Dear Friends:
Your donation is completely tax-deductible through this nonprofit organization – and goes directly towards my treatment.

Hugh J. Welter Memorial Fund

In loving memory of Hugh J. Welter to benefit the Best Answer For Cancer Foundation Patient Assistance Program

Hugh J. Welter was the father of our Founder and Executive Director, Annie W. Brandt. He was also an IPTLD patient.

During his treatments, Hugh mentioned many times how grateful he was to have found IPTLD and what an easy way it was to go through cancer. He was pleased with the good quality-of-life and was surprised that IPTLD was not available to everybody. He decided that, when he was finished with his treatments, he would donate monies so that patients who could not afford the treatments could still have them.

This Memorial Fund has been established to fulfill those wishes.

Hugh J. Welter was born in 1921 in Evanston, Illinois, one of 3 boys. His father was a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Luxembourg; his mother was from an old American family. He attended college in Colorado shortly before being drafted into the Army in World War II (1942-45). He did his basic training in the 32nd Infantry Division in the Louisiana National Guard, then transferred to the Armored Division and did his training at Ft. Hood, Texas. He then transferred into the Amphibious Division and piloted amphibious landing craft to land troups on beaches. His first 3 battles were: Bouganville; Leyte; and Luzon. He then took part in the siege of Manilla and was a member of the team that freed the civilians from Santo Tomas University. He was then in combat landings at Brunei and Borneo, where he was wounded while landing troops on beaches during battle. He was awarded the Purple Heart.In 1953, he married Jean Treveiler in Winnetka, Illinois. He took a job as a roofing salesman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later moved to Pewaukee, Wisconsin with Owens-Corning Fiberglass. While living in this rural Wisconsin town, they had 4 children (twins Alison and Karen; daughter Annie; and son Jacques).

Hugh was the top salesman in his region for many years consecutively, an unusual feat. In 1969, the family transferred to Glendale, Missouri, outside of St. Louis. He continued to excel in his job. When he requested a transfer to Owens-Corning’s southern region, he was offered the prestigious one-man position for the Pacific Basin and the Hawaiian Islands, based in Hawaii. Hugh, Jean and their daughter Karen moved to Honolulu and enjoyed a wonderful lifestyle. They made lifelong friends there. Even though he was an Army vet, Hugh joined the Navy League, because ‘they had great racquetball courts’. This led to some exciting special events, including day-trips over to Maui on naval ships. They transferred to San Francisco shortly before Hugh’s retirement, where they lived for another two years.

Then, searching for a “coast they could afford to retire well on”, they found Wilmington, NC. They settled happily in Wilmington, again making very dear friends, until 2000. They began to transition to their last retirement home in Austin, Texas. They split their time between Wilmington and Austin until 2004, when they sold their house in Wilmington and settled in Austin.Hugh was an avid golfer, and he loved gardening and the beach. He was passionate about his fish ponds and waterfalls. He was a true Christian and a devoted member of the Episcopal Church. His sense of humor was legendary, even at the end.

His wife Jean walked into his hospital room one day and jokingly asked where all the dancing girls were. Without a pause, Hugh said “you just missed ‘em”! He was an incredible man and an awesome husband, father, uncle, grandfather and friend. He will be missed.

Why Hugh Wanted To Give The Gift Of IPT

Although he first experienced symptoms in March of 2007, the doctors did not diagnose him with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer until the end of September 2007, when they gave him three months to live. Even though the tumor was small, it was inoperable due to its location and his advanced age. His type of cancer is not really responsive to chemo or radiation, so those options were out. There were no conventional options left for him. They told him that the right lung was completely lost because the diaphragm had been collapsed by the cancer; that the cancer would soon spread and eventually shut down both lungs.

They predicted that he would suffer a terrible death where he would be unable to breathe. He chose to do IPTLD, diet, and nutrition. The tumor reduced in size and then stabilized. He held the cancer in check till the end and actually recovered some breathing in his right lung. This was something that the conventional doctors told him would be impossible. He lived for 8 months, and only died on May 16, 2008 because his body gave out. The doctors noted that the cancer was quite small and had not spread.They diagnosed “Failure to Thrive” as the cause of death, which is apparently somewhat the equivalent of dying of old age. Because of IPTLD, Hugh did not die of cancer and he did not die “gasping for breath”, something he especially wanted to avoid. He felt proud that he had beaten the cancer, and he was extremely grateful for IPTLD.

quality-of-life and was surprised that IPTLD was not available to everybody. He decided that, when he was finished with his treatments, he would donate monies so that patients who could not afford the treatments could still have them.

This Memorial Fund has been established to fulfill those wishes.