. He seemed unfazed by hard times, challenges, obstacles.