Frenchman battled brain cancer to the end

Eric and Annie Fromm, who moved to Charlotte from Alsace, France, recently were profiled in South Charlotte News because of their unwelcome foray into the American medical system.

Eric Fromm, 49, suffered a recurrence of the brain cancer that first had him seeking medical attention in his adopted homeland, and he battled valiantly, enduring several surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy. The Fromms had nothing but praise for their doctors and the care Fromm received, and were in awe of the support their neighbors, friends and colleagues provided throughout their ordeal.

Sadly, Fromm returned to the hospital Dec. 7 with complications from his brain cancer and related health issues. His prolonged battle with brain cancer and the many medications and treatments he endured to try to shrink his tumors, coupled with an infection he developed that became septic, put too much strain on his heart and respiratory system. He was hospitalized first at CMC Pineville and then at CMC Main, and was put on a respirator and given several antibiotics to try to combat what his body was fighting, but it was decided that both he and his body simply had endured too much.

Fromm died Dec. 12 from acute respiratory failure. At his side were his wife and 16-year-old son, William, and the many Charlotte friends who have continued to rally around the family to guide them through this difficult process.

Overseeing the logistics of what to do in the aftermath of a death – planning a funeral, arranging for family from afar to arrive, and moving forward with everything that was linked to the one who has died – is an overwhelming process. It is more daunting when dealing with a system of laws and traditions that is not yours, in a language not your native tongue.

Annie Fromm, 47, said she is thankful that her husband’s employer, Clariant – a Swiss chemical company whose North American headquarters is in Charlotte – is as generous and supportive of her family after her husband’s death as it was during his illness. Representatives arrived at her house bearing trays of lasagna (telling her Fromm had asked them to ensure Annie eats) and assurances that his life insurance policies had already been filed. Annie, who has been working part-time at the company during her husband’s illness, was offered continued employment and assurances the company will work with her to facilitate her ability to stay in the country that her son, a junior at Providence Day School, now considers home.

The funeral, at St. Gabriel’s Church on Dec. 18, was a celebration of Eric Fromm’s life. William delivered the eulogy for his father, saying Fromm packed more into his 49 years than many people do into lives that are twice as long. Fromm was a well-known gourmand who loved food and French cooking and shared it and his considerable culinary skills with others.

He had a true love of life, and that is the influence that he had on everyone who knew him.