Dan Tuthill

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Dan's story.....   Life was good.   We had our two beautiful grandsons living with us while Dad was still finishing his final tour in the Marines.  Dan was working them hard outside.  Teaching them how to garden and take care of chickens.  Life was good.  Then Life happened......   It first started with a sudden "dismissal" from his job at our Church where we had attended for 25 years.  It was a blow.  It was hard.  We thought nothing could be more devastating.  Our faith community had been severed.  We were wrong.  Quite wrong.  It got worse and we were so wrong about our faith community in the midst of all of it....,,
Early July Dan got pains in his shoulder he was sure was pulled muscles.  He (finally) went to the doctor and after many questions was sent to ER for further testing.  They found clots in his legs which resulted in xrays to his chest which showed multiple DVTs.  He was treated and put on blood thinners and released for further testing to find out what the heck was going on.  Then, just a week and a half later, he landed in the hospital with TIAs (mini strokes).  He was treated again and we needed to do some serious testing to figure this out- was it COVID related?  Then, just weeks later, back to the hospital with uncontrollable vomiting.  This time, testing... lots of testing.... was done.  Finally a diagnosis.  Lung Cancer..... Stage IV  NSCLC (the "better" one to have).  We got the diagnosis the day after Sydney's 28th birthday.  Dan didn't want any statistics or probabilities.  He was ready to fight for his life.  
We came home ready to do what we needed to do.  He had dentist appointment (including some oral surgeries he was putting off).  He had a port put in.  He had radiation.  He had he chemo plan set up.  He started all of these things.  And then...... he starting having more TIAs.  (side note:  cancer causes blood cells to get "sticky" causing strokes).  Again we were off to the hospital where he was scanned, tested and prodded.  They found a clot in his heart and decided to hold his blood thinner meds- thus resulting in a stroke that debilitated his speech and motor skills.  After a week in in-patient rehab, he was once again, ready to come home.  With much work and rehab at home, he was again ready to fight.
Dan made it through a LONG, COLD, LONELY winter.  He looked out the window waiting for warmer weather so he could get back outside and do what he loved.  We ventured up north to his buddy, Mike and Allison's cabin in Grayling.  What a blessing.  His cousin, Jim, provided firewood for our wood stove to keep the house a toasty 72 degrees all winter.  Friends and family brought food and cheer.   His sister, Trudy, continued to help with medical suggestions and encouragement (helping me keep the doctors on track with the right questions to ask).  We never would have made it through this long period without all of you.  God Bless each and every one of you!
Then, spring came.  Dan was ready.  He got his chain saw out and started cutting wood.  He dug a hole to check our septic.  Then round two (three?).  His back started hurting.  A LOT!  So much that we needed to seek medical care.  The MRI showed a pathological compression fracture in L2 and L4.  Currently, we are trying to determine what the best course of medical care for Dan will be.  Do we seek kyphoplasty?  Radiation therapy?  Will it heal in a reasonable time on its own?  That's where we are today.  
Your prayers and thoughts are welcome and will help us through this time.  Please send Dan encouraging words to let him know he is not fighting this fight without an army behind him.  All who know Dan knows he will do anything for someone in need.  He, however, struggles to receive the same.  He needs to struggle.  He needs to know there are people there for him.  Who love him.  Who support him.  I have recruited help to maintain the information flow so that you can be in "the know" as to how Dan is doing.  Thank you for your love and your support.  You have NO IDEA what this means to us.  Love and blessings to you all!!!!