Larry writes: I've been asked to post my resume, bio you might say. So here
goes. I will only go back to the time I met Teri, but that covers 30 years.
Late 70' till the late 80's I taught dance (Jazz and Ballet) in dance studios and colleges in the southern
California area. I performed in theatre productions and danced in "Staying Alive". I also drove a 18 wheelers to maintain a steady income. Teri was one of my dance
students, She was 23 I was 28. Shortly after our marriage, I returned to school and completed a Bachelors degree in Psychology.
I continued my education and earned two teaching credentials. (K-12 multiple subjects and
severely handicapped) and a Masters Degree in Education.
While working on my teaching credentials I worked as a teachers aid at a residential treatment center for adolescents with severe emotional disorders by day, and taught dance at various dance studios and colleges by night.
After getting my teaching credentials I worked with students with autism/ severe emotional disorders in both residential treatment centers and in public school setting.
Then this happened. In the four years between the 1st trial and waiting for the 2nd, I worked various jobs. Landscaping, truckdriving (long Haul), sales whatever i could to bring in money. Mostly I tried to spend as much time with my family as possible. so thats It!
March 9, 2009: Larry's testimony
To all the wonderful friends who have written in support of me and my family. Your words have truly lifted me up and held me. Many days when I am down I re-read them I am carried through the dark moments. I love you all and praise God that I was able to be a positive light in your lives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My Testimony/Message to my family and friends:
Up until a few weeks ago my prognosis seemed dim – I was stage four metastasized cancer. The doctors could not find the primary tumor there was no knowing if the chemotherapy was effective. My wonderful wife Teri and my daughters began the fight to have the prison system begin the process that would lead to my “compassionate release.” I could be release if I had six months left to live, not an easy or guaranteed process. I would have to be seen as a person who was no longer a threat to society, Teri talked to people all the way up to the governors assistant – my daughters helped write letters to anyone who might have a say in my release. Meanwhile I sat in isolation in the prison infirmary 23 hours a day in a little room. Just me, God, and our enemy. God was taking me on a journey. For months God helped me relive my life, repent of sins, renew my mind, by the living word of God.
Teri’s fight for a compassionate release and my faith in God’s love led me to trust that God would lead me home to die with my family. I trusted in that because each day in the infirmary – or at one of the various hospitals I had been sent to, God showed himself to me and comforted me and my family.
A few weeks ago I asked the chemotherapist what my chances of survival were. He looked at me sadly but said I give you fifty-fifty. Immediately I thought of Deuteronomy when God said I give you life or I give you death, choose. I took this as a very serious offer from God, choose life or choose death – I will give you whichever you choose and I will love you either way. While I was in the infirmary – no, since before coming to prison- God had been leading me to trust in the truth of His offer: come home to Jesus – no more tears of pain no more loneliness- or trust in the life God had prepared for me. Perhaps in prison – perhaps not. Go home to my beloved family for a while or simply trust in Gods love – after many hours of prayer – I chose life. Two days later I was sent to a radiologist – he said that he found my tumor – it was on the base of my tongue, it was easy to see – he found it on an old CT scan then took a picture of it to show me. A Christian brother suggested that God had closed the eyes of the doctor to the location of the tumor – until God had led me to a place where I knew who I was in His eyes – to a place where I could trust in His word. The doctor gave me an 80% chance of being cured – as far as I am concerned I’m cured God has continued to bless me and my family. I invite you to pray and meditate over Leviticus 25:10 – It’s a promise God made to me a few nights ago, through my cellie, praise God. Thank you for writing to me as I battled cancer your letters gave me strength and hope. May God continue to bless you all.
Larry
About the Vanderbergs
- by Larry Vanderberg
Teri and I have been married 28 years. We
met at a dance studio. I taught jazz. Teri was a new student who didn’t
seem to like me very much. (ha-ha)! I was 28, she was 23. It took me a
month to work up the courage to ask her out for a date; and I asked her a month in advance
– I
figured a girl as pretty as she was had to be all booked up. Three months
later I asked her to marry me. We were married a few months after that. In
the eight years between our wedding day and the birth of our first,
Madison, Teri helped me go back to school to get a bachelor in psychology
and two teaching credentials. I became a specialist working with kids who
had severe behavior disorders.
