James Roland Remer ~ Martha Anna Remer

What a joy for Herman and Ora Lee.  Not only were they having

 twins, but on Valentine's Day!  A very special gift given to parents who had

been waiting for nine months along with their five year old daughter.  When Sandra Lee

was asked if she would  like to have a new baby in the family, she proudly said that she would

like to have "two" babies.  Mommy asked if she wanted  boys or girls?  She very seriously said,

 "I want one of each!" So with the passing of time, her mommy went to the hospital to give birth to 

their new baby.  It was on Valentine's Day, 1946, not only one baby arrived, but two.  Now with

all the wisdom gained from five  years of life, Sandra looked up at her daddy and said,

 "God not only sent me one baby but now I have two....a brother "and" a sister.

Mommy, Daddy, Sandra Lee

Jamie and Martha Ann

So Mommy and Daddy and Sandra brought the two babies home 

and a new and exciting chapter had begun for the Remer family.  But their excitement

was not to last.  It wasn't long before it was discovered that Jamie had  "Retinoblastoma",

which in laymen's terms is Cancer of the Retina.  Today there is treatment available

that did not exist in 1946.  Mommy and Daddy and big sister, had to stand by and

watch this cancer take its toll on Jamie.  But...Jamie took it all in stride.

Martha Anna Remer                                          James Roland Remer

            February 14, 1946                                 February 14, 1946 - January 15, 1949

Yes, Jamie was a real "trooper".....taking everything in stride...being the

"older" brother to Martha Ann (he was born just minutes before she was) and looking

after her even during their "potty training".   He already had his Daddy's sense of 

humor and displayed it by hiding his "glass eye" in a little hole in the wall.  He was 

always removing it......and hiding it "somewhere".  Even when the tumor grew so large that

it covered his face, he was still "Daddy's little man".....

It has been fifty one years now and I still miss my twin brother.  Three years just

wasn't enough for me to know him and to remember him.  For a child of three it all must

 have been very confusing.  Not knowing where my "Jamie" had gone must have been a scary

 thing for me.  I sometimes find myself just sitting and thinking about what it would be 

like if Jamie was still here.  A grown man of 54 with a family of his own? Perhaps, but 

I believe in a source of wisdom much greater than that of mine.  God had a plan for 

Jamie right from the beginning, as He does for us all (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

The only difference is that Jamie accomplished God's plan for his life 

before me..  Now isn't that just like an "older" brother?  

I have felt the need to dedicate a page to my twin brother for a long time.  

Although my memories have become faded throughout the years, my sister "Sandy"

remembers those early years all too well.  It is to her also that I am so thankful

for keeping these memories alive in my mind and in my heart.

If you would like to know more about "Retinoblastoma" here are a

couple of links that may have the information you need:

~ Back ~ Home ~ Email ~ Guest Book ~

Continue your journey on to:  "Treasures of My Heart"