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Bonsall man receives 'one thousand cranes' for healing

Japanese tradition helping bring neighbors together in support of Doyall Sams

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

"Senbazuru" literally means 1,000 cranes in Japanese and refers not only to the wild bird, but to its delicate replication in colorful paper, in origami. The papers are individually folded to look like cranes and strung on string to create a lei. When the 1,000 are completed, tradition says the maker is granted a wish for healing.

Aki Pinda of Bonsall recalled the tradition that her grandmother shared about, and with help from her mother, aunt and cousin, completed the project in nearly two months. She recently delivered it to her neighbor, Doyall Sams, who is recovering from a brain tumor caused by cancer. He is also facing additional treatments.

The brain tumor and 1,000-cranes project are also bringing residents in the Casa De Cielo condos closer together. This isn't a neighborhood infected by the "Garage Door Disease." That's when people come home from work, pull into their garages, and they're closed for the night – also closing connections to their neighbors. That's certainly not the case in this neighborhood.

Each strand of the cranes included hand-written messages from the neighbors folded in with the more colorful paper. Doyall, 73, and his wife Bonnie read warm messages and prayers prior to the papers being folded and assembled. When the colorful strands with 1,000 cranes were delivered, the couple hung them on their bedroom window, so they could see it, as well as neighbors. At a recent gathering of neighbors, it was showcased by moving it to their patio.

"We've been close to our neighbors, ever since we moved here 5 1/2 years ago," said Doyall. "We have projects together, like the common planter boxes, and we share food and life."

Doyall, who works as a cabinet maker, is known for baking bread and sharing with his friends on the development's "back row" – featuring a great view of the Highway 76 valley.

"We also endured the 7-day evacuation from Lilac Fire in December 2017 that came so close to our homes and burned the nearby San Luis Rey Downs racehorse facility," Doyall said. "As destructive as it was, it started to glue the community together."

That glue is evident in how the neighbors cared for the Sams. They truly stepped up when the Sams needed help. They brought food, helped with driving Doyall to doctor appointments, and even hired someone to have their car detailed. Another neighbor walked their dog Hazel, a Scottie.

"I value our neighbors and our friendship," Doyall said. "You never know how important your neighbors can be."

Bonnie said their faith in God is strong and many are praying for her husband. "I'm asking for a miracle," she said. Their home church is Christ the King Lutheran Church in Fallbrook.

"Doyall has always been a giver, and this has been hard for him," Bonnie noted. "This has taught him how to receive love and support from others. It's such a blessing."

She said that when they go out to dinner in Bonsall or Fallbrook, there are always multiple people telling Doyle hello, an indication of his good reputation as owner of Doyall Sams Cabinets.

Their middle daughter, Anna Richards, has assumed taking care of the business.

Anna and her siblings – Sara, Julia and Spencer – combined to establish a Go Fund Me page to raise money for medical expenses.

Doyall said he had surgery on April 27 to remove the brain tumor and still has additional treatments.

At first doctors thought it was benign based on the size but after the tumor was removed the biopsy results came back and it was the worst possible case – the tumor was a glioblastoma multiforme. This is the most aggressive type of brain cancer

Once his body is stronger, he will likely have more chemo treatments, he said. He may receive blood platelets to help, and said he is also being outfitted with Optune, a magnet device that is worn 17 hours a day on your head and works against the cancer cells.

The couple praised all the doctors who helped, including neurologist/oncologist Dr. David Piccioni, radiologist Dr. Brian Volpp and surgeon Dr. Tan Nguyen, all at Palomar Hospital in Escondido.

The family has made dietary changes, added daily supplements and a workout regime. In June, he started chemotherapy. While the neurosurgeon was able to remove the tumor, he was not able to remove all the cancer cells. Due to the aggressive nature of this cancer, it will come back which will result in more surgeries and continued treatments."

"My dad has always been a man that lives with true and authentic love," Doyall's son Spencer wrote on the GFM page. "He's always in the moment and will help anyone no matter how busy; he has always created a community, whether it be at church, our neighborhoods, or at work. He just is so loving and grateful."

"Please send prayers, positive thoughts and love. We are not taking this to be Doyall's end, but just the beginning," his son concluded.

 

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