Saturday, July 4, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
From his Granddaughter
Think of him as resting from the sorrows and the pain, in a place of warmth and comfort where there are no days, no years.
Think how he must be wishing that we could know today, that nothing but our sadness can really pass away.
And, please think of him as living in the hearts of those he loved….for nothing loved is ever lost, and he was loved so much.
Alyssa Rose Theissen
June 12, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Funeral Services for Papa
for your dad's Papa Lew blog
My most sincere condolences to you and to the family especially your brother Richard
As you know he was involved with several online political forums & made many good friends there. I am sending you a couple links as some of his family & friends might enjoy seeing them..
Here is the link to the tribute, prayer, death notification thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254315/posts
Here is the link (scroll to bottom) to the link at the FRee Republic Memorial Wall
http://www.freerepublic.com/memorial/memorial.htm
He is singing wth angels & dancing with Marta - and NOT out of breath or tired! Just smilin' & not at all looking back
God Bless You all,
Dolly Howard
NE Ohio
--
On the web..
http://www.freerepublic.com/~dollycali/
Wide Awakes
The Right Reasons
Monday, June 8, 2009
September 21, 1941 - June 8, 2009
Funeral date and time will be posted later this week.
Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. What he didn't read himself, I read to him.
Thank you,
Melinda
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Lew
Hi Melinda,
Please tell Lew that he is in my thoughts and prayers today, and that he’s a very special person in my life. We miss him at the Monday night walks and happy hours, and other South Bay Fun Club events.
Love, his friend,
Susan J. Shaver LSA-4
License #0B09659
A State Farm Insurance Companies
Auto - Fire - Life - Health - Commercial - Financial Services
' Phone: 310-377-9531
7 Fax: 310-377-0954
4010 Palos Verdes Drive North, Suite 103
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
E-mail: susan@zimziminsurance.com
www.zimziminsurance.com
LEW
Love, Fran
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Update
He's still hanging in. If you ask him how he's doing his answer is "lousy" or "shitty" if it's not "oh... comin' along"
Thank you all for the prayers and kind words.
Hugs and smiles!
Melinda
Monday, June 1, 2009
To My Wonderful Friend Lew
It was very enjoyable to listen and watch the video. I always enjoy your singing. You have been so kind to let me sing kareoke with you.
Fran
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Your Papa Lew
| I met Lew back in 2002 at a bereavement group and knew he was a good person. After moving on we shared some great times together. Bowling, dancing, parties and just carousing He sure could sing and dance ! We have shared a love of music and the arts that will be cherished forever. He has given me a song book that I will hold dear. He has always been in my thoughts and prayers.I have attached pictures . Paul Sisti  |
Update On Papa Lew
I think that if anybody wants to come by and see him, that is fine, just call ahead of time and know that he doesn't stay alert for long periods of time. However, he has been known to surprise us all in the past. He struggles after a sentence or two so understand he won't be able to socialize a lot. He isn't the same man he was a month ago. I don't know what more to do for him except what we already are. My brother is here now so there are 3 of us to care for him, with my uncle Lyle. Also my Aunt Sue and Uncle Jack are here from Indiana and they've been with him all day, too.
I am grateful to all the family and friends that been so understanding and supportive, and for all of your Prayers.
Melinda
Aurora and I are thinking of you and the good times we have together.
I'm adding a favorite thought (author unknown ) that expresses my feelings also , gives me a better feeling that's not negative.
With Love, Gene and Aurora.
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow:
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken
in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush.
Of quiet birds in circled flight;
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die."
Friday, May 29, 2009
hello
i am so glad you have this blolg we can send messages
my thoughts have been with you so long,
i know your a fighter and will do your best ...
i will keep you in my prayers and hope you can feel better again.
charlene
Dolly from Wide Awakes, Free Republic & The Right reasons.
.. Please tell your dad I am trying. I dont know what the difficulty is..I dont have a genius rating with computers that is for sure but I do KNOW HOW & always have had success with various wall in past..
Please keep us posted.. I know how very difficult this is for you & I truly appreciated your sharing of your story.. Your dad is so precious...
warmest regards,
Dolly Howard
Cleveland/Akron Ohio area
--
ON THE WEB : http://www.freerepublic.com/~dollycali/
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Just wanted to say....
Thank you,
Melinda
More comments posted
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Hi Lew,
I'm so grateful your daughter put this blog page up, and to Dolly for letting us know.
