On Sept. 22, our son Nick, 31, died after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. During this time, his employer -- Schwab, Vollhaber, Lubratt, Inc. of Shoreview -- reached out with open arms. Over the past year, Nick went through numerous hospital stays, surgery, radiation and chemo, as well as emergency care.

Although Nick had been hired a short six months before, SVL was always by his side, never wavering from its dedication to an employee in need. One of the owners called us directly and told us, "Nick is an employee of ours, and he will continue to be an employee of ours. We will continue to pay his salary and health insurance. Is there anything we can do to relieve his or your stress at this time?"

During this difficult time, work was Nick's inspiration, and every time he got out of the hospital, he said, "I want to go back to work." And he did, right up until Aug.1. Thanks to SVL, he still had a job to go back to, which I believe was his main motivation to continue his battle with cancer.

We, Nick's family, want everyone who reads this to know that there are still employers who view their employees as much more than just a means to a bottom line.


THE FAMILY OF NICHOLAS ALAN SCHLEWITZ

This letter was signed by Alan Schlewitz, Nick's father; Annette Schlewitz, his mother, and Sam Schlewitz, his brother.