Delores Carter of Moraine Vista Ave is battling pancreatic cancer. She and her husband, Steve, moved to Kasilof one exciting day in 1976. Their first child was on the way and Steve bet he could get their house done in time to move in before the baby was born. He had to settle for the day after, and they moved in as a threesome with baby Melissa.
Carter’s are from New Mexico and Steve is an oil field worker. Tara and Chase were sequentially born and life was good, but in 1997 the family was thrown into a crisis. Twelve-year-old Chase started running a low fever and then developed bruises the size of dinner plates. Upon finding out that the bruises were linked to school bullies, Delores said, “I went to school and told them this better stop.” Chase got sicker, however, and doctors knew they were dealing with something serious. He and Delores flew to Seattle where suspicions of leukemia were confirmed. But treatment for the disease had progressed remarkably. Survival rates were in the 50-60 percent range and Chase was cured after three years of treatment.
The Carter family rejoiced when Melissa married Brandon Creeze and they had baby Levi. Then a second crisis hit. Brandon died in a plane crash. Melissa was pregnant and Lydia was born several months after the accident. Melissa mourned for a couple years and Delores helped in every way she could. Eventually happy times returned. Tara, who has 7-year-old DeAnna, works as the Director of Activities at an assisted living center in Anchorage. Chase is in college and Melissa has a good job in Texas.
But another crisis descended. Deloris had pneumonia in 2006 and a long bout of diarrhea followed. After many doctor visits, in Dec 2007 cancer of the pancreas was determined. She had chemotherapy treatments in Anchorage, but then went to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two months of treatments. Chase dropped out of school to accompany her. At the time he was ready to student teach English classes in Russia and his sacrifice meant a lot to Delores. “He said I took care of him 10 years ago and he was going to take care of me, now,” she related, with a catch in her voice.
Now Chase is in summer school and on May 19 Delores goes to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota. Doctors say there are six types of pancreatic cancer. They hope to discover her type and direct treatment designed specifically for it. Meanwhile, Steve is set to retire from Chevron on May 31 and Melissa is transferring back to the Peninsula and going to work at Tesoro.
The Kasilof-Cohoe Cemetery Association met on May 13 at the McLane Center. Jan See chaired the meeting. Among those in attendance were Brock See, Mary Jo McElroy, Jerry & Peggy McGerry, Dick & Jean Evenson, Dave Letzring, Lyle Cole, Joan Lahndt, Susan McLane, Catherine Cassidy, and myself. The association is in the process of applying for non-profit status and attempting to get additional property from the state. The state has not yet let the association know of the fate of their grant. Cemetery plots can be bought for $300 and it s possible to bury two people on one plot.
The Soldotna Lions club will hold its annual Spruce Grove Memorial Park clean-up May 24 at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will follow at See’s. Jan See, the clerk of the Kasilof-Cohoe Cemetery Association, and Lyle Cole, the sextant; are held in high regard. Jan has served graciously for four years and Lyle for 46 years. Jan had invited the Lion’s Club (and any other workers who show up) to lunch.