Through Death, Cancer and the Strike, the Spirit Endures
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1 NOV. 30-DEC. 6, 1997 VOL. 3 NO. 3 75 CENTS ^a :L SuNDAYlbuRrW m \ llHiBBliMBi* 11 ? ft a 1 ? B1 g 1 7 ¥ e■ » g <11 e l a ; II HI tl B 11 : » 1 1 fcis J I t l jW W:i> BB H W Smi I K mem . m m U1 U H I m m ' g m ^ a M mm* m A sM . ©TDSJ Through death, In April 1995, mom Louise was all smiles cancer showing off her newborn daughter, and the Robin. strike, the spirit endures By A m b e r A r e l l a n o ouise and I are at a stoplight on 12 Mile this fall when I ask her if she’s scared. The cancer has come back. She got out of the hospital a few Ldays ago, and her legs are as thin as my 7-year-old cousin’s. The tumors have spread to her lungs, now they’re tearing through her abdomen. DAVE COLLINS / Special to the Journal Yesterday she found a tumor in her butt. “Talk about a pain in the ass,”at the cancer, like it was laughing atwould not have a mother. I worried she says. She tries to say it with herher. I felt fragile after my own surgery,about my health insurance, about why INSIDE usual smart-aleck wittiness, but her and wanted to be more like her. I kept getting sick. Her cancer spread, tiredness comes through. We don’tdidn’t pull it off often. My voice tremmine stayed put. We both raved about laugh as we would’ve before. bled occasionally when I talked to thethe wonderful men in our lives whoENTERTAINMENT I met Louise at my first cancer supgroup of almost all young adults,stood 18- by us. Too old to jam? Fans can port group meeting. She told us how30. I feared my own tumor growingThe next spring, we were both still she had to decide between a late-termback. alive. Most everyone else in the groupdecide when the Rolling abortion and having her baby. TheThat was a few months before the was, too. About eight of us met in an Stones come to town tumor was in her breast, and shestrike began. I went to the group asinexpensive I Italian restaurant in couldn’t undergo chemotherapy whilecould, watching Louise’s belly grow,Southfield. We sat around fake woodTuesday. P a g e 23. pregnant. She was 28, the same age seeingI her return after her daughter’stables, eating spaghetti and veal am now. birth. The doctors started treatmentparmesan, counting our blessings: the I remember she was matter-of-fact. immediately after. She lost her hair; I boss who understood all the time off, INDEX She was scared, but seemed to laughlost my job. She worried her daughterfriends who came over to watch the Red Wings games, supportive siblings. Between the Lines Page 28 I was going to Mexico on a yearlongClassifieds Page 29 A m ber A rella n ois a locked- Detroit newspaper workers fellowship, excited for the adventure out Detroit Free Press reporter reflect on the blessings they and time to dedicate to my health. Crossword Page 31 and member of Newspaper count most dear: families, Louise’s cancer was in remission. Editorials Page 13 Guild Local 22. friends, and the courage to conHer face was a glowing pink that May night. Her hair had grown back After 28 months of strugglingtinue fighting for what they Sports Page 36 for a contract, locked-out believe is right.Pages 6-11. See SPIRIT, Page 11 Susan Watson Page 3 I PAGE 1 0 THE DETROIT SUNDAY JOURNAL NOV. 30, 1997 A Sea so n o f Thanksgiving Some homely pleasures When I consider thankfulness from the nest of a labor conflict, I rejoice whenever anyone finds a way to use his or her talents, gets a job, manages to pay for the family’s needs. I am truly grateful for these homely pleasures, too: ■ Polartec. ■ The aroma of a roasting turkey - all day on Thursday. ■ Any rose garden; steam radiators. ■ The sound of my husband’s feet rum bling down the stairs to make coffee. ■ Texas. ■ Rebellion and reconciliation roller coaster of teenage years. ■ Fabric stores; oatmeal; white cycla mens; automatic washers and dryers. ■ Pink, purple and gold skies. ■ Adobe Illustrator and QuarkXpress. ■ Wool sweater over a cotton turtleneck. ■ The extravagantly colorful fall of 1997. - Susan Swickard, Local 22 ‘God has blessed me’ Today I have more to be thankful for than I did 28 months ago. God has blessed me in so many ways and for that I am truly thankful. He has given me the strength to continue the strug gle with my union brothers and sisters. I’m also thankful for CWA Local 2108 in