Madison (Maddie) - The moment Maddie was
laid in my arms my heart grew 1000 times its size. Maddie is one of the
most delightful, sweetest people anyone would want to know. Maddie was 13
when this started, since then she finished high school with a 4.5 GPA and
more awards and honors in math, science, dance, and more than I can name.
She is now finishing her second year at UCLA, where she has achieved
accolades
as a member of “Company” a “SNL”-like sketch comedy company. She
is an accomplished dancer/actor/choreographer well respected in the Los
Angeles area dance community. All the while, maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or
higher. Her Facebook profile proudly states that she is a Christian. I am
proud to state that she is not only my daughter but my friend, she makes
me laugh and I miss her very much.
Lexington (Lexi) - Lexi was only in the 6th
grade when I went to prison, she has just finished the 9th grade. She was
7 when this started and will turn 15 soon. For half of her life her family
has been living under this cloud. She hasn’t seen me in almost 4 years.
Before that we were inseparable, swimming, skating, bike rides, or just
hanging out we were buddies. God has allowed us to talk to each other by
phone several times a week. She proudly says that even though we are
apart, we are closer then some of her friends are with their dads. While I
don’t know if that’s true…I still like to hear it. Lexi is an
Actress/singer she has had the lead role in several musicals. But what is
most important to her is her real ongoing relationship with Jesus. When
asked recently how she can look so calm and peaceful with all that she’s
been through she answered, “God promises me my daddy is coming home, I
believe Him.” Lexi is our little “Lucy” (hint Narnia).
Teri - Well I have a whole section written
just for Teri, look for it because it’s all about how much I love her.
We have found ourselves moved and changed in unimaginable ways by this
tragedy. Even though I’m not home yet –This is all turning into a
blessing. For God causes all things to be turned to the good for those who
love him and are called to His purpose (Romans 8:28). By his tender
mercies we have been gathered together by his spirit – we will be together
for eternity, praise our Lord for his faith, love endures forever Amen. I
was reading my trial transcripts the other day – All the people who
testified on my behalf – kids and their parents agreed on this - I was a
big kid, the dad who was involved with his kids – the dad who liked to
play board games, piggy back rides, tossing kids from one end of the pool
to the other – “who is having more fun, you or the kids.” The D.A.
succeeded in making that into something dirty. Punishable by life in
prison. Pray for him.
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Blessings
I will make each of my mountains a road
(Isaiah 49:11)
Blessing 1
One of the most
important things we tried to do for our kids was to give them a normal
life. But how could we do that when their dad had been falsely accused?
Since well before my conviction God blessed us. Here are just a few
examples of how God knew we needed “normal.” A few weeks after I began my
jail/prison term I discovered that my neighbor Ralph knew about
our
situation. We had to sell our house in Riverside County to pay our legal
bills – and because my teaching credential had been suspended – I had no
income. We moved into Teri’s dad’s house. Teri grew up in the house; some
of her neighbors knew her as a little girl. We kept the whole thing a
secret for Lexi and Maddie’s sake – we wanted them to have friends –
within a few weeks Lexi had a new best friend who spent hours a day at our
house – within a few months kids were coming and going in our house just
like always. Including our next door neighbor Ralph’s granddaughter and
great granddaughter. They spent countless hours at our house, there were
no piggyback rides but board and computer games were big on the agenda –
arts and crafts and make believe, tetherball and basketball. A regular
house with a dad who was, who had, been involved in his kids lives. Then
some guy who had grown up in Teri’s neighborhood and had moved to
Riverside County came back into the neighborhood for a party. He had a
field day telling anyone within earshot about “Teri’s husband.” Several of
the parents whose kids played at our house got together and talked to each
other and their kids. They concluded that their kids where safe at our
house. They never told us they knew. They just let us keep our lives as
normal as possible. We were covered by Gods favor Amen. As a shield you
will surround them with goodwill (pleasure and favor) (psalm 5:12)
Blessing 2
After I was accused I was unable to continue teaching. I was a
probationary teacher and the school district could have fired me on the
spot. Instead, because of my reputation as a teacher I was allowed to be
paid till the end of the school year. They also agreed to renew my
contract for the following year, while I may not get the money for the
second year. The vote of confidence by my peers was and is a priceless
blessing. This also comes from the Lord of hosts (Isaiah
28:29).
