21. Mr. Batiuk, thank you for your sensitive dealing of Lisa's situation with cancer and dying. I am a breast cancer survivor and was surrounded by wonderful friends and family during my treatment. Humor is a big part of me and I see it with Lisa and her husband. Sometimes people don't know what to say or what to do when they hear a cancer diagnosis. You have shown us what people can do....just show up and do anything, like the three ladies that did house cleaning, food shopping and caregiving to Lisa. I was telling my mom how wonderful this story line is because it is helping folks know what happens and how they can be supportive to all concerned. I don't like that Lisa will die, but I love the way the situation is being handled so the world will know that this is reality and can be dealt with in a very supportive way. Thank you for taking this delicate subject on.

Posted at 4:54PM on Sep 28th 2007 by Barbara Childrey

22. This is a message for the lady who has a daughter with Stage IV breast cancer.

First, I want to say how sorry I am to hear about your daughter, and I will say a prayer for your daughter and and her family.

But please, as a widow, let me place another point of view here. By saying that death equates the removal of all hope means that I am now and forever will remain hopeless.

The growing realization that death is NOT the end of love, is NOT the end of a relationship, and knowing that my husband is forever with me even though we are temporarily separated brings new hope into my heart.

Mr. Batiuk is telling the story of many, and he is telling MY story, the story of a survivor who still finds meaning in the love that my husband and I shared.

My heart does go out to you, and if the story is too hard to take right now, take a break from it for as long as you need to. But the story is good, the story is right, and it shows the love between a husband and wife "until death do they part."

Posted at 12:27AM on Sep 29th 2007 by Stevie J.

23. I have become a devoted FW fan over the last year or so; it's one of just two strips I make sure I read daily. As the mom of a six-year-old, the daughter of a gentleman with cancer (in remission), and the friend of two people with stage 4 breast cancer, I appreciate that the strip has provided me with a gentle way to discuss illness and death with my son. We certainly don't talk about the strip every day, but as my son learns to read, we do look at parts of the newspaper most days--his interest in reading is reinforced by his parents' interest in reading. It's much easier for me to talk about death and dying when we're looking at a hand-drawn picture of a fictional character surrounded by loving family and friends than when my son catches a glimpse of front-page photos of people dead and maimed by suicide bombers...

Posted at 1:33AM on Sep 29th 2007 by ESP

24. Having worked in the all natural health industry for many years, it was gratifying to see the correct definition of remission in your column. I received so many calls from former clients and patients when that particular strip appeared. I have been reading your column for years and hate to see the end of Lisa's life coming so soon. She was a great model for women everywhere. Thank you for at least being honest, even though there are a lot of people who still don't believe you.

Posted at 5:18PM on Oct 1st 2007 by Rita

25. My mother died from breast cancer on Oct. 2 1999-I was 15 yrs old, but her battle with cancer began when I was 4 yrs old. If only I had this cartoon to relate to when I was a teenager, while my mom was deteriorating in front of me with hospice nurses buzzing around. It would have made it a lot easier for me and my dad to start conversations about cancer and death. I think a comic strip is a very appropriate place for this type of storyline-I hope children continue to read it and ask questions about cancer and death. Hopefully parents, relatives, etc will let them express their feelings. You are not protecting your children by not confronting/discussing difficult issues and fears! I'm thankful that Tom Bitiuk had the courage to confront this sensitive issue.
"The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy." -Jim Rohn

-Kara

Posted at 1:01AM on Oct 2nd 2007 by Kara

26. Please allow me to add to the already written remarks re: the direction in which this comic strip has gone. I, for one, do not read it anymore; as a current cancer sufferer, for which there is no cure, I enjoyed the strip when it dealt with situations at school, areas of growth for students, areas of concern for faculty and students and administration, but this latest direction, I find very offensive. I can't help but feel the artist is using the strip as a catharsis for his own battle with his disease, without regard for possible repercussions in his readers. I guess I am one of the few who read the comics for their "entertainment" value, and I cease to be entertained by the direction of this strip.

