Hello everyone, First and foremost I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read our family’s story. We appreciate it!
A lot of time and thought has gone into this gofundme page for Dave and his family. Dave is a very hard worker, and is often the first to lend a helping hand. It is out of his character to ask anyone for help. However, due to unforeseen circumstances he has been faced with a heavy burden of his new diagnoses. Dave has been forced to process the news of his diagnoses and his prognosis in such a short amount of time. Dave was diagnosed with terminal cancer May 19, 2021. Dave is fighting hard to live and heal in new ways which places him out of work currently. Dave’s diagnosis of terminal cancer has put a huge financial burden on him/our family and his/our financial situation.
Around Easter time of 2021, Dave had not been feeling well and he started to really struggle when he ate anything. A few days after Easter, his ability to swallow food or liquid had become poor. Even liquids presented a real challenge. It came to the point where not even a sip of water would go down. At this point Dave was regurgitating everything. Dave went to the doctor regarding his scary episodes.
April 29, 2021
Still after no relief from that doctor appointment and his symptoms Dave knew he had to take another route. Dave struggled to swallow anything and his weight was dropping drastically. Dave was not able to get nutrients and each day that passed was becoming harder to bear. These dark days lead him into urgent care. While in urgent care the doctor mentioned it could be a few different things. The doctor said the worst case scenario would be cancer.
May 5 ,2021
Dave was scheduled for a Gastroscopy. This involves going through the mouth and esophagus with a special scope to view the inside of the stomach. After the Gastroscopy was performed the doctor showed us the areas where he saw cancerous cells. The doctor also stated that a mass was present at the opening from his lower esophagus that led to his stomach. As the days passed we were anxiously awaiting for the biopsy results. The doctor finally got back to us and we were not prepared for what was coming next. We were in shock as we heard the doctor say, “I will get you the next available appointment to see an oncologist.”
May 19, 2021
We had an appointment with an oncologist in Beaver Dam. The doctor said that Dave has a rare form of terminal cancer called large cell high grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the esophagus, and malignant neoplasm of cardia of the stomach. At this point Dave had failed to eat or drink (not even sips) since Easter, and he had lost about 50 pounds in the past month. Dave’s health had been declining so much in a short amount of time it was heartbreaking. Then the doctor informed us that Dave was being admitted immediately to UW Madison. Things were happening so fast and we had no choice but to go along for this unknown scary ride.
May 21,2021
Today is my (Ann’s) birthday. I was met with a lovely surprise of beautiful flowers from Dave, with a little help from his nurse! At this epic moment all three of us shared the biggest smiles and the happiest tears! Not long after, we had a team of doctors in our room discussing the findings from Dave’s PET Scan. So much information had been thrown at us in a short amount of time, it was so difficult to process. As we were both trying to take in everything so abruptly in our lives, even more sadness shocked us once again! We were informed by Dave’s team of doctors that the PET Scan indicated his cancer was all over his body. In addition to that, a mass was found in the right frontal lobe of Dave’s brain. Dave’s team of doctors decided that the next step would be an immediate conference l with his medical team including a neurosurgeon regarding removal of the mass in his brain.
May 24, 2021
After much discussion between Dave and I along with his medical team, he went into surgery for placement of his G tube. The next step was very time sensitive! The doctors needed to build up Dave’s system by giving him the nutrients his body needed to be healthy enough for upcoming brain surgery. Dave would be scheduled for an emergency craniotomy, to remove the mass in his brain.
May 27, 2021
His medical team determined that today Dave is stable enough for the craniotomy. The neurosurgeons will be removing the mass in his brain, as they did not want to prolong this anymore. I know this was by far one of the longest, most stressful days of my life, as I prayed so many detailed prayers and walked around with a heavy heart and soul! I just wanted to see and hold him again after surgery! The best news of my life came when I saw the surgeon! Dave had a successful craniotomy! The doctor said he was able to successfully remove the mass with no complications! Thank you Lord! Afterwards, I was shocked as I saw him smile so big, and we both shared tears of joy and relief, that for once something positive happened after struggling the past few weeks.