Blessing 3
I worked at odd jobs for a few months, shortly after the accusations. One
job was with a landscape contractor. He was a rough man prone to cursing,
he had lived a rough life. We spent a lot of time just talking about life,
our families, and stuff like that. I finally had to tell him my name may
soon be in the newspaper and that I would be accused of some horrible
crimes. I suggested that if he wanted to let me go before the newspaper
articles came out that would be ok. I didn’t want his small company to be
hurt by my presence. I told of the accusations, he told me he would
support me. He felt in his heart I was falsely accused. The police came to
arrest me while I was working for him. I was wearing big rubber boots
pouring cement. The police took off the boots and were pushing me into the
squad car not caring whether I was wearing shoes or not. My boss asked
them to stop. The man then knelt down in the dirty gutter, put on my
shoes, and with tears brimming in his eyes told me God loved me. God will
take care of you. When I was released on bail – after all the newspaper
coverage – he called me up and asked me to work for him. I continued
working for him until I moved to Orange County. Love on another just as
I have loved you. (John 13:34) For as many who are led by the
spirit these are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14) The spirit himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans
8:16)
Blessing 4 – On the need to feel normal
Those of us who are falsely
accused desperately want to feel normal, to go about our regular lives.
Yet a great many of the things we do will be viewed with suspicion, from
smiling at a baby to taking our kids to the bus stop. My next door
neighbor Ralph’s great granddaughter, Bree, lived with him. She was about
two when we moved in. The day I met her, she had escaped the confines of
her house and was running as fast as she could down the driveway onto the
sidewalk, her mom, Crystal, was in fast pursuit. Bree’s face was a picture
of pure joy, then she spotted me. She came to an abrupt stop, eyed me up
and down, and calculated what it would take to bring me to my knees.
Before my accusations I would have waved and smiled, and walked over to
say hello. Now I was terrified and heartbroken. I called my wife over, in
spite of her sadness and exhaustion, she too was immediately taken up by
this mischievous little imp. We introduced ourselves to Bree and her Mom.
I was reserved with Bree, Bree had other ideas. She decided that I was to
be her friend, and I thank God for that. Bree wanted to visit me everyday
according to her mother and Great-Grandmother. She always knew where I was
and what I was up to. This may seem like nothing to you, but to me, a man
who discovered at the birth of his own children, the extraordinary
blessing of raising a child, this was a blessing God knew I needed. She
loved me, a man that some considered a monster. I remained reserved with
her and literally kept her at a distance as best I could. One day I heard
a small knock on the door, there stood little Bree with her Mom. Bree
said, “Biss Biss Warwee.” Crystal explained she was asking to give me a
kiss. I knelt down, she reached her arms around my neck and kissed me on
the cheek. A little kiss on the cheek from a baby, for a moment I felt
normal and thanked God for such a blessing.
Blessing 5 Carl
I had just finished mailing out my appeal to
the US Central District Court. My appeals had been turned down by all the
lower courts, I was basically doing my own law work. I know nothing about
law. I had no idea what I was doing, and I wrote out my appeals in
longhand; my handwriting is horrible, barely legible. Yet when I asked God
for direction, His living word said for me to act; he would bless my
stepping out in faith. So I continued to act like I knew what I was doing
by going to the “so-called” law library here and mail out my latest
attempts at an appeal.
I was returning from the library, I was
alone on the yard except for one other person. That never happens. That
person called out, “Hey I see you coming back from the law library, are
you working on your appeal?” Oh Great, I thought to myself, another
Jail-house lawyer, wants to rip me off and tell stories of my alleged
crime. He had the biggest smile on his face, he had a calm presence about
him. Still highly suspicious, I gave him a vague answer and hoped he would
go away. But as it turned out, he had just moved into my building from the
level 4 yard. Everyday he would ask me about my case. I prayed, what
should I do, I needed help but I had no money to pay him and I didn’t want
some guy blabbing my case all over the yard – not safe, not safe at all.
