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Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis

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Birth	:	7 Aug 1946 Union County, South Carolina, USA
Death	:	22 Aug 1974 Charleston County, South Carolina, USA
Burial	:	Riverside Cemetery, Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate	:	46.4986000, -114.0982971
Description	:	Wife of Harold Lewis. *********************** Book details Union woman's fight with lupus By ANNA BROWN Staff Writer Dianne Lewis did not look sick, but in fact she was dying. The first time Dr. Walter Bonner saw the beautiful brown-eyed blonde from Union was in April, 1970. She was sitting crosslegged on her hospital bed, talking cheerfully with her mother, Lucille. Four years later, systemic lupus erythematosus took Dianne's life. In those four years, Dianne's faith and courage made a lasting impression on the doctor. Such an... Read More	Wife of Harold Lewis. *********************** Book details Union woman's fight with lupus By ANNA BROWN Staff Writer Dianne Lewis did not look sick, but in fact she was dying. The first time Dr. Walter Bonner saw the beautiful brown-eyed blonde from Union was in April, 1970. She was sitting crosslegged on her hospital bed, talking cheerfully with her mother, Lucille. Four years later, systemic lupus erythematosus took Dianne's life. In those four years, Dianne's faith and courage made a lasting impression on the doctor. Such an impression that he has written a book: "A Doctor's Toughest Case — A Girl, a Disease, a Medical University." The book details medical care and medical education of the era while telling of a deepening relationship between Bonner, his patient and her family. "I'm so proud of it," said Dianne's sister, Janet Lawson. "I think it is a great tribute to her. She would be quite humbled." Bonner dedicated the book to Janet, Dianne and Janet's mother, Lucille Sumner Moss, and Dianne's husband, Harold Lewis. "I don't believe I could have gotten it done without Jan," said Bonner, who practiced medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina for 14 years and who has been in private practice since then. "I started working on it a couple of years after Dianne's death. I realized she was an unusual case. She represented everything we know, needed to know and learn how to do for lupus. She had the full array of problems the disease presented in its fullness." The Friends of the Union County Library will host a book signing with Bonner on Nov. 13 from 3-5 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for sale. The public is invited. Profits from book sales that day will go to the Friends of the Library. "Di" as Janet called her, was 28 when she died. She and her husband lived on a cattle farm in West Springs. Dianne worked at Union Insurance and Janet was working then at Sherwin Williams and the two sisters would meet at the corner and walk to Arthur State Bank with their bank deposits. "She was very outgoing, very pretty," Janet said. "She was very active in church. She had a beautiful voice, she sang in church (Mon-Aetna) and other churches in the community." Dianne began having health problems around 1966 in the spring before she got married. Home from college, she sunbathed in the back yard and a rash appeared that never went away. She was troubled with pain in her joints. She was diagnosed with lupus. Her condition worsened and she was referred to Bonner, the first rheumatologist in South Carolina. "Her ankles and feet swelled," Janet remembers. "She was so weak she couldn't put her clothes on. She called me and asked me to help her get dressed. That is when she got an appointment in Charleston." Over the next four years, Dianne fought her disease and Bonner fought to save her life. The book gives detailed accounts of interviews and examinations, conversations with students and faculty members and depicts life and times at the medical university. Bonner includes in the book correspondence over the years with Dianne and accounts of the times he visited Union. He and his wife, Beverly, visited Harold and Dianne at the Lewis farm. In August 1974, Dianne became gravely ill. Her family rushed her to the hospital to see Bonner. On the way to Charleston, Janet had to stop the car three times so Dianne could rest. She told Janet she knew she would never come home. "We tried to cheer her up, but when she said, 'I'm ready for Jesus to take me,' I went to pieces myself," Bonner quoted Janet in his book. Dianne died on Aug. 22, 1974, two days after undergoing surgery to relieve fluid from her brain. Shortly after Dianne's death, Janet saw the late Tom Hodge on Main Street. His Music Mart was across the street from Union Insurance, where Dianne had worked and he had seen Dianne frequently. "He said to me, 'I didn't even know she was sick,'" Janet said. "She went about her life as normally as she could." If Dianne were diagnosed today with lupus instead of the 1960s, Bonner said she likely would have lived much longer. "The kidney damage sneaks up while all the other manifestations are controllable," he said. "The danger of the disease would have been recognized more quickly. Doctors are more alert to what is going on. The kidney damage could have been stopped or prevented by earlier treatment." Drugs are now available that would have put Dianne's lupus in remission, or a dormant state, Bonner said. Over the years, Bonner sent Janet versions of the book for her to review. At first he considered using fictitious names. "I'm glad the final version is true and uses real names," she said.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis's memorial?
Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis's memorial is located at: Riverside Cemetery, Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA.
When did Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis death?
Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis death on 22 Aug 1974 in Charleston County, South Carolina, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Susan Dianne Palmer Lewis's memorial?
Latitude: 46.4986000
Longitude: -114.0982971

Family Members:

Parent

James R Palmer

(1923 - 1994)

Siblings

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Riverside Cemetery
Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4986000, -114.0982971

2. Maplewood Cemetery
Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5042000, -114.0963974

3. Saint Marys Cemetery
Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5093994, -114.0986023

4. Victor Cemetery
Victor, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.4268610, -114.1568680

5. Sunnyside Cemetery
Stevensville, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.5657997, -113.9916992

6. Saint Josephs Cemetery
Florence, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.6294000, -114.0861000

7. Carlton Cemetery
Lolo, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.6788880, -114.0791560

8. Pinesdale Cemetery
Pinesdale, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.3255100, -114.2134000

9. Corvallis Cemetery
Corvallis, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.2991982, -114.1003036

10. Blodgett Cemetery
Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.2886009, -114.1868973

11. Riverview Cemetery
Hamilton, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.2456017, -114.1803970

12. Woodman Pioneer Cemetery
Lolo, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.7675000, -114.2676000

13. Grantsdale Cemetery
Hamilton, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.1819000, -114.1442032

14. Fort Missoula Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8469009, -114.0570984

15. Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8531100, -114.0563600

16. Holy Spirit Episcopal Church Columbarium
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8642000, -113.9963000

17. Sunset Memorial Gardens
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8902779, -114.1001740

18. Saint Mary Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8865070, -113.9995050

19. Missoula Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8910904, -114.0185471

20. Saint Mary Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8909988, -114.0071030

21. Missoula County Poor Farm Cemetery
Missoula, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 46.8923320, -113.9682050

22. Lone Pine Cemetery
Darby, Ravalli County, USA
Coordinate: 46.0289001, -114.1742020

23. Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery
Frenchtown, Missoula County, USA
Coordinate: 47.0155983, -114.2146988

24. Philipsburg Cemetery
Philipsburg, Granite County, USA
Coordinate: 46.3408990, -113.2961010