Daniel (Dave), my dad, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 19th, 2025, due to a ruptured aneurysm. Most likely, the aneurysm that was in his iliac artery (a major artery in the pelvic area connected to the aorta). Although his passing comes as a shock to us all, he lived many years beyond what we had ever thought was possible.

We are creating this GoFundMe to help with expenses for the funeral, bills, and other financial situations that come along with this, as this was not something we planned on doing any time soon, since he had been stable for many years.

Below is more background on his rare illness and his journey. Instead of being angry, he decided to make the most of life. That is evident in his loving, kind, and positive soul that impacted everyone he met.

In 2002, he started feeling ill. He would be in pain, pass out, and overall knew something wasn't right. Although he went to the ER multiple times, he was turned away, told it was just heartburn or gall bladder issues. But this wasn't the case. My mother pleaded with them and said, "No, something is wrong," but it was when an aneurysm ruptured that it finally revealed the severity of what was going on. He had aneurysms forming in his body, but why? The answer to this question was unclear for many years to come.

Typically, arteries are thick, muscular, and strong, but doctors would describe his as tissue paper. Many vascular surgeons would not go near him, as he was such a high risk for surgery. However, Dr. Teigen was brave enough to take on his case.

They were unsure what was wrong, but knew his body was attacking his arteries, making them thin and weak. He was treated with chemotherapy, high doses of prednisone, and many other medications. Because of this, he was very sick all the time. There were moments when he couldn't work or had to work part-time.

All they could do was keep his immune system in check and monitor the size of his aneurysms. But the beginning was so unstable, he had many surgeries to go in and stent his arteries, and coils were inserted into the aneurysm to stop the growth.

The surgeries would last hours, some from morning till evening, and require multiple days in the hospital afterward. Dr. Teigen was always honest, and though it was hard to hear, it was never a guarantee that my dad would make it out of surgery alive.

Waiting to hear that he was okay always felt like a lifetime. But he was a fighter.

They later diagnosed him with polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), a rare but serious disease, and he had a severe case of it. PAN is a type of systemic vasculitis, which means the immune system decides the medium-sized arteries look suspicious and starts attacking them. When those blood vessels get inflamed, they narrow, scar, or balloon out (aneurysms). That messes with blood flow and starves organs of oxygen. The exact trigger isn’t fully understood, but it’s autoimmune-driven. Hepatitis B may cause it, but he tested negative, and sometimes it just shows up with no clear cause. Treatment involves reducing inflammation with medication like prednisone and immunosuppressants, such as azathioprine, in severe or resistant cases. He was taking these up until the day he passed.

Even with medical advances improving survival rates, data only show what the percentage of survival is at 10 years. He survived 24 years.

Growing up and never knowing if my dad would make it to my next birthday was challenging and devastating. Seeing him so sick made my heart ache for him. I felt like I had to grow up fast. Starting at 6 years old, I was face-to-face with death and had to be okay with losing my dad. We talked about his funeral and about the reality of him not seeing me even graduate from high school. He was there when I graduated from college and when I obtained my master's degree. He got to see my brother get married and become a grandpa. He beat the odds. He was our hero, and the strongest man we will ever know.

I am so grateful for all the extra years that he was given. I have grieved my father's death a million times, but now that it's real, the pain and sadness I feel are beyond comprehension and nothing I could have ever truly prepared for.

Dan and I were blessed with the greatest father anyone could ask for. He loved us so much, no matter how sick or scared or unsure of his time. He loved us and loved us greatly.

I will miss my daddy for the rest of my life.