Susan Lynn Rindfleisch

The Susie Story A Snap Shot of Susan Lynn Rindfleisch Life's Journey. (Her Faith, Her Challenges and Determination, and Her Gift for Helping Others) Susan was born in Bristol, Connecticut on July 12, 1966, to Sally LaCroix Rindfleisch and Robert Kenneth Rindfleisch. Five days later on Bob and Sally's Ist wedding anniversary, they took their "5-pound bag of sugar" home to their second-floor apartment in Susan's paternal grandparents' home. Reinhardt (Ray) and Ethel Rindfleisch's love story for their 1s' grandchild had begun. Grampy would carry Susan in his arms and walk around the house (inside and out) for hours showing and telling her stories about her new world. Susan was introduced to Paris from a mural that he painted on the dining room wall and how he built the grandfather clock. Grammy and Grampy's love, devotion, and support for all their grandchildren never wavered. When Susan was 2 years old, Mom, Dad and Susan moved from Bristol where her great grandparents had settled after immigrating to America from Germany to Rochester, New Hampshire (her mother's birth town). The move was a career opportunity for Bob. He was offered an assistant manager position to work in the transportation company established by his in-laws, Donald and Claribel LaCroix. Don LaCroix was a prominent businessman, school board member, and City Counselman. He was respected and loved by many in his city and that notoriety quickly passed to his beloved grand-daughter when the local newspaper (The Rochester Courier) published an article about Susan. At age 5 Susan entered kindergarten. Public school, at that time in Rochester's history, was offered at age 6. Education was important to Susan's parents, affer all Susan's Mom (Sally) was an elementary school teacher. Susan began her educational journey at the prestigious private school, "Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten". This school was founded by James and Jean Edgerly also prominent business folk in Rochester. Jean Edgerly was Susan's first teacher. At Susan's first parent teacher conference, Jean commented that Susan seemed to be having some difficulty focusing and "staying on task". Jean suggested that Susan might be experiencing a learning disability. She referred Bob and Sally to the local Pediatrician, who had become an expert on identifying learning disabilities. The possibility of Susan having learning problems seemed questionable by her family because Susan was a bright toddler. She could recite the Lord's Prayer, the alphabet, and knew numbers 'l to 10. The Pediatrician appointment culminated with a medical diagnosis rather than that of possible learning disabilities. Susan had been experiencing some medical symptoms similar to a stomach flu. The vomiting appeared each morning but by noon she would be playing and having fun. Her brief kindergarten career was immediately interrupted. In Susan's short time at "Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten" she was introduced to Winnie the Pooh and his fiends of the Hundred Acer Wood. At Christmas, she asked Santa for Pooh Bear. Her love for all things "Pooh" never ended. Susan ultimately was diagnosed with a brain tumor imbedded in the brain stem. She was referred to a neurosurgeon at Maine Medical Center who had become "the best" north of Boston. Susan was admitted to the hospital the Monday following Valentines Day in 1972 and was wheeled into the operating room on Ash Wednesday. Susan's Medical Journey of her life had begun while her Faith Journey began long before that. Susan was presented for baptism at 2 weeks old, by her God Parents, Linda Rindfleisch (Aunt Linda) and Ronald Wilcox, known as Uncle Ron (Sally's cousin) at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bristol which was the church home of The Rindfleisch family and many other German Lutherans families who had settled in the greater Bristol area. Her early childhood Faith Journey continued at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Rochester when Bob and Sally became members following their move from Connecticut to New Hampshire. Resurrection quickly became extended family to Bob, Sally, and Susan. When Susan's medical challenges began, the church was in the "call process", led by the Church Council and guided by the New England Synod. The Synod contacted the Southern Maine Lutheran community about Susan's surgery. The RLC prayer group, the Council President, and many Greater Portland Lutheran Pastors arrived at the hospital on that cold February day to pray for Susan and her family. They stayed as long as they could but had to leave before Susan was even out of surgery. It was Ash Wednesday that year and all were needed at their respective churches to prepare for evening services. It was a long day at Maine Medical. Susan was wheeled to surgery at 7 AM hugging her Pooh Bear while Mom and Dad walked alongside. Mom was in tears and Dad held onto Mom for fear she might collapse. Susan's parting words