David's Worst Nightmare

Hi, my name is Cherie LaDuke, I am David's wife of almost 15 years.

For two years, David has been in and out of the doctor's office for a pain in his leg and other bowel movement issues. It wasn't until April 2021, that a doctor looked at him and said, "You have to see a general surgeon." The steps were put in place and he finally got to see this surgeon in June 2021. A date in December was set for surgery and we finally felt like we were going to get some answers! David had some serious complications in July and went to the ER. After this visit, the doctor agreed to move up the surgery to August.

August 26, 2021 brought our family to our knees. David went in for what was supposed to be a routine surgery to remove a "bursted hemorrhoid" and within 20 minutes of being sedated and brought back for surgery, the surgeon called for me to come to the consult room. The doctor told me that she found something more serious. She didn't know the severity, but she was 99% sure it was cancer. She felt that the tumor she found was at least stage 2 or 3. She took a biopsy and we waited to see an oncologist in September.

September 1st, we met with Dr. A, who confirmed the surgeon's suspicions that the mass was indeed cancer. Stage 4, colorectal cancer. David was pretty sure that he didn't want to do conventional therapies because of recent experiences with both my dad and his mom. He had seen the effects of radiation and chemotherapy and was not excited about the outcomes. Dr. A explained to him that the first line of treatment for his type of cancer was five weeks of radiation and chemotherapy... both happening at the same time - five days a week. So, he asked all of his questions, and decided that he would try the course of treatment discussed. It was a rough five weeks! David has lost over 75 pounds since January 2021... we did start a diet program and had some success, but the continued weight loss is completely due to his illness.

Upon conclusion of the initial treatment, Dr. A said David needed to start a second chemotherapy, on top of the at home chemo he wanted him to continue. I joined David for his first infusion of the new chemotherapy on Monday, November 8. Everything seemed to go as planned. He had his infusion, no major side effects on day one. As the week progressed, David was less and less hungry, drinking very little. On Thursday, I was home from school for Veteran's Day, and things were not good. His coloring was bad, he didn't want to move off of the couch, he just wasn't himself... I tried bringing him to oncology for some bloodwork and tests, but unfortunately, it ended up with an ambulance trip to the ER. When there, it was discovered that David was allergic to the infusion chemo he had received on Monday. He was in a very bad place and we almost lost him. They gave him fluid infusions and needed minerals to flush the chemo out of his system and try to get him back to "normal."

Those that know David know he has a love for music and has been fortunate enough to work in the industry for over three decades. When Covid hit, David was on a high in his career... concerts were stacked up and he couldn't wait to work them all. He made it to Vegas, to work the Aerosmith show in February, 2020 and then everything came to a screeching halt. This was devastating to David. He came home to do his handy man work, doing plumbing and electrical around the area. Things there too, have come to a screeching halt because of his level of pain and fatigue. He has been unable to work for almost an entire year. It has come to the point where we are asking for help... anyone who may be able to help us, we greatly appreciate you.