Letter from Lynda

A bit of Lynda's Refrigerator Wisdom

Dear Friends and Family,

We arrived home on January 13th from Arizona, where we'd taken Norm for further treatment of his brain tumor and spend Christmas with Samuel and his family, and were then treated to all the family coming to AZ (who could blame them with such mild temperatures in winter). A wonderfully generous family from our church gave us full use of their guest house as we sought treatment.

We'd hoped to increase his immune system so it could fight the cancer better but had a few setbacks as a huge air pocket developed in his abdomen. Three CT and an MRI couldn't find a hole in his plumbing so laparoscopic surgery was done in search of this elusive hole or fissure but none could be found. They did find his legs were full of clots, so a second filter was inserted to keep them from traveling up to his lungs, etc. He did fine following those procedures for 2 days then started sleeping almost continually.

Finally we decided to bring him home, canceling our plans to do more treatments. Samuel took leave and helped bring him home, will return to his family Monday, but Elan and her children are here until late summer, attending the same school Norm did years ago.

Norm is resting peacefully in his office in a hospital bed, surrounded by paintings of his ships and the fishing vessel Petrel. He has little use of his legs and left arm, speaks in a whisper in a few words. His spirit is strong, wishing to continue the battle. We are seeking medical counsel Tuesday locally and via email with Duke's cancer center.

Many prayers continue to ask for a miracle, yet we understand the will of the Lord's isn't always ours. We thank you for your prayers and continue to ask for your prayers for Norm, we've all leaned heavily on faith and prayers.

My thanks to his classmates Arch Gardner, Jay Creech, Dennis Majerski and Dick Clark for taking time to travel out to see Norm and share stories of their years together. We've been blessed by so many who have prayed and offered rides and help, including his brother Bruce and cousins, Harold and Keith McMahon.

We could not do it without each of you, but especially in our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life and family. Our hearts are full of gratitude for the blessings we've been given, including almost 38 years of marriage.

With love,

Lynda