Gregory Budweg

Gregory J. Budweg, a.k.a (Opa, Father, Gregger , Bud) was a dedicated, loving  Father, Grandfather and brother.  His brilliant mind , incredible work ethic and thirst for adventure and knowledge made him an unforgettable, wonderful man. Greg has 3 children , 5 grandchildren and the eldest of nine children.   He was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma cancer in July.  The cancerous tumor was the size of a pea.   Surgery for removal of the tumor was done September 23, 2016.   The nine hour surgery ended up  removing  a large tumor and 16 of his lymph nodes, 6 being cancerous.   The 26 inches of incision  took a lot of time and energy for healing.  4 weeks after the surgery he was mending very well at home.  Suddenly things changed.   The pain increased  and the sleep decreased.  The healing turned into a slow decline of health.   Sunday October 30, 2016 he went to the emergency room of the VA Medical Center due to increased pain and shortness of breath.   After another CT scan  both families and doctors were shocked to find the cancer wanted to battle this young, 61 year old.  The cancer had very aggressively moved to his liver, lungs and bone marrow.  The week of Oct 30, 2016 Greg had his children and siblings attending to his needs while in the VA hospital.  The days in the hospital had many ups and downs.  Tuesday evening and Wednesday was the start of the Immunotherapy.   Thursday was a day of hope as the blood numbers were good and he ate well.   Friday the numbers fell and the great man that we all loved started to fade, as he was moved to ICU.  Greg said goodbye to his children and attending siblings at 6:42 a.m. on Saturday morning.