Then he began to talk about Jesus. He said we are all God’s children, and
that we needed to use our gifts to help each other. I told him I was
tapped out. We had no money, I couldn’t pay him anything. He smiled even
more. He felt that he could help me. He didn’t care about the money, he
said, this was what he had trained himself to do, this is what God had
trained him to do. I put my trust in the Lord and took a step in faith, I
gave him my trial transcripts and my appeals. The next day he said that I
really do have a case. He took over my appeal and did all the work for me.
He typed up 30 page documents, he researched the laws for me, and he knew
when to use black ink and when to use blue (believe it or not, those
things are important). His knowledge has given me peace, because I know
God sent him – his powerful faith in God has given me and my family hope.
While I don’t put my faith in men, I do put my hope in the people that God
sends my way (Romans 8:16). Trust in the Lord. Lean not on our own
understanding, rest in the Lord for He will fight for you.
It’s been almost a year since I’ve submitted
my appeal to the 9th district. I have heard of several people who have
been turned down within months of submitting their appeal. I truly believe
that if God hadn’t sent Carl my way, I would have been one of them. But
now by trusting in the Lord and stepping out in faith, God continues to
bless us and one day God will have touched the hearts and minds of the
judges to deliver me from those who have plundered me (Judges 2:16). And I
will be restored to my family in joy and prosperity (Psalms 68:5-6) I
waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me…and he sat me feet
upon a rock and he established my steps (Psalms 40:1-2). Rest in the Lord
and wait patiently for him (Psalms 37:7). Be pleased O Lord to deliver me,
O Lord make haste to help me (psalms 41:13-14).
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The huge doors to the side of the courtroom
began to slide shut without a sound, I looked out at the tear stained
faces of my sister, Sunny, my next door neighbor, Ralph, and my
father-in-law, Ed. These three were taking me to the Riverside county
Jailhouse to start my sentence. My wife of 25 years, Teri, and my two
girls, Maddie and Lexi, were just too overwhelmed with grief to be there.
I wondered how Ralph knew about my trial, never letting on ,that was very
important to me. I wondered about my sister who has seen more than her
fair share of tragedy, her daughter Laurie, was killed at the age of 14.
My sister arrived from Washington just to help me and my family get thru
these few days even though we had spent almost no time together during the
past 4 years. I was concerned for my father-in-law, he had his fair share
of tragedies, and his wife of over 45 years had been on life support for 8
years. I thanked them in my heart as the door slammed shut. Somewhere deep
in my heart I wondered would I have the strength and compassion to help
another as they were helping me. Three days prior I had been convicted of
a crime I hadn’t committed. I faced a life sentence. My wife would be left
alone to care for our children, then 11 and 16. I had spent nearly every
moment I could with our kids from the moment they were born, at least they
had that. They would remember I was a good dad. Our marriage was
crumbling, but not crushed, the pressure of 4 years and two trials tension
and fear had taken its toll. Teri still loved me – I knew that – but I had
retreated to the safety of my familiar shell. Don’t let the loss of love
hurt you again. So shut it off first, pull back before you get hurt, and
avoid hurt at all costs. The guard strip searched me, put me in an orange
jumpsuit and shackled my wrists and ankles. They placed me in a very small
holding cell with two other inmates. “Oh you’re Vanderberg,” one said. O
God, here it comes! I began to pray the only scripture that would come
into my head. “If God is for me, no be can be against me.” Two, three,
four times I repeated the words. As fast as my mind could think – I
prayed, would God hear me? I’d only been to church a few times in the last
thirty years, Christmas, Easter, and just recently – two months straight.
Each Sunday for two months I learned about David a man after God’s own
heart and Saul, a man who had turned his own back on God. Would God really
listen to me?
The other prisoner’s head jerked up and he
stared at me intently –over six feet tall and a beard down to his chest,
missing teeth – If God is for me, who can be against me – “It’s going to
be ok Mr. Vanderberg, It’s going to be okay.” Huh? That’s not how it goes
in the movies – I was relieved, confused and relieved. And where did that
scripture come from? I was not much of a Bible reader either.
The cell door opened and the nice man walked
out, leaving me alone with the large hairy guy and my thoughts. My
thoughts returned to 3 days earlier.
