UPDATE: 5/26/26 JAMES' OPEN HEART SURGERY
The Dixons were certainly not anticipating needing this platform again. Dawn continues to struggle with tumors in her brain, thyroid, liver and lungs with treatment being complicated by a rare blood disease. James' foot healed well after the partial amputation though the doctor had planned for a surgery on his other foot in the next few months. But, as we all know, things don't always go as planned.
On 5/17/26, James (who is in the Boston area for work) experienced severe chest pain and couldn't breathe. Thankfully he was able to dial 911 in time. He was taken to one hospital and almost immediately transferred to another larger hospital.
The doctors did tests and planned an angioplasty with placement of stents. It's always scary but quite a common procedure. When they started the angioplasty they found the problem was beyond the help that stents (and their facility) could provide.
James was then transferred to Boston Medical Center and into the hands of one of the top cardio/thoracic surgeons in the country-for which they are so grateful. More testing was done and on 5/21/26, James had open heart surgery with a quintuple bypass. The procedure went well and they are so thankful that 100% of his heart has good blood flow now instead of the 66% it previously had.
Because he seemed to be recovering well (and health insurance in our country being only about profit), the hospital discharged James yesterday on 5/25/26--not to an aftercare facility as spoken of, but alone to the hotel he had been at while working in the area. James has some great coworkers who have become friends that took him to the hotel, stocked groceries and are helping with picking up medications and driving him to appointments. James is not allowed to drive, only ride in the back seat for short trips (to be safe from airbags) and isn't allowed to fly for some time.
Dawn and Zoe have been at home as Dawn's health prevents her from traveling that distance. At some point, James will need to have someone drive him (and his truck/belongings) back to Wisconsin when he's medically cleared, as he will be recovering for at least a few months.
Meantime, the Dixons are without an income and, as you can imagine, have mounting bills for hospitals and the hotel in addition to their regular obligations.
They would most certainly appreciate your kind thoughts and good wishes along with sharing this post. For those who are able to contribute financially, they would be most grateful.
Thank you in advance for being such supportive friends and loved ones!
November 2024
It’s been a tough few years for the Dixon family.
Dawn has had nearly a dozen major medical procedures/surgeries and was brought back from the brink of death at the end of July.
James has suffered from recurring diabetic foot ulcers and a retinal bleed that for months led to complete blindness.
They have fought their way through these troubles but were hit with a double whammy in November 2024.
James had a foot ulcer that resulted in gangrene, leading to the amputation of the right side of that foot. They are grateful that a functional portion of his foot was saved (not to mention his life), but he has a physical job and works on ladders. The recovery and limitation are having a huge affect on their ability to take care of medical bills and bills in general.
Just over a week ago, Dawn, who has had a crippling cluster of health issues, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They can only guess what the complications from this latest diagnosis will be.
Though the Dixons are much more comfortable being the helpers, they are now in the position of needing help from others.
If you are able, please consider donating to help them during this very difficult time. Whether you have the financial resources or not, they would certainly appreciate it if you would hold a positive thought for them.
Thank you so much!