1. I have been diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct. (During the surgery of May 15 the doc realized that the cancer originated not in the bible duct but in my pancreas.) 2. On April 16 I met with Dr. James Ouellette, who will perform the Whipple surgery on me May 15 at Miami Valley Hospital. The surgery normally takes 5-6 hours. It involves the removal of my gall bladder, bile duct, parts of my pancreas, duodenum and colon, and then the restructuring of these parts. It will not be robotic surgery. 3. After the surgery, I will stay in the hospital c. 7-10 days, followed by 2-3 months of recuperation. 4. What happens after surgery will depend on what they find during the surgery. If there is involvement of the cancer in any location beyond the bile duct (e.g., pancreas, lymph nodes, etc.), chemo and/or other therapies may be required. But there are no indications that this will be necessary. One of the first things during surgery will be to examine the liver to make double certain that no cancer is there. If, in fact, the cancer is found in the liver, the surgery will be ended and other strategies adopted. 5. I should plan for no visitors other than family during my stay in the hospital. 6. I look forward to the anointing service at St. Helen on Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. 7. If you are curious about the whole story, here it is (probably way more than you want to know…): I had only minimal awareness of something wrong beginning Sunday March 4, when I noticed a slight queasiness in my stomach. On Sunday March 18 someone noticed that I was a bit jaundiced, so I met with my doctor, Dr. Matthew O’Connell, on the next day. (I have the best doc!) He took a blood sample which raised some concern, so he sent me for a sonogram of my gall bladder and related areas. That same day my doc arranged for me to meet with a GI specialist, Dr. Saxe – another gift from God for me; this was the first time that the word “possible large mass” was presented to me as the likely cause for a blockage of my bile duct. Later that day I had a CT scan, which ruled out the possible “large mass” but affirmed that something important was going on. On Friday March 23 I had an outpatient procedure at Kettering Hosp to open the blockage and drain the bile from me. This procedure was unsuccessful, so I was admitted to the hospital. On Sunday they did a surgery to go through my liver to insert a drain of my bile duct (my liver is still angry with them for that procedure!), and then on the following Wednesday another procedure was done to insert a sonogram near the blockage, to insert a stent to keep the drainage open and to take a few biopsies of the area. These are the procedures that confirmed the cancer on my bile duct. 8. I was so naïve to what was happening that even as late as Thursday morning of that week (Holy Week) I was hoping to do the Holy Thursday Service! As things turned out, I was not able to do any of the wonderful Holy Week services, nor Easter Mass. What a terrible loss this was for me, as those services put a perspective on all of life. I did, however, have quite a unique experience of Holy Week because of all that happened to me during those 9 days in the hospital. What a blessing it is for us to know that Christ is walking with us! During the 9 days I was in the hospital, for example, I lost 16 pounds. Yikes! I am still weak and am frequently short of breath, but gradually bouncing back. 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.
It’s hard for me to believe that the 1-year anniversary of Uncle Duff’s passing is coming up next weekend on Sunday the 27th. As we have faced challenges in 2020 that we could not have foreseen, I have found myself grateful that a year ago we were able to be together to be with Duff as his life was ending. I couldn’t imagine him not being surrounded by dear family and friends in those final days. I also think of how many times I wanted to turn to him to help lead me through the uncertainties and fear of this year. I still talk to him, but I can’t say there aren’t many times where I want to pick up the phone to call him.
Throughout Duff’s illness and our family’s mourning, this community gave so much support and love that it was palpable. We felt lifted up by all of you. For that, we are grateful. You were generous in your prayers, time and giving to the Refugee Resettlement Fund in his honor
I have been reflecting a lot recently on Uncle Duff. I think about our relationship and what he meant to me and that last sacred week we spent together in Hospice. While that week was one of the hardest, it was also a blessing to be by his side.
As we are coming up to the 1-year anniversary, I would be grateful for all who are inclined to take a moment to honor him by sharing a memory, funny story or reflection about him.
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Thomas Campbell
Edit: A comment from a cousin spoke of the golf cart ride Duff took the kids on at a family picnic I added the pic here to share.
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Fr. Dave Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Fr. Dave's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
