In 1932, a 15-year-old boy was transplanted from a small farm in northern Minnesota to a large hospital in Minneapolis. He had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and was undergoing radiation treatments that produced pain and mind-wrenching homesickness. At the same time, another 15-year-old boy was fighting for his life in a hospital room not far from Ernie. Tom had been forced to leave his home and was riding the rails, looking for work when he became sick. Thirteen years later, a second transplant occurred. This time it was Ernie’s brother, Raymond (Fat), who left the Minnesota farm to serve in World War Two. Raymond’s letters home are replete with references to a brother with whom he shared a special bond while growing up together. Tribute: Three Lives Remembered is a story honoring the memories of three people whose worlds were both removed from and inextricably tied to each other. It’s a story told through poignant letters that spoke consistently and longingly of hope for a return to the small farm in northern Minnesota and the people who lived there.
