Sioux Falls Man Lives To Enjoy a Big Gift

June 06, 2010

This weekend a Sioux Falls man battling cancer received the gift of a lifetime. River of Hope, a local charitable foundation, built a stunning landscape to commemorate the strength and courage embodied by Rodney Lamfers and his family.
KDLT's Phil McIlrath has the story.

Ask anybody and they'll say, there isn't anything much more serene than a bubbling Brook. And now Rodney Lamfers has not only that, but a putting green in his own backyard.

Rodney Lamfers said,  "It's a little overwhelming.  It's a lot to take in all at once."

Last year Rodney was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was given just over a week to live. He spent what he thought were his final days with his wife and three girls. That was over eight months ago.

"It's just a day by day thing, and the last few weeks have been really good and I'm starting to regain strength and get out and do some things that I used to do," Lamfers said.

Although things are looking up, the disease has made Rodney weak and he's had to give up some of his hobbies. One was a deep love for the game of golf.  That's where River of Hope comes in. A Foundation that's built on spreading a positive message of hope and strength to those battling cancer.

River of Hope's Executive Director Nathan Heinert said, "His story was just so powerful. Before I met with him I read his bridge site and just saw what him and his family had been through, once we met it was kind of a no-brainer"

Three days, 300 man hours, 30 tons of stone and 2,000 gallons of water later, Rodney has a breathtaking setting to share with his family.

Lamfers said, "We'll have a nice place to come sit out and watch the kids play in the backyard and play with them and just enjoy what they've given us."

A gift that represents hope and renewal...for a family that embodies just that.

This gift marks the completion of the River of Hope's fifth project.  They plan to finish four more Healing Environments this summer.