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David Modugno's Life Battle....Cancer Returns
Colon cancer, two bowel resections, open heart surgery for a thoracic aortic aneurysm and bicuspid valve repair, emergency hernia repair, 12 day power outage from severe storm, high speed car accident, and stage 4 metastatic liver cancer sums up the last 2 years for Dave.
My name is Granville, Dave and I have known each other for more than 20 years. It can be difficult to describe such a genuine person like Dave in a just a few paragraphs, without sounding to “cheesy” or cliché, but Dave truly is a “one of a kind”. He is the type of guy people may find they naturally flock too. He is good at pretty much everything he does with the exception of probably dishes and housework, but hey, who’s perfect?! Dave is the most unassuming man, gentle by nature, with a heart full of compassion. His overall demeanor will make you feel at ease and comfortable. You will always leave a conversation with him either more knowledgeable or with something left to ponder.
He has 3 beautiful children: Bethany, age 24; Blake, age 15; and Kaiden, age 12. Blake was placed on the severe side of the AUTISM spectrum at the age of 3 and has helped open many of our eyes and hearts regarding this disorder. Dave is very close with his amazing and supportive sister, Michelle. His girlfriend Tricia, who is absolutely a remarkable woman, has stuck by his side and encouraged him every step of the way. Over the years he has a developed a small tight knit group of friends that we call “Our Tribe.”
I’d like to invite you into the latest chapter of Dave’s story that has spanned over the last two years. The physical trauma on his body and financial burden he’s had to endure is starting to show, though meeting him for the very first time it would be hard to imagine the man standing in front of you has overcome so many life-threatening circumstances. But that’s Dave, humble as always. He doesn’t quit. Telling Dave he can’t do something is just an open invitation for him to prove you wrong. I suppose it’s the perfect trait to have if you ever have to hear the three most debilitating, gut wrenching, life draining, pure evil words ever strung together, “you have cancer.”
His story is pretty remarkable and one that should be told.
Dave Modugno, "The Luckiest Unlucky Man”
Dave had known he had a heart condition from a young age, he had only 2 cusps in his aortic valve (bicuspid) instead of three (tricuspid) which would require surgical intervention as some point in his life. Two years ago (April 2017), he felt "funny" while in his kitchen, then nearly passed out on the floor. He immediately thought it was related to his heart so he went to the Emergency Department. They had ordered a CT scan of his chest to evaluate his heart and incidentally found an area of concern in his colon.
A follow up with his doctor to evaluate the colon showed Cancer and within a few weeks he was in surgery at OHSU to remove a significant portion of his large intestine with hopes of not having a colostomy bag. It appeared successful and he was sent home. Several days after, he was experiencing significant pain and bowel complications so he returned to the ED. The CT scan showed a leak in the remaining colon and will require another surgery. While Dave was being evaluated in the Emergency Department, he received word that one of this three children, 12 y/o Blake, was also being transported to OHSU. Blake had jumped off the second story of his home, resulting in feet and spinal fractures.
His second surgery, just two weeks after his first, resulted in a colostomy bag. He then endured 6 months of chemotherapy which, at times made it extremely difficult to work. After completion of the chemo, it was time to have the colostomy removed. The surgery to remove the colostomy ended with an Incisional Hernia (a complication that can occur after abdominal surgeries). This too will require surgery to repair after he has recovered from the prior operation.
Once recovered from the removal of the colostomy being CANCER FREE, it was time to set up the surgery for the hernia repair. Another CT scan had to be done to ensure he had healed enough to undergo the Herniorrhaphy. This scan showed that just over a few months a Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm had started to grow at a rate that required immediate surgery to repair and put the hernia operation on the back burner. In November of 2018 he went in for Open Heart surgery to repair the Aneurysm and his pre-existing bicuspid valve. The recovery time for this procedure alone required 8 weeks with several restrictions, meaning more time away from his job.
A few months after the Open Heart (February 2019), he started experiencing a great deal of pain around his hernia and ended up back in the Emergency Department where the doctor discovered that the hernia caused a loop of his bowel to become pinched. They were able to manipulate the bowel enough to buy Dave a little time to contact his Doctor to arrange for the ASAP Herniorrhaphy which occurred a little over a week from the latest ED visit. Not long after this surgery, he was home recovering, when he awoke with pain and vomiting.
This time in the ED his CT scan showed no complications from the hernia repair, however it did pick up a suspicious area on his liver. Dave contacted his Oncologist who ordered an MRI which confirmed two LIVER LESIONS. A biopsy was performed and came back POSITIVE for cancer that metastasized from his colon cancer, which now means a 6th surgery for a liver resection followed by another 6 month cocktail of chemotherapy. Again causing finances to be a burden.