were "don't cry Mommy, Pooh will take care of me". The inanimate stuffed animal gave Susan comfort while certainly the Holy Spirit was in that operating room, too. Susan's Journey as a Caregiver began that day, too. The five-year old Susan, instinctively, offered comfort to her parents to help calm their fears. Susan's stay at Maine Medical was a long one; an extended stay in the Intensive Care Unit as required, radiation therapy was administered, other surgeries were required (including the need to implant a "shunt" in her head to circulate her brain fluid), followed by a long recovery period in the hospital. Her Mom and Pooh Bear (now who also had a shunt on his head) stayed at Maine Medical with Susan 24-7, until Memorial Day weekend. Dad and Grampy (who was not working at the time) came every evening to visit, except for 2 nights, during a blizzard and an ice storm. Pastor Linn Opderbeck, pastor of First Lutheran in Portland, at the time, came regularly to pray and support the family through this crisis in their life. A new Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran was finally called and his first official duty was to visit the Rindfleisch family not at their home in Rochester but rather at Maine Medical. Can you imagine his thoughts and fears on that day, let alone, how to get the hospital? This was the first church he served after he graduated from seminary in the mid-west! Everyone in Rochester who were customers of the transportation company, owned by Susan's maternal grandparent knew about Susan. Bob managed the taxicab drivers and drove cab, too. Poppy (Susan's maternal grandfather) presided over all employees including 7 school bus drivers, a maintenance facility and business office staff. Everyone in the community who knew Bob and Don LaCroix (Poppy) ultimately knew about "Susie". Each day Bob would hear of another customer who had added Susie to their prayer list. One of the first community members to visit Susan at home following her discharge was the well- known reporter for the "The Rochester Courier" (the local newspaper, at the time). Bea Craig had learned of the "Susie Fund" started by the members at Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) for Susan and the reporter wanted the entire community to learn about Susan's story. (a copy of the original "Susie Story" is included in the Memorial display in the Narthex.) Susan soon joined Poppy as another well-known member of the Greater Rochester Community to be featured in the newspaper. (Donald LaCroix was not only a businessman but a school board member and later a Councilman). Susan's Education Journey continued that fall at Winnie the Pooh kindergarten. Susan joined her classmates of the years 1972-73 to graduate at the "Big Night" ceremony. The Big Night at Winnie the Pooh kindergarten was a celebration of the students' accomplishments through class performance of skits and songs It felt like "being on Broadway" to the students and the audience. The ceremony concluded with the students receiving their first education diploma. Susan started elementary school in the fall. It became clear to teachers and parents that learning WOULD be a challenge for Susan. The Rochester School Administration suggested sending Susan away to a school in a different community whose staff was highly skilled and trained to teach "special students". Neither Susan nor her parents wanted her to travel to Portsmouth every day to go to school. Susan's medical issues frequently required early dismissal when she was young and her challenge with learning was not as severe as many students being educated at the regional school for handicapped children. Yet, Susan had a mode of learning different from the children in the traditional 1-12 classrooms of the Rochester School District, at that time. Many parent/school conferences occurred to discuss a plan to keep Susan in the Rochester School District. Susan's education plan goal ultimately required some support of the legal system. The family was fortunate to have a friend and fellow member of the Lutheran church community, Ron Indorf, who was willing to represent Susan and her family in their continued discussions with the Rochester School Department. In the end, Susan stayed in Rochester until she graduated from Spaulding High School and was one of the first in the Rochester School District to have an educational plan designed specifically to her learning style. The Individual Education Plan, also known as an IEP, was then born in Rochester, NH. Thousands of children since Susan have received similar education accomodations and have gone on to learn the skills necessary to lead a successful, full life. Susan continued on her Educational Journey by attending the local community college now known as Great Bay Community College. Her goal was to become certified in Child Care. She obtained that goal affer an additional year of study. She worked briefly at a Child Care Center before she experienced her next medical