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Author Topic: Sad Post
Bob from MA
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Some of you will remember my occasional posts on this forum and also some reports of trips my wife and I have taken. I am sad to report that Sally passed away on September 6, a victim of metastatic colon cancer.

Compared with many on this forum, we were latecomers to rail travel. Our introduction to long distance trains was in the summer of 1986. Since then we have traveled all the major routes (except the auto train), some of them many times. We have crossed Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. All together we have logged to date over 278,000 miles by train!

Most of out journeys have begun out of Worcester on the westbound Lake Shore Limited. I plan to continue traveling by rail, mainly to visit family in California, Minnesota and Alabama. Of course, it won't be quite the same. In fact I will be boarding #449 at the end of the month, my 40th departure on that train.

It may be of interest to some that I called Guest Rewards to see what would happen to my wife's accumulated points. I thought maybe they would just disappear. I was told that in the case of death of a spouse, I should send in a copy of the death certificate and the points would be transferred to my account. I thought this was nice of them and I have now done so. We'll see if that actually happens. It always annoyed me that you couldn't combine points for a trip even though both persons were traveling.

Finally, I strongly urge everyone to schedule a colonoscopy if you are over 50 (earlier if there is a family history). Colon cancer is treatable if it has not spread.

Posts: 127 | From: Worcester, Massachusetts | Registered: Jan 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
RR4me
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Sorry for your loss. I hope I can travel as much with my wife in the future as you were able to do. Good Luck and God Bless.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MDRR
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Bob, My condolences to you and your family. May you relish the time you spent together.

Tom

Posts: 332 | From: Long Island, NY USA | Registered: Jan 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
City of Miami
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Dear Bob - I am very sorry to hear of your loss. And thanks for the positive note of the last sentence.


John Grimes
PS: I lost my oldest brother to the same disease last year.

Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
cubzo
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My condolences as well.
Posts: 229 | From: Long Beach CA | Registered: Jan 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
TBlack
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Bob,
Sorry to hear the news. I had noticed that you've been gone from this place for most of this year. Stay with us; your comments are always informed and welcome. As I recall, it was your wife's nervousness of flying that got you to AMTRAK in the first place. As I also recall, you've a son in San Diego...might be a nice place to spend part of the New England winter this year. Nothing like a train trip to distract you.

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train lady
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I am so sorry to hear the sad news. My condolences to you and your family. Take some comfort from knowing you have a number of friends here who are thinking about you.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Geoff Mayo
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Bob, sorry to hear your loss, but one hopes your wife is free of pain and is happier now. I do remember your posts - only the good or the bad stick in my mind, and you're the former.

Geoff M.

--------------------
Geoff M.

Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
AHALL
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I my sincere thoughts are with you. I had no family history of colon cancer and they found a Stage 2 tumor in September 2007. I was hospitalized for 2 weeks for surgery and recovery, followed by chemotherapy through the winter, and reversal of the surgery in May 2008. All is well, and I am fully recovered, and my wife and I are taking a "Good Health" train trip in three weeks to California!

I think a colonoscopy should be allowed at age 40 regardless of your family history. My doctor says that we come from smaller family units today, and family history can't detect a trend as well as in the past. And, it is an easy procedure, I have had three in the past year; it is not as disgusting as everyone assumes.

Posts: 76 | From: Steubenville, OH | Registered: Oct 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
notelvis
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Bob, my condolences as well. I am sorry for your loss.

--------------------
David Pressley

Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!

Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes.

Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Gilbert B Norman
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"The most I can do for my friend, is simply be his friend"

---Thoreau

GBN

Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
RRRICH
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Bob -- so sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences also. You will surely have a lot of nice memories of trips taken by you and Sally. Keep in touch with us, and stay positive........

Rich K

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20th Century
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Bob, very sorry for your loss. God Bless.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Jerome Nicholson
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My condolences to you also. Try to be thankful for the time you had together.
Posts: 510 | From: Richmond VA USA | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
chrisg
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Bob,

I am very sorry you lost that love of your life.
My prayers are with you and take good care of yourself!

Chris

Posts: 711 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: May 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
smitty195
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quote:
Originally posted by AHALL:

I think a colonoscopy should be allowed at age 40 regardless of your family history. My doctor says that we come from smaller family units today, and family history can't detect a trend as well as in the past. And, it is an easy procedure, I have had three in the past year; it is not as disgusting as everyone assumes.

My mom had colon cancer, and I'm told that I should have a colonoscopy since I'm over 40 now. But I've been too afraid to have one done. Maybe I should rethink that. But I REALLY don't want to do it.

Bob, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. That's nice that you made a post about it here.

Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
railrev
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Sorry I don't have a link for this, but Dave Barry has written a very good column for those of us who have waited well past 50 for a colonoscopy.

I managed to put it off for over 10 years and was fortunate that there were no negative results.

Smitty, they put you out and you feel nothing, remember nothing.

Thank you, Bob, for thinking of us in the midst of your own sorrow.

--------------------
Railrev
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sojourner
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Bob, I am so very sorry to hear about your loss. My deepest condolences to you and your family.

I recently rode the LSL from Boston just to Albany and thought about your excellent, helpful posts as I did. I hope that when you take the LSL later this fall, it eases your pain a little bit to recall the wonderful times you and your wife had together. She is never really gone because she will always be in your thoughts.

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Bob from MA
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Thanks to everyone for your kind messages. I had forgotten to mention that we had been married for 53 years. Fortunately, we have 5 children and they have been calling and coming by the house quite a bit, Three live in Massachusetts (Arlington, Belmont and Dudley), one is in the Minneapolis area and one in San Diego. Unfortunately the distant ones are the only ones with children, so our grandchildren are far away.

If anyone cares to read the obituary, it is still available at the funeral parlor website. It does mention our love of trains, by the way. I have shown the link, below. Just put in the name Lingner where it asks.
www.milesfuneralhome.com

Posts: 127 | From: Worcester, Massachusetts | Registered: Jan 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
gp35
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My condolences to you and your family....
Posts: 562 | From: Beaumont Texas | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Mike Smith
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quote:
Originally posted by railrev:

Smitty, they put you out and you feel nothing, remember nothing.

Not exactly true. My first one, I woke up in the middle of the procedure. The doctor & nurses were watching th TV as the scope traversed my colon. I asked them what they were watching and the doctor told me it was my colon and watch that little pollup he was fixing to "retrieve". It was interesting, and I had absolutely NO pain as I watched him snip the pollup off. They must have given me some more Demerol because I went back to sleep shortly after the snip.

The worst part of the entire colonoscopy was the prep the night before. That's no fun! The colonoscopy was easy.

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Ham Radio
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Bob,

We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I got screened last year, thanks for reminding our other memebers how important the procedure really is.

--------------------
Ham Radio
Orange County, California

Posts: 46 | From: Orange County, CA | Registered: Dec 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
railrev
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quote:
Originally posted by Mike Smith:

The worst part of the entire colonoscopy was the prep the night before. That's no fun! The colonoscopy was easy. [/QB]

Amen to that!!

--------------------
Railrev
Escondido, CA

Posts: 99 | From: Escondido, California | Registered: Jul 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
   

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