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. Al began his journey with Cancer in January of 2022. He and Pam were planning to go to Mexico for their annual trip to Puerto Vallarta (where they have been vacationing for 20+ years). Unfortunately, Al wasn’t feeling quite right a few weeks before they were scheduled to depart and he went to visit his doctor. After some testing, it was determined that he had small cell bladder cancer…which is a fairly rare cancer. Because of the aggressive nature of this cancer, his oncologist recommended the removal of both his bladder, and his prostate. In order to reduce the size of the tumor and decrease the chances of the cancer spreading, it was recommended that he undergo 4 rounds of chemo. In February, Al was ready to fight and began his chemo treatments at the University of Minnesota. The chemo was very hard on him (and his kidneys in particular) and each treatment made him increasingly weaker. At one point, he required multiple blood transfusions to get his hemoglobin levels back up. During his 3rd treatment, they decided to discontinue the chemo because it was taking such a toll on him. There was some discussion/debate amongst the physicians as to how quickly they could do the removal of the bladder/prostate. The oncologist wanted the surgery to happen as quickly as possible to minimize any cancer spread and the surgeon wanted to wait longer to make sure that Al was as strong as possible. After much debate (which was a lot of fun), his surgery date was set for May of 2022.
Al’s surgery was difficult to say the least. The doctor’s had a VERY challenging time getting the pain under control and it was a VERY painful recovery process for Al. To be honest, had Al known what that surgery was going to be like, he may have made a different choice. But…Al wanted to be around for his grandkid’s graduations and weddings so he was a trooper. Marines can handle anything!!
Pam did an amazing job taking care of Al during chemo and following the surgery. With her continued support, Al adjusted to some significant changes post-surgery, and persevered. He was able to go hunting up to Grand Marais in the fall with his lifelong friends Paul, Guzzy, and of course his family and beloved grandsons. Al was pretty weak while hunting and it wasn’t exactly as it had been in prior years. Grand Marias and the Gunflint trail has always been a special place where Al liked to spend time with his family and friends. On this last trip he was even able to shoot a grouse or two…
In addition to hunting, Al was able to go to dance recitals, a choir concert, watch swim meets remotely, and do all of the “Grandpa things” that he loved to do. I think all of you know that Grandpa Al loved to be at all of the events for his grand-kids…he loved being there…and the grandkids always loved (and expected!) him to show up… He is their #1 fan. Al was able to enjoy the holidays and then he and Pam made their way down to Mexico for 6 weeks in January of 2023. He had a wonderful time there with some special friends (and with a great visit from grandson Logan). While vacationing…he knew that something wasn’t right. When Pam and Al came back to the US, he went to the doctor and received the unfortunate news that the cancer had returned. There was a tumor in his abdomen and the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Damn!
Al worked with doctors at the University of MN, the VA, and the Mayo Clinic to determine viable treatment options. There was the possibility of a clinical trial through Mayo Clinic, but after multiple visits, and lots of poking and prodding, it was determined that his body wasn’t strong enough to participate in the trial. To be honest, the clinical trial was mostly focused on determining the safety of the particular drug, and less so on the promise of additional time. Regardless, Al wanted to pursue all avenues. After the clinical trial option passed, Al decided, with the help of his family and doctors, to cease any further treatments.
During the past few months, Al has been able to go to a few AA meetings and even lunch with friends. AA has always been a passion and a source of strength and faith for Al and it continues to be today. This week, Al is beginning hospice care and he is currently working with his team to ensure that he is comfortable and that his needs are met.
Al and family want to thank all of the friends and family members who have called and stopped by for a visit. Even on a bad day, the extrovert in Al perks up and he loves visiting with people. As you can imagine, this whole process has been challenging for Pam (who we all know is a saint for any number of reasons!). We would ask that people get their updates from the Caring Bridge site so that Pam doesn’t need to give the same update over and over again… At this point, Al is still accepting visitors for short, pre-planned visits. Please stay tuned for further updates on Al and we appreciate any/all prayers and wishes.
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