Category Archives: Thankfulness

Obituary of Nelson Hamilton Nyman

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Nelson Hamilton Nyman was a young man who had much to live for with a wife he adored and a new baby boy, his first child. He fought to live with all the determination of a warrior, but in the end, God had a different plan and took him to heaven “early.” On Christmas morning, 2022, Nelson quietly left us.

He was born in Chicago, on January 26, 1973, weighing in at 10 pounds. His noteworthy start was an indication that he would live a large life all the way through, and he did. His family raised him in the Chicago suburbs where he attended Christian Liberty Academy through his elementary years, followed by Hersey High School, both in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Nelson loved working with his hands and working hard, especially outdoors. He delighted in solving problems, whether by repairing an old car, scraping moss off a roof, or best of all, helping others mend relationships.

He and a cousin began a lawn mowing business while still in high school, learning how to do far more than just cut grass. Because both of them were of Swedish heritage, they named their business Scandinavian Lawn. Through the years, they mastered every gardening skill there is and also learned how to balance books and how to keep customers happy. In and out of college during those years, Nelson eventually graduated from Anderson University in Indiana with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice, but a desk job was not for him.

In choosing a place to settle after college, he decided to sell his Illinois landscaping business to his brother and move to Tennessee—where the summers are long and a landscaper can work most of the year. Nelson loved country music and landed in the musical capitol of the nation, Nashville. There he began landscaping in earnest, growing his business to include several employees and 80 customers. Even with this success, though, his heart was being tugged in a new direction.

As a little boy of five, Nelson invited Jesus into his heart and life. He attended Sunday school and church every week with his family and found it all fascinating. Throughout his growing-up years he remained conscious of God, His Word, and how he ought to live as a Christian. In his early adulthood, however, he sometimes strayed but would always find his way back to the Lord.

About then, he met several friends who had spent time in Kona, Hawaii, at a Christian organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and wondered if he should try it, too. During the off-season of landscaping, he ventured to Hawaii, taking classes and working at the YWAM campus in Kona. To his great delight, he discovered he could travel the world with YWAM while spreading the good news of God’s Gospel as he went. So once again Nelson sold Scandinavian Lawn and committed to working in the YWAM ministry. He led different groups through a variety of countries and cultures, filling an assortment of positions while 13 years passed. He loved his work, each new day different from the one before, but more than that, he grew to love Jesus Christ with a passion that never dimmed.

Eventually he took a position that was anchored in Kona, running a YWAM program with 50-100 young adults from all over the world, guiding them spiritually while managing their work hours on the campus. It was in this position that lightning struck when he met a new staffer from Germany. Ann Sophie was assigned to work alongside Nelson, and it wasn’t long before co-workers were commenting about the electricity between them. A year later they were married in Kona, both dedicated to continuing their missionary work there—now as a team.

But last March, Nelson began feeling poorly. Their baby boy, Will, had just been born, and he was overwhelmed with joy to have become a father. The day of his cancer diagnosis was a challenge beyond all others, a crushing disappointment invading the happiest time of his life. In May of this year they left Hawaii, landing at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for treatment. God chose a path for him that neither he, Ann Sophie, nor little Will would ever have chosen, but he decided not to ask “why” but to leave the reason with God. No doubt his new home in Paradise includes satisfying answers to many of his questions. His family will have to wait to hear them, but they are confident that one day they’ll all be together again. Their farewell wasn’t permanent….just “goodbye for now.”

Nelson is survived by his wife (Ann Sophie), his son (Willard Nelson), his mother (Margaret), six siblings( Lars, Linnea [m. Adam], Klaus, Hans [m. Katy], Louisa [m. Teddy] and Birgitta [m. Spencer]), 15 nieces and nephews, two uncles (Kenneth and Bervin), and 16 cousins.

Plus Outweighs Minus

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The old adage “no news is good news” applies to the lack of recent blog posts. Nelson is doing better than ever in Rochester, Minnesota, on his journey through these six months (so far) of cancer treatment.

