Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
In August 2020, David felt the COVID pandemic wasn't enough of an issue, so he added colorectal cancer to the pile. The diagnosis was numbing. He had surgery at Mayo Clinic to take out the cancer and install a temporary ileostomy so the surgical site could heal. The surgery went well, but a ctDNA (circulating tumor) test found he still had cancer circulating in his body. David did chemo from January to April 2021.
Afterward, David was determined to be cancer-free. His ileostomy was taken down in June and he started on the road to normal gastrointestinal functioning. However, a leak/infection developed in the surgical site and caused issues during the late summer and into fall. Unfortunately, this wasn't discovered until a CT scan in October 2021. On top of that, the cancer had returned - with spots on David's liver and lung (typical spots for colorectal patients). David received another ileostomy to prepare him for another two months of chemo. The oncologist says he is "treating for cure," however, the delay in chemo treatment due to the leak is concerning.
Along this journey, David's battled several setbacks including infection, night sweats, a bleeding ulcer, neuropathy, muscle mass loss, an inflamed colon, and eliminating Dairy Queen from his diet. On the positive side, David is working hard towards new health. He glacially ran throughout his first chemo treatments and will continue to exercise throughout the upcoming rounds. He's received amazing medical support from his primary care doctor who has cut through the medical system's bullshit to get him the care he needs, including being enrolled in the M Health-Fairview Cancer Rehabilitation Center. He's changed his eating habits with the help of nutritionists while holding steadfast to dark chocolate still playing a role in his life. He's discovered integrative therapies that renew and replenish his energy including therapeutic massage and acupuncture. Julie, David's partner, is an amazing force for fighting this cancer and her unselfish giving provides hope in this crazy time. David is also surrounded by friends, family, and co-workers who are full of love and refuse to mind their own business and are there for him in multiple caring ways.
So many people have offered to help - thank you! David's needs going forward are mostly centered on his treatments and recovery.
Those wanting to help can best do that by wishing him wellness. If there are others wanting to do more in terms of time or financial output, here are some things that would help: sending food, or donating to offset uncovered integrative therapies and out-of-pocket insurance costs.
- A Meal Train page is set up, and you can connect there for any food donations (
https://mealtrain.com/5re237).
- A good place to check out recipe ideas is through the Healthy Recipes-Rebecca Katz website at
https://www.rebeccakatz.com. (
https://www.rebeccakatz.com./). This author specializes in chemo/cancer nutrition.
- For donating massages, you can contact Alyssa Northrup (alyssahn@gmail.com or 734-657-1765) and donate under David's name.
- Donating money to offset medical costs can be Venmoed to @David-Kappelhoff. All financial donations will be used for insurance costs or integrative therapies.
Thank you for the love and support!
