Support and Well Wishes for Dustin Wenmann

Dustin is over a year into cancer treatment now. In the past year, Dustin has done chemo and radiation and more chemo since early 2024. In August 2024, he underwent surgery to remove a large sarcoma tumour from his thigh that was wrapped around his femoral artery. Along the way, Dustin's docs found cancerous spots on his lungs, he's tried new chemo medications, battled significant illness and infection and in the past week, nearly lost his life when his sutures failed in his femoral artery. Thanks to quick action on the part of his dad (a real life super-hero) a tourniquet was applied, and he was able to be air lifted to Toronto, where his cancer team repaired his artery and once again, is helping him to recover. Dustin and his family are now again faced with a 6 to 9 week stay in Toronto, as they need to be close to his care team and specialized equipment necessary for his recovery from this crisis, and then need to carry on with more treatment for his lungs.

I hope that we can come together as a community once again, and help to support the Wenmann family financially in their time of need.

Mary Ellen has shared the family's story, in her words, below.

Hello Everyone,

Well here is an update for our Dustin. Sorry, no exclamation point on the end of that sentence because there is more than one emotion involved in this update .

On Monday, April 28, 2025 we could have very easily lost our son. I’m writing this and crying already. As you already know, Dustin has been having a very difficult time since his surgery last August. The cancer had spread to his lungs, he went back on chemo in October, it was hard and brutal. In December, his leg where the tumour was taken out start leaking from a little pin hole . We informed all doctors. Moving forward to February 2025 and the leg getting worse. Dustin ended up in pretty bad shape . He was admitted to the hospital on his birthday, February 14th, where they told us that he had a really bad infection in his leg and that the chemo treatment he was on stopped working. He ended up getting surgery to clean the infection and put on a strong antibiotic . He had to come off the drugs to help shrink the lung tumours and now had to heal the leg again from surgery. He stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks. He was sent home with more antibiotics and home care.

We had doctors appointments and home care visits. We got news that they had a drug to use for the lung tumours but couldn’t use it until cleared by the doctors that his infection was gone in his leg as this drug would compromise his healing . We also had to see if this drug would be covered by his medical plan as it was a very expensive drug. The insurance didn’t cover the whole drug cost but we are blessed that he had some coverage. We will do whatever we need to do to get him healthy again. He started the drug in the middle of April and things looked like we could breathe a little .

Well now this is where we are today. On Monday I was out and his dad asked Dustin if he wanted to go into town. He said yes and just wanted to get a coffee first. Duane went to go get changed, Dustin went to get a coffee in the kitchen. Dustin felt something warm on his leg and socks . He looked down and there was blood pouring out of his leg. He yelled for his dad. His dad laid him down and place a tourniquet on his leg and called 911. Sault Area Hospital air lifted Dustin to Toronto for an emergency surgery with his team that did the tumour removal . We found out after the surgery that when Dustin had his surgery last year and they needed to replace the femoral artery and another vein because the tumour was wrapped around it that they had used stitches which will always be in his leg. The stitches disintegrated from the infection that had unknowingly been brewing since last year. It is a nasty infection and was resistant to the vancomycin, the strongest antibiotics you can use. His was hemorrhaging and thank god Duane was home to put that tourniquet around his leg.

They had to do a whole new bypass. He has a very long cut plus an open wound from the infection. It needs to heal from the inside out. He is being placed in a hyperbaric chamber for 2 hours everyday. He needs to do this for 6-9 weeks. We don’t have one in the Sault. He needs to be put on a special antibiotic to clean this infection up and the doctor said it’s very very expensive . They are looking at finding him a new drug for his lungs.

So this is where we are at. In Toronto getting our son healed up. We got here with Tyler. We had to drive down and arrived about 2 am. Thank god for Tyler because we couldn’t think, we were scared, emotional, traumatized. He directed us and listened for us. He had to take time off which he didn’t get paid for but he did it for his brother and parents who needed him the most in this awful time. He was emotional and scared for Dustin too. You do what you need to do in a family crisis and this was the worst. I’m so blessed with the boys I have.

We are praying and trying to keep positive. One day at a time…one step at a time .