challenge at the age of 25. The Education Journey was never easy for Susan. It required teachers, parents, and others who were willing to spend extra time helping her achieve what she wanted to do in the best way to get there. No one spent more time helping her be successful than Mom, Dad, Grammy and Grampy (her paternal grandparents). Every night Mom (Sally) was available to help with homework when she was attending school. Sometime re-teaching the day's lesson in a different way made it easier for her to better understand the assignment. Grammy and Grampy spent weekends, school vacations, and summer- time taking her on trips where she learned more about her country while having a good time. She had a glimpse of how to be successful business person when she spent time with Nanny (her maternal grandmother) and Memere' (her maternal great grandmother and chief taxicab dispatcher). Susan learned the process of making food tasty at Nanny's side, too. Nanny was a great home cook! Susan's next medical crisis interrupted her life's journey once again at age 25 when she was diagnosed with a salivary gland tumor. Back to Maine Medical she went to a new young ENT doctor who was recommended by her neurosurgeon. The tumor was diagnosed as another malignancy and surgery was required to remove the tumor and other cells that had traveled throughout the side of her face. The doctor told Susan the surgery might disfigure her looks. She responded "Do what you have to do because '1 choose life". The tumor was removed and cells along her face were scraped away while some nerves where cut and spliced back together in order to remove as much of the cancer as possible. For many years, Susan's face was slightly distorted but became less noticeable as she grew older. Medical professionals recommended "mop-up" after surgery: definitely, chemo, and possibly some radiation. The Director of Radiation questioned whether or not radiation would be successful since that area had been in the field of radiation first administer at age 5. He checked world-wide for medical data to support additional radiation to an area of the body already affected once by the field of radiation, only to find no history of such data existed. He could not guarantee any possible success of further radiation. "Tissue once radiated may not respond or produce the desired outcome", he told Susan and her family. Susan's response once again was "I choose life! Do what you think may work". Susan trusted that her faith would get her through. Many weeks were spent at Maine Med, once again, where Susan was hospitalized for chemo therapy, while weekly trips from home when not in the hospital, were required for radiation treatments. Another anxious year for Sally, Bob, and Susan. The anxiety persisted for another 10 years until all tests concluded she was Cancer free! Susan had battled and struggled 30 years through educational and medical challenges to survive and conquer life. When often asked how she had managed to tell her story so many times, she would reply, "l lived so my mom could tell the story!" Susan enjoyed life and she helped others enjoy theirs' at struggling times of their own. Her Care Giving continued not only through comforting words but also by giving hands- on care to anyone she knew who needed help. Her care giving progressed beyond family as a teenager. She was asked by a church mother if she would be interested in becoming a "Mothers" helper to her severely handicapped little girl who required complete care from others. Susan learned not only how to care for Sarah but she gained the complete trust of Sarah's parents. Susan not only learned the hands-on care techniques, but also learned the non-verbal clues of Sarah's needs. Eventually, Susan was trusted with Sarah's care entirely for 1 week while her parents were on a business trip. Not only did Sarah need Susan's attention but so did her active toddler brother, as well as, their robust dog who was at least as tall as Susan! Susan's love of children also prompted her desire to care for the nursery age children at Church during Sunday services and other church activities. Her desire to share her own Faith Journey with youngsters also guided her to become a Sunday School teacher for kindergarten age children affer Susan's Confirmation. Susan's baptism promise was Confirmed at Resurrection Lutheran Church on Reformation Sunday 1981 with the hands-on blessing of "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Susan's faith journey was enhanced by her love of music. She joined the Junior choir at church (known as "The Questioners and Believers). She was never a soloist but she loved to sing and listened to music of all genres. It could be simi-classical, gospel, pop, or rock and roll. She even came to tolerate the 40 and 50's tunes that were favorites to Bob and Sally! Susan enjoyed going to concerts and stage peformances, too. She saw several concerts in Portland, Maine: The Gaither Family gospel singers, The Boston