You taught me a lot about living, with your Grace, humor, kindness, strength, knowledge and love of music, etc.
It's amazing that people that have never met, can have their lives touched and blessed to such a degree.
You have touched mine Lew. I'm proud and honored to have known you through your sharing online.
My prayers and best wishes are with you and your family.
You made a difference and an impact.
Thank you.
Love
Cindy
(Rheo) - Thursday, May 28, 2009
-
Lew,
FOOTPRINTS
One night a man had a dream. He
dreamed he was walking along the
beach with the LORD. Across the sky
flashed scenes from his life. For each
scene, he noticed two sets of footprints
in the sand; one belonging to him, and
the other one to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed
before him, he looked back at the
footprints in the sand. He noticed that
many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints. He
also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered ham and he
questioned the LORD about it. "LORD,
you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way. But
I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life, there is
only one set of footprints. I don't
understand why when I needed you
most you would leave me."
The LORD replied, My precious,
precious child, I love you and I would
never leave you. During your times of
trial and suffering, when you see only
set of footprints, IT WAS THEN THAT I
CARRIED YOU."
Sending you sunshine,
Gee - Thursday, May 28, 2009
-
I really like the picture that you have up with you and your dad.
Cindy
(Rheo)
Lew
Am so sorry that you're not doing well, I wish there was a way that you could beat this thing. Was just remembering our cruise to Mexico & what a great time we had, also wish there was time enough to do it all over again. My thoughts and prayers are with you, as always, Paula |
my cousin my best friend
My mother was a wonderful mother but was a real stickler on mud and water; we loved playing in it and always got caught because we would get dirty. We lived in the country and had a pump outside that made a lot of noise if you used it. Mother always heard it, so we had to be very careful if we pumped the handle. We learned if you just pumped it once after someone used it we could get a little bit of water without it making noise, so one day after mother got water for the house we were able to get about a cup of water. We divided the water and I went under the window and Lew sat next to the porch. He ran out of water before me and came over and yelled "you took all the water". Guess who got spanked. I owe him for these times as spanking or not they are some of my greatest memories.
As teens we only saw each other on Sundays as Lew moved back to Fort Wayne with his parents and I live in the country with my mother and stepfather. Grandmother Romery had the family over on Sundays so everyone came and we made the most of our times together. We stole cigarettes from anyone who left them unguarded, especially Lew’s older sister Carol. Our whole family smoked and how cool we thought we were. Little did we know the harm that later would be revealed about this product. Wish we had never started. Luckily I quit very young and before I had children. Lew quit later in life.
He married and moved to California so my best friend went away. We visited him once and then kind of lost touch. He married Marta and from what he told me about her they had a really wonderful life together. He told me about her reading to him if he was driving and then when they went to bed he would read to her. I thought that was the loveliest story I had ever heard. He loved her so very much; I envied him as very few people find that kind of love in life. I regret we lost touch and I never got to know Marta better.
After she died I visited Lew several times in California and surprised him and his brother Lyle and his wife Luann and his sister Sue and her husband Jack by showing up on a cruise they were on. It was our first cruise and it couldn't have been better.
I have so many great memories from our life together, I am so grateful he is my cousin. I have always thought of him as my brother and my friend. I could always tell him my most awful and most wonderful secrets and he loved me no matter what. I don't think GOD could have given me a better friend. I love you Lew, you are always going to be in my thoughts. Thanks for the memories and the love you shared.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
To My Wonderful Friend Lew
We became friends quickly, and our friendship has gotten better and better. You are a wonderful, caring person, and we dance the lindy really good together!
Melinda is a wonderful, caring person.
I love you both and am so happy you will always be my friends!
Fran
Posted Comments
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Lew and Melinda -
I am glad we have this page as a way to reach out and say hello. We all know how the story goes, and your opening statement reminds of of a similar chapter in our lives. One filled with kindness, tenderness, sadness and love. The time we have is precious and should always be spent appreciating that fact. Lew, you have been and will continue to be in our thoughts and our prayers. Melinda, thank you for being there to provide Lew with your care. We are all here for both of you.
