A human guest for a change

Chase, Christina, Chris, Linda and Peter Kimball

Tom's friend, Chris Kimball, arrived for an overnight visit this afternoon. I first met him when I lived in Chicago, and he is one of the greatest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. He worked at the law firm where Tom was a partner in Chicago for a while and they got to be quite close, although Chris is somewhat younger. He is a member of an important Mormon family. In fact, his grandfather, Spencer W. Kimball, was President of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints from 1973 until 1985, and a great-great-grandfather was one of the original Apostles of that church.

Recently someone at the firm where Chris now works had to undergo treatment for cancer, and Chris was one of the men in the office who shaved his head as a sign of support so that their friend would not be the only one without hair. Chris's hair has grown out now, but he has kept it shorter than it is in the photo above.

Ironically, he was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer himself -- pseudomyxoma peritonei. It does not metatastasize, but it can be deadly if left untreated. He is facing a very long and massive surgical procedure next Tuesday in Washington, DC. He wanted to visit Tom before that happens.

BTW, Chris says there is a lot of bad information about this syndrome on the internet, not worth looking at. The procedure he will be undergoing is affectionately call MOAS -- mother of all surgeries. It takes more than twelve hours -- sometimes up to twenty-two -- , you are in ICU for two to five days undergoing chemo, then in a regular hospital room for a couple of weeks, and you face months of recuperation or possibly more after that with monitoring to see if they managed to get it all.

Chris is a strong, active and healthy man as a result of all those healthy Mormon habits, but this will obviously be a massive trauma to his body.

Please keep him, his wife and children in your prayers.