Stories
Bill: Making a Life-Changing Difference Despite Cancer
A country boy who longed to live in the city, Bill found his dream lifestyle when he married Cheryl, a Twin Cities native, in 2001. Skilled at construction, he enjoyed a reputation as a handy guy, helping his large group of friends with home projects. He pursued an avid interest in amateur acting through community theater and improvisation classes. And he had a son named Joe, who shares his playful sense of humor.
In 2004 Bill learned he had terminal cancer. He endured 18 rounds of chemotherapy yet joined his church choir, volunteered for Meals on Wheels, and built a wheelchair ramp for his father-in-law so the family could all be home for Thanksgiving dinner. When Bill died at age 34 in 2005, he hoped to continue sharing his enthusiasm for life.
"He wanted to become a donor to help foster another person"s independence."
"While we were doing Meals on Wheels, he commented on how hard it would be not to have a support network," Cheryl says. "He was grateful to have had such a network, so he wanted to become a donor to help foster another person's independence, to make a life-changing difference in someone else's life. Our assumption, though, was that cancer patients couldn't donate organs or tissues. After he died, I received a call from the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank and found out he could donate his corneas."
Few people realize that because corneas have no direct blood supply, they are not affected by diseases such as cancer, and both of Bill's corneas were successfully transplanted. Cheryl now volunteers her time to promote donation, making a difference herself. "Bill was the social director among our family and friends," she says. "I honor that role each year with a get-together where we raise money for groups such as the Lions Clubs and American Cancer Society."
Bill and son Joe share some guy time and a playful sense of humor.