Dorothy Dake

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.  So....... this is how we started on this unfamiliar journey, for those of you that like the details. 😉

Mom has developed some health problems over the past few years. High blood pressure, arthritis, forgetfulness. In the past few months, her cognition took a turn for the worse, her appetite decreased and she developed a blood clot in her leg. And then on July 2, she had a blood in her lung and was transported to St. Luke's hospital. More tests showed decreased kidney function, significant fluid in her abdomen. as well as slowly decreasing ability to walk and no desire to eat. And then an ultrasound showed that she had a 15 cm tumor in her abdomen; a biopsy diagnosed the tumor as a carcinosarcoma. It is very rare and very aggressive and Dr. Ali arranged for her to be transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals to be evaluated by a gynecologic oncologist. More tests and then Dr. Goodheart scheduled a family meeting/conference for July 16 to present his findings and recommendations. 

That's when all the air was sucked out of the room. Because of her severely weakened state, she was not a candidate for surgery. He did not recommend chemo because this kind of tumor does not respond well and he was concerned that it would just make her even more miserable and would give her very little, if any, additional time with us. He estimated that she had weeks to maybe two months. Of course, there is no way to know for sure. It was devastating news. U of I started looking for a bed for her in a long-term care facility as well as get started on hospice. We found an amazing facility in SW Cedar Rapids called The Gardens. The building is gorgeous and the staff truly looks for ways to keep her comfortable and well-cared for. It is only about 30 minutes from the farm, so not a bad drive for Dad; and less than an hour drive for Donna and Sandra. Other family is not far either. And Hospice of Mercy is providing additional nursing care, a social worker, music therapy and other professionals to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Please keep our family in your prayers as we each navigate this journey, each in our own way, and that we draw even closer and sustain each other with God's grace, an ever present blessing. Leave a note for her on this site and we will read them to her, as well.