Claudia Rosemarie Henry

In many ways James and Claudia Henry are a typical middle class couple, but several aspects of their daily lives are surprising. Married nearly 23 years, the two are still very affectionate and loving to each other. Though the couple has a 5 year old son and a cocker spaniel who constantly sits beside James, their home is spotless. The atmosphere around the Henry's is positive, which is the most remarkable part of a visit with them. They cherish their time with each other because of what they have been through together the past three years. In 1997, James was diagnosed with lung cancer which has since spread and has been pronounced terminal. Serving in the Army for well over two decades, James spent 16 years of that time in Germany, where he met Claudia, then a student at a strict convent school. “The government paid for our education, housing, clothes, and meals. I was just 18 and a year shy of completing high school, but James was being transferred so we decided to get married in April 1977,” Claudia said. Returning to the U.S., James retired out of Fort Riley, Kansas, where the couple lived for five years. Claudia, who had by then completed college and was working for Embassy Suites Hotels, had a chance to transfer to North Carolina with her work. She worked with a textile company in Charlotte, but later found employment as an executive assistant with Lemforder, in Lancaster Business Park. James became the primary caretaker of their son, Michael, a preschool at McDonald Green Elementary. Moving into a new home near Michael’s school, the couple was enjoying their lives when tragedy struck. In July 1997 doctors discovered category three cancer in James’ right lung. He had also begun having kidney problems. “The cancer was causing by kidneys to shut down, and the doctor told Claudia I had an 80 percent chance of dying within six months,” he said. “She had to give me shots in my neck three times a day for a long time.” The couple was relieved when scans done in January 1998 showed no new growths and the cancer was said to be basically in remission. “We thought we had it made, life was normal again.” Claudia said. But James would face even more health problems. “In April, 1999, a 9 mm tumor was found in my brain. After radiation treatments, it had shrunk to less than 6mm, but the doctors said the brain was very resistant to chemotherapy,” he said. “I said, “Then, let’s wait and see.” In mid-September, he began having seizures. He and Claudia went to Carolinas Medical Center, where he began low-dose radiation treatments of his entire brain. “I also had radiation in my arms, chest, and neck. It takes a lot of energy out of you, but especially in the brain,” he said. After finding a growth on his neck to be a tumor, he had a PET scan which found that the cancer had spread to both sides of his neck and both armpits. I had radiation and chemotherapy and by June I was feeling better. Then, on Oct. 8, my lungs canceled the maximum radiation to my brain,” he said. “On Oct. 19, my oncologist, Doctor William Mitchell said, ‘You have four to six months to live.’ Then he suggested Hospice, he knew I wanted to die at home.” Claudia said she remembers the day vividly. I’d gone into work crying and depressed to begin with. Then, Michael called and told me the dog we’d had for 18 years had died. I felt like the world had fallen down on me,” she said. The hardest part was breaking the news to James’ parents, who live in Minnesota, to his two grown daughters from his first marriage, and to Michael. “People seem to think if they don’t talk about death, it won’t happen.” she said. “Michael sees his father being sick and, though we’ve been criticized for it, we’ve dealt very openly with him about it.”