During my last few days of trial, I was in
the hospital. The trial went on without me. The only thing I remember was
that my Teri was lying in my arms when my lawyer walked in – looked out
the window and said that I had been found guilty. Teri began to sob
uncontrollably. I began to say to myself, “No, no, no!” A small, very
small, still voice said, “It’s going to be ok.” I felt a strange peace.
Because of a weird quirk of law, I was
allowed to go home for the weekend. Lexi said later, “God must love us
very much. He gave us two more days with Daddy.” To pay for lawyers and
bail, we had to sell out house, we lived with Teri’s dad. As I drove down
the street to Ed’s house, I noticed my next door neighbor Ralph standing
out front with his wife, Glenda, and his great granddaughter Bree, and her
mom Crystal. I was too numb to think about it much. We had lived there for
four years. We were always back and forth between their house and ours.
Little Bree, 4years old, was over to our house as often as she could. She
considered me one of her best friends (I was grateful and proud of that
friendship).
Trying to pull it together I was stunned to
hear Ralph say, “We know what happened. How can we help you?” I asked
Ralph to drive me back to Riverside to turn myself in on Monday. Fighting
back tears, He agreed. Finally after four years, Teri could share her pain
with someone in the neighborhood. But when did they find out and how?
A guard came to get me and the large hairy
guy. He walked us down dirty corridors covered with peeling paint. We
stopped in front of a 21 man cell. The front wall made of bars. The
inmates eyed me as two large men immediately jumped down off their bunks
and walked to the slowly opening door. “If God is for me, who can be
against me,” over and over those words ran through my head. My eyes zeroed
in on the swastikas’ tattooed to their necks – I took in large arms with
barbed wire inked on their biceps, “white pride” running down their
forearms. “If God is for me, who can be against me?” They came within
inches of me and they stopped, “There will be no politics in this cell.”
“Okay” I responded. I had no idea what that meant. These guys didn’t
really seem to be poli-sci majors. “We will enforce that. There will be no
taxing, and you will take a shower once a day.” Okay, now I just had to
find out what politics and taxing meant so I wouldn’t do it by accident
and get the crap beat out of me. (Later that night they beat the crap out
of some guy they suspected of taxing me!) As they turned to go back to
their bunks, one guy turned to me and said softly, “It’s ok ‘OG’ (old guy)”
you will be safe in here,” If God is for me, no men can be against me.
I
found out about a month later that psalm is from psalm 118. Blessed be the
Lord, His enduring Love lasts forever.
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Writing about Teri and her
love for me is like trying to describe the vastness and beauty of the
heavens to a man who only just now has stepped out of a dark cave and into
the light. I don’t quite know where to begin, I feel that no matter what
words I use or how many I write, I will not be able to do that love
justice. But, here goes.
Teri’s love is like reading the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit:
Each time I accept her love I come away blessed and the better for it.
Teri’s love is of God because He loved her first (John 4:19). Lucky God! I
don’t think I could live without her love. Love is, patient and kind, love
is not jealous or boastful, or proud or rude…Love never gives up, never
loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.
(Corinthians 13:4-7). The passage from 1st Corinthians describes God’s
perfect love. Teri is a walking, talking, breathing example of love. Of
course she is not perfect, if she were, she’d be in Heaven and selfishly,
I want – No- I need her here with me! I really do, Then the Lord God
said, ‘It us not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is
just right for him (Genesis 2:18). I needed Teri’s love to unlock the
love I had hidden away in a vast stronghold of hurts and scars. She never
gave up on me, she never lost her faith in me, she was always hopeful and
she very defiantly endured through every circumstance. Now I pray that our
lives together will not be to fill emptiness, but to share, to know
fullness. Now, I pray, that I can take up my part of our love, our
marriage, our covenant. A covenant is made to give to someone else, what
the other person needs. Through Teri, my love, my wife, God showed me that
He exists and I am loved. Teri loves me, Teri loves me, I say it, I write
it, I believe it, I am at peace. A covenant is a promise to give, to help,
to restore, to love until it is too good to be true. But it is true.
