Five Brothers and a War

Leendert Diagnosed with a Brain Tumor

Bertus and Leen would get together from time to time thereafter. Bertus loved those times (aside from being on leave) because it gave him an opportunity to catch up on news from home. Leendert would write weekly letters, but catching up in person was so much better. But the news from home was not always good, as he learned that Leendert had undergone an operation, though Marie said it was not too serious. From Leen he learned that the reality was that the operation dealt with a cancerous prostate. Later, when Rita arrived, she filled in more of the details of Leendert’s deteriorating condition. Bertus noticed immediately that his handwriting, which was normally beautiful, had become sloppier. His health had became a real concern. He suffered from numerous, devastating headaches. His speech had become somewhat slurred, and there were times that he “was not all there.”

He was finally diagnosed with a brain tumor. In November 1947, he was admitted to the Ursula Kliniek (“Ursula Clinic”) to receive treatment and surgery for the tumor. The evening before the operation, Marie and Kees spent the night trying to boost his spirits, telling him that he would feel a lot better soon. As the operation commenced, it was determined that the tumor was inoperable, and he died shortly thereafter, on November 29. The family was devastated. Bertus was informed by his company major, who had received a telegram. Neither he nor Leen could get home for the funeral.

van Pelt

Most people looking at this photograph focus on the height of the waistband and the subsequent shortness of the necktie. Yet the brothers believe(d) that this photograph is important in that it shows the head injury Leendert suffered years earlier. The thought is that this was the genesis of the brain tumor.

Five Brothers and a War

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