Our amazing dad/husband, Cole, is a fighter -and always has been. He beat cancer against all odds in 1986 and now is facing another physical test as a result of his cancer treatment years ago. The chemotherapy that saved his life left him with serious heart issues. He has a pacemaker & defibrillator since 2003 and, until December 2017, there has never been an incident.
In the last 6 months, his heart failure has become advanced, to the point of planning to go through the transplant evaluation process for someday down the road. That day became a reality on June 27th when he was at a doctors visit to begin appointments for heart transplant evaluation. Upon seeing his lab work, he was swiftly admitted to Methodist Hospital due to serious concerns about the condition of his heart.
Fast forward 10 days: he has a mechanical pump to assist his ailing heart while he waits for a new one.
One of his MANY doctors said it best: “He looks much better in person than on paper.”
What we are learning is that it’s not a straight path from admission to a new heart. We are encountering many bumps along the way. Please pray for the fight in him to keep going and see this through to a new heart and the old Cole we so know and love.
Cole's family is rallying around him as they always have as is my family, so we are not up for visitors at this time, (and no room in ICU) but will let you know as soon as we are ready. Thank you so much for your positive thoughts and prayers. This Caring Bridge site will be a great way to get information straight from us, and Cole will read it every day.
Please forward this Caring Bridge site to any friends of ours. Thank you for the offers of food and we will let you know how you can help us within the next week, but for now, please check the site. Thank you so much. Love, Carla and all the Dawsons.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
