by Lauren Krupar
Associate Editor
Hudson -- The founder of the Man to Man Group prostate cancer support group of Hudson died of prostate cancer Dec. 18, 2007.
Hudson resident John Fish, 73, passed away after waging an eight-war battle against prostate cancer.
"He will be sorely missed in the community at large and in the Man to Man group," said Bill Barrows, a member of the group and a friend of Mr. Fish for more than 30 years. "I shall always miss him as a friend. He was just a great guy. There aren't too many people like him."
Mr. Fish was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999. He formed the Hudson Man to Man and Spouse to Spouse group in 2000 as a way to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In 2001, Mr. Fish's cancer went into remission only to return six years later as advanced stage prostate cancer. After two treatments of chemotherapy, doctors discovered Mr. Fish was allergic to the drugs and took him off the treatments.
Throughout the years, he was involved in facilitating and leading the Hudson Man to Man group. The group, which averages 150 members, has grown to include meetings in Akron, Green and Medina.
"His impact, in one word, was tremendous," said Mike Bauman, a member of the Man-to-Man group. "He had a huge impact on the men and their families who were dealing with prostate cancer."
Bauman said Mr. Fish became the group's expert on prostate cancer and its treatments and advocated for the release of two medicines to treat prostate cancer called Satraplatin and Provenge, which were denied by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
In August, Mr. Fish planned a trip to Washington, D.C., to petition lawmakers to release the drugs to men like himself -- men who had no other option left to treat their advanced stage prostate cancer.
"I was hoping that Provenge would be available for me and men like me -- men who have no other option," Mr. Fish said in an August interview with the Hub-Times. "New clinical trials take two to three years, and every year, 30,000 American men die from prostate cancer. I suspect that unless the drug is released, I might be one of the 30,000."
He was unable to make the trip to Washington, D.C., planned for Sept. 19. He was recovering from a stay in the hospital
"He was in and out of the hospital since June," Bauman said, adding Mr. Fish was undergoing treatments for his cancer for as long as Bauman knew him. "He was quite a guy. I wish I could have known him when he was healthy and strong."
Bauman said the Man to Man group plans to continue meeting to honor Mr. Fish.
"We will continue to meet," he said. "Our prayers are with [his wife] Marilyn, and I'm sure John is there in heaven looking down on us."
Mr. Fish is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marilyn Jane (Darbe), and four children, Jack (Karen) Darbe Fish of Louisville, Ky.; Karen Jean (Andrew) Fish Schurder of Vernon Hills, Ill.; Judy Ann (John) Li of Asheville, N.C.; and Leah (David) Fish Reesman of Mount Airy, Md.; eight grandchildren, Ashley, Adam and Abigail Fish; Brian and Kevin Li and Megan; and Darbe and Lena Reesman; two sisters, Barbara Smith of Antrim, N.H., and Beverly Doten of Holden, Maine. He was proceeded in death by his brother, James (Jim).
Mr. Fish was born in 1934 in Jaffrey, N.H., and graduated from Conant High School in 1952. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1956 with a degree in chemical engineering. He was a member of the Sigma Beta Fraternity and ran for the Wild Cat's track team.
Mr. Fish had various positions with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., RCA Rubber Co. and the Burton Rubber Co. Later, he worked for Columbian Chemicals Co. of Akron for 25 years as a product manager for mechanical rubber goods.
Fish and his family moved to Hudson in 1970, where he had multiple positions with the First Congregational Church of Hudson and was a Boy Scout Leader and girls softball coach for many years.
Donations may be sent to the Memorial Fund at the First Congregational Church of Hudson, 47 Aurora St., Hudson 44236. Indicate on the donation either the church memorial fund or the Man to Man Group.
Arrangements were by Johnson-Romito Funeral Home.
E-mail: lkrupar@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146