Kevin Powers
04-02-2008, 10:25 AM
A while back I offered support to Raven and shared that my Dad was also suffering from pancreatic cancer:
I know where you're at and will keep you in my prayers.
My Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer. He had a Whipple procedure to remove the pancreas, but the lymph nodes were already effected. He had a terrible time with chemo and completed radiation treatment earlier this year. He just had a PET scan and we should be getting the results this week or next. Depending on the response to the chemo/radiation his outlook will be somewhere between six months and two years. In the meantime he has been having terrible pain in his back. Turns out several vertebrae have suffered compression fractures. He had a khyphoplasty procedure to inject cement into the vertabrae to stabilize them but it didn't help much. Last week they found three more broken vertebrae. He's quite literally falling apart.
My Dad is in NY. My siblings and I are in DC, NM, AZ and MN. His SO has been a saint, but there is a limit to what she can do, so we're trying to negotiate care options and support long distance. We've all been getting back to NY as often as we can. Heavy sigh.
On the upside, we've been able to arrange a family get together for Memorial Day weekend. My Dad was raised in the Bronx and is a lifelong Yankee fan. All of us kids were raised Yankee fans and we have instilled that into the next generation. We've lined up a suite at Yankee Stadium on May 25th and we'll have all of the siblings and grandkids there. So if you're in a praying mood, pray that the game that day doesn't get rained out and that my Dad is strong enough to attend.
Kevin
Sad to report that my Dad passed on March 26. He asked me to be there on the 17th when he got the PET scan results. The results weren't good. later that week, the oncologist told us that they had just figured out that my Dad also had multiple myeloma, which turns out to have been the cause of the compression fractures of his spine.
I was fortunate to have that last week with him. When he was awake he was sharp as a tack, and we had some great talks. It was good time together.
Rest in peace John V Powers.
I know where you're at and will keep you in my prayers.
My Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer. He had a Whipple procedure to remove the pancreas, but the lymph nodes were already effected. He had a terrible time with chemo and completed radiation treatment earlier this year. He just had a PET scan and we should be getting the results this week or next. Depending on the response to the chemo/radiation his outlook will be somewhere between six months and two years. In the meantime he has been having terrible pain in his back. Turns out several vertebrae have suffered compression fractures. He had a khyphoplasty procedure to inject cement into the vertabrae to stabilize them but it didn't help much. Last week they found three more broken vertebrae. He's quite literally falling apart.
My Dad is in NY. My siblings and I are in DC, NM, AZ and MN. His SO has been a saint, but there is a limit to what she can do, so we're trying to negotiate care options and support long distance. We've all been getting back to NY as often as we can. Heavy sigh.
On the upside, we've been able to arrange a family get together for Memorial Day weekend. My Dad was raised in the Bronx and is a lifelong Yankee fan. All of us kids were raised Yankee fans and we have instilled that into the next generation. We've lined up a suite at Yankee Stadium on May 25th and we'll have all of the siblings and grandkids there. So if you're in a praying mood, pray that the game that day doesn't get rained out and that my Dad is strong enough to attend.
Kevin
Sad to report that my Dad passed on March 26. He asked me to be there on the 17th when he got the PET scan results. The results weren't good. later that week, the oncologist told us that they had just figured out that my Dad also had multiple myeloma, which turns out to have been the cause of the compression fractures of his spine.
I was fortunate to have that last week with him. When he was awake he was sharp as a tack, and we had some great talks. It was good time together.
Rest in peace John V Powers.