Landover, Md., for their continued financial aid; for all the political and church leaders for their dedication to us and our cause; for the thousands of sub Photo by GEORGE WALDMAN / July 11, 1997 scribers who have said, “No thanks,” to the newspapers; for the opportunity to out Free Press photographer Daymon work at the Detroit Sunday Journal Hartley, was in the Sunday Journal and for the people who buy it; to my office with his father recently and went Thanksgiving prayer friends and family especially my sister looking in a wastebasket for Oscar the and brother-in-law, Judy and Jim Grouch. very Thanksgiving, I me test my mettle. Blaharski who are always there when I Children are magic. They just accept. compose a new prayer. Let us thank Jesus for the need a hug. It’s when we get older that we compli This is this year’s. courage and fortitude that we Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks cate things by insisting on reading the There was life before did not know we had. for all our blessings and remember the fine print. Eworking for the newspaper andI thank you, Jesus, for letting less fortunate. When I went to Catholic school and - Barbara Valade, Local 22 one of us would ask some question in there is life after working for me pass the test. religion class that the nuns couldn’t the newspaper. I thank you, Jesus, for the life On friendship answer - like, how can a just god per I thank God for this test. that I have. mit bad things to happen to good people I thank Jesus for letting me I thank you, Jesus, for the Feeling a friendship fail tears at the - the nuns would reach for that handy- test other opportunities. right to pursue happiness. heart of our beliefs. If friendships fail, dandy, one-size-fits-all response of fun then what can we trust: ideas, art, our damentalist religion: It’s a mystery. Let us thank Jesus for bless Thank you, Lord, for hum selves? Internal structures fall apart. Some things you just have to accept on ings us with other options. bling me, just enough to let me My biggest fear is in seeing all friend faith alone. I thank the Lord for letting realize I am a better person ships fail and seeing myself, years Thus it was that, even as we were me test other options. now. ahead when the courts have ruled an marching into church for our gradua Let us thank Jesus for letting -Leo G. Jenkins, Local 372 end, without friends, ripped at by those tion mass, I already saw myself as a supposedly on my side, left by those recovering Catholic. who realistically calculated the odds, or We were outside the Detroit News simply and easily forgotten by others as during a Readers United action when love and respect. much-needed shot in the arm from time the world moves on. my brother, Mike McBride, first out Most of all, I’m grateful I learned a to time when needed. Our family has So, against the empty efforts of the lined to me his theory that only once, little more about acceptance. stood by us from day one, and continuescorporations to measure a worker’s maybe twice, in our lives are we blessed How could we ever have believed, to support us in many ways. worth and a community’s trust against with the chance to choose whether we even for a fleeting moment, that we I am thankful that I learned many their bottom lines, I match the friends I are going to be the problem or we are could last one more day than two huge years ago to stand up for what is right. have now and feel myself blessed going to be the solution. conglomerates absolutely determined to So many others cannot or will not do indeed. I’m grateful I chose the latter road. crush us? such a simple thing. For everyone who The old friends I still have and the I’m grateful to my no-longer-the-kid It’s a mystery. has helped our family of strikers in friends I have made in the last two sister and my brother-in-law, Cory and And we will. We will. ways large or small . thank you! years have taught me much about how John Morris, who have been there for All power to the people. - Debby Solomon, wife of Ben to be a friend. I’m not sure I really me every step down that road. - Chris Singer, Local 22 Solomon, Local 2040 knew before. I’m not sure I was very I’m grateful for the spiritual growth giving, tolerant or loving or even appre I’ve experienced and I’ve witnessed in Fight for our children Enduring love and supportciative.