As if all of this wasn't enough, an unexpected snow storm hit our small town, resulting in over 20,000 people without power, some for over a week. Unfortunately, Dave was one of these people. Dave and Tricia had previously moved to the outskirts of town to provide a safer, more secluded area for Blake and his other son Kaiden. When the storm hit their home, it caused several trees and a power line to fall. They had to quickly pack up their necessities to come stay with my wife and I, as well as other friends from our tribe, until power could be restored.
During his stay with us, braving the storm, Dave traveled North to have a PET scan completed in order to proceed with treatment of the most recent liver lesion findings. Time is of the essence if surgery for his liver cancer could be an option, only to find out that it had been cancelled due to the power outages that hit the area. A few days later, Dave is driving home from his job (which is 70 miles away) on the freeway, hydroplanes and slams into the guardrail, then gets hit by a semi-truck. Surprisingly he was able to walk away from the accident with only a scratch on his thumb. His car was not as lucky......it was totaled.
After reading this, one might say that he is incredibly unlucky. How can one person have so many things happen to them? Seeking medical attention for one issue, only to have it turn out to be something else entirely. Conquering one battle only to incidentally find another, often more pressing one. Most people would feel discouraged, beat down, or possibly give up having to fight so many battles. NOT DAVE.
Throughout all of this, Dave still has strength. He is still there for his children, family, and friends. He can still smile, laugh and joke. He still remains positive, despite hearing devastating news over and over, having multiple surgeries and countless tests. Dave sees it as he's the LUCKIEST unlucky person. "If It weren't for having this test, or that happen, I would have never known,” he says.
What he needs now is your prayers and financial help. One of the hardest things for him, or maybe most people, is to ask for help. His outlook on life and what it means to be a human being has always been inspiring and will force you to challenge yourself to be a better you. His glass is always half full, even now after all he has endured. He’s continued to laugh and smile from the very beginning of his two year battle for survival. I'm gladly using this platform to tell his unbelievable story, even if it only provides the slimmest chance of obtaining some relief, comfort, or peace of mind so that he might have just one nights sleep worry and stress free. With some of the financial burden lifted, he can truly focus on what he will need to do to finally BEAT CANCER.
But the time is now to help provide more support than we ever have and this is why I’m here, we all love Dave and we need your support. Thank you for considering our cause and keeping Dave in your prayers.
Colon cancer, two bowel resections, open heart surgery for a thoracic aortic aneurysm and bicuspid valve repair, emergency hernia repair, 12 day power outage from severe storm, high speed car accident, and stage 4 metastatic liver cancer sums up the last 2 years for Dave.
My name is Granville, Dave and I have known each other for more than 20 years. It can be difficult to describe such a genuine person like Dave in a just a few paragraphs, without sounding to “cheesy” or cliché, but Dave truly is a “one of a kind”. He is the type of guy people may find they naturally flock too. He is good at pretty much everything he does with the exception of probably dishes and housework, but hey, who’s perfect?! Dave is the most unassuming man, gentle by nature, with a heart full of compassion. His overall demeanor will make you feel at ease and comfortable. You will always leave a conversation with him either more knowledgeable or with something left to ponder.
He has 3 beautiful children: Bethany, age 24; Blake, age 15; and Kaiden, age 12. Blake was placed on the severe side of the AUTISM spectrum at the age of 3 and has helped open many of our eyes and hearts regarding this disorder. Dave is very close with his amazing and supportive sister, Michelle. His girlfriend Tricia, who is absolutely a remarkable woman, has stuck by his side and encouraged him every step of the way. Over the years he has a developed a small tight knit group of friends that we call “Our Tribe.”
I’d like to invite you into the latest chapter of Dave’s story that has spanned over the last two years. The physical trauma on his body and financial burden he’s had to endure is starting to show, though meeting him for the very first time it would be hard to imagine the man standing in front of you has overcome so many life-threatening circumstances. But that’s Dave, humble as always. He doesn’t quit. Telling Dave he can’t do something is just an open invitation for him to prove you wrong. I suppose it’s the perfect trait to have if you ever have to hear the three most debilitating, gut wrenching, life draining, pure evil words ever strung together, “you have cancer.”
His story is pretty remarkable and one that should be told.
Dave Modugno, "The Luckiest Unlucky Man”
Dave had known he had a heart condition from a young age, he had only 2 cusps in his aortic valve (bicuspid) instead of three (tricuspid) which would require surgical intervention as some point in his life. Two years ago (April 2017), he felt "funny" while in his kitchen, then nearly passed out on the floor. He immediately thought it was related to his heart so he went to the Emergency Department. They had ordered a CT scan of his chest to evaluate his heart and incidentally found an area of concern in his colon.
