Lindsay Hale didn’t believe 2020 would be her husband’s last Christmas. Looking back now, she describes it as priceless.
Hale’s husband, Kevin, was diagnosed in August with stage 4 adrenal cancer that had spread to his lungs. He died May 21 from complications at age 41.
In December, the Longview couple and their children were the recipients of an annual surprise gift drop organized by two Vancouver Police Department detectives. Lindsay Hale, 36, a victim advocate with the county, works with the detectives in the Domestic Violence Prosecution Center — a collaborative workspace that includes county and city prosecutors, victim advocates, law enforcement and support staff.
“There was a point in November that Kevin thought it would be his last Christmas. I didn’t think that. I thought he was getting freaked out from the side effects of chemo(therapy),” Lindsay Hale said in a phone interview.
“The community came together and gave us the most amazing, the most memorable Christmas anyone could ever ask for,” she said. “Now, of course that I know it was truly his last Christmas, I have even more gratitude for what the community did for us.”
Two days before the holiday, the Hales got an early Christmas wish. Lindsay Hale reached out to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., where doctors believed they could remove her husband’s tumor burden in the center wall of his chest and lungs.
But testing before the major surgery found metastatic disease in Kevin Hale’s neck, his wife said. He was sent home to undergo chemotherapy to shrink the tumors.
A pneumonia diagnosis in mid-April revealed he had a rapidly growing tumor in his lower right lung. Surgery to remove it turned up another tumor partially blocking an airway in his lower left lung. The doctor could only remove a piece of it, but they hoped radiation would take care of the rest, Lindsay Hale said.
When Kevin Hale began to backslide during recovery, doctors discovered he had developed a blood clot that intertwined with the remaining tumor in his left lung.
His options were a ventilator or hospice care at home.
“So we opted to come home, of course still praying for a miracle, still taking the blood thinner, still hoping for a speedy recovery — that he would be one of those few who comes off hospice care and doesn’t pass away,” Lindsay Hale said. “We weren’t ignorant to the possibilities, and we knew it was the more probable possibility.”
Kevin Hale spent his last few days at home surrounded by his family and friends, reliving memories, his wife said.
“He lived until his body told him he couldn’t live anymore,” she said.
Kevin Hale, an Army veteran, was a diehard San Francisco 49ers fan; he grew up next to the football team’s training camp. His family later moved to Rainier, Ore., where he graduated from high school, according to his wife.
He enjoyed fishing, playing disc golf and spending time with his children.
“He was always trying to find excitement any time he was awake,” Lindsay Hale said.
Kevin Hale is survived by his wife and four children, Makayla, 23, Jaden, 20, Annabelle, 7, and Sawyer, 5; father; mother; two sisters, their husbands and children; and a brother, his wife and children. He was preceded in death by a brother, nephew and aunt.
A public service is planned for 3 p.m. June 13 at the Cowlitz County Event Center in Longview, with a celebration of life to follow. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to wear their favorite sports apparel; Kevin Hale will be.
“I just feel like the world should know life is worth living, 100 percent worth living no matter what is thrown your way,” Lindsay Hale said. “I can truly say Kevin lived his best life with zero regrets.”