With love,
Elizabeth, Greg, Patrick, Kathleen and Michael - Tuesday, May 26, 2009
-
Hey Lew and Melinda:
Thank you so much for setting this page up. We fully understand about wanting to stay in touch with people and this is an excellent way to do it. We are both sending you all our love and strength and have been including you in our prayers. We hope that you are able to open those windows and feel the sunshine and breeze on your faces. They give us so much energy and even the squinting will cause us to smile. Enjoy each second, as they are precious. We are so glad that you have gotten to know each other as love transcends all time and space. Know that we are all with you.
Love Marta and Tim
Monday, May 25, 2009
Open Invitation
We appreciate all your prayers, as well.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Daughter of Lantz-alot. How I got here
Perhaps, I had a sub-conscious intuition; I sensed something, in retrospect it was a premonition of sorts. After liquidating my apartment furnishings, closing accounts; I packed my Haute couture wardrobe, (ha-ha), various items and sundries; irreplaceable possessions, i.e.: the cat; photos; documents; regrettably some old junk mail, I then hitched a ride-share through Craigslist.com. Christmas Eve of 2006, I traveled from Portland, Oregon leaving behind, "God's Country", (as many Oregonians refer to it), back to smoggy, crowded, covered-with-a-myriad-of-un-Godly materials, concrete and fumes, and my birthplace: Southern California. My original destination was not Papa's house.
On the 23rd day of February 2007 I came to a fork in the road, a twist in the plot (so-to-speak). I zagged instead of zigged this time. Then, 3 days later, Monday February 26, I experienced what must have been what they call a "paradigm shift". It sprang from my Dad's diagnosis that morning. My thinking, my perception of what matters had changed. It was Esophageal Cancer, the "Signet-ring cell" type.
So, this was the monster who was hiding under the bed. The big bad wolf knocking on the door. It had been years without a single thought of the bogeyman..., now he's here and encased in a gaping pit of uncertainty, fear and dread. It instantaneously narrowed my life's focus. Dad's treatment and recovery was paramount. Everything else shrank in the enormity of it.
Who knew? Life would land in San Pedro. A town unfamiliar to me with stranger-faces, far removed from where I have lived and loved. San Pedro is where I would remain for the interim.
Four months of intense chemo treatments began immediately in preparation for and prior to Papa's Esophagogastrectomy that turned into a Colonic Interposition during the surgery and thus, began my education into what it is to "fight cancer". We were informed that although the scans had shown a reduction in the tumor before the surgery, after those initial rounds of intense chemo, that when they attempted to pull his stomach up, in order to close the gap where they had removed all but a nub of his esophagus, the surgeon said that his stomach basically, literally "fell apart". He told me that he had never seen anything like it. This is a guy that only does esophageal surgeries and had come highly recommended due to his expertise. Truth is he is one of the best, next to his Father, the other Dr. DeMeester. I drove through downtown LA every morning to spend the days there with Dad and would come home every night most times in horrific traffic because Papa didn't want me traveling alone in that area around USC after dark. I didn't like leaving him alone there but there was really nothing I could do for him in the middle of night, and would be no good for any one especially if I wasn't getting any sleep.
After the month spent at the hospital, from June 26 to July 29, 2007 we returned the next week for the post-surgery pathology report and the prognosis. Mandy picked us up and went with us. We were told that out of the forty or fifty something lymph nodes that they removed, over 26 were metastasized with cancer. The farthest reaching lymph was the one closest to his liver. This was a stage IV cancer and he told us that it would return in 6 months to a year. He suggested immediate radiation and chemo. This coming from a guy who basically did all but denounce chemo prior to the surgery. Then he closed the meeting by saying to Dad, "I'm sorry but this will come back and you will die from this"
Chemotherapy treatments became our ritual. After allowing Dad 4 weeks to get stronger, it began with a solid month of daily radiation and chemo. Papa handled the surgery and the treatments better than any one expected. He amazed even the Doctors. I nick-named him my "Teflon-Dad". Nary a side-effect, maybe a day or two of slightly increased fatigue but for the most part, he seemed healthier than I myself, was feeling at that time.
