Romping with the Big C

By Em Poppel

Flashing through my mind was a moment years ago in their Calgary living room. We were brain-storming the way Lawrence’s story could be related in terms of a baseball game. We both loved the game, as we used to play scrub or pop-up-flies in the evenings or Sunday afternoons on the small Manitoban farm. The excitement grew as we began listing some different chapter titles... Strike one, Strike two, Strike three, Batter’s... I recall we looked at each other and refused to say the next word. Our smiles dissolved and we quickly changed the subject. It was like we knew to actually say the words might somehow bring it into being. Batter’s Out. Games come in various forms and require different strategies, just as battles do. I invite you to take a walk with Lawrence, as he and his family face each battle together and choose to push the limits of his disability with astounding courage and determination.

Romping With the “Big C” is an inspiring story, of my brother Lawrence’s two bouts of stage 4 cancer; the second of which placed him in a wheelchair as a paraplegic. The first diagnosis was July 4th, 1995. It was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Almost seven years later on Father’s Day weekend, this stage 4 cancer came back with a vengeance. Romping With the “Big C” depicts how even strong-willed individuals struggle with the reality and consequences of cancer but also how together, they push past the surrounding negative expectations. My brother would prove the doctors wrong by walking again. However, in April, 2010 a similar, yet different attack pushed Lawrence to the limits once again.

50% of Author's Proceeds will be Donated to Cancer Research

• Language: English
• Publisher: Em Poppel
• Release date: Apr 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9780994023803

Em Poppel

Em Poppel, a rural Manitoban until 2012, when she moved with her husband to Alberta. This mother of three and grandmother of eight, is a full-time Administrative Assistant II who enjoys writing about life's challenges, whether it be in song, poetry, short stories or novels. Emily has had numerous articles, a short story and poetry published in rural and larger newspapers and a short story in the anthology Prairie Writers - Volume 3. Ms. Poppel loves to sing her own songs and others, whether it be in the choir, senior homes, at conferences, or television. She believes everyone is creative and if we choose to 'bloom where we are planted' life will indeed reveal itself through us to the world.

Book preview

Author Acknowledgements

I would like to begin by thanking Lawrence, Evelyn and their three daughters Tammie, Jennifer and Tobi for allowing me into their world of happenings with the ‘Big C’...life throws each of us a curve ball now and again, but this family brings home the true meaning of teamwork.

Annalee (LeeAnn) Knutson, my friend and editor extraordinaire, what would I do without you. . .you have supported me throughout this whole venture. Thank you for all your wisdom and encouragement.

William Yatscoff, of Bookkus Publishing, you came to my rescue and I so appreciate your expertise and guidance throughout this process.

Last, but not least, my family and my fellow writers of the Beaumont Writer’s Group.

I have learned much from each and every one of you. May God richly bless you on every page of your life. 

Dedication

To Mikaela, who at 15 years old, was diagnosed with the same cancer that Terry Fox had and to the many people in Lawrence’s life who have been touched by his journey and encouraged to fight cancer.

Table of Contents

The Initial Call

The Recruits

Game Plans

Time-out

Rally ‘Round

Moving On

Here We Go Again

Settling into Position

In the Outfield

Outlooks on Life

Gruelling Workouts

On the Home Stretch

Home Run

Unscheduled Time Out and Sacrifices

Preparing for Victory

The Purpose of Perseverance

Repairs and New Strategies

Moving Forward

Beyond Expectations

Retirement Plans Re-instated

The Beauty of Retirement

The Cheering Squad

Time to Live

The Saga Continues

Batter Up

Play Ball

Interference

Plan Changer

Final Farewell Tour

Memories – Thoughts near the End

Message from the Author

Design of God

About the Author

I’m going to live until I die. How well I live is up to me.

Go figure, an on-again-off-again game with rules that change without prior notice. A game to tackle with determination and style or one you cannot hope to win? In most games the coaches and trainers are already set in place, but for this game the main participants are chosen first. The specialists are chosen wherever the unwilling volunteers manage to locate them. In fact, until the doctor says these words, You have cancer, no one knows that they will be drafted to the team.

Close to six feet tall, with thinning blonde hair and laughing blue eyes, my brother Lawrence loved life and strove to be in control of his destiny. Since their early twenties he and his wife Evelyn, had worked in the health care field as managers and caregivers wherever they lived in Canada. At the time of being selected for this ominous game, Lawrence and Evelyn resided in Lethbridge, Alberta. I am Lawrence’s younger sister, Emily, and I am relating this story in the hope of giving encouragement to those who, along with their families, are struggling with this disease.

