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On May of 2014 my dear friend Dale was diagnosed with a rare form of Neuro Endocrine Cancer.
The cards were stacked against him by beginning his battle with Stage IV of this disease. The chances were slim that he would live 6 months, but he was determined to fight his illness with everything he had. His philosophy was to live his life as if he didn’t have cancer and that meant going to work everyday, enjoying playing golf, bowling and watching his sports team play. He did not want the disease to change his life in anyway. His battle with chemotherapy was an uphill road.
Just when he thought we could celebrate that his tumors were shrinking from the chemo treatments they would begin to rapidly grow as if he had never had treatment. That did not stop him and he was determined to beat cancer or die fighting. There were several times that he was brought to the brink of death, but his courageous spirit kept him going. His family and friends kept adjusting to whatever the new normal was so that he could live his life the way he wanted.
His 11 years of service at Sutter was so important to him that we would do his treatments on the weekend, so it wouldn’t impact his work week. He enjoyed the people that he worked with and the projects he was blessed to be a part of over the past decade.
At an early age he saw the special talent that his son had when it came to golf. He began having Charlie coached at the age of 13.
Sharing his love of golf with his family brought him great joy. Passing on the love of the game to his son was another tool that empowered him to battle his cancer and live through him. His wish was to do anything necessary to give his son as many opportunities that he could when it came to golf. He hoped that his son would be accepted to San Diego State to play with their golf team.
Because he loved to play golf with his family and no matter how far the cancer progressed, he took his family out golfing every Sunday. He wouldn’t miss the Sunday golf tradition he created with his wife and son. August 9, 2015 was the last time he would share that experience with his family.
Surviving a diabetic coma, from the tumor on his pancreas he ended up in the hospital with sepsis and pneumonia. This was more than his body could handle, yet he continued to try and recover so that he could begin another treatment so he could be around for his wife and son, but his cancer had other plans. This was the beginning of his body shutting down. He knew what was happening, but chose to believe he could overcome it. He wanted to be back with his colleagues at Sutter doing what he loved best. Even when he went home on hospice he still believed his fight was not over. While at home on Hospice, he asked me to get his work laptop so that he could be productive from home. He was surrounded in his ManCave with his family and friends enjoying his last days.
His wish was to not have a typical funeral service. He wanted his ashes to be scattered at the pier in Oceanside, California where he often reminisced about his childhood days playing football for the Oceanside Pirates and surfing with his friends. Because he felt in his heart that he would win this fight, he did not properly prepare his family for his passing. I was trying to find a way to help his wife and son during their time of grief. He was beloved by many and I was hoping that we could help him with these issues in any way you can.
sincerly,
Joon Lee
The cards were stacked against him by beginning his battle with Stage IV of this disease. The chances were slim that he would live 6 months, but he was determined to fight his illness with everything he had. His philosophy was to live his life as if he didn’t have cancer and that meant going to work everyday, enjoying playing golf, bowling and watching his sports team play. He did not want the disease to change his life in anyway. His battle with chemotherapy was an uphill road.
Just when he thought we could celebrate that his tumors were shrinking from the chemo treatments they would begin to rapidly grow as if he had never had treatment. That did not stop him and he was determined to beat cancer or die fighting. There were several times that he was brought to the brink of death, but his courageous spirit kept him going. His family and friends kept adjusting to whatever the new normal was so that he could live his life the way he wanted.
His 11 years of service at Sutter was so important to him that we would do his treatments on the weekend, so it wouldn’t impact his work week. He enjoyed the people that he worked with and the projects he was blessed to be a part of over the past decade.
At an early age he saw the special talent that his son had when it came to golf. He began having Charlie coached at the age of 13.
Sharing his love of golf with his family brought him great joy. Passing on the love of the game to his son was another tool that empowered him to battle his cancer and live through him. His wish was to do anything necessary to give his son as many opportunities that he could when it came to golf. He hoped that his son would be accepted to San Diego State to play with their golf team.
Because he loved to play golf with his family and no matter how far the cancer progressed, he took his family out golfing every Sunday. He wouldn’t miss the Sunday golf tradition he created with his wife and son. August 9, 2015 was the last time he would share that experience with his family.
Surviving a diabetic coma, from the tumor on his pancreas he ended up in the hospital with sepsis and pneumonia. This was more than his body could handle, yet he continued to try and recover so that he could begin another treatment so he could be around for his wife and son, but his cancer had other plans. This was the beginning of his body shutting down. He knew what was happening, but chose to believe he could overcome it. He wanted to be back with his colleagues at Sutter doing what he loved best. Even when he went home on hospice he still believed his fight was not over. While at home on Hospice, he asked me to get his work laptop so that he could be productive from home. He was surrounded in his ManCave with his family and friends enjoying his last days.
His wish was to not have a typical funeral service. He wanted his ashes to be scattered at the pier in Oceanside, California where he often reminisced about his childhood days playing football for the Oceanside Pirates and surfing with his friends. Because he felt in his heart that he would win this fight, he did not properly prepare his family for his passing. I was trying to find a way to help his wife and son during their time of grief. He was beloved by many and I was hoping that we could help him with these issues in any way you can.
sincerly,
Joon Lee