Robert Bowden's End of Life Fundraiser

My uncle Robert is 50 years old and is dying of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, sometimes known as Mad Cow Disease. There has not been enough research to know the cause of this disease, but the outcome is always fatal. Robert’s symptoms seemed to start last winter when it was becoming more and more difficult to work and to handle many of the tasks necessary to keep his life running smoothly. Because he lived alone, it was a long time before any of us realized that Rob really needed help. He seemed very depressed and wasn’t capable of the simplest tasks. Thankfully his sister, Cindy and brother-in-law, Steve, took control and moved him to Clearwater to live with them and his belongings to a storage unit. His Mother lived in Victoria and there was little she could do except to help financially.  


Robert lived with Cindy and Steve for the next few months while the disease progressed rapidly.  It was looking more and more like early onset Dementia. Eventually, one or the other had to take time off work as it was no longer safe to leave him alone. They finally made the difficult decision to put him in the hospital, but it turned out to be the best decision as they immediately began testing him in earnest. He had blood tests, a CAT scan, two MRI’s, a spinal tap and two EEG’s.  One by one, various diseases were eliminated and they were left with a 99% chance of CJD.


He is now in a beautiful hospice with caring nurses and caregivers. He receives muscle relaxers and pain relief, and antianxiety medication but no treatments to prolong his life. He hasn’t spoken a word for over a week, can barely move and seems to be losing his eyesight, which is a symptom of the disease. However, he knows when he has visitors and throughout his time in hospice his greatest joy is when his daughters are visiting. They both come every day and always manage to get a smile from him.


Robert has always been a gentle, kind and loving man and his two daughters, age 19 and 17, are the love of his life. Knowing they are going to lose him has been heartbreaking for them. He’s going to miss their graduations, walking them down the aisle when they marry, and the hope of future grandchildren. They have spent every possible minute with him in the hospital and now in hospice and there have been some wonderful times, when he was still able to speak and move, and there are still very sweet times even now. His Mom has moved here to temporarily stay with another granddaughter and treasures her visits with him everyday. So many friends and family have visited him, some from long distances and there are often tears in his eyes when he sees how much he is loved.