Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
As far back as many Tekoans can remember, he has been the voice of the Slippery Gulch Days parade. For this year, the path to get there was quite different.
Chris Smith, raised in Tekoa and a member of the class of 1971, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in January 2011 and went to Seattle last August for chemotherapy treatments and a subsequent bone marrow transplant.
During his more than nine months in and out of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, he kept an eye on a particular goal.
He wanted to be healthy enough to once again serve as announcer for Slippery Gulch Days.
Last week, Smith’s hair just started coming back, and on Saturday morning, he was on the back of the flatbed for the start of the 84th parade, microphone in hand.
“You can feel my smile,” he said afterwards. “I just really thought it was a wonderful way to come back and see everybody at once.”
The saga began four years ago when Smith was diagnosed with a blood disorder called Myelofibrosis. In Dec. 2010, in an evaluation at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., he was given a life expectancy of 13 to 15 years.
A later test in Spokane confirmed this, followed by a six-month blood-draw last July, after last year’s Slippery Gulch Days. This test came back with leukemia.
Smith, 59, soon had an informational appointment at Fred Hutchinson in Seattle on Aug. 11.
Two days later he was put in the hospital for two rounds of chemotherapy. The two rounds lasted to the end of the year.
The transplant surgery was performed Jan. 5. Chris’s donor was his brother Steve, who spent two weeks in Seattle in preparation for the transfer, a stem-cell blood transfusion.
Since then, Chris has had three bone marrow biopsies – at 28, 84 and 153 days – and all have shown remission.
“I have to say the love and support and many acts of kindness have made such a difference during all this,” said Smith, whose primary caregiver has been his wife, Liz.
“We have grateful hearts, because God has blessed us through the whole ordeal.”
On Saturday, following the parade and before the egg toss along Crosby Street, Smith expressed a special thank-you to the crowd.
“Everyday’s a great day,” he said later, as well-wishers approached him after the egg toss.
Throughout Smith’s treatment, Smith and Liz, a member of the class of 1972, stayed in a housing unit along Lake Union provided by the Seattle Care Alliance.
They were able to return to Tekoa twice, including a 10-day stay last Thanksgiving.
Soon after the leukemia diagnosis, Smith resigned his job in development with the Catholic Diocese of Spokane. For now he will remain retired while his body reforms and he gains strength.
A process of ingraftment of the stem cells has to take place which makes him immuno-suppressed for one to three years. So Smith’s immune system is not as likely to fight off infection.
“In our case you live by your next blood test,” he said. “But we don’t worry about it, just take it a day at a time.”
Smith and Liz returned to Tekoa May 25.
“My wife was my caregiver for nine and a half months; she exhibited the most extreme kindness and compassion. It’s just been unbelievable,” he said.
They will return to Seattle for a follow-up appointment Aug. 17. In the meantime, there will be continuing adjustments in medicines.
The Smiths have three children and a one-year old granddaughter in Oakesdale who he has been getting reacquainted with.
Chris and Liz’s youngest son Zach was killed in a car accident at age 17 in November 2009.
“His loss has been devastating to us, but we are so thankful for the time we had with him and look forward to the day we meet again,” said Chris.
Looking back at his experience the past year, Smith indicated that it came down to choices.
“Your choices go like this,” he said, making a narrowing motion with his hands. “You are going to the hospital on this day for this treatment for this reason for this amount of time.”
On the afternoon he was released, the sun was out as he and Liz drove east on I-90.
“It’s just like somebody opened up a birdcage and let me flutter away. I have choices again,” he said. “I love life. I loved it before, and I love it even more now.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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