Spring in his step

April 15 was an important day for Dale Lauman, and not because it was Tax Day.

He had circled the date on his calendar, filled it in with red ink, in fact, because it was the day he finally could eat beef again. After months of chemotherapy and a “no beef” edict from his doctor, Lauman got his long-awaited cheeseburger.

“I had started to crave beef by my fifth [chemotherapy] treatment. I wanted a Frugals burger, but my doctor told me to go buy some veggie burgers,” he recalled with a laugh.

Lauman, a Flathead County commissioner since 2007, has weathered the rigors of non-Hodgkins stage II lymphoma in the public eye, losing 46 pounds and his hair since he began treatment just before Christmas 2009.

Although he missed a few commissioner sessions because of chemotherapy, he kept working and was able to attend most major public meetings.

“In the highway of life, I regard this as a detour,” the ever-upbeat commissioner said. “You confront it and you move on.

“I became diabetic 25 years ago and went through all of those ‘why me?’ feelings then. But it’s there. You deal with it. You live with it.”

Lauman, 70, was just a couple of weeks away from his annual checkup last October when he discovered a lump. He had no symptoms.

“Until that point, I felt good,” he said.

Non-Hodgkin’s is a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the body’s disease-fighting network. Tumors develop from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

Other than a bout with viral pneumonia shortly after he was elected commissioner — he was sworn into office in his hospital room at Kalispell Regional Medical Center — Lauman has been in good health during his time as a commissioner.

It was a complete surprise when cancer came calling.

Lauman and his wife, Lois, quickly learned that fighting cancer is a partnership.

“Lois has been so tremendous,” he gushed. “There’s so much information and so much to absorb. For one person alone it would be difficult.”

Lois acknowledged that cancer has a way of turning lives “inside out and upside down.” And they both admitted they were “down” for a little while as they came to terms with his disease.

“You have kind of a little pity party and then it’s over,” she said. “The worst goes through your mind, but then you realize we’re in this together and we’re going to beat it. You make the best of each day.”

Lauman said his support system was broad, from his fellow commissioners and office staff to friends, family and the oncology staff. Other cancer patients going through treatment likewise buoyed him.

“It becomes a camaraderie with those going through the different types of cancer,” he said. “Something that’s really pleasant is to go to the doctor’s office and they’re all upbeat. It must be a challenge to keep that smile on every day, and that attitude is transferred to the patients.”

The Laumans laugh now about some lighter moments in the throes of their ordeal.

In anticipation of her husband losing all his hair, Lois went online to order a high-quality wig. It was expensive, around $500.

When the hairpiece arrived in the mail, it had long hair that could be styled pretty much any way they wanted.

“I could’ve had a braid,” Lauman said, laughing at the thought of converting his conservative coiffure.

Once the gray wig was fashioned into his regular hairstyle, he wore it only one time on a trip to Costco.

“That was it. I said, ‘No, this isn’t me,’” he said. “I’m not false.”

The spendy hairpiece will be donated to the American Cancer Society, they agreed.

April 5 was Lauman’s last day of chemotherapy. Though there will be follow-up care, a recent CT scan came backing looking good.

Lauman said he thankfully didn’t have many side-effects from the cancer-killing drugs, and had only four really “bad days,” a couple of which fell on Saturday and didn’t cut into his commissioner work.

He’s now in the restorative phase, getting injections of different chemicals to restore his white blood cells.

“I learned more about blood than I ever knew was possible,” he said. “The chemo kills the good stuff along with the bad, so then you need to build yourself back up.”

Lauman’s working to restore his energy level, too. Mowing the lawn last week was a good start. He and Lois look forward to summer activities that include boating, fishing and yard work at their Lakeside area home. They’re busy community volunteers, too.

After getting stacks of bills seemingly “as thick as a “Sears & Roebuck catalog,” Lauman said he can sympathize with those who don’t have good insurance coverage for medical care and considers himself fortunate to have good insurance.

When he retired in 1993 after 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service, he retained that insurance coverage, so he isn’t covered by the county’s health plan.

Lauman also is thankful that life now is finally “getting back to more normal.”

Lois said her husband has been an easy-going patient.

“He never complains. He’s patient,” she noted about caring for her spouse of 45 years. “I probably had a tendency to be a little over-protective.”

And without pausing she added: “He would’ve done the same for me.”

 Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com