At the beginning of August, Brad and Kathryn kicked off a month-long travel adventure that Brad had meticulously orchestrated. Their first stop was the Blaine, Washington area where Brad met up with his twin siter, Bev, to celebrate their 75th birthdays (Kathryn just tagging along). During this week, Brad started to have a nagging lower backache.
Following their week with Bev, Brad and Kathryn set sail on an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver. They enjoyed shore excursions, wildlife and whale watching, and connecting with old friends who happened to be on the same cruise. Brad's back continued to hurt, with the pain starting to radiate down his right leg. Being the stubborn Norwegian that he is, Brad continued to participate in all the planned activities. A massage therapist on the ship suggested that he had sciatica, and he started applying heat and ice without any improvement.
After arriving in Alaska, they took a bus/train trip from Seward through Talkeetna and Denali to Fairbanks where they met up with one of their school "kids" from Owatonna. Eric guided them on the final leg of their trip, a 180-mile river tour to his moose camp where they camped and enjoying the "real" Alaska.
Brad and Kathryn returned to Eau Claire on 8/31 and the low back and leg pain persisted. On 9/6, Brad was able to see a doctor who prescribed pain medication for sciatica. After a week on the medication without relief and a few trips to the ER at Mayo in Eau Claire, the doctors ordered an MRI and later a PET scan.
The pain was becoming unbearable, so Brad’s sons insisted that he visit the ER at Mayo/St. Mary’s in Rochester on 9/23. He was admitted to Mayo’s Methodist hospital that day with indications of cancer, based on what the doctors in Rochester saw on his scan results. Everyone was in shock!
A battery of tests, scans, and a biopsy led to a diagnosis of stage 4 melanoma, indicating that cancer is present in different areas of his body. Brad will start five rounds of radiation therapy at Mayo in Rochester on 9/29 to target the largest masses, which should start to provide some relief from the pain. Following the radiation, immunotherapy treatments will continue to relieve symptoms and help control the cancer.
Brad is receiving the best care possible right now. Brad, Kathryn, and the boys are so grateful for all the doctors and medical staff who are helping along this journey. And they are also extremely thankful to everyone who has reached out in concern with well wishes and offers of help. The support from friends and family is overwhelming, and they will do their best to keep everyone informed on Brad's progress. Thank you for all the love and prayers!
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