Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.1988, Síða 5

ALDARAFMÆLISÁR, FÖSTUDAGUR 15. JANÚAR 1988-5
Wally Sigmar
The following article appeared in
the Skagit Valley Journal, Mount
Vernon.
MOUNT VERNON - When Wal-
ly Sigmar found out he had lympho-
ma, a potentially life-threatening
cancer, three years ago, one of his
first reactions was to fight back.
The popular Skagit Valley College
associate dean fpr student affairs and
former soccer coach said, "Almost
the first thing I did was to jump on
my bike and ride for miles . . . That
was sort of my statement that, 'hey,
this is not going to get me down'.”
Later, during his therapy, Sigmar
reached another moment of decision.
He suffered a severe reaction to to-
tal body radiation treatments, he
said. For months he was constantly
nauseated and could seldom eat or
keep food down. He lost 38 pounds.
During one office call, he said,
''The doctor (Dr. Mark Johnson of
Mount Vernon) said to me, 'Wally, I
want you to come in tomorrow with
your suitcase. I'm going to put you
in the hospital'."
Sigmar said he returned the next
day, and the next, without his suit-
case in spite of Johnson's insistence
he should be admitted.
Refusing to enter the hospital, Sig-
mar resolved to force himself to eat
and fight back.
"From that point I started to get
better,” he said.
Sigmar's cancer is now in remis-
sion and he is enjoying an active life,
playing tennis, softball, soccer, bas-
ketball and occasionally jogging with
his boss, SVC President James Ford.
His tennis game is back to 100 per
cent, said Ford.
Sigmar's determination to beat
cancer is one of the things oncologists
encourage in their patients because
it can facilitate treatment, he said.
Attitude's effect on treatment isn't
something you can quantify, said
Johnson. Many cancer patients give
up when they learn the diagnosis.
"You can tell it in their expression,
you can tell it in their face,” he said.
"But not Wally.”
"It was his inner strength that
helped him fight through all the ill-
nesses and treatment," said Johnson.
Sigmar said he reacted to his diag-
nosis with shock. In spite of a family
history of cancer he said he had
never considered that he might get it,
too.
The robust young coach who grins
out from nine years of soccer team
photos on Sigmar's office wall is the
last person you would suspect cancer
to strike.
"I've always been healthy and
taken relatively good care of myself,"
he said.
Friends and family were equally
surprised and dismayed, he recalled.
"I was immediately somewhat dev-
astated," said Ford. "Wally is not
only one of my best friends, but is
one of my closest administrators . . .
Wally Sigmar, sons Erik and John,
and wife Jean.
The thought of possibly losing him
really hurt me.”
Like Sigmar, Ford said, "Right af-
ter those thoughts came 'What can
we do to whip this?' "
Ford was privy to moments that il-
lustrated Sigmar's determination to
beat his cancer.
"he would say to me, 'I really want
to hve to see my children grow up . . .
I really want to make it’," said Ford.
"I did not only a lot of soul search-
ing, but a lot of study on the field of
cancer," said Sigmar. He found that
current research shows the power of
the mind can assist medical practices.
"Each one of us has the ability to
contribute to our own illness and to
our cure," he said.
He worked through a variety of
psychological techniques, including
visualization, to give his treatment a
boost.
"You can't just sit back and let the
cancer control you," he said. "You
have to be pro-active in treatment."
His determination didn't always
come easy.
"It's a real emotional, traumatic
thing on you and your family that
you aren't really fully awáre of at the
time," said Sigmar. There comes a
time during treatment, he said, when
you don't think you'll ever feel well
again.
'I remember one day I walked out
to my mailbox . . . and I actually
made it to the mailbox and it dawned
on me for minute there that I didn't
feel ill, ” he said. The feeling of illness
did return for a time, but he said that
one moment encouraged him and
helped him believe the fight was
worthwhile.
Sigmar gives most of the credit for
his remission to the traditional med-
ical care he received. But he believes
his involvement helped, too.
"If I hadn't taken care of myself
during the time my therapy was tak-
ing place, I believe it would have
been less successful," he said.
Sigmar said he enjoys opportunities
to serve as a messenger of hope for
other cancer victims and their
families.