Posted at 1:51PM on Oct 2nd 2007 by Mary

27. There are two forms of comics. Ones that tend to be purely entertaining and lighthearted. In these strips (the majority of all comics), the characters never age (Blondie, Dennis, Beetle, and even Family Circus. The other form is where the characters and family age naturally. Never-aging isn't real, but it is fun. Aging characters, as in real life, must face problems - including ill health and eventually death. Cancer (with Funky) and strokes (with Better or Worse) simply must come with the strip. They must.

The problem (or feature) of a realistic strip is you begin to make an emotional investment in the characters. Their very human qualities allow us to empathize and bond, just as if they were real family or friends. Losing Lisa after years of getting to know her is sad to be sure, but illness and accidents are part of real life.

Tom has taken a very hard road on this. Cancer affects a lot of people, either directly or through a friend or relative. When it happens, the problem for all of us is how to deal with it. All of us are different, but the emotions tend to be fairly common. Life didn't come with an instruction book. You learn along the way. Death doesn't come with an instruction book either, and learning to die or dealing with a death is one our hardest lessons. There are no quizzes, only the final exam.

All the emotions are here. The denial, anger, bargaining, etc. We feel those on behalf of Lisa. Yet, Tom has given us a valuable opportunity to learn from her courage and her attitude. She is leaving us with grace.

Thank you, Tom.

Posted at 4:57PM on Oct 3rd 2007 by Tony

28. My heart is hurting after reading every word on this site. Frankly, I had seen the "Lisa Story" as gentle, realistic and filled with love. My husband and I both thought it was a reflection of a similar story in the artist's own life. I now know he is a cancer survivor (to date), and Lisa's storyline was something he thought about seriously before starting. She is not his real-life wife. Still, the strip is heart-rending and true to life. I cried today when Death came for Lisa. And I thank Tom Batiuk for his sensitive efforts. Those who want laughs can read Crankshaft.

Posted at 5:03PM on Oct 3rd 2007 by Jan Burton

29. I applaud Tom Batiuk for having the courage to go ahead and continue with a logical outcome of the Lisa story line. It makes the characters seem so real! Though it seems strange to see the subject of cancer and death and the separation it brings in the comics, I feel it helps people to face up to a scary but real fact of life. And Lisa continues to hear and feel emotions right up to, and, I'm guessing, after death. That is good. Because, as a Christian, I understand that that is reality. And knowing that should help us face death with more confidence and less fear--unless of course, one has not accepted the forgiveness and plan the Lord Jesus Christ has put in place for those who are trusting Him to be their Rescuer. I wonder if Mr. Batiuk has the courage to touch the subject of Hell in his strip! Probably not--the negative, fearful way his readers have responded to the positive spin Mr. Batiuk has put on Lisa's death leads me to believe they would be conduct a riot if he attempted the subject of dying and going to hell--and perhaps even demand he be put in jail and have his right of free speech (as demonstrated in writing comic strips) revolked! Thanks, Mr. Batiuk, for helping us to realize that death does not have to be a scary, dreaded event, but that it is a natural occurence, which can be faced with courage, grace, dignity, and love.

Posted at 12:12AM on Oct 4th 2007 by P Bechold

30. Dear Tom,

First let me say I'll miss Lisa. I loved her
character and the true way you depicted her emotional roller coaster over the past few months
was typical of a person who was fighting against all odds to make the most of her life and the lives of her family and friends. I only wish that anyone who has had to support and love someone through such an ordeal as what Lisa and Les have gone through, will be as brave and human as Les was with Lisa. Sometimes you want to rail against God. Les never did. Sometimes you feel as if you'd like to run away and hide because you can't stand to see what this hideous disease is doing to the one(s) you love most dearly. Again, Les never did. He was with her through it all. Death is an inevitability. However, you must always show the ones you love how you feel about them each and every day, while your physical body can laugh, hug, cry, and fuss with them. I lost my dearest youngest sister thirteen years ago. I raised her daughter, who has turned out to be one of the most graceful and intelligent people I know(she got that from her Mom). Lisa reminded me of my sister.
I just want to say thank you, Tom, for bringing back the good memories as well as the not so good ones. You take good care of yourself!

