<VV> Joe Christ - Corvair guy needs your support - NO CORVAIR

[Bruce Schug]

Dear Corvair friends,

I'm writing to tell you of the illness of one of our long-time members, 
Joe Christ. Joe is 78 and is best known in the Corvair community as the 
guy who bought Seth Emerson's yellow Corvair/Lola autocross car. 
Perhaps you saw Joe drive it at the Daytona convention. Joe actually 
won the first "Corvairs in the Curves" autocross we had. That must have 
been in 1989. He had a slower car but out-drove myself and Steve Avery 
for the win.

Joe retired to South Carolina years ago from Long Island where he was a 
welder. He did all kinds of welding and worked with wrought iron. Joe 
is one of those people who can make anything with his hands, from 
beautiful inlaid wood from boards he cut on his own saw mill housed in 
an old school bus on his property, to any type of metal work, welding, 
machining, you name it. His current project was the restoration of a 
Civil War cannon. He had obtained drawings of all the parts and was 
making some of them to get the cannon to work again.

Joe and his wife Sarah live outside Six Mile, South Carolina, in the 
far North West part of the state. He has a stable of vehicles which 
include the Lola, a Pantera, a road grader and two bull dozers, a nice 
silver-blue late-model Corsa convert, several other Corvairs, old 
trucks, maybe a boat or two - I think you get the picture. He used the 
road equipment to clear his land, plant trees and put in a road to get 
to them. Quite something.

Joe has been diagnosed with cancer. He has two tumors. One is in (on?) 
his pelvis which Sarah refers to as bone cancer. It is in the sacral 
area where the spine attaches to the pelvis. This had given him a lot 
of pain and had been diagnosed earlier as sciatica.

The second is a very unusual tumor which is half in his bladder and 
half outside of it. The doctors have examined it extensively as it is 
unusual in character. Sarah told me this evening that this tumor is at 
the "worst" stage and is inoperable. They were giving him radiation to 
shrink the tumors. I'm not sure how today's news affects the treatment 
plan. She just said they were hoping for better news.

Joe is quite uncomfortable. He gets around to eat and shower but spends 
most of his time in the recliner, which is just not like Joe. Sarah 
does not sound good. The news seems to keep getting worse.

Here's where you come in...

I believe it's important for one to not feel like they're going through 
things like this alone. It's important for Joe and Sarah to know there 
are a lot of us thinking of them and praying for his recovery.

I think it would be great for Joe to receive tons of cards from Corvair 
people all over the country! If you can relate to him write a little 
note. If not, just send a card letting him know there are lots of us 
thinking of him. It's this kind of support that makes a real difference 
in ones recovery. Even if you don't know Joe, send him a card...

Joe Christ
3615 Walhalla Highway,
Six Mile, SC 29682

You don't all have to send a card right now. Wait a week or two if you 
wish, but send a card.

Thanks, Bruce

Bruce W. Schug
CORSA South Carolina
Greenville, SC
bwschug at charter.net

CORSA member since 1981

'67 Monza. "67AC140"