''When you get cancer, it's not a
death sentence,” he said. "It's not the
end of the world. You've got a tough
journey to take. It just means you're
fights cancer
running a tougher race than anyone
else."
"We're fighting a winning battle
and there's hope," he said.
Sigmar has been offered a profes-
sional development leave for a year
beginning in June, and will complete
his doctoral studies in higher educa-
tion administration at the Universi-
ty of Texas.
"If I were thinking about dying
■ why would I do a thing like that?” he
said.
"I'm not getting ready to die. I'm
getting ready to live . . . every day."
* * *
So many of you, our friends, have
been asking about Wally, that we are
enclosing this copy of the above
newspaper afticle which was pub-
lished in the Herald last spring. Wal-
iy and Jean and their two sons, Erik
and John, have been enjoying life in
Austin for the last five months. Wal-
ly continues to enjoy his graduate
studies.
Wally Sigmar is a son of Rev.
Harald and Mrs. Ethel Sigmar who
are now retired and live in Seattle,
Wash. Rev. Harald writes, "A great
darkness descended on our personal
family life, our son was stricken with
lymphoma. He is still in remission as
indicated by the Clinic at Stanford
University recently. A cure for that
kind of cancer is yet to be found, but
slow progress is being made. Mean-
while Wally continues to be in excel-
lent health and spirits, and has just
returned to Austin, Texas for the suc-
cessful defence of his doctoral thesis
on his research, "Interventions that
can improve the Climate of a College
Campus". He further states, "Ethel
and I want to share our joy in our
son's accomplishment with all of you
by concluding this Christmas mes-
sage with an inspirational article that
appeared in the daily newspaper of
Mount Vernon, Wash. two and a half
years ago."
Editor's Note: As previously not-
ed in the Christmas issue, the above
is a continuation of Rev. Sigmar's
Christmas message. The message
contained in this article is one of de-
termination and achievement, which
we hope our readers will find not
only interesting but hopefully one of
inspiration to those who are required
to face adversity.
We extend our best wishes to Wal-
ly Sigmar and his family and admire
their strength of courage. To Rev.
Harald and Ethel Sigmar we express
our thanks for sharing this story with
us and the readers of Lögberg-
Heimskringla.
Thorrablot a midwinter
gathering of Icelanders
Now that the festive season is over
and we relax, to regain our desire to
meet with our fellow Icelanders once
again, and share each other's com-
mon heritage. Many of the Icelandic
organizations are planning the next
Thorrablot gathering in their various
communitites. It is a sort of fun even-
ing relaxing in nature when our in-
tellects are set aside, and the liquids
of Bacchus consumed from a Viking
horn in the form of a modern drink-
ing glass. Good foods dating back to
the early days of Iceland are served
in token quantities, and dancing the
main activity of the evening. While
there are many such evenings in
many distant parts of Canada and the
United States at different times dur-
ing the winter, they generally follow
a similar pattern, and have a high
success rate when measured in terms
of attendance.
There is one factor that seems to
defy explanation and that is the true
origin of the Thorrablot and what
was its purpose. We all know the
purpose of this historic gathering in
terms of modern times but in past
generations it is not clear. The expla-
nations differ so widely, that one is
led to believe that every individual
who attempts to bring forth an expla-
nation is very often an imaginative
author, creating the explanation and
altering it to suit the imagination of
the inquisitor.
Somehow it conjures up some sort
of incoherent imagination of devil-
ment, which you feel in the mood to
justify on this Thorrablot occasion,
knowing that a kindred Viking spirit
is keeping an eye on you, and will
cause you to unconsciously refrain
from any overt action. It will allow
you the feeling of a Viking prepared
to avenge his honour, but never al-
low such a situation to materialize.
And so we can let our imaginations
drift with our mood and that of our
fellow Icelanders on these Thorrab-
lot occasions.
Þjóðræknisfélag íslendinga í Vesturheimi
FORSETI: OLI NARFASON
Gimli, Manitoba
Support Icelandic Culture and Heritage
by joining your local chapter, or write to:
THE ICELANDIC NATIONAL LEAGUE
The Scandinavian Centre,
764 Erin St., Winnipeg., MB. R3G 2W4
Telephone (204) 783-0726