Sending love

Mary Ellen

Xo❤️

I met Dustin in the early 2000’s. He came over to hang out with Matt (or something along those lines), and from that day on, I had a third sibling. Dustin was a permanent part of our household throughout my teen years, and I was victim to various pranks and jokes (and cruel wake-ups with drums and cymbals), until I was safely off to university. Dustin never failed to show up on Saturday evening after church, and interrupt Grey’s Anatomy just when it started getting good.

As adults, whenever I see or chat with Dusty, I feel as though no time has passed and we pick up right where we left off – a sign of true friendship.

I recently learned of Dustin’s cancer diagnosis, and am devastated. Dustin is someone I can only describe as sunshine. He is warm, and kind, and funny and gives endlessly long hugs. Unfortunately, Dustin’s 2024 is all mapped out for him. Chemotherapy, lots of travel to and from medical appointments, and an extended stay in Toronto for a daunting surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his thigh. Only then can he get on the road to recovery.

With his permission, I have created a go-fund me to raise funds for Dustin to use however he needs. Dustin has been off work since November of 2023, and has many challenges and a long year ahead of him. Thankfully, Dustin has the endless support of his parents, May Ellen and Duane, who will be chauffeuring, cheerleading, caring and fighting for him during his time of need. I hope that with your help we can ease some of the financial burden that he will face. I also know that Dustin is feeling a bit nostalgic, and would appreciate a funny story/memory or well wishes in the comments.

I’ve attached Dustin’s journey so far, as told by his wonderful mom, Mary Ellen, below:

Here it goes… my story of Dusty!

In February 2023, Dustin’s dog Riddick jumped on his thigh while riding in the jeep. From that moment on, Dustin had a sore leg. He had a hard time walking, sleeping or putting a full shift in at work without pain. We assumed it was a muscle knot where Riddick jumped on him and Dustin would take Tylenol, Aleeve, apply heat and try various creams and rubs, anything to get it to feel better.

In June he went to the doctor as his knee was starting to give him pain. Dustin had an x-ray and was given some naproxen and told everything was ok. He would come home from work some days experiencing unbearable pain. My heart would just break for him. Dustin went to a physio therapist who gave him gave him exercises—he had no relief, and the pain moved into his hip and thigh. He thought that this new pain was from the physio exercises and so he went to a chiropractor. Adjustments only provided him temporary relief.

On November 21st, 2023, Dustin was scheduled for dry needling, feeling like it was a last resort. When he was called into his appointment, the provider examined Dustin, and advised he would not touch him and to go to emergency right away. The provider saved Dustin’s life.

November 21st 2023 is day that we will never forget. Dustin was in tremendous pain, and he and I waited almost 12 hours in emergency. He finally had an ultrasound and waited for results. We were told that there was a mass in Dustin’s thigh and he needed an MRI, which was done two days later. While waiting for results, Dustin had to return to Emergency because he was in so much pain, where he waited another 12 hours for care. While there, the emergency department doctor told us that Dustin has cancer - a tumour in his thigh. Our world fell apart.

Since that day, Dustin has been referred to an orthopedic doctor in Sault Ste Marie who was able to fill in the gaps. Dustin’s tumour is large, and in a dangerous spot. He has also been referred to a doctor in Toronto, has had a biopsy done to determine what kind of cancer it is and how best to treat it. He is being closely followed by a team of specialists. Dustin has begun chemotherapy at Sault Area Hospital, and there have already been some trips to Toronto and Sudbury. There will be many more trips, including long stays in Toronto for care. We are very grateful for the doctors we have dealt with so far. It has been an emotional journey, and they have all been so kind and supportive.

I am in awe of Dustin. In the past year he has continued working despite his pain. There were days that he would walk and his leg would give out and cause him to fall. He always picked himself back up and continued working. Dustin has had to be off work since the end of November 2023.

Every day, we thank God that we found the tumour, and even thank God that Riddick jumped on his leg to get his attention. We thank God for the high and low days as it means we are still ok to fight this. We thank God for all our family and friends for their kind messages, food, phone calls and visits. We are so loved and supported. It’s going to be a journey but we have God, faith and all our family and friends and we will be ok.

Love to all

Dustin, Mary Ellen and Duane

Xo❤️