HEALTH AND FITNESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
's o ar, u i v i n By Meg Kissinger Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE — Dick Rothing has been going to the Wisconsin north woods each summer since he was 2 years old. So, when the doctors told him in April there wasn' t anything more they could do to keep the cancer from spreading, Rothing, 55, packed his flannel shirts and his bottles of morphine and headed for St. Germain, Wis. The 18-hour trip from Montana — his sister and sister-in-law taking turns driving — left Rothing exhausted. He couldn't get out of bed forthree days after they arrived. But the payoff has been tremendous. 'This is my heaven," Roth ing said, watching sunlight sparkle ofF the waves. •
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It had been a routine physical last March until the doctor found a tumor on Rothing's esophagus. A biopsy confirmed their fears: cancer. A few days later, Rothing got even worse news. The stufFalready had spread to his liver, heart and lungs. They had hopes chemo therapy and radiation could buy him some time. But four days later, Roth ing collapsed walking up the stairs of his Montana house. His son called the paramed ics and Rothing was rushed to the hospital where they found blood clots choking his veins. If one broke loose and went to his heart or brain, he'd be dead in minutes. And chemotherapy would increasethe risk ofblood clots. Treatment was no longer an option. 'This is it," Rothing said. He went home to die. Rothing is divorced and lived alone, though his son, Ryan, 20, stayed with him from time to time. Rothing moved to an apartment to be closer to the hospital.His brother, Joe, and Joe's wife, Colleen, came out from Chi cago to help him. Rothing, arealestate agent and property manager, kept working from home for a while. But he had to quit when he got too weak. The hospice team was called. His sister, Carita, set up a website on Caring Bridge so that his brothers and his buddies could stay in the loop. "Please pray for Fig," an old fiiend wrote in an email, referringto a decades-old nickname he got for his love of Fig Newton cookies. The posts started pouring in from his grade school pals, college buddies and people he'd met in business. Kevin Culhane, his best friend since kindergarten, came from Denver to be at Rothing's side. "Dick has been with me for every major and minor event in my life," Culhane said. "I know he'd do the same for me."
THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 9B
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him 'Tanglewood." Culhane and Rothing Ryan and Rory traded practically did everything together growing up. phone numbers and vowed "I was in the seminary at to make the fishing trip an Notre Dame, and he called annual event. me and told me I was an The next day, the Culhanes idiot," Culhane said. "He told headed back to Colorado. "I' ll see you later," Culhane me I would never make it. I liked girls too much." whispered to his friend. The two enrolled in the Semester at Sea program The plan was to stay and went around the world. through the fall colors, Later, they were roommates but Rothing's health has at the University of Colorado. slumped substantially in the "I finally found a girl he last few weeks. He decided approved of," Culhane said. this week to stay there until il',.' Ql ),», "Mady and I have been mar the end. C ried since 1980. Dick was Summer is winding down best man." fast. The sky grows dark be Team Fig, as his caregiv fore 8. As the night air grows ers came to be known, held a cold, they can smell firewood burning in nearby chimneys. nervous vigil. MCT photo The leaves are already A week passed. And then From left, Dick "Fig" Rothing's sister, Carita, his sister-in-law Colleen, his brother Jim, a month. Slowly, Rothing got Dick himself and Mary Belton are pictured at Little St. Germain Lake in Vilas County, starting to turn, with little out of bed.By June,Rothing Wisconsin this summer. Dick Rothing has been going to the North Woods of Wisconsin splashes of red and yellow on figured that death would the mapletrees. each summer sincehe was 2years old. take its own sweet time. Rothing lies there for So they started packing for As sky turned from orange of bed. He spent hours watch Colleen stayed behind, cook hours thinking of these last Wisconsin. to pink to black and the pon ing episodes of"Bonanza" ing and watching the clock. several weeks, the richest and "Gunsmoke." 