A follow up with his doctor to evaluate the colon showed Cancer and within a few weeks he was in surgery at OHSU to remove a significant portion of his large intestine with hopes of not having a colostomy bag. It appeared successful and he was sent home. Several days after, he was experiencing significant pain and bowel complications so he returned to the ED. The CT scan showed a leak in the remaining colon and will require another surgery. While Dave was being evaluated in the Emergency Department, he received word that one of this three children, 12 y/o Blake, was also being transported to OHSU. Blake had jumped off the second story of his home, resulting in feet and spinal fractures.
His second surgery, just two weeks after his first, resulted in a colostomy bag. He then endured 6 months of chemotherapy which, at times made it extremely difficult to work. After completion of the chemo, it was time to have the colostomy removed. The surgery to remove the colostomy ended with an Incisional Hernia (a complication that can occur after abdominal surgeries). This too will require surgery to repair after he has recovered from the prior operation.
Once recovered from the removal of the colostomy being CANCER FREE, it was time to set up the surgery for the hernia repair. Another CT scan had to be done to ensure he had healed enough to undergo the Herniorrhaphy. This scan showed that just over a few months a Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm had started to grow at a rate that required immediate surgery to repair and put the hernia operation on the back burner. In November of 2018 he went in for Open Heart surgery to repair the Aneurysm and his pre-existing bicuspid valve. The recovery time for this procedure alone required 8 weeks with several restrictions, meaning more time away from his job.
A few months after the Open Heart (February 2019), he started experiencing a great deal of pain around his hernia and ended up back in the Emergency Department where the doctor discovered that the hernia caused a loop of his bowel to become pinched. They were able to manipulate the bowel enough to buy Dave a little time to contact his Doctor to arrange for the ASAP Herniorrhaphy which occurred a little over a week from the latest ED visit. Not long after this surgery, he was home recovering, when he awoke with pain and vomiting.
This time in the ED his CT scan showed no complications from the hernia repair, however it did pick up a suspicious area on his liver. Dave contacted his Oncologist who ordered an MRI which confirmed two LIVER LESIONS. A biopsy was performed and came back POSITIVE for cancer that metastasized from his colon cancer, which now means a 6th surgery for a liver resection followed by another 6 month cocktail of chemotherapy. Again causing finances to be a burden.
As if all of this wasn't enough, an unexpected snow storm hit our small town, resulting in over 20,000 people without power, some for over a week. Unfortunately, Dave was one of these people. Dave and Tricia had previously moved to the outskirts of town to provide a safer, more secluded area for Blake and his other son Kaiden. When the storm hit their home, it caused several trees and a power line to fall. They had to quickly pack up their necessities to come stay with my wife and I, as well as other friends from our tribe, until power could be restored.
During his stay with us, braving the storm, Dave traveled North to have a PET scan completed in order to proceed with treatment of the most recent liver lesion findings. Time is of the essence if surgery for his liver cancer could be an option, only to find out that it had been cancelled due to the power outages that hit the area. A few days later, Dave is driving home from his job (which is 70 miles away) on the freeway, hydroplanes and slams into the guardrail, then gets hit by a semi-truck. Surprisingly he was able to walk away from the accident with only a scratch on his thumb. His car was not as lucky......it was totaled.
After reading this, one might say that he is incredibly unlucky. How can one person have so many things happen to them? Seeking medical attention for one issue, only to have it turn out to be something else entirely. Conquering one battle only to incidentally find another, often more pressing one. Most people would feel discouraged, beat down, or possibly give up having to fight so many battles. NOT DAVE.
Throughout all of this, Dave still has strength. He is still there for his children, family, and friends. He can still smile, laugh and joke. He still remains positive, despite hearing devastating news over and over, having multiple surgeries and countless tests. Dave sees it as he's the LUCKIEST unlucky person. "If It weren't for having this test, or that happen, I would have never known,” he says.
What he needs now is your prayers and financial help. One of the hardest things for him, or maybe most people, is to ask for help. His outlook on life and what it means to be a human being has always been inspiring and will force you to challenge yourself to be a better you. His glass is always half full, even now after all he has endured. He’s continued to laugh and smile from the very beginning of his two year battle for survival. I'm gladly using this platform to tell his unbelievable story, even if it only provides the slimmest chance of obtaining some relief, comfort, or peace of mind so that he might have just one nights sleep worry and stress free. With some of the financial burden lifted, he can truly focus on what he will need to do to finally BEAT CANCER.
But the time is now to help provide more support than we ever have and this is why I’m here, we all love Dave and we need your support. Thank you for considering our cause and keeping Dave in your prayers.