In August, Phil Criswell was given six to 12 months to live.

He was also given a gift: not only the time to make his peace but the chance to learn just how rich a man he is in friends.

On Monday, Criswell, an eight-year veteran of the Chesterton Street Department, sat down with the Chesterton Tribune to talk about his journey. Above all, to say good bye and thank you to the community whose love and generosity have made his last days a blessing.

The bad news first came in February 2008, when Criswell was diagnosed with third-stage esophageal cancer. He underwent chemo and radiation and later a surgery to remove his esophagus as far down as his stomach. The surgery was successful and his prognosis was good. Throughout it all, Criswell’s spirits never flagged, backstopped as he was by his fellow employees.

And not just in the small ways either—like their using comp time to take him to treatment—but in a big way too. In June 2008 Criswell’s colleagues—spearheaded by Officer Jamie Nale and Cpl. Chris Swickard of the CPD—threw an enormous party and fundraiser at the Moose to help him make ends meet.

Eventually Criswell returned to work and his life returned to normal. Then, in August 2009, he learned the cancer had returned and metastasized to his lungs. “It’s fourth stage,” he said. “There’s nothing they could do.” By October it had spread to his lymphatic system and ultimately to his bones and other major organs.

Criswell did have a choice to make. “My doctors offered me chemo,” he said. “Not radiation—there are too many tumors and they can’t cherrypick them—but chemo. They said it might give me one or two extra months.”

But Criswell rejected the offer. “I wanted a little bit better quality of life with my children,” he said. “I didn’t want to be sick in bed. It was a real hard decision not to do chemo. It almost killed me a couple of times. I didn’t want my kids to see me like that. And at 130 pounds right now, I didn’t want to look like a skeleton the last few months of my life.”

At the moment Criswell’s only medication is an appetite builder—“I haven’t had an appetite since my surgery,” he said—yet while Criswell’s managed to avoid painkillers to this point, he won’t be able to do so much longer.

Criswell’s last day at work: Tuesday.

“I want to thank all the businesses and the town employees,” Criswell said. “They have all backed me and supported me. And a lot of residents too. Like the ladies in the town hall. Every time I walk in there, they smile from ear to ear. And the guys in the Street Department have backed me like you wouldn’t believe. They’ve carried me. I’m blessed to work for the Town of Chesterton. It amazes me how they can be so unselfish.”

As for his boss, Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg, “I can’t say enough about him. He’s the ultimate boss. He’s family-oriented. He’s such a heart-felt human being.”

Criswell, 44, is a young man with a young family: a son in his early 20s and two younger daughters, one in her early teens, the other not quite. So he was floored when his fellow employees and local businesses raised the money to send them all to Disney World in Orlando this fall. “It was one of the best times I ever had with my kids,” he said. “The weather was great and we had a great time. There’s just not enough time and words in the world to thank everybody for Disney World.”

Still, Criswell wanted to express his gratitude specifically to the following: Joe’s Towing, Carl’s Truck & Trailer Repair, Leroy’s Hot Stuff, George’s Gyros Spot, Hopkins Ace Hardware, Masterson Alliance Insurance, Liberty Rec Baseball and Softball, the Fraternal Order of Police Westchester Lodge No. 152, and Delta Theta Tau Sorority.

Criswell is now making his final preparations. “I’ve got some loose ends to tie up,” he said. “I’m trying sell my home. I’ve already started packing up. That’s the only thing that’s freaky, knowing I’m going to pass away and figuring out what’s going to who. Then I’ll be moving in with my sister and she’ll be my caretaker. We’ll get a private nurse when the time comes.”

“It’s a hell of a way to start the New Year,” Criswell said. “I do a lot of sleeping.”

Posted 1/7/2010