
Deacon Dave Parker's Journey with Pancreatitis
Donation protected
Update: 12/25/23
Christmas Blessings to all those who were generous in donating and praying for our Dadio during this very difficult time in his life. We are very thankful. We almost lost Dadio and thank God he is well. He was out of work for 5 weeks. Please continue praying because he isn't completely healed yet. Every month he has to go in for testing and cat scans to evaluate his progress.
There still remains a great financial need for all the medical bills that keep coming. Also, for the income he lost during this time because he didn't have short term disability. As many of you know, it can be very stressful this time of year. Please, if you could share this gofundme, it would be greatly appreciated. You all are in our prayers! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Love from all the Parker Family!!
Update: 10/15/23
My daughter Rachel updates the gofundme usually but I (Denise Parker) felt drawn to do it this time so you can hear from me.
Deacon Dave is very happy to say that he is back to work. We are so thankful and grateful to everyone for their prayers and well wishes which is why he is here today. We are also eternally grateful for those who donated to the GoFundMe which is desperately needed. Please share if you feel drawn to do so so more people can see it.
The surgeon said that he wants to continue the CT scans to keep a close eye on his pancreas, lungs and liver to make sure they keep improving as they won’t be totally healed for at least 2 more months or more. In the meantime, thousands of dollars of medical bills are piling up as well as our other bills because he was out of work for 5 weeks with no short-term disability.
If you feel drawn to donating, please do so. No amount is too small. We thank you ahead of time for your generosity and prayers. This isn’t easy for us to write this, but I just thought I would let you to know where we are at. God bless you all with many Blessings! Sending our love and prayers. ---Dave and Denise Parker---
Update: 10/01/23
Dad is still recuperating at home. The doctor said that his recuperation will be slow because of how serious his situation was for 13 days. Dad's pancreas is still inflamed and is going to take a while to heal up. Next week he is going in for another surgery to remove the stint.
Dad has been out of work for a month with no short-term disability. My parents want you to know that they are thankful for your generous financial help! It is greatly appreciated!! Also, they are very thankful for your prayers. Please keep them coming!!
Update: 9/15/23
HE IS BACK HOME!!! I am so sorry I haven't been the best at keeping you all posted in the last week but here are a few updates. A week ago, we were all uncertain how bad the prognosis was but there is good news! After being placed on a feeding tube for almost a full week his body finally started to heal. His pain went away and they were able to take the feeding tube out and start with clear liquids. After seeing his levels progress and get better, they started him on a simple diet to monitor his liver and pancreas to digest his food correctly. He will be on this diet for at least another three weeks to continue allowing his pancreas and liver to heal and the inflammation to go away. He will also be receiving both Occupational and Physical Therapy at home a few times a week to regain his strength. He is still very weak but determined to get back on his feet!!
When you pray, God listens. When you listen, God talks. When you believe, God works!! I thank the Lord for filling my family and I with amazing support for our Dadio! All my siblings and I cannot express how grateful we are for all of you and everything you have done for our family!! All the outreach and prayer chains have continued to give my Dadio strength.
Thank you so much for all your, thoughts, prayers, and donations.
September 12th:
On September 5, our dad, Deacon Dave Parker, was experiencing extreme pain in his stomach. When tested, he had a severe case of pancreatitis, and his liver levels were 20% higher than normal.
Even though he had his gallbladder taken out 30 years ago, stones and sludge made its way down blocking the opening to the pancreas and liver. This is what caused the pancreas to become inflamed and the liver levels to rise which in turn caused intense pain. They did surgery to remove the stone and placed a stent to help the liver drain. The surgeon said dad was extremely sick and his pancreas was very severely inflamed.
Over the past week he underwent several tests, CAT scans, and procedures to determine how severe the inflammation was.
There were multiple bumps in the road including excruciating pain that lasted for 3-4 days. He was put on a constant drip of pain medication to alleviate some of the pain. They started a feeding tube to provide some nourishment straight into the intestines to give the pancreas time to heal and to get the intestines moving again. He had not eaten for a total of 5 days.
The lack of protein caused systemic inflammation. Due to the inflammation, water collected around his lungs causing breathing difficulties. They needed to start oxygen to support his breathing.
Our dad never expects anything from anyone. He is the most humble person I know. This is extremely hard on our dad as he’s always supported our family financially since our mom and dad started having children. With dad being in the hospital, there is no income coming in. The youngest of the 7 children is still living at home and in high school. They have all the normal everyday bills that need to be paid. In addition, they will have medical bills coming in, a surgery to remove the stent that they had put in, and possibly more after he gets out of the hospital. He will need rehab and physical therapy, to help his body learn how to function again because he is so weak. From the sounds of it, he might be in the hospital for up to 3 weeks and out of work for a full month, maybe even longer.
Right now, what is most important is prayers for our father. He is an amazing husband, father of 7 children, grandfather to 22 grandchildren, deacon, son, brother and uncle. Prayer is so strong, and we know our Lord is watching over him, and the doctors, to make him better.
While insurance covers some of the cost, there are still a lot of expenses adding up. If you're able please consider helping with covering these expenses. It is greatly appreciated and nothing is too small. Thank You for your help with relieving dad and mom of this heavy cross to bare!!
Dcn Dave Parker, as most parishioners know him, has always had a huge tug on his heart to serve the community and even more of a tug to serve the Lord and His church!! His faith is something to admire. Know that my dad is offering up his suffering for those in need of healing or any special prayer requests you may have. We could not do this without your love, prayers and support. We would also like to give thanks to all the nurses, doctors, and staff who have been absolutely amazing. God Bless!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Rachel Winter
Organizer
Green Bay, WI
Denise Parker
Beneficiary