Pops, John Denver, and her most favorite of all time, Barry Manilow. She loved going to Prescott Park, Hackmatack Theater, Portsmouth Music Hall or the Wang Center in Poston. A peformance of the "Nutcracker" in Boston became the spark to ignite her desire to include it annually as part of her Christmas holiday favorite traditions. When Susan's physical movement slowed over time and she was unable attend performances in person, the television became her source of entertainment but also her adult learning opportunity. She particularly enjoyed watching "The Rachael Ray" show. She tried many recipes and was introduced to all things promoted by Rachael. Every Christmas, for several years, she gifted family members to gadgets promoted by Rachel Ray! But more importantly Susan like to try many of Rachel's recipes. She prepared many of them when she became the primary cook in the Rindfleisch kitchen when her mother could no longer do it and her brother Scott (the professional chef) married and moved away with his own family. Susan loved to travel when she was younger. Her favorite trip each year was to Naples, Maine where she and her parents camped for most of her life. She loved to swim and spend time with her friends. Her best friend, Debbie from Canada, also camped at Brandy Pond each summer, too. The young friends enjoyed the water activities but also play-time that included all things, Cinderella. They had and still have every popular Cinderella toy ever made. The joys of Disney World were highlighted in her young life when she and her parents were given a trip to Orlando. She went to Disney World a second- time too, when she gifted her brother a trip after he graduated high school. Susan's enjoyment of all-things Disney became entertainment throughout her life via television. She never missed a Disney classic or new production when streamed on Disney+. Her life-long friend from afar, Debbie, continues her own love of Disney as she and her family now live in the Orlando area and they enjoy Disney World all the time. Their daughter has been employed at the park, too. They have annual passes and can attend whenever they wish! Susan also enjoyed other long trips in the air before she was 25 years old. She had fond memories of going to Seattle, WA. And Pheonix AZ. The trip to Seattle was to visit Sarah and her parents who had been relocated by the Air Force. Sarah was young when Susan took care her. Sarah's limitations by her medical condition included not showing emotion but when she saw Susan again the bond they shared was very evident as Sarah wiggled in her wheel chair and raised her arms. The Rindfleisch family did the usual site-seeing while there: the Space Needle to the top and were lucky to have a clear view of Mt. Ranier, Pikes Place where Susan saw "a flying fish for the first time, and Sur le Table's main headquarters. (the largest kitchen supple store Susan had ever seen). She loved to shop for kitchen gadgets everywhere she went. Susan's next adventure was to Pheonix, AZ with her parents and vacationed there before her mother had to attend an Educational Assessment Conference. They traveled throughout the area on Route 66, saw the Hoover Dam, enjoyed the majesty of the Grand Canyon, and went to Las Vegas where she enjoyed floor shows and the most elaborate cafeterias she had ever seen. She would tell family when returning home, she earned the most money at the casinos by playing nickel "slots"! Each time a television show had a set of a 50's-style diner, she would comment that she had visited a Diner that looked exactly the same while traveling on Route 66! She saw lots these sets on reruns of "Happy Days" on television! One of Susan's last long adventures was a road trip to New Brunswick, Canada to attend her friend Debbie's wedding and she had the best time even though she was not feeling very well! Shortly thereafter at age 25, Susan was thrust into her next Battle with Cancer. Susan spent another year of her life traveling back and forth to Maine Medical or week-long hospital stays for treatment. Another 10 years went by before Susan and her parents heard the words, "Tests show you are cancer free!" Susan's medical and educational challenges had not made for an "easy life" yet she enjoyed life doing what she loved to do; spending time with people, young and old. She had a dry sense of humor and could always find a way to make light of her circumstances. Sometimes her joke might even make you scratch your head and silently utter "huh?". But once you thought about the situation, her comment, would become quite clear. She was being sarcastic or joking! Susan ultimately was not able to return to a paid job in childcare position affer her second cancer treatments but she was determined to help people when and where she could. So, she responded to a need for volunteers in her community. She spent 25 years volunteering at Frisbie Memorial hospital helping staff and patients. She delivered mail and flowers, delivered sterile