One tough son of a gun
Oct 01 2008
Langlois fights lymphoma
Ed Langlois endured enough chemotherapy five years ago to kill most men his age.
But the 68-year-old outdoorsman, also a member of the Bothell American Legion Post 127, fought through the experience to beat back an aggressive form of t-cell lymphoma that threatened to end his life within three months.
Langlois claims he had one thing on his mind during the toughest moments of his ordeal: get back to the woods.
“I had a place in my mind where I always hunt,” he said. “That was my keel. It kept me going.”
Now the cancer is back, and Langlois isn’t expressing much hope that he’ll overcome the disease a second time.
“It’s here, and I’m on borrowed time,” he said. “It’s alright. Nobody gets out of this life alive.”
Langlois’ entire life has been consumed with hunting, fishing, trapping and tracking wild animals, so much so that he’s become an expert in those fields.
Now he’s focused on helping others enjoy those outdoor experiences.
“Life’s all about sharing knowledge,” he said. “If you have a skill and so much of it is in your head, the only way to pass it along is to talk to people.”
Langlois’ efforts start by teaching hunter education classes through the American Legion.
“I want young people to get out and hunt,” he said. “We need them to follow through with the heritage that this nation was founded on.
“I don’t care whether or not they kill any animals. I want them to feel comfortable in the woods so they can learn to survive without all the magical electronic toys that we have today.”
There was a time when Langlois could spend hours stalking animals through the wilderness or trekking through the woods with a pair of 60-pound beavers slung over his shoulders.
But cancer and medications have abused his body to the point where mobility is a challenge.
He uses an all-terrain vehicle and ski poles to get around the woods these days.
Sometimes his friends have to carry him.
Langlois now works with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Disability Board to advocate for increased access to the outdoors for people with disabilities.
“It’s even more important these days because of the injured soldiers returning from war,” he said.
Langlois grew up in the Seattle area and spent four years as a machinists’ mate with the U.S. Navy before joining the Kirkland Fire Department.
Like many firefighters, he worked 24 hours straight, followed by 48 hours off.
Langlois eventually purchased an 18-foot boat and began commercial fishing in Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound. He spent most of his free time in the water jigging for ling cod and rock fish.
He became such a proficient angler that the Lowrance and Eagle electronics companies brought him on as part of their pro staffs. His job was to test the manufacturers’ fish finders and provide feedback.
All of this took place in the late 1970s, when the technology was still new.
It was around this time that Langlois began making custom rods, first for himself and then his friends.
“After messing around with it for awhile, I was able to make some nice ones,” he said.
Ron Dyck, one of Langlois’ longtime hunting partners, received several poles.
“They were beautiful,” he said. “I still have every one he made for me.”
Dyck cherished the rods so much that he dove into Lake Washington to retrieve one after it slipped out of his hands. It was October at the time, and the waters were frigid.
“It was the first one he made for me,” Dyck said. “There was no way I was going to lose it.”
Langlois can no longer bind rods like he used to. His hands cramp too much as a side effect of the medication he’s taking.
His ability to participate in quick-draw shooting competitions has diminished, as well.
The one-time gunslinger has to lay aside his pistols.
Langlois has also handed over his rod-making equipment. Dyck inherited the materials, as well as the knowledge of how to use them.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Dyck said. “Something different, relaxing and sometimes frustrating.”
Langlois’ first cancer diagnosis came five years ago. He had tumors wrapped around his heart and lungs.
Doctors said his chances for survival were slim. They recommended seven rounds of intense chemotherapy treatment — the likes of which could have brought even a 40-year-old to the brink of death.
Langlois agreed to give it a shot.
“I’ve never hurt that much or come that close to wanting to close the lid myself,” he said. “The standing joke among my doctors was that I looked pretty good for a dead man.”
The chemotherapy regimen gave Langlois a new lease on life, but it would be a limited one. Doctors couldn’t pinpoint the last traces of cancer in order to perform radiation treatment.
The result is that new lumps have shown up on his neck glands, liver and spleen.
Hunting and fishing have become more difficult by the day as his body grows increasingly weary and sore.
Langlois says there isn’t much chance that he can survive more chemotherapy.
“The way I’ve had it explained to me, I’ve had my life’s supply,” he said.
Langlois might not choose that route even if it were an option.
“It’s a quality-of-life thing,” he said. “If it came down to going through it all again, I don’t have an answer. My first reaction is that it’s too close to hunting season.”
Langlois finished out the latest hunter education course at Bothell’s American Legion post in September and headed back to his favorite hunting spot near Loon Lake for turkey season.
“To be terminally ill and still do classes when you know he doesn’t feel good is amazing,” said Bothell American Legion Post Commander Burt Marsh. “He’s just an exceptional person.”
Langlois plans to remain at Loon Lake for several more weeks. He has licenses this year to shoot two deer, an elk, a bear and a cougar.
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