Posted at 9:56AM on Oct 4th 2007 by Robin Perine

31. There are times when artists are privileged enough to make a real difference in the real world, touching people's lives in a profound way, harmonizing at a transcendent level with others. Tom Batiuk has achieved that with his recent work, which is a beautiful, sad, wonderful story that I am hugely grateful he has shared with us.

Posted at 11:39PM on Oct 4th 2007 by Rick Patterson

32. Please, if you're going to kill Lisa, KILL her, ok? She has cancer, ok, we get it. How much gaunter and skinnier can we draw her?

Jen: What would you say to these readers who are angry because they feel there are too many tragic cancer stories as it is?

Tom Batiuk: I think the angry readers are upset because they have a very limited and narrow definition of what cartoons should be, and my work doesn't fit that.

Um, Tom, let me give you a clue-- if you paid $90 a ticket to see "Cats" and instead of seeing people in cat outfits singing and dancing to music you found that the show was a one-man monologue about the life of T.S. Eliot, you'd be peeved.

Here's the thing about readers; believe it or not, they DO know what they want. They want something worth reading. "It's not funny" may be how they vocalize it most often, but what they're really saying is: "It's not good."

Posted at 1:22AM on Oct 5th 2007 by David O

33. I want to say that this has hit home for me. My adopted mama died on Sept. 22, 2005 from lung cancer. There were 9 people there when she passed away. She didn't have any children but she consider me as her daughter she never had. I was the one that gave her the meds to take away the pain every 2 hours. This comic strip has brought back alot of memories for me. When I saw yesterdays paper, I sat and cried. I wanted all of Lisa's family with her. I showed the comic to her husband which I call daddy and we talked about that day she passed. My daughter was married on her anniversary date in September. She remembered her and so did I. Today I am set to graduate from school to become a Medical Assisant in Onolcogy. I want to work with chemo patients. Especially the elderly. You learn so much from them. When they speak, I listen, and I take in all that they are telling me. I want to commend you for doing a great job on the comic strip. I hope that you will continue how the family is doing and coping with the situtation. Keep up the good work.

Posted at 12:31PM on Oct 5th 2007 by Wanda Bullock

34. I cried when Lisa died, I lost my mom to cancer less than a year ago. The Lisa storyline was done with sensitivity, dignity and with love. Tho I did not want Lisa to die, reading the story has helped me to deal with the grief of losing my mom. I am glad that Les was with Lisa when she died. I was holding my moms hand when she passed and tho painful, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. p.s. Thanks to Tom for such a great strip. It was my mom's favorite for many years and brought her a lot of joy

Posted at 7:05PM on Oct 5th 2007 by Diane

35. Can someone tell me the name of the poem read at Lisa's funeral?

Thanks

Craig Powers

Posted at 2:48PM on Oct 6th 2007 by ccpowers

36. To all those who said "How dare you...":

How dare you, sirs and madams. If you don't like the comic, stop reading it. No one is forcing you, your children, your grandchildren, etc to read it.

I can personally say that some of my childhood memories are based aroundwhat ya'll refer to as the "funnies":

Loosing my first pet, then having the Pattersons in "For Better or For Worse" loose Farley (Were you screaming then?) Or reading FBoFW when Lawrence came out, then having one of our classmates come out because of it. Or when the FW series about suicide appeared.

Grandma: You can't protect the kids. Period. I suppose you'd rather lie to them... but when your daughter dies (not if, because everyone dies, and Stage 4 Cancer tends to speed up the process exponentially), what do you tell the kids then? I'm sorry for your loss, I truly am. But I still, to this day, as much as I try not to, and as much as I understand why, hold a grudge against my my for not telling me the whole summer I was in summer school that my Grandmother was dying. We got lucky, and she lasted about a week past when I got out of school - but what if she hadn't?

Help your grandchildren, your spouses, yourself. Don't curse and artist who is using his platform to help raise awareness, and to help those of us who have had this f**king demon take someone from them that never should have died - even if death is the natural progression.

Tom, I for one thank you for NOT giving Lisa a happy endings. Because happy endings belong only in stories that begin with "Once upon a time..."

