In August, 57-year-old Lyn Hutchinson was given three to five months to live.
Upon learning that the glioblastoma tumor growing on his brain would claim his life, Hutchinson drafted an email to his colleagues at RevQ, a division of Vancouver software company Columbia Ultimate.
People have asked how they could be of help and show their love for me. We aren’t flower or fluff people, and we find joy in being practical. But if you feel a desire to do something for me, here are a few ideas:
1. Donating Blood to the Red Cross. I’ve been a blood donor for years and years. My goal was 20 gallons, and I was soooooo close when I had to quit.
2. An Act of Kindness. Bring a smile to someone in need.
3. Help a Neighbor.
4. Attend the temple.
Hutchinson’s requests touched the hearts of his colleagues.
“Here’s somebody who is in a situation where you think it’d be ‘all about me,'” said Mitch Taylor, Hutchinson’s supervisor at Columbia Ultimate. “And all he can do is think of others.”
So when their friend was no longer able to lend a hand to others, Taylor and others at RevQ decided to step into his shoes.
On Wednesday, 37 people — many who knew Hutchinson, some who didn’t — rolled up their sleeves and gave blood in Hutchinson’s honor. Another two dozen people pledged to donate via the drive’s virtual campaign.
Before his health took a turn, Hutchinson had donated 19 gallons of blood, leaving him just eight pints shy of his goal. But with the help of his colleagues, Hutchinson surpassed his goal. The American Red Cross awarded the 20-gallon gold pin to his son, Jason Hutchinson, during the Wednesday blood drive. Hutchinson’s health has been declining, so he was unable to attend the event himself.
“It means the world to him — not just for the pin,” Jason Hutchinson said. “He just likes giving back to his community. He’s just a little jealous he can’t come out and do anything himself.”
Dozens of Hutchinson’s co-workers attended a brief ceremony in the lobby of the Columbia Ultimate building, wiping tears from their eyes as Jason Hutchinson, fighting back tears of his own, thanked them for fulfilling his father’s mission.
“You all know my dad,” Jason Hutchinson told the crowd, “he’d be confused about why we’re all crying over a piece of metal.”
But for Hutchinson’s colleagues, Wednesday was about more than just a piece of metal.
Hutchinson, who lives in Happy Valley, Ore., has worked as a software programmer for Columbia Ultimate for more than 10 years. He was part of a tight-knit department of 18 employees.
“We all love Lyn a lot, and he’s dear to us, and we’re dear to him, and it was important for us to do this for him,” said Shannon Stine, Hutchinson’s co-worker.
“We felt that he deserved that pin,” she added. “And we felt that (the blood drive) was a positive outlet for all of our grief.”
Hutchinson had been suffering from headaches and low iron this summer and went to his doctor to figure out what was wrong. His main motivation, coworkers said, was to get his iron levels up so he could donate blood.
In early August, he was diagnosed with the glioblastoma. Surgeons operated to remove the tumor, but Hutchinson was given only months to live.
“They decided not to go forward with any radical treatment,” Stine said. “He wanted the time he had left to be quality.”
In the months since his surgery, Hutchinson’s health has been declining. He had three mini-strokes and, as a result, is having difficulty speaking. Still, Jason Hutchinson said, he’s in good spirits.
“He’s still the same dad,” Jason Hutchinson said. “He just can’t express himself as well he used to.”
Hutchinson and his wife, Darla Hutchinson, have four adult children and two grandchildren. He is an active and dedicated member of the Mormon church. He volunteered his time with a number of different organizations and was always quick to help a neighbor, whether mowing their lawn or helping them move, Stine said.
And at the top of Hutchinson’s list was the Red Cross.
“He just wants us to continue giving blood or giving our time, to just continue putting good out in the world,” Stine said. “I think it’s remarkable that he’s faced with death, and the only thing he can think about it doing good for others.”
