Reisch rests at home as cancer gets worse
Kat Timpf
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
Associate Professor of German Terry Reisch, who has battled throat cancer since September, recently stopped responding to treatment.
He has been home with his family and under hospice care since Nov. 16.
Reisch's doctors called him and his family on Nov. 15 and told them Reisch had lesions and tumors on several of his vital organs, making his illness incurable.
Lecturer in English and close friend of the Reisch family Melinda vonSydow was present at this appointment. She said treatment had initially seemed effective.
"The tumor shrank and we thought everything was cool until a week ago yesterday when he was short of breath," vonSydow said. "Three CAT scans showed that the cancer had returned. He fought a great fight, he really did. As the doctor said, it was more aggressive than the treatment was."
VonSydow said she was happy with the treatment Reisch received at the University of Michigan.
"I've never heard a doctor be so kind as that man was to Dr. Reisch," vonSydow said. "He moved as all to tears... you want somebody who understands how you feel. [You] feel betrayed by your own body."
VonSydow said she met Reisch when they started working at the college together and had offices next door to each other. She said they started going out for daily coffee.
"He's one of the funniest people I've ever known," she said. "He likes 'Monty Python' and 'Top Layer' and 'The Simpsons.' What he did for the German students is he would get and format on the computer for them TV shows, movies and news in German so they could get a sense of the culture."
VonSydow said Reisch had a large video library, and was working on digitizing the German curriculum before he left.
She expressed gratitude to the Hillsdale campus. She said when she sent out an e-mail to the faculty asking for people to help drive him to his appointments, professors from several departments responded immediately.
Several faculty have visited Reisch at his home, where he is staying with his parents, wife and 17-year-old son. VonSydow said she visits twice a day, but only for short periods of time.
He has been home with his family and under hospice care since Nov. 16.
Reisch's doctors called him and his family on Nov. 15 and told them Reisch had lesions and tumors on several of his vital organs, making his illness incurable.
Lecturer in English and close friend of the Reisch family Melinda vonSydow was present at this appointment. She said treatment had initially seemed effective.
"The tumor shrank and we thought everything was cool until a week ago yesterday when he was short of breath," vonSydow said. "Three CAT scans showed that the cancer had returned. He fought a great fight, he really did. As the doctor said, it was more aggressive than the treatment was."
VonSydow said she was happy with the treatment Reisch received at the University of Michigan.
"I've never heard a doctor be so kind as that man was to Dr. Reisch," vonSydow said. "He moved as all to tears... you want somebody who understands how you feel. [You] feel betrayed by your own body."
VonSydow said she met Reisch when they started working at the college together and had offices next door to each other. She said they started going out for daily coffee.
"He's one of the funniest people I've ever known," she said. "He likes 'Monty Python' and 'Top Layer' and 'The Simpsons.' What he did for the German students is he would get and format on the computer for them TV shows, movies and news in German so they could get a sense of the culture."
VonSydow said Reisch had a large video library, and was working on digitizing the German curriculum before he left.
She expressed gratitude to the Hillsdale campus. She said when she sent out an e-mail to the faculty asking for people to help drive him to his appointments, professors from several departments responded immediately.
Several faculty have visited Reisch at his home, where he is staying with his parents, wife and 17-year-old son. VonSydow said she visits twice a day, but only for short periods of time.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Calah Duryea
posted 11/21/08 @ 5:01 PM EST
I just graduated from Hillsdale this past May. I had Professor Reisch for four different classes throughout my four years at Hillsdale. He was one of the best profs I ever had and one of my favorites. (Continued…)
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