June 2,2021
Today is Dave’s first day of radiation treatments. They are focused on his esophagus and the tumor in his stomach.
June 4,2021
Dave is doing well enough to be moved out of ICU and into the oncology unit.
June 7,2021
Today was a special day! The hospital staff confirmed that he is able to come home tonight! After 20 days in the hospital Dave gets to come back to his home and family.
June 15,2021
Dave had a very high dose of radiation to the frontal lobe of his brain today. We also learned some new information today. Since being admitted to the hospital Dave has undergone numerous tests/biopsies. Even though they had results his team of doctors were still unable to determine where the main source of cancer originated. Originally it was believed that his cancer metastasized to other locations, although the main source could not be determined.
One thing we were certain of from the beginning was that Dave had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Only 1% of people in the world have been diagnosed with this cancer. Unfortunately that means there is little to no knowledge or research pertaining to this specific type of cancer, and too many unknowns. Despite the challenges our team of doctors faced they were determined to find out more in a short amount of time. The plan was to pinpoint where the cancer started and what was the main source of it.
It seemed as if things just kept spiraling out of control. Once again the doctor had more unpleasant news to share. The doctor told us that he met with the team after more tests were done and the results confirmed that Dave actually has three different types of cancers. Our hearts were heavy and broke once again. Dave and I found ourselves trying to regroup after every session of updated news from the doctor. His doctor said this is very abnormal for people to have more than one type of cancer. Based on the stages of Dave’s three different cancers, doctors are only classifying him with having two different types. Both of Dave’s cancers fall into the category of highly aggressive cancer. The cancer in Dave’s stomach and esophagus has been classified as large cell high grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. The mass that was removed from the frontal lobe of his brain came back as squamous cell carcinoma.
Dave, myself and the kids really appreciate you reading his story. All of us want you to know that any good vibes, healing thoughts, prayers or any financial help is greatly appreciated! Any money donated will be used to make up for lost wages to cover daily living expenses, household bills, medical bills and care, traveling expenses, and end of life planning.
We have faith in our doctors and in God so please no medical advice. As this journey is hard to process please respect our decision as we are only sharing certain medical information and updates we feel comfortable sharing with everyone.
Some thoughts I wanted to share with you as we’ve traveled blindly through this unplanned journey in our lives…. I firmly believe every second of your day is a precious gift given to you! Those days you might complain about your job, please remind yourself to be grateful for it, as many wish they were physically able to work. Sometimes those minor ailments we all complain about at one time or another aren’t really that bad, because there are others battling a lot more! Any ailment is a nuisance to us, but I feel it is important to remind yourself frequently that it will most likely go away or reduce in intensity.
I ask that you shift your perspective for a few moments to see and understand that those complaints we think or voice are what others might wish for. A person with a terminal disease and or illness has to come to accept that this is permanent and will not go away. When you are having a bad day ask yourself this, ”Is this worth being so upset about if today was my very last day?”
I feel it is important to live every day as a gift! Surround yourself with love and joy! Be happy, and make joyful moments in your life by spending time with people who mean the most to you. Enjoy life’s experiences and find joy in everything you do! Eliminate negativity and worry less. Make time for yourself and think twice before you decide to spend money on materialistic things. Consider spending some money on experiences for yourself or with others! Memories and experiences are priceless and are never forgotten, unlike materialistic items that can be replaced. Eliminating the negativity from your life will help you find what truly makes you happy. Don’t compare yourself to others or what others have. Look at all the blessings in your life and create your own personal definition of a happy life!
Be kind not only to yourself but to others as well. Pass kindness on by helping others anyway you can! It can be as simple as putting a smile on a stranger's face or by giving them a compliment. Spend time with the people you cherish in life, and tell people how much you appreciate them! Always tell those close to you that you love them! Remember life is an unpredictable precious gift that can be altered or taken at any time. No one truly knows their plans for life, except for God. Take a look at your life right now, as if you knew it was your last day and ask yourself, “Am I living my best life, if today was my last day?”
Thank you very much for reading.
Sincerely,
Ann Strelow, & Family