Here are the major medical events that bring us to this point in life:
1989 -90 Hodgkin’s Disease Stage IV, aka, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Lymphoma is often categorized as Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s.
1990 – Lysteria Meningitis. A bacterial infection that came on suddenly and attributed in part to a lower immune system from all the chemotherapy during Hodgkin’s Disease treatment.
1994 – Renal Cell Carcinoma detected. Right kidney removed. First you see it, now you don’t.
1995 – Pneumonia. After a bout with bronchitis the previous winter, his medical team insisted on getting a pneumonia vaccine. Yes, he got pneumonia!
1998 – Spinal Stroke. Very rare, as most strokes are in the brain. Fortunate, as he was awake when the stoke occurred and we sought immediate help. Fortunate, as his livelihood is dependent on his brain. However, lasting damage has been neuropathy, which requires a leg brace and use of a cane, plus a sluggish and unpredictable digestive system.
2008 – COPD, and other scares. A series of follow the possible cancer led us through lung and thyroid biopsies, a diagnosis of COPD plus another renal cell abnormality suspected cancer.
2009 – Kidney Cryoblation. Left kidney, the only one he has, is now compromised. The tissue itself could not be biopsied as the procedure to cure kills the tissue rather than retrieve or remove it. His kidney doctor says a person can get by with less than 1/2 of one kidney for quite a while.
2010 – Lung Cancer Stage IV. The disease we fight today. Yes, Dave was a smoker for more than 30 years. He quit one day during the course of his Hodgkin’s Disease. Apparently, he just could no longer smoke. Obviously, this was too little too late.