The Initial Call

In the summer of 1993, Lawrence’s discovery of a lump on the left side of his head quieted him somewhat. He’d just donned his favourite cap, but it wasn’t fitting right. His first thought was, Evelyn must have thrown it in the washer and it shrank, followed by a humorous thought, or my head has grown. He proceeded to re-adjust the cap and acknowledged only later that he chose to ignore the lump at the time.

In June of 1995, at the age of 49, Lawrence finally decided to get a physical and ask the doctor about the lump, which had grown over the intervening two years. She referred him to an oncologist, who in turn sent Lawrence for a biopsy. Lawrence began to realize that the early retirement plans of selling their home and travelling around North America in an RV might have to be put on hold.

When Lawrence asked to have the lump removed, the surgeon at our clinic in Lethbridge told him he would have to go to the hospital for the procedure, explained Evelyn. I made a point of going with him for the actual removal of the lump. As the surgeon started to remove it under a local anaesthetic, he discovered it was a more difficult task than he first thought. Lawrence would have to come back to the hospital another time in order for the lump to be removed under a general anaesthetic. Upon hearing the surgeon’s statements and seeing his reaction, I suspected something wasn’t right. I knew it was cancer, especially when the surgeon couldn’t remove all of it the first time around.

On the morning of July 4th, 1995, Lawrence was called to the doctor’s office to get the results. The doctor was only a half block from Lawrence’s office, so he decided to walk over around 11 a.m. He then returned to his office and made the call to Evelyn, to let her know the diagnosis. 

Lawrence called me at lunch time and blurted out, ‘The doctor says I have cancer.’ He was sort of laughing and crying, definitely in shock and very distraught, not really making much sense. He mumbled something about not quite believing it. I was asking for details and he could not give me any. I think he only heard ‘cancer’ and then missed everything else. He started to sound very upset, so I went directly to his office and then we returned home together. Evelyn paused in her account of the events. "I have trouble recalling the details. At the time, I was just numb. I was so controlled I only recall feeling very rigid, as in, ready to shatter."

Once we arrived home, a call was made to the oncologist in order to get clear in our minds exactly the kind of cancer Lawrence had. The doctor explained, once again, it was stage-four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Naturally, there are many responses to a diagnosis like this. Lawrence and Evelyn’s response was to talk, hold each other close and cry. Weighed down by fear, they searched their souls for answers to the what-if questions.

Lawrence’s question: What if I die sooner rather than later? Shock, panic and fear led to depression.

Evelyn asking: What if I lose my best friend, husband and lover? I could actually visualize attending the funeral and picture myself living on… Eventually, I worked through the whirlwind of thoughts and decided that I would be okay even if Lawrence was gone.

They finally faced the reality that Lawrence could die and anything less was just gravy. Whether or not more life experiences occurred or opportunities were given them to do more things, this day of decision had priority. Perseverance bolstered them as they began to look at the positive side of things, which included the blessings they had already received in their lives.

Stages of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

The various stages NHL (the Ann Arbor staging classification developed for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) are based on how far the cancer has spread throughout and beyond the lymphatic system, and whether constitutional symptoms (fever, night sweats, or weight loss) are present.

Stage I

The cancer is located in a single region, usually one lymph node and the surrounding area. Stage I often will not have outward symptoms.

Stage II

The cancer is located in two separate regions, an affected lymph node or organ within the lymphatic system and a second affected area, and that both affected areas are confined to one side of the diaphragm – that is, both are above the diaphragm, or both are below the diaphragm.

Stage III

The cancer has spread to both sides of the diaphragm, including one organ or area near the lymph nodes or the spleen.

Stage IV

The cancer has spread beyond the lymphatic system and involves one or more major organs, possibly including the bone marrow or skin.

The Recruits

There are more recruits involved in Romping with the Big C than the key player. Suited up, as well, are the children and the extended family, reaching far and wide across the fields and borderlines of generations. This was not a secret to be kept by Lawrence and Evelyn. Their daughters, Jennifer and Tobi, Lawrence’s daughter Tammie from a previous marriage, his parents and siblings, Evelyn’s mother and siblings, and of course the many friends and fellow workers, were informed at the earliest possible moment. The news was met with devastation, weeping, fear and an utter sense of helplessness.

The newsflash of this game had profound repercussions for all involved. On the upside, it brought the family closer together. The game-play put a time-out on a lot of dreams and wishes, along with being emotionally draining. Relationships were affected when the news got out.