'You try keeping dinner toonboatputtered toward summer of his life. He plans to have his ashes R-Place, the Rothings' land, they cranked up a song Ryan arrived in late July warm for four hours," Carita compound,is aclassic by Chet Atkins and Mark and Rothing seemed to rally said, pretending to be mad, scatteredon a hilloverlook wooded retreat on Little St. Knopfler and sang along. then. when they finally returned in ing the lake. He told his It's been something seeing Germain Lake. It looks like There was one more adven the dark 10 hours later. sister to mark the spot with a set from a movie, with you again ture he longed to take. Ryan caught a huge bass. a stone inscribed "The Final stuffed muskies mounted And in this time we' ve had For some reason, Rothing Rory had luck, too, hauling Rendezvous." on rough-hewn pine walls, a to spend said, there area lotofthingsa in the biggest fish of his life. Carita and Ryan have You' ve been so good to be cobblestonefireplace and a father can teach his son while Culhane, on the other hand, cleared the spot and begun screened-in porch. around fishing that he can't many was a little bit of a mess. planting flowers there. "I had a slight accident A realestate salesman to The family has come here And I thank you for that otherplaces— lessons ofpa from Chicago since 1957, special thrill tience, staying calm in the face and totally botched the reel the end, Rothing sees more when Rothing's grandmother Keep me goin' on until of pressure, teamwork. line into a big tangled mess," than one advantage to this. "It's gota greatview,"he bought it as an escape from The next time I'm in town. Culhane, and Culhane's Culhane said. the rush-hour tension and A few days later, they went son, Rory, showed up from Rothing started calling said. noise of the city. back to Montana. But Roth Colorado the first week of Summer after summer, the ing kept itching to return to August for a fishing trip with seven Rothing boys and their Wisconsin. Rothing and Ryan and Roth ing's brother, Joe. little sister played cowboys So they came back three and Indians in the forest, did weeks later. The sky was dark, and cannonballs ofF the pier and This time, for good. stormswere predicted on the toldghost storiesaround the morning of their trip. campfire. When they got old When they arrived back Rothing was especially enough, they would take girl in St. Germain in early July, weak. Still, he was deter friends on midnight boat rides they had no idea how long mined, desperate not to miss 10401 S. Walton Rd., La Grande/Island City to watch for shooting stars. they would be staying. The this chance. 888-532-3422 + 541-962-2975 The crowd grew bigger women had taken leaves They managed to get ofF WWW.thIm der rV.COm over the years — girlfriends, of absencefrom theirjobs, around 11 a.m. Carita and boyfriends, spouses, babies. promising to see Rothing Eventually, their parents through. Any motherly help bought the place next door their college-aged children so there' d be more room to would need would have to be romp. done over spotty cellphone Whatever problems came connections. their way the other 50 Rothing settled into the weeks of the year, worries back bedroom. Colleen and always seemed to melt away Carita gathered in the living after they turned onto the room. They put their feet up, driveway and heard the pine cracked open a few cold beers needles crunch under the and wondered, "Now what?" tires. With time running out, "There's something magic there was none to waste. about this place," Rothing One of his brothers called said. to ask if another relative In late June, a flock of could visit. "No," Rothing said. "I Rothing's grade school fiiends went up to St. Germain. haven't liked that guy for 20 By now, Rothing was too years, I'm not going to start now." weak to stand for long. He' d lost 56 pounds. They ushered him to Rothing is worried about the boatin a golfcart.He how his son will get by once sat in a wheelchair as they he is gone. motored around for a sunset He wished he had the cruise, recalling the names of energy to travel with Ryan. nuns who scolded them and Rothing figures he's been girlfiiends who broke their to 19countries and 38 states hearts. in his own travels. "I' ve got Alaska and the Bring your lunch and latm chairs to the park and enjoy the I s i c , These baby boomers, no Suggested donation $5 Per Person longer young bucks but men East Coast left to get all 50. Pounder River Music Review concert series is presented to raise funds I'd love to knock them ofF this in their mid-50s, giggled at to build a ban stand pavilion in the center of dreiser-P ollman Park, the shenanigans they pulled fall, but that's not going to Thanks to the m sicians for donating their time and talent so many years ago. They happen," he said. "I can feel for this fund raising effort, marveled at how they man this stufF growing." Brochure and brick order forms uphill be available at ureekly concerts or aged to get away with some As the summer wore on, may be d ourn load ed at ururur, facebook, corn/BAKER CITYBANDS TAND of the things they did. Rothing could barely get out for anyone interested in Purchasing an engraved brick to be Placed in the •
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