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     Ussa Member Username: Ussa Post Number: 439 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 67.54.180.240  |
His Last Hunt: Oshkosh man makes his last hunt his best  Hunting guide Kevin Roberts, left, and Chris Amundson, 24, pose with a red deer stag that Amundson shot at the hunting grounds in Indiantown, FL early December. It was the last hunting trip for Amundson before he died of lung cancer in December 30, 2007. Submitted Photo By ALDRICH M. TAN of The Northwestern It was absolutely the best day of his life. That's what Chris Amundson, 24, from Oshkosh, said when he shot a 400-pound red deer stag on a large grassy knoll early December in Indiantown, Fla. Amundson was on a five-day, all expenses-paid Florida hunting trip arranged through the Pittsville-based United Special Sportsman Alliance. With funding from The Brett Favre Fourward Foundation and participating vendors, USSA provides hunting and fishing opportunities to more than 4,200 children and adults who mainly have disabilities or life-threatening illnesses, said Brigid O'Donoghue, USSA president and founder. Amundson was unavailable to comment about his trip. After years of battling terminal lung cancer, he died Sunday at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. While at the hospital, his great-aunt, Barb Luchinski, said Amundson enjoyed every part of his last hunt. "Everything he got to do was exciting," she said. "All of it made him excited. He was looking forward to hunting again." Amundson loved to fish and hunt, Luchinski said. He had fished around Lake Winnebago since he was 8-years-old and hunted occasionally. The trips stopped temporarily after Amundson was diagnosed with cancer, Luchinski said. Amundson went through 15 months of chemotherapy at ages 15 and 17. He was in the hospital five days a week and wasn't able to do anything except lay in a hospital bed. In October, hospital representatives contacted O'Donoghue about Amundson's story. When O'Donoghue first talked to Amundson, she asked him if he could bring a chaperone to accompany him. Amundson was living with his great-grandmother who was too old to travel, so O'Donoghue decided to accompany him. When O'Donoghue first met Amundson, she could tell that he was in a lot of pain. She could see it through his eyes, the color of his skin, and after many years of experience dealing with children who are in critical condition. "But at the same time, he was a humble young man and trying not to let us know what he was enduring or take it away from the outdoor adventure that he was experiencing," she said. O'Donoghue said she and Amundson flew from Minneapolis to Orlando on December 4. They headed to J&R Outfitters, owned by Joey Bayon in Indiantown. Accompanied by Kevin Roberts, a hunting guide, they went deer hunting. That's when Amundson shot his stag. He also participated in a hog hunt. Then, they went to Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort on Lake Okeechobee. With their fishing guide, Capt. Mark King, Amundson caught numerous bass. "It was like one right after another," O'Donoghue recalled. "It was unbelievable." Then, they headed to Orlando and stayed in a condominium donated by a family in New York, O'Donoghue said. The duo flew back to Wisconsin on Dec. 8. While they were waiting for their flight, Amundson was in a lot of pain. He was making moaning sounds and holding his side. O'Donoghue asked him if he wanted to see his deer go down again. He said yes. So, she turned the camera on and they watched the trip together. Amundson's eyes became so bright and the two were laughing and happy about the trip. It was the most impacting moment of the trip for O'Donoghue. "(The trip) meant a lot to him, but he also meant more to me than I meant to him," she said. "I looked at him as if he was my own child." Luchinski said Amundson enjoyed the trip and talked about it a lot. Amundson resumed chemotherapy for his cancer. He was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 27 when his condition turned very serious. O'Donoghue said visited Amundson on the morning of December 30. In his last stages of life, Amundson took off the rubber band that children who have cancer wear. He gave it to O'Donoghue to give to Brett Favre. Then, O'Donoghue videotaped Amundson thanking Favre for the hunt. At close to 6 p.m. on December 30, Luchinski said Amundson died as a Northwestern reporter interviewed her for his story. "He's gone now," she said. O'Donoghue said she is blessed that most of the children she helps do go through remission, especially after their wishes are granted. However, others had conditions that turned serious, just like Amundson's. "It's a very gratifying feeling that I brought good into his life… to be able to give him what he wanted and make it the greatest day of his life," she said. Aldrich M. Tan: (920) 426-6663 or atan@thenorthwestern.com. | ||
| Ddwhitetail Member Username: Ddwhitetail Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2008 Posted From: 70.211.183.120 |
Bridgid, Maybe you get tired of hearing it....I hope not! What you do for these children is a God send! How the Lord has used you to give these children, hope, peace and excitement is such a awesome testimony. You are a special person Bridgid and the Lord knows it. I pray that the Lord continues to use you for these poor children who endure so much suffering and heartache in their young lives. May you continue to put smiles on many faces for a long time to come! | ||
| Ussa Member Username: Ussa Post Number: 446 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 67.54.184.187 |
I came across this on the web; it was written by Aldrich Tan who wrote the newspaper article above. Brigid O'Donoghue It started out with an e-mail from the Marshfield newspaper. A nearby nonprofit helped a dying Oshkosh man fulfill his final wish - one last hunt. We just didn't know how close to death he was. It started out a great trip story. I do lots of those. People in Oshkosh go to many interesting places, like Antarctica and down south to rebuild homes in Hurricaine Katrina. This guy who has terminal lung cancer got to go on an all-expense paid hunting trip to Florida through the United Special Sportsman Alliance. Click here to see a forum about his adventures with photos from Brigid O'Donoghue, the USSA president But shortly after I received the e-mail and starting to do the routine interviews, I found out that Amundson was rushed to the hospital. By the time I was able to work on the story again, he had already succumbed to the many painkillers and was not able to comment on his experiences. So, I talked to his grand-aunt instead. We focused on the good points, as I would have with Chris, like why he wanted to go hunting so badly and what he liked so much. He talked about it quite a lot before checking into the hospital and being in the hospital. Then, the interview took a different tone. "He's gone now," she whispered, almost quietly. I stopped as life slipped away. "Thank you for your time," I whispered back and quickly hung up. For those who think that journalists are a bunch of robots that spit news, beep beep, boop boop, we're not. My grandparents died of cancer. One of my personal friends has lymphatic cancer and went through chemo. A person just died. How could one not feel. And worse off, it is a person close to my age. I'm 23, by the way. I do understand, but I'm also thankful to the families who continue to talk to me even in their time of grief to talk about how wonderful were the lives of those who they had lost. This is one of the reasons why journalism is so powerful. It becomes the voice for the voiceless and even though Chris couldn't speak directly to me, his excitement and struggle with his cancer resonate through the story. His voice lives on through his grand-aunt and through O'Donoghue. Therefore, I want to tell Chris' story as he would have wanted it. The story will run in the Oshkosh Northwestern soon and I will provide a link to the story when it does run. So, tonight, say a little prayer to this Chris...and another prayer for the reporter who will tell his story. |
