The Davis Family

Hi my name is Staci. I'm fundraising for the Davis family. Sheri is my good friend and coworker. Here is her and Chad's story.

Chad is the most selfless person I have ever known. He takes care of everyone without a second thought. Since November 2019, he has been dealing with some health issues. It started with a severe panic attack(we didn’t know that at the time)that landed him in the ER. He thought he was having a heart attack. His EKG showed an abnormal heart rhythm, and they wanted him to follow up with a cardiologist. After many tests and more anxiety and panic attacks, he was diagnosed with PVCs(Premature Ventricular Contractions). He has always had high blood pressure, but no doctor had ever prescribed him medication. During this extended testing time, Chad was experiencing dizziness, balance issues, an extremely high pulse rate, breathing problems and trouble sleeping. Even after starting medication, he was still dizzy. He got an MRI of his head, and luckily nothing significant was found except for issues in his nasal cavity and may be an issue with his ears. He was referred to an ENT and allergist. They thought it might be Ménière’s disease, so he was given the test to help determine that. It is not, but the test was horrible and made him feel yucky. It was discovered that his right ear had irreparable damage, which is a vestibular balance disorder. He was also given an allergy test and is severely allergic to tree and grass pollen. All this testing got him to December 2021. Over two years of trying to figure this out in the middle of a pandemic!

Just before Christmas, he started balance therapy and allergy shots, and at the same time, he noticed a lump in his neck. He asked me to look, and I could see it across the room. It was very firm and about the size of a golf ball. I told him to call his Dr and make an appointment right away. He said he already had an appointment scheduled on January 21st, so he would wait. Dr didn’t seem super concerned but ordered a CT. CT scan confirmed a mass just above his collarbone, so an ultrasound was the next step. The ultrasound confirmed multiple swollen lymph nodes, so a biopsy was ordered. It took a week to get the biopsy and another ten days to get the results. Chad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Chemo was scheduled to start in March.

At the same time, we were waiting for Chad’s results; 1 of our kitties got sick. She spent one night at the Emergency Animal Hospital(so expensive)! For six weeks, she had several appointments and medicines that had to be given at all hours of the day and night, and we even tried giving her fluids at home to no avail. On March 11th, Chad started chemo and on March 12th, we had to put Kitty down. It was really hard.

Chad decided that he would like to get a dog for companionship while the girls and I were gone during the day. On March 27th/28th we stayed in Bellevue to pick up our new puppy Millie. A 13 week old Husky/GSD mix from Texas that had been found in a dumpster with her sister. We were not nearly as prepared as we thought we would be. She was much less potty trained than we anticipated and I spent many nights on the couch waking up every couple of hours to take her out to go potty. Unfortunately, there were several very messy accidents and my patience and sanity were tested hardcore. Chad had completed 2 rounds of chemo at this point and his energy level was shot. He tried to help but was exhausted and nauseous a lot of the time.

Just after his 3rd round of chemo(he went on Fridays), our water heater decided the middle of the night Sunday was the perfect time to take a crap and flood some of our downstairs. His mom woke us up to the flooding and he went downstairs in a chemo haze to try to help. Unfortunately, that shock of being woken up to an emergency and having to try to stop the flooding caused him to get very ill and he started throwing up. Luckily, I have incredible co workers and friends that were able to bring a dehumidifier and extra towels over and wash our towels and set up a company to replace the water heater. That was another large, unexpected expense. About a month later the new water heater stopped working and we went without hot water for 5 days because a part had to be ordered. We boiled water in big pots and used those to bathe. It was rough.

Chad continued with chemo through June. His final session was to be June 17th but unfortunately, we ended up with Covid. This delayed Chad’s final chemo to June 24th and he was very upset. He just wanted it to be over. After each session he felt a little worse and recovery time took a few days longer. He finally completed chemo on June 24th. It would be another month before his final PET Scan.

On July 16th we discovered that Allison had lice. It turns out that Annabelle and I also had it and we each had to get treated at the lice clinic and that was also another unexpected and large expense. I had made it 44 years without lice and then bam! Why not throw that into this amazing year we are already having?

We were due for some good news and got it towards the end of July/early August. Chad’s final PET Scan was clear and he is cancer free! We are so thankful!

He had to stop treatments for everything he was going through before the Hodgkin’s diagnosis so he followed up with his regular Dr in August. Unfortunately, his bloodwork showed low levels of testosterone and high levels of prolactin which can indicate a pituitary gland tumor. He had to have a brain MRI(the one thing he said he’d never do again) and thankfully it was also clear! At this same time, the AC quit working in the house and my van. Again, due to amazing friends, technicians were able to fix the house AC. The van AC is another story and will probably have to wait until next summer.

Just when things were looking up, Gloria discovered her bathroom floor was flooded again on September 29th but this time it was raw sewage coming through her shower drain. It had gone into her hallway and under the wall into the playroom and had soaked the carpet. It was discovered that a tree root ball had blocked a pipe which of course homeowners insurance doesn’t cover so just like that, 5k out of pocket. Insurance does cover the damages and repairs but we had to pay the 1k deductible so things are even worse now. Our downstairs is torn up while we wait for insurance and contractors to come to an agreement on how much it will cost and how much will be paid.

As much as Chad wants to handle everything on his own and would never ask for help, he needs it. We need it. He does everything for everyone and deserves to have the weight on his shoulders lightened. These unexpected health issues and expenses have really stressed him out. He has massive anxiety and is sinking into depression. We’ve only just begun receiving medical bills and they are adding up fast along with the new water heater, the emergency vet visits, lice treatment x3, AC repairs and the emergency plumber and insurance deductible.

We appreciate your help in any form. Thank you for reading Chad’s (our) story.