Cancer claims Marquette man

24-year-old Greg Larson
was first diagnosed with
cancer at age 17

By AMY SULLIVAN

The Salina Journal

MARQUETTE  The "gentle giant" who fought so hard to live with a death sentence went out the way he wanted.
 
Greg Larson, 24, died around 6:30p.m. Saturday at his Marquette home with his friends and family by his side. In December, doctors told the 6-foot-4-inch Greg he probably wouldn't live to the next Christmas.

"One of the best things we did was have him die with dignity at home," said his mother, Nancy Larson.
"It was very pleasant, and it was how he wanted to die."

Greg and his father, Brion, were cancer patients who were profiled in earlier Journal stories.

When Greg's pain got too bad this summer, the family considered putting him back in the hospital.
But Nancy and Brion decided they could take care of him. They had support of friends who work as
emergency medical technicians, Nancy said. And she had read extensively about dying.

Still, there was no way to brace against the tide of emotions that followed, Brion said.
"For me, the grieving process started back in December when I knew (death) was going to happen soon,"
Brion said. "It's still a shock, and it doesn't seem real. It almost seems like a nightmare that you could wake up from."

It also doesn't seem real that not only Greg, but Brion, would have to suffer with cancer. Greg was diagnosed first, at age 17, with colon cancer. He thought he beat it and was healthy for several years. Then came Brion's 1999 diagnosis of esophageal cancer.

Cancer returns

The next year Greg's cancer came back, this time in his stomach. Doctors at Salina Regional Health Center removed the stomach and created a pouch between his esophagus and small intestine. They thought he could beat it. Soon after that, he was back in the hospital. The doctors opened him up and found more cancer -- not a large tumor but several little nodules.

Two rounds of chemotherapy were too much, and he went home to Marquette and spent most of his time on the living room couch, surrounded by his mother's guardian angel collection.

Earlier this month, Brion was in the hospital because of his constant pain. Doctors inserted a pump the size of a tuna can to squeeze out a constant stream of three drugs, two of them narcotics During all this, the Larsons also had to give time and attention to their three other children: Jolene, 22; Anna, 16; and Rob, 14.

As Greg and Brion went in and out of the hospital, the family spent many nights at the Morrison House, 513 S. Eighth. They named that charity and the American Cancer Society as memorials in Greg's name.
The hospital's Morrison House provides a home away from home for family members of out-of-town patients.

"We have the longest record (168 days) of staying there the most nonconsecutive amount of days," Brion said.

A man who loved kids

Nancy said Greg was a kind-hearted person who loved kids, and they loved him. After he attended Hutchinson Community College and worked as a security guard at Hutchinson's Target store, he came home to help coach the Smoky Valley girls junior high basketball team.

"He never yelled at them," Nancy said. "They respected him and did anything he told them to do. He made an excellent coach. That's one thing he could have done with his life."

He also played '60s and '70s music in a band with his dad. Greg drummed, while Brion played guitar They did it mostly for fun and sometimes performed at church. Greg made his faith part of his American Karate training.

Her tall son's friends called him a "gentle giant."

"Honestly I don't think he could hurt a fly except to protect himself and others," Brion said.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Elim Lutheran Church in Marquette. The family doesn't know how they'll pay the $6,000 funeral bill, but Nancy has faith people will donate to the fund set up for the family at Marquette Farmers State Bank. Money has appeared there these past few months every time the family has a bill to pay, Nancy said.

Money matters aside, the family is determined to celebrate Greg's life. The service will be casual with balloons, pictures, memories and music.

"He had time to decide on some things," Nancy said. "He didn't want people crying over him. He wanted everyone to celebrate what he's done in his life. We were fortunate to have the time with him we had."

Reporter Amy Sullivan can be reached at 823-6464, Ext. 125, or by e-mail at sjasullivan@saljournal.com