Fuck Cancer - R.I.P. Dr. Merle Hamburger (1966-2011)

[JonInMiddleGA]

I met Merle through a shared love of indy wrestling, shared a lot of laughs with him at GCW & NWA-Wildside shows in Loganville & later Cornelia, GA over a couple of years. A gregarious sort with a quick, dry wit & a keen eye for both the absurd & the remarkable, someone that you couldn't help but like even when you disagreed with them.

We eventually lost touch but we reconnected via FB less than a year ago, which was when I learned of his fight with pancreatic cancer and the incredible strength he showed throughout the battle. His blog "I'm Not Dead Yet" was remarkable, simultaneously terrifying & inspirational. Intimidating too I guess, as my contact with him was pretty limited after finding him on FB. I mostly stayed on the sidelines & read along, feeling as though he had bigger fish to fry than anything I could offer.

Rest In Peace my friend, may we meet again on the other side.

Dr. Merle Edward Hamburger, 45, CDC analyst and Scout leader *| ajc.com

Whether at his job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with his neighborhood Scout troop or at his church, Dr. Merle Hamburger devoted himself to bringing out the best in boys and girls.

Dr. Hamburger started at the CDC in 1998 as a behavioral analyst, focusing initially on preventing the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. In 2006 he transferred to the Division of Violence Prevention, where he concentrated on causes and prevention of youth violence.

"Merle was an invaluable asset to the CDC," said Dr. Kathleen Basile, his team leader.

Dr. Hamburger led important studies, Dr. Basile said, investigating the relationship between exposure to media violence and youthful criminal behavior. Most recently, she said, he was the lead author of a CDC-published compendium of tools to measure bullying.

Dr. Chris Greene of Lilburn, a fellow Scout leader, said what started as a way for Dr. Hamburger to keep active with his sons became a defining part of him. He began as a den leader in Cub Scouts, became an assistant Scoutmaster and ultimately served as a trainer for adult Scout leaders.

"It was clear to Merle that not only is Scouting supposed to be fun, it makes a tremendous positive impact on young and grown-up members alike," Dr. Greene said.

"At our church the kids simply adored Merle," said JoAnn Weiss of Lawrenceville, who was Dr. Hamburger's co-mentor at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett. The two of them led youth programs aimed at developing worthwhile values during the transition to adulthood.

"Merle communicated with young people with such ease, and they responded to his irreverent, off-the-wall humor," she said.

Dr. Merle Edward Hamburger, 45, of Lilburn died of pancreatic cancer Tuesday at Embracing Hospice in Snellville. A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett in Lawrenceville. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Awareness Network in care of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network | no cost patient support, information, resources. Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel, Lawrenceville, is in charge of arrangements.

Born and reared in New Jersey, Dr. Hamburger received his doctorate in social psychology at the State University of New York at Albany. He taught at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville before joining the CDC.

One of Dr. Hamburger's favorite diversions was pro wrestling, which he turned into a business sideline.

Atlanta wrestling promoter Bill Behrens said Dr. Hamburger started as a fan. "At first Merle would take photos of wrestlers -- pictures they would buy to use to market themselves. ... Then he photographed a couple of wrestlers' weddings, and the next thing you know he was photographing weddings for nonwrestler clients."

Wrestling wasn't his first exposure to hand-to-hand combat. He studied tae kwon do and karate while a student at SUNY-Albany, advanced to third-degree black belt in American karate and taught it here.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2007, Dr. Hamburger spent the ensuing years writing about his illness and treatment in a blog that he labeled I.N.D.Y. for I'm Not Dead Yet, which was characteristic of his sense of humor.

In a recent post, he wrote: "My game plan is pretty much the same: Take each day and live life to its fullest. Spend lots of time with the family making memories."

Last month he traveled with other cancer advocates to Washington to urge passage of legislation that would direct more federal funding for research on pancreatic cancer, the fourth most lethal form of the disease. He mentioned in his blog that he took satisfaction in getting to speak directly to members of Congress, not just their staffers.

Survivors include his wife, MaryBeth Hamburger; three children, Benjamin Hamburger, Kevin Hamburger and Abigail Hamburger, all at home; his mother, Sydney Hamburger of Pemberton, N.J.; a sister, Marjorie Hamburger of Mount Laurel, N.J.; and two brothers, Isaac "Chip" Hamburger of Owings Mills, Md., and Sidney Hamburger of Roseland, N.J.

[Chief Rum]

Wow, he survived four years with pancreatic cancer? That's impressive.

Sorry for your loss, Jon.

[tyketime]

Sorry for your loss...

In a recent post, he wrote: "My game plan is pretty much the same: Take each day and live life to its fullest. Spend lots of time with the family making memories."

Such a simple concept and yet a great philosophy! RIP...

[BYU 14]

That is a very nice write up, definitely an impressive life cut way too short, sorry for your loss Jon.

[SteveMax58]

Sounds like he was an interesting man & a real fighter.

Sorry to hear about this Jon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

That is a very nice write up, definitely an impressive life cut way too short, sorry for your loss Jon.

It was the lead obit in the ajc, which is how I discovered he had passed. I knew things had gotten pretty bad, wasn't quite expecting to see his name pop off the newspaper website at me last night however.

I appreciate everyone who has read this, but the phrase about my loss really kinda helped crystalize in my mind the reason I felt like I wanted to post about him here.

Reading his obit really brought into focus for me just how many people were touched by this. Merle was a cool dude who was into a lot of things before he got sick, he remained a cool dude into a lot of things after he was diagnosed. He transcended a lot of labels, even the positive ones, that would usually end up on a guy. He wasn't "just X", he was "X, but also Y & Z". Heh, I still remember the reaction people would have (me included) when meeting him a some absolutely low-rent indy wrestling show & then finding out where he worked, usually went something like "you're a what? A doctor? For the CDC? And you're HERE? WTF?" Yet somehow he didn't really play the whole riddle-wrapped-in-an-enigma schtick off that, he was just ... himself.

Beyond the obvious family & loved ones circle, there's going to be a hole in a lot of places now that he's gone. The fact that I'm going on & on in such a way about a guy who, honestly, probably wouldn't have been in agreement with me on a fair number of pretty serious topics maybe says as much as anything about him. Even when he was flat out wrong he still earned my respect 100 times over and that's a rare bird indeed.

I suppose, when you get right down to it, I wanted people who didn't know him or even know about him to get just some glimpse of a person who stands out as one of the most remarkable people I've run across. He deserves a lot more than that obviously, but at least it's something I can actually do.

[Dodgerchick]

[molson]

That blog is very compelling. I clicked on it just to check it out and ended up there for quite a while. He really managed to demystify the process, really take it on, it was very inspiring.