Page 15 - HealthnetworkMagazineSpring2020-p7.indd

two weeks. Our youngest was about to begin anyone else, including doctors, who would
college at the University of Colorado’s Leeds be willing to try the procedure they were
School of Business. Our eldest, having graduated, recommending. Randy was willing to try
was getting ready to move to Washington, DC anything. “I don’t want to tell my boys what
for a position with Senator Gordon Smith, and to do with their lives,” he told Susie and the
our middle son was returning to the University medical team. “I want to be alive to watch
of Oregon for his sophomore year. And now we them, to see what they choose.”
needed to pack for Randy and I to leave for
Rochester. Randy and I were leaving first, so all More Time
I could do was create lists for the boys to The treatment worked! Over the next decade,
finish up together.”
Randy had evidence of returning cancer every
five years and underwent additional chemo,
The Biggest Adventure Yet radiation, and many surgeries (7 in one year).

The commercial flight from Eugene, OR to Each time the cancer resurfaced, they were
Rochester, MN would take around 11 hours able to beat it back. When Randy passed away
accounting for layovers. The doctors at Mayo in November 2008, it was due to a sudden
Clinic were concerned with Randy being in heart attack. His great heart just stopped. He
transit that long, and suggested he wait to was cancer-free when he died. He had lived
come back. Susie assured the doctors it would 11½ years longer than the doctors had
only be three hours in their private jet; a originally predicted.
doable timeframe. On the way from the airport “He was there to see all three of our sons
in Rochester to Mayo, there was a moment graduate from their chosen university and
Susie will always remember. marry,” says Susie. “He was able to hold six of
“There was this lovely skyline and Randy was our eight grandchildren. He spearheaded a
obviously nervous about what was going to $320 million jobs and transportation bill
happen. I remember looking at him and saying, through the Oregon legislature. He chaired a
‘We’ve been all over the world, and I think this fundraising campaign for the University of
might be the biggest adventure of our life.’” Oregon that was the largest amount of money,
The treatment would be difficult—eight $853 million, raised for any organization in
weeks of chemo and radiation at the same Oregon at that time.”
time, followed by surgery to remove the
cancerous cells. This would be risky because Giving Back
the cancer was woven all through the roots of Susie had made donations to Healthnetwork
the aorta. Susie recalls one of the medical over the years, and then in 2019, she made a
team telling her that they didn’t know of generous gift of $100,000 to support access to
Healthnetwork for future generations.
Susie and two of her three sons accepting the 2017 “Had we not been members of YPO and had
Governor’s Gold Award for the Papé Group, Inc. we not known Bill Rowley, I would have lost
Pictured from left to right: Jordan Papé, Oregon 11 years of my married life with Randy. “How,
Governor Kate Brown, Susie Papé, Ryan Papé. without Healthnetwork, would we know who
the best hospitals would be for this treatment
and how would we get to the best of the best
doctors at that hospital on our own? That’s
why I’m donating, really—because they gave us
11 years. All we can ever ask for is more time.
And we got more time. It’s never enough, but
we got more time and we wouldn’t have had
that without Bill Rowley and Healthnetwork.” ✦

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