Fred’s Story

Site created on September 6, 2018

Hi Friends and Family,

Last week Fred went to the VA Hospital in some pain and not feeling well. They ran some tests and found a tumor on his pancreas, lesions on his liver and blood clots in his lung. Obviously, this is not great news and on Tuesday this week he had biopsies done on his liver. These biopsies will give us a little more information as to the next steps and how much time we have with him. 

Because Fred is in a lot of pain and has little energy, and most importantly, to respect his time with his family, we have decided to create this site so we can disseminate information for everyone as we get updates. Fred has really enjoyed the outpouring of calls and messages from friends and family all over however, it has now become a bit overwhelming. We respectfully ask that you do not visit him unannounced at his home or call him, as he is resting a lot during the day. We do ask that you write notes, send messages, share stories and pictures on this site. Please also know that he will read your messages but might not be able to respond to all of them.

Also, depending on time, we will be planning a Living Celebration of his life in the near future. We will do our best to give everyone enough time to make plans to attend.

Thank you all again for the outpouring of love to Fred and we will send out the information as we get it. And, please feel free to share this information and site to all Fred's family and friends so we can get this information out. 

Please continue to pray for Fred and the family during this time. 


Newest Update

Journal entry by Patrick Keplinger

Update on Fred:

 

Hello again family and friends. Dad’s health is continuing to decline with brief periods of lucidness. When we talked with him about the idea of having a Living Celebration, he saw it as a time to say good bye to everyone one last time and fellowship. We also talked about the possibility that if he was not in the best of health what his wishes were. He said that even if we must “wheel him in and plop him in a chair” he wanted to be there. So, we will still be having the living celebration on Sunday and depending on his condition…Dad will be there. If not, we will video tape it to show him at home.

Also, we want everyone to know that this will be his ONLY memorial; after he passes there are no plans to have another one.

We hope to see you all there on Sunday, October 28th, 1 pm at the Elks Lodge (1200 Hastings Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482). Remember this is a potluck…so please bring your favorite appetizer or dessert to share.

Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Fred Stay Connected to Family and Friends

Your $25 donation to CaringBridge will help keep this site online for two weeks. And if you donate by March 28, a generous CaringBridge donor will match your donation, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000.

Make your gift in honor of Fred by midnight on March 28 to be counted!

Comments Hide comments

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top