Mary Gribble

Von was a stunning and courageous woman, person and fighter. . She had the identical all-seeing coffee cup eyes, intelligence and drive of,her maternal grandfather, Col. M. Allan Snyder, a WWI and WWII veteran who earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two each of Silver Star and Purple Heart medals, was the Chief Liaison for General Douglas MacArthur with the US allies and later with the Japanese officials and citizens. In early civilian life, he was a math professor at Georgia Tech, a Secretary of a Savings and Loan Assn. a mechantical engineer, church vestryman, president of several business and service groups, including the US Building Owners' and Managers' Association, the Red Cross and others in San Antonio, Texas, where I grew up. Von's Grandmother, Martha Shippen Snyder, was a direct descendant of an English founder of the Republic, Edward Shippen, (1639-1712 ) Her grandmother was very similar to Von in personality, having great humor in the negative flings of fate. At age 22, I defied my loving parents and eloped into a very unfortunate marriage, which lasted on paper for 19 years, I exchanged diving lessons from an Olympic gold medalist at the San Antonio Country Club and a stunning post-grad education for a life of fear. uncertainty and pinto beans. The poverty ended in the sixties when I used $1,500. inheritance from my mother's nanny to begin buying apartment buildings in Los Angeles County, hoping to secure a future for my two children. Today, if they had not been lost in the freeze caused by divorce, these would be worth eleven million dollars. The man I married was suddenly the object of all manner of relentless attention from the ladies. I found that often in California, women are not hampered by a man's married status. Some insecure men are vulnerable to flattery when 41 years old, so the die is cast. Today, although the children's 81-year-old stepfather has had several serious strokes, he has survived and has been a rock of stability and intelligence. He came into our lives when the children were 12 and 13 years old. Although I have no creditors knocking at my door today, my husband's and my grief from the loss of Von is heavy beyond any description. How could this have happened? Although I believe in God's grace and love for humans, I do not understand exactly how this does work on earth. Von's wishes, and therefore ours are to to be of concrete help to others, particularly those suffering appendix cancer and their caregivers, by sharing what we have learned over a four year period. Appendix cancer has not benefitted from well-funded research it so desperately needs although a small number of doctors in the United States are trained in its intricacies. Emails to and from patients have helped Von for three and one half years. Had she had the heated internal chamotherapy, or MOAS, (Mother of All Surgeries) in a timely manner or had been diagnosed by local doctors properly in the beginning, we believe, as "the saddest words of tougue or pen/are these: 'tt might have been' " apply to us as we grieve at the loss of this extraordinarily beautiful, witty and loving lady, which has ripped out our hearts. Our goal is to list information of contacts for doctors she has visited who advised Von it was too late and for patients whom we know and have given us permission for their stories., at a time when valid decisions are mandatory for patients. This is done by means of doctor interviews and experiences, medical data and shared personal accounts.. Von's devoted friend and caretaker, Wayne Lusvardi, has complied with Von's wishes by additions to this site and by giving his time for many selfless actions and errands for Von, through kindness to us,her parents.. Wayne is active in the Pasadena, CA community and recommended this web site, owned by the Los Angeles Times. He has submitted little-known data from all over the world and appropriate links for patient use on appendix cancer. Our goal is to attract the interest and to gently challenge scientists and doctors willing to attempt the time-consuming, painstaking work of research, eventually finding solutions to stop the unnecessary suffering and deaths. from this frightening disease. We wish to see chemotherapy as it stands today, a relic of the past, substituting newly found resources for the activation of the body's own defense systems..
Mary and Donald Gribble,
Parents of Von Purdy