instruments to doctors' offices, and spent time with patients, talking with them or playing a game, whatever made their hospital stay a little easier. In 2024 Susan's parents noticed she seemed to be coughing more than usual, especially while eating. A visit with her PCP (primary care physician) resulted in a referral to a local ENT (ear, nose, and throat specialist) who ordered tests to evaluate how she swallowed. The tests revealed swallowing issues and the report identified and emphasized choking on food and medicine. She might aspirate many times causing pneumonia that would weaken her physical constitution. The ENT specialist next ordered swallow therapy to strengthen the muscles in her throat. These muscles had been affected by the massive amount of radiation she had throughout her years as she fought to "beat cancer". She attended 3 months of therapy at the hospital over the summer and continued with the exercises daily at home. Therapy helped initially but the clarity of speech became an issue, too. Her hard work to strengthen the damaged muscles helped the swallow issue but the speech problem didn't seem to improve. She requested a leave from her volunteer work while attending therapy but looked forward to returning in the fall. The hospital looked forward to her return, also. Staff had become quite attached to Susan and missed her presence. She missed being there, too. Susan never feared the hospital. She enjoyed that environment. Sally often wondered if she had not had the learning challenges would her life's work been in some field of medicine. When September 2024 came, Susan still had the speech difficulty. So much so her family asked her to repeat words so they could better understand what she was trying to say. It became clear that she should resign from her volunteer work. Everyone was heart- broken when they learned she wouldn't return! She missed being at work, too. She had made new friends and missed her interaction with them. She finally had friends who didn't live far away! Susan and the family received many calls to check on her. When the holidays arrived, Susan's parents became increasingly concerned by further decline of her speech quality. They could barely understand what she was trying so hard to say. Sally tried to make a follow-up visit with the swallow/speech therapist, but was informed that Susan needed a new referral from her PCP for this evaluation. At a December annual visit with one of Susan's specialists, the doctor, however, was more concerned with her weight loss. She ordered blood work and Susan's an annual ultrasound scan of her thyroid. Susan had developed nodules on the thyroid and she was closely monitored for changes with this. The endocrinologist also requested Susan's PCP to closely monitor the weight loss issue as well. The PCP appointment was made but Susan couldn't be seen until February. The blood work done in December, also included the ones that measure nutrition All tests were reported "within normal limits". In early February, Susan's PCP was on leave from her office due to a death in her family so Susan was seen by her nurse practitioner. Susan's blood pressure was low at this appointment and she had lost even more weight. More blood tests were ordered and Susan's family was given more information to boost calories and support nutrition. These tests also were reported "with normal limits" except one. It showed Susan was extremely dehydrated. Certainly, a result of swallow problems. She struggled to swallow water, let alone nutritional supplements! This appointment was on Wednesday, February 5'h. On Thursday, Susan's parents wanted to take to the Emergency Department but Susan refused even though she could now hardly swallow water. Her refusal was clearly spoken as "NO"! Susan said goodnight to her parents in the usual way She clearly said, "...see you in the morning". That night Susan passed from the loving arms of her parents into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior. Though she had been with her family and friends 52 years longer than doctors' original prognosis, she will be deeply missed and will remain in the hearts of loved ones forever. The family hopes Susan's Medical Story will live on through her medical records and articles written about her medical history. Several case studies of Susan have already been published in the New England Medical Journal. More studies on the long-term after effects of massive radiation might now become documented and be available to the medical community as they work with their patients to conquer CANCER. A Memorial Service is scheduled to celebrate Susan's life on Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 'l :OO PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newington, NH. The family requests donations to cancer research in Susan's memory in lieu of flowers. The Jimmy Fund, Dana Farber, St Jude, the American Cancer Society or a donation to your favorite charity. All welcome your thoughtfulness.