Montague Parishioner Writes Book

Montague parishioner writes book about losing young son to cancer

MONTAGUE  The passing of a child is unthinkable for any parent. Sadly, Michael Lynes, a longtime parishioner of St. James the Greater Church here, knows firsthand the experience of losing a child to cancer.

Two decades after the experience, Lynes picked up a pen and wrote about the experience. The Lynes family was in the midst of living a normal life when suddenly everything changed and was rearranged by the discovery that the family’s middle child, Christopher, had juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia.

The book titled, “There is a Reaper: Losing a Child to Cancer” written by Lynes with reflections by his wife, Margaret, describes the ups and downs the Lynes family went through and all the efforts they undertook to heal Christopher. The title was inspired by a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Father Wayne Varga, pastor of St. James and St. Thomas parishes in Sandyston, said, “The author, Michael Lynes, and his wife Margaret, are active weekly worshippers at St. James Parish. The book contains many insights into family life, faith and adversity. It really shows how tragedy can strike anywhere, anytime. It also shows how to persevere through it.”

Christopher was diagnosed when he was 5-years-old. In the book’s foreword, Lynes describes writing the book, at first, for himself. “I am doing it entirely for myself, in memoriam of a life well lived, a son sorely missed and greatly mourned. Some would say his life was too short or that he never had a chance,” he wrote. “Oh, what might have been? I say he lived his life as fully as any man, woman or child on this Earth. It was his life and it was complete and it was perfect.”

Lynes said in an interview with The Beacon, “The main inspiration was the 20th anniversary, which took place last September. Following Chris’ death, we experienced a long period of mourning. We had to relearn how to live our lives, recover and heal. When the 10th anniversary approached, I thought I should do something, but the pain was still too near. Now as time has passed, I thought it was time and as memories start to fade, it was important to write a remembrance about this.”

The book begins with a depiction of the seemingly normal family life of Michael and Margaret Lynes with their three sons — Ian, Christopher and Devon — and then, learning about Christopher’s diagnosis of a very rare form of leukemia. Since Christopher was diagnosed during the fall much of the story takes place during the holidays.

Lynes writes about the heroics of his two other sons, Ian and Devon, who were tested as possible bone marrow donors for Christopher. Ian, the older brother, was not a match while the younger brother, Devon, who was only 4-years-old at the time, was a match. This was difficult news for the family. Lynes wrote, “While we found a match in Devon, harvesting bone marrow from such a young child also carried risks and Margaret and I were loath to subject him to pain.”

Eventually, the Lynes family decided to have Devon as a donor with young Devon making the very brave decision himself. Following that decision, Christmas Eve of 1992 was especially emotional for the Lynes family. This was the day when Devon’s bone marrow was harvested to be transplanted into Christopher and the start of six weeks isolation for Christopher as he received his transplant treatment.

Due to this life-altering experience, the book started to take shape and Lynes realized he needed to share his family’s story, especially after learning that other families have gone through a similar ordeal.

The response to the book has been overwhelming positive. On the book’s Facebook page, many posts are made by families sharing pictures of their children suffering from cancer. “Many families have read the book and have been grateful for it,” Lynes said.

The family has learned that although life goes on, there is a message of hope to be shared with others. Three years after Christopher’s death, the Lynes family welcomed another son, Caelan, who is now 18. “This book allows Caelan to learn more about the brother he never met in person,” his father said.

Today, Lynes and his wife, are also grandparents. Their oldest son, Ian is married with two children and Devon is engaged to be married.

Through these ups and downs, Lynes said, “Faith is what helped us carry on. We have always been supported by our faith and our beliefs. Even though Christopher is gone, we know he is still with us. This book allows him to talk to people that will never be able to talk to him. This story is his witness to the life he lived.”

Information: www.facebook.com/ thereisareaper The book is available for purchase at all online bookstores.]