A TRIBUTE TO GRADY
1927-2006
Dr. Grady Gordon Top Table Tennis Player and Top International Umpire
Just this past year, Grady had perhaps his crowning tournament moment, defeating table tennis legend, Marty Reisman (duece in the 5th!) in the finals, to become a US National Champion. This, on top of his 2005 US Open Championship.
Grady's outstanding tournament history
Grady's outstanding tournament history
April 11, 2006
Dear friends,
Dear friends,
I am so sorry to give you the grave news about my
condition. After 2 months of severe indigestion and weight loss, a CT scan
of my abdomen done last Thursday revealed a 7 cm. (about 2 3/4 inches)
tumor. A biopsy of the tumor done the next day confirmed it to be an
adenocarcinoma.
The prognosis is grave. It involves the
portal vein (the necessary vein that drains all the intestines) and it has
spread to the local lymph nodes. It is too far advance for surgical
cure. Also this type of cancer responds very poorly to chemotherapy.
So, the options for successful treatment is virtually nil. Jaundice is
beginning to appear so I will have a biliary stint placed this coming Friday so
that bile can flow into the intestinal tract.
The cause of this type of cancer is really unknown
except that excessive alcohol and smoking are contributing factors (I only drink
moderately and haven't smoked in 50 years). As far as I know no one in the
family has had pancreatic cancer, so I am unaware of any genetic
factor.
So, where to go from here? Cathy and I are
unhappily accepting this, as we must. Hospice will be involved soon and my
life expectancy will likely be only a few months.
I am sorry to have to leave you like this. I
have lived a great, full life, accomplished much and am surrounded by the
ones that mean the most to me: Cathy and my children and the 2
grandchildren.
Each of you has meant a great deal to me.
Thanks for all your friendship and all your kindness over the years. It
has been a great experience to have known each of you. Keep up the good
work and pass it on.
Forever yours.
Grady
April 19, 2006
Friends of Grady,
We apologize for the form response, but we have received so many e-mails it
is impossible to respond to each one individually. Thank you all for your
kind words, your concern for Grady, and especially for your friendship to him
over the years. As we write this, Grady probably only has a few days at
best to live, but he is very much at peace with his situation and has told us he
is ready to die.
As friendly as Grady is, I know he would have wanted to say goodbye to each
of you properly, but he just doesn't have the energy to do so at this
point. So on his behalf, thank you, thank you, thank you for all that
you've meant to him. As Grady is donating his body to medical school,
there will simply be a memorial service soon after his passing, the date of
which is uncertain at this time. I hope all of you can attend to pay
respect to a man that has meant so much to all of us over the years.
Grady's Family
April 20, 2006
Grady has lapsed into a coma.
April 22, 2006
Hi Everyone,
Dr. Grady Gordon passed on around 7am today, April 22. He was resting comfortably and did not suffer. We'll all miss him along with his enthusiasm and love for table tennis which he shared with all of us. I spoke to Greg this afternoon and received the information listed below.
Gwen
As of now, the memorial will be this Thursday the 27th at 11:30 am at:
Lake Shore Baptist Church
5801 Bishop Dr.
Waco, Tx 76710
254-772-2910
*Table tennis standout Grady Gordon, 79, dies
*
Sunday, April 23, 2006
From staff reports
Dr. Grady Gordon, who was a surgeon in Waco for 37 years but achieved national recognition for his precision with a table tennis paddle, died Sunday at his home after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Gordon, 79, had won a national table tennis title every year since turning 70. He captured singles and doubles crowns in the 75-and-over division as recently as December at the USA Table Tennis National Championships in Las Vegas.
A tennis player at Sudan High School and the University of Texas, he also won city championships in racquetball. He founded the Waco Table Tennis Club in 1985.
Gordon retired from practicing medicine in 1998.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Catherine, their four children and two grandchildren.
Gordon donated his body to the Willed Body Program at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. A memorial service is planned for 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Lake Shore Baptist Church.
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