Through the accusations, the loss of my job, the loss of our house, the
loss of everything material she endured. Even more remarkable, even more
unbelievable, when I in my selfishness retreated back into my stronghold
of hurts and scars and turned my back on her, unable to receive or give
love, Teri’s love for me endured!! And she has forgiven me. If she isn’t
the model of God’s love and covenant with us, I don’t know what is. Now I
pray that our marriage, the model, by God’s love through Teri, the body of
Christ, be a light unto others. I pray, oh how I pray, that by Gods Grace
I be allowed to supply Teri with her needs to hold up my part of our love,
our marriage, our covenant, powered by the endless supply of God’s grace,
mercy, and love. “What God has part together let no one tear apart”
(Matthew 19:6) God has promised that a man who finds a wife (like Teri)
finds a treasure and receive favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). Day
after day, month after month, year after year (7 years now) Teri has been
the heartbeat of our home. She has been the single mom raising our two
remarkable, talented, children. 12 hour days, worry, exhaustion, followed
by more hours fighting for me. Calling lawyers, doctors, friends, friends,
friends. Telling them do not forget my husband, do not forget Maddie and
Lexi’s dad, do not forget your friend. Teri Loves.
Lord may I be as great a gift to her as she has been to me – Lord let me
love her as she has loved me – Lord fill the empty places in our hearts,
arms, life with each other. In Jesus Name Amen.
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This is the way; walk in it (Isaiah 30: 21).
Throughout the Bible, it is evident that God prepares us for the battle
ahead. Especially when we don’t know for sure if God is personally
interested in us. I was a lot like Gideon; afraid to trust God due to my
own personal limitations so, step by step, He lovingly quieted me. The
first step for me was to learn about David, “…a man after God’s own
heart.” Lexi had a friend who was probably the most persistent kid I ever
met; the word “No” was definitely not in her vocabulary. While a bit of a
trial for her parents (and teachers I expect). God put this stubbornness
to good use. She wanted Lexi and my wife and I to come to her church.
Nearly everyday for weeks she pestered me with “can Lexi come to church?
Can Lexi come to church? Both Teri and I were deeply suspicious of
organized religion – for all of the usually cited reasons. My heart craved
God, I knew it, but I wouldn’t give in to it. But this kid would not give
up. Finally I asked her mom for directions to their church. My spiritual
journey back to God had begun. And teaching me why He loved David so much.
I was on the mind of God. It came as a shock to learn the God loved David,
not because he was especially good, but because David trusted and leaned
on God for everything. Even without his sins. Saul on the other hand,
lived by his own understanding. Sometimes he gave to God; sometimes he
kept it all to himself. I felt God asking me: Make a choice. Are you going
to be like David or Saul? Let me trust you Lord, I don’t know how, but let
me trust you. I believe that right then I was born again.
The first Bible lesson I led was about David. It was the only one I knew,
and a man gave his life to Christ that day. All glory to God. In Jesus
name Amen.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy
Spirit prays for us…for the spirit pleads for us, believes in harmony with
Gods own will (Romans 8:26-27).
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Update on Maddie and Lexi
As Larry says in his letter to you all, it
is important and crucial to our life as an intact family that Maddie and
Lexi maintain a normal healthy life. We are very proud of them.
Click here for current pictures of Maddie dancing and performing and Lexi acting and
singing in musicals. They are what keeps me going, as I am the parent that
is present to help keep them strong, as any loving parent knows. They are
what sustain me and help me get up every morning to keep on fighting for
justice to bring their father home. Our family needs to be together in our
home, guiding and helping them find their way, know their purpose and help
them know how much they are loved!!
Through it all, they are so loved by Larry and I, we are very blessed to
have such resilient young ladies !!
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Larry’s health - by Teri Vanderberg
Larry has had Valley Fever almost from the
beginning of his sentence, it is in his lungs, and he has had many bouts
with pneumonia. Just this week, July 2008, he was hospitalized for a
swollen lymph node in his throat that has been apparent for months now.
They biopsied this week and it is cancer, it hasn’t traveled and he will
begin chemo soon. I ask for your support and prayers. Please drop Larry a
line, he would smile on opening more mail. Contact me for his mailing
address or
click here.
My special thanks go out to Joy for making
this website possible as the girls and I are pretty maxed out. Without her
passion for helping the falsely accused this would have been impossible..
I apologize to all of our friends and family that were not mentioned in
this website. You all know who you are and I am indebted to your constant
support and prayers!
Thank you,
The Vanderberg family
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