September 2, 2008, I started at LA Harbor College. Taking the core Computer Applications Office Technology classes with the legal option for an A.S. in Legal Secretary. This was also the same week that his CEA, cancer markers had gone up, doubled I think in a month, from thirty something to like 75. I'm not sure because I wasn't going with him to the clinic any more and he had a girlfriend who insisted they get married, that said she was a registered nurse on disability. So she had been there with him, I think. Well, the Dr. told him that He needed to start an aggressive regimen of chemo like the first rounds they had given him before the surgery. Those rounds started that next week. I spent the end of that week after class on Wednesday with my best friend Angela and didn't come home. I just assumed his girlfriend would be with him. But then that first week of aggressive chemo, when he was hit pretty hard with fatigue, nausea and the rest of it, she was not around. They broke up within a month and the more he needed her the less she was around. Of course she kept the engagement ring. They got back together and broke up again twice by the first of this year. Meanwhile, it was taking Papa longer to recover after each round of chemo. Just when I thought he was going to see an end to the chemo, only a reduction to, taxotere alone. Regardless, he was eating less and less, and by the end of February, and through march, he hadn't recovered from the last round as he began the next. It got to the point he barely kept down about a total of a handful of food. Spent most of time in his room. Smoking. Tired. I was bothered by the fact that even though the CEA cancer markers were still rising when they tested him in march, they still gave him another round of chemo, and he was still flattened by the one 3 weeks before that.
April 3rd evidence in the PET scan showed that his cancer is back. I've always known that even the slightest blip on one of those scans would mean there is 10 fold more than seen on the scan of cancer growth actually there. By the 7th we realized that it was back with a vengeance. In at least four places including his skin. The following week, I watched the skin lesions grow, morphing into a shape like a crab (hence, cancer) the tumors under his arms were growing as well. His energy was low to none. He had not eaten in weeks and it looked like he may never eat again by the 13th. Thankfully, he has the J-tube for nutrition. Sometime that week we would be looking into hospice. I was freaking out. I hid that from him. He says I have a tendency to "panic". I am not panicking; I have known over two years that this was coming. By the 21st we finally got him on hospice. I've watched a tumor appear about 1/2 inch in diameter and grow to about 5 to 6 inches long, 2 inches wide and at least an inch high on the front of his chest, below his left nipple and down. The skin cancer is perpetually morphing in color and size and looks very angry. He cannot bare anything to touch it, not even the slightest breeze. His mind is still completely sharp but his body is rapidly failing him. He is bloating everywhere. Now absolutely nothing goes down by mouth. All meds are liquid or we crush and dilute in liquid to administer through his J-tube. Tomorrow is our first day of a bath nurse. I've run the gambit of emotions through this. Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed. As I am getting the hang of what I need to do for him, I am less and less overwhelmed.
I am doing 14 units of school this semester and Finals are only 3 and four weeks away now. I'm way behind but I will catch up I hope, or at least not fail any classes. But once again, my focus, my priority, is Dad and these battles with the boogey man in a war we are going to lose.
Papa and I have gotten close over the past 27 months. I didn't have the chance to know him growing up, but none of that matters today. He told me today that he really likes the person he's gotten to know, that I have changed and grown a lot in the last 2 years. I told him in large part that is because of him. I'm not ready for him to go yet and I am trying to process the reality of what is coming, rapidly. That I am will have to watch my father die. I can't stop it. All I can do is what I am doing, trying to make him as comfortable and cared for as I can.
Reflect-Ability
By, Melinda Marinko
©1998
Quietly reflect into the waves
that are crashing on your sand.
Bringing with them an ever-changing power
that is beyond your own hand.
Absorb the mist; the taste;
the smell, the sounds of all you see.
Letting each approach
with a grasp of what has to come....
Then quickly, set it free.
Posts
Lew,
You continue in my thoughts and prayers.
Sonja AKA HazelG
Sweet you, Melinda and cherished friend, Lew,
Several messagesfrom your WAker family have been sent to you, Lew, via e-mail. Others will try to post messages here.
Please know you're in our thoughts and prayers and that you're desperately missed on WA, and that you're loved and cherished.
Tricia/onyx
Another friend from Wide Awakes checking in to say hello to Lew (we know him as CalKnight).
Lew, we've gotten to know and love you. We miss you on the forum. I enjoyed seeing the video of Back Home Again ... I'd seen it before.
Get that laptop going and check backin when you can!
Mary (altura)
Lew:
Bruce & I think of you daily -- especially when we listen to the Irish music you so thoughtfully shared. We love your rendition of "It's Good to be back home." Before we discovered Irish music we used to play that CD over and over on car trips -- expecially when we were nearing our distination. In fact, one of my gtandchildren would only go to sleep to that record when he was a baby because I would play it and rock him when he was a newborn. I like your version and pleased that we have TWO genres of music that we all enjoy. I hope you will be singing again.
Love & hugs --
Bette & Bruce