Sadly, our 2008 Guest of Honor, Mr. Manny Lapp, passed away. Read his inspirational story, which was published in 2008.
Mr. Manny Lapp is our 2008 Celebration for Life Guest of Honor. Manny will celebrate his 42nd Wedding Anniversary with his lovely wife, Flossie, in October. Barb Fox nominated him for this honor stating, “Manny doesn’t complain about anything, and everybody sees him as a positive person.” After speaking with him personally, President Miriam Witmer notes, “I have never met anyone like Manny. He is a miracle on so many levels and an excellent Guest of Honor because he epitomizes all that we stand for in Celebration for Life!” Manny’s charity of choice is Hospice and Community Care County and C4Life will donate $1000 to Hospice in his honor this year.
Manny and Flossie have three sons and nine grandchildren. His children are Gregory married to Jamie, Geoffrey married to Amy and Timothy married to Marisa. His grandchildren’s names are: Ciera, Lindsay, Kali, Jordan, Maddy, Tegan, Reese, Grace, and Evan. Manny started Lapp Electrical almost 40 years ago, and a true testimony to his positive “share and care” ethic lies in the fact that the company now has 65 employees and many of them have been with the company since the very beginning. Six years ago sons Greg and Tim purchased the family business from Dad.
In 1996, Manny was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctors at Johns Hopkins removed the cancer and all seemed well. Then in 2002, Manny was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocydic Leukemia. During this time, he and Flossie kept an apartment close to Johns Hopkins because he had treatments every day for four months. In 2003, he participated in an experimental treatment called Campath and his cancer was in remission for 2 years. However, in March of 2005 he needed a Mini-heplo transplant (of his bone marrow) and chemotherapy. His brother Elam Lapp was his donor and the transplant was so successful that his brother’s bone marrow took over his at 90% in just 90 days.
Presently, Manny’s body is fighting the GVH disease that attacks his skin, and he notes this has been his biggest struggle so far. He has undergone a Photophorisis treatment that is like dialysis for his blood. It is an amazing technique whereby the doctors remove your blood, clean the white blood cells and blend your blood again for your own transfusion. This was a lengthy and challenging process as you can imagine, but Manny never once complained. As a matter of fact, every day that Manny has been able to walk, he has worked out for at least 30 minutes each day and he massages his hands and feet to keep the blood circulating. He believes in staying active to keep his body strong. He doesn’t have time for negativity and he prefers to surround himself with positive people. His doctors at Johns Hopkins were amazed by his positive attitude and we are too!
Manny gives credit to his faith and his family for helping him to cope with all the physical challenges he has faced over the past 12 years. Manny and Flossie attend Westminster Presbyterian Church. He finds a lot of peace in his faith. His testimony to his faith is, “I love living, but I am not afraid of dying.” He really enjoys the service at Westminster and he thinks the Pastor is just great. He is thankful for all the support he and Flossie have received from friends and family over the years.
He also noted that he never really thought of himself as being sick. When asked what advice would he like to give to others who face cancer, he stated, “people need to be their own advocates with the medical professionals.” Manny asked a lot of questions and was dedicated to knowing his own body and how to take care of himself. An excellent Celebration for Life Guest of Honor is one who demonstrates a positive attitude even in the face of adversity. He states, “There is a reason for everything. There is always someone a lot worse off than I am.” Considering the physical struggles he has faced, Manny’s positive attitude serves as a model for all of us. He is a true inspiration!
