It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the declining health status of our husband, father and grandfather - Pat Sagerhorn.
Pat went into the Cancer Center on April 1st, as he was experiencing pain on his sides. He was diagnosed with adenocarcionma, a cancer that originated in his bile duct and spread to the left lobe of his liver. While we held onto hope that he could be treated, his tumor is quite aggressive. He was transported to Fargo on Friday in an effort to place a stent (which might have provided him with additional months of quality life). Unfortunately, that procedure was not successful due to the aggressive nature of his tumor.
We were able to bring him home on Monday. We have been blessed to have the support of LB Hospice upon his return.
Pat is very comfortable. While he is sleeping more, his spirit is still strong. He continues to joke with us, and give us a hard time for crying. Pat's humor, his love language, is ever present. This humor has been helpful to us, and him, as he works to transition into the next stage of his journey. His approach during this time has been admirable. He is welcoming this process with grace, love and acceptance.
Pat is really tired. As you all know him to be the ultimate extrovert, he has asked that we take his phone out of the bedroom. As we are able, we pass along messages of love and greetings from friends. The pace at which he is declining may prevent him from individually saying goodbye to many of his dear friends. While we would love to open our doors to visitors, we must maintain distance to allow him to rest and protect him and family from Covid-19.
We want to thank you for all of the actions of love and compassion that you have shown to our family in such a short period of time. If a person is only judged by the friends they keep, our dad is an exceptional person. He is so loved by all of you. The stories you have shared with us, many of which we were not aware of, have been comforting as we process the grief of our impending loss.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to the nurses, social workers and staff at the Lake Region Cancer Center and LB Homes Hospice. Our father has consistently received personalized care that goes beyond what one could hope for a loved one in this situation.
We will do our best to provide updates during this time. We welcome you to share stories and photos, which we will relay to him.
With love,
Norma, Molly, Tom, Cara, Sean, Gabby, Liam, Julia, Bobby and Emmy.