Since our last report ten days ago, lots has happened—or I should say hasn’t happened, since there have been no visits to the ER and no hospitalizations. And here are some other things that are, thankfully, no longer happening either:

  1. Nelson’s right lung has dried up in terms of producing fluid, and the catheter has now been removed.
  2. His swollen right arm and both legs are much less swollen after diuretics removed 20 pounds of fluid from his tissues.
  3. His appetite is back.
  4. His nausea is nearly gone.
  5. His doctors believe he’s almost strong enough to go to the full dose of targeted immunotherapy. (When he had Covid, along with simultaneous other challenges, they’d started him on only a half-dose so as not to overwhelm him.)
  6. His daily dose of morphine has been decreased by a third, so his pain is less.
  7. He doesn’t use oxygen at all now and maintains levels between 92-96. He can take short walks and go on low-key outings.

None of these things would have been possible a month ago, and Nelson’s overall situation has improved dramatically. As Ann Sophie put it, “He’s more of his old self now, interested in projects and very sharp mentally.”

Of course he still has lung cancer, so there are some negatives that remain:

  1. His left lung is still producing fluid, though it’s much reduced, measuring about 300 ml each day.
  2. He still struggles with fatigue, so outings have to be brief with space between for rest. This is quite the opposite of Nelson’s healthy self when he was hard working and loved adventure, the more the better. But his work now is to fight this powerful disease, and he is fighting well.
  3. Though the fluid being produced by the cancer cells seems to be decreasing, his swollen feet and bloated abdomen are still problems.
  4. A new development is a sore neck with pain traveling from neck to shoulder. Doctors are watching this and will most likely do an MRI to investigate. His team has told them not to worry about this, but as Ann Sophie said, “Easier said than done.”

Thursday Nelson will have another blood test to determine if he’s strong enough to handle the full dose of immunotherapy. If they decide to do that, he will no doubt experience an increase in nausea. But they’re ready with all the anti-nausea drugs he might need, and all of us hope the stronger therapy will agree with him. A double-dose would mean a doubly strong attack against every cancer cell.

In the mean time, we continue praying—and trusting the God who we know has a good plan for Nelson’s life.

“Trust in the Lord, and he will act.” (Psalm 37:5)

Happy Encounters

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Last week little Will’s grandpa got to meet his first grandchild, who is almost five months old.

When Ralph arrived from Germany, he also got to be reunited with his wife Astrid, his daughter Ann Sophie, and his son-in-law Nelson. It’s difficult to understand what’s happening in the little apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, from 4300 miles away in Europe.

But now Ralph has adjusted to the medically-oriented lives of his loved ones and how things work at the Mayo Clinic. Like the rest of us, he’s learning that by the process of elimination, doctors figure out what something isn’t, before they determine what it is. And this process can be frustrating for all of us.

Last week, Nelson’s vomiting and diarrhea had increased to epic proportions. Doctors thought it might be a response to trace remnants of the chemotherapy drugs mixing with the new immunotherapy drugs. Or it might have been Nelson’s reaction to the new immunotherapy as his system tried to switch from chemo to that.

They drew blood again (almost a daily occurrence) and finally discovered he had a bacterial infection of his digestive track, which was evidencing itself in the vomiting and diarrhea. Several days after he began antibiotics, though, the vomiting and diarrhea began decreasing—much to everyone’s relief, especially Nelson’s.

Throughout this time, he’s been taking the two pills daily that make up the targeted immunotherapy, and yesterday he spent time with the head oncologist on his case and another doctor. They were both pleased about where he is with the new therapy but will keep it at a half-dose for a while longer.

In meeting with pulmonology, they learned that about 150 milliliters of fluid are still “caught” in pockets at the bottom of his right lung. Though they tried to drain it out, the regular suction method failed. They may try to get it with a needle.

If they succeed, then they’ll also remove the catheter on that side and close up the wound. The left lung still needs draining daily, and Ann Sophie does that with excellence. It remains a mystery why the right lung had initially produced lots of fluid and now has dried up, while the left lung, which hadn’t produced much for many weeks, now has more.

But that’s the way it is in the world of medicine. One issue gets sorted, but then another one appears. But we have faith in the doctors we’ve worked with thus far and have seen their expertise and determination in action. Their goal is to resolve Nelson’s cancer symptoms and the side effects from drugs until the immunotherapy and his own immune system can overwhelm the cancer. And what a happy day that will be!

“My Child, never forget the things I (the Lord) have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.” (Proverbs 3:1-2)