Bob Lind, the veteran journalist behind The Forum's popular Neighbors column, has been hospitalized at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Lind says he was first diagnosed with the form of cancer, which originates in the lymphatic system, several weeks ago. He was admitted to the hospital on Labor Day after pain and swelling in his neck made it difficult to turn his head.
Lind, 77, told The Forum on Tuesday afternoon that he was "doing fine, under the circumstances," and that doctors had told him the disease is highly treatable. A man of deep faith, Lind has told friends "it's in God's hands."
Lind is expected to be discharged Friday. In the meantime, he is undergoing tests and his first chemotherapy treatments.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs when the body produces too many abnormal lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell. This oversupply of lymphocytes crowds into the lymph nodes, causing them to swell, according to the Mayo Clinic's website.
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Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is more common than Hodgkin's lymphoma and often strikes people in their 60s and older, according to the Mayo site. Aggressive forms of the disease respond well to chemotherapy, according to the Merck Manual Home Edition.
Faithful readers of Lind's Neighbors column, which runs Sunday through Tuesday in the Life section, will be happy to know the articles will continue to run uninterrupted - at least through Oct. 5. That's because Lind's column is based on stories and memories that readers send to him months in advance. Many of those anecdotes don't have a time element, so Lind is able to produce columns well ahead of their publishing deadline.
His efficient output is also related to a tireless work ethic. Even after retiring from the newspaper as a full-time feature writer in 1998, Lind has remained a common fixture around The Forum's newsroom. He comes in on several weekday mornings and most Saturdays to fill his column with the types of folksy, community-minded stories that too often get lost in the modern newsroom.
"Nobody in the newsroom gets more mail, which is a direct result of his Neighbors column," says Jack Zaleski, editorial page editor and longtime friend. "He views the column as a labor of love for his community."
Forum Editor Matt Von Pinnon calls Lind, who joined The Forum staff in 1969, an institution.
"Many readers probably don't know he formally retired from his full-time career a long time ago. He's that hard-working," Von Pinnon says. "We know he'll work just as hard to beat what's ailing him, and we have no doubt he'll be cranking out more columns once he does."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Tammy Swift at (701) 241-5525
If you'd like to send "get well" wishes to Bob Lind, e-mail them to in-forum@in-forum.com or mail them to The Forum, c/o Rob Morast, 101 5th St. N., Fargo, ND 58102.
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Well-wishes will be posted to our special Bob Lind Blog .