Posted at 2:42AM on Oct 7th 2007 by James

37. The more the media embraces the reality of cancer, instead of either sweeping it under the rug or unrealistically dwelling on the "just stay positive and everything will be fine" stuff, the better it will be for all of us. For cancer to claim a fictional character like this is a perfect example of how cancer knows no boundaries.
Regards,
Richard Day Gore

Posted at 6:23AM on Oct 7th 2007 by richard day gore

38. I found it difficult to read what was happening to Lisa, I lost my husband to lung cancer, a man who was a strong, non smoking man. I have two teen daughters and it has been difficult without him in so many ways. However, I also have two surviving sisterin laws of breast cancer, one who had it twice. My husbands aunt and cousin all survived breast cancer. Although difficult to read, it made me read it more. Yes, I cried and cried because this author knew exactly how it feels, at least he protrayed it well. Not everyone will loose their battle to this disease, but it is a fact that it happens so many times, two of my customers passed from this disease in the past couple years and it is always hard to loose someone, I felt that Lisa was a part of my own family as I felt the pain of her loss and the strip of her daughter bringing her the teddy bear to sleep with tore my heart out. But again, I felt the need to read it, and I think it needed to be written, yes in the funnies, maybe some people will understand more how this disease affects all those who experience it in whatever way. I say thank you to Tom Batuik as he has opened the eyes of so many. There is always hope for anyone in this disease, that is what I told my kids as daddy fought everyday. They knew he was filled with cancer throughout both lungs, in his bones and brain, but we prayed for him, we had hope the treatments would help and they loved him. A disease has so many down sides but I was also able to see blessings in so many ways of even the negative things that happened throughout the treatment process and even his death, remember that the ultimate healing is eternal life with Christ Jesus, my husband fought hard, he also knew that where he was going was a far better place.

Posted at 12:41PM on Oct 7th 2007 by Jean

39. Without knowing the background of Tom Batiuk, I was certain that he or someone close to him had dealt with cancer and/or death from cancer in recent years. I have been reading Funky Winkerbean from the beginning and have 'grown up' with the characters. I even used to have a supervisor that we called Funky, even though he actually looked like Les! I, too, kept hoping for some miracle to rescue Lisa from the arms of death, thinking that maybe since she 'found' her son, perhaps that would pull her through. But, no, it was not meant to be. The day I read that she was gone, I cried. I told my mother that it was like losing a friend...and indeed it was. It seems, though, that Lisa's death - and everything leading up to it - were told in flashbacks. Is that so? Now I look forward to taking new and different journeys with the rest of the 'gang' from FW and am excited to find out where we will go next and what will happen. Will Wally return from Iraq? Will Bull and Linda adopt more children or have their own? What will happen with Jess and Darin? And, most of all, what is next for Les and Summer? (Incidentally, back in the late 80s, I worked with a lady named Cindy Summers and we always teased her because of it.) Will Les remarry? How about Crazy and Funky and, yes, even Tony Montoni? I missed the strip in my Sunday paper today, but look forward to tomorrow...and tomorrow...and tomorrow...
Thank you, Tom Batiuk, for a wonderful 'comic' strip and for having the courage, talent, and empathy to deal with a very real and ugly thing in a very tender and loving way! Linda L. Davis

Posted at 7:09PM on Oct 7th 2007 by Linda Davis

40. I have always been a fan of the strip. It so reminds me of when I was in High School: the jocks, the geeks, the band. The storyline of cancer stuck home in that I know how Les feels and what he has to go through. I've been there with another loved one in my family and had to bear the burden of making arrangements to the bitter end.

If anything, it's a story to be told and worth telling. Yes, there is misery in life but if we cannot stare at it in it's face, stare it down hard, stand up when it kicks us down, then we are doomed. This same adversity makes us what we are. If you can leverage it, learn from it, you can be stronger.

But it's a story that has to be told. One that we need to all remember. Cancer will impact us all personally (about 1 in 4). If anything, Tim is telling "their" story: the ones who have it, the ones who fought it, the winners and the losers.

Posted at 7:03AM on Oct 8th 2007 by William H