Hey, Ken here!

It's been quite an unexpected journey over the past two weeks, and I'd like to keep everyone updated as we progress toward recovery. So to help keep friends and family updated, here is a timeline of what's happened so far.

In mid-September, I started experiencing stomach pain and jaundice skin (yellow tint) and could not sleep on my side.

On Monday, October 3, I was immediately checked in as an ER patient to move quickly on tests. In short, they identified that my bile ducts were blocked and found two masses on my liver.

On Tuesday, October 4, a liver biopsy was taken to determine if the masses were benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) and ascertain where it all started. Thankfully, all my pain went away that afternoon with the help of some meds the Docs gave me :) Unfortunately, the tests came back as malignant. They believe it all started as a Klatskin Tumor that spread to the liver. The cause of Klatskin tumors is unknown and it is a type of cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma is cancer of the bile duct system in the liver with approximately 3,000 cases in the U.S. annually.

On Wednesday, October 5th, I was scheduled for an ERCP to install two stents to open my bile ducts to lower the bilirubin levels in my blood. Normal readings are 1.2, and mine were at 11.2 (a level of 20 is very harmful). One worked, one didn't, and a tube was inserted for external drainage.

This is unexpected and tough for all of us, but Dawn and I are doing our best to stay as positive as possible and surround ourselves with lots of love from family and friends.

In our efforts to do everything we can, we have kept the information to a small group of family members so we can truly process what has transpired over this week. We encourage you to visit our Caring Bridge page allowing friends and family to stay abreast of any developments on testing, results, upcoming appointments, doctors' input and more.

If you are looking for a way to lend a helping hand, donating here on our GoFundMe page will generously help with the numerous medical bills; anything is greatly appreciated as we tackle this diagnosis!