Greg’s Story

Site created on July 30, 2017

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place.  Thank you for your prayers, words of hope, and support 
Here is Greg's story:
The past few months have been a journey for our family. For the past few months Greg has been feeling off; run down, exhausted, generally unwell. He continued working through these struggles because that is the type of man he has always been; hard working, resilient, and strong. Around February, Greg began to notice  unusual swelling in his feet and lower legs. This led us to taking our first steps in figuring out what was really going on with his body. We scheduled a few appointments with our regular MD without receiving any solid answers. It wasn't until a few months later that we finally decided that we had to take further action figuring this out. In the end of April Greg was admitted into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. There we ended up staying for a few days having a number of different tests performed. His condition was worsening and we needed answers. After a number of tests, Greg was diagnosed with Amyloidosis (AL). This is a rare disease that occurs when a substance called amyloid builds up in your organs. Amyloid is an abnormal protein that is produced in your bone marrow and can be deposited in any tissue or organ. Amyloidosis can affect different organs in different people, Greg's case is affecting his kidneys and digestive system. (Mayo Clinic). There is no cure for Amyloidosis, but there are treatments that can help manage the disease.  One of the treatments commonly used is chemotherapy.


Beginning in early May Greg began having weekly chemotherapy treatments to suppress the amyloids in his blood. He will continue these treatments into Autumn and conclude his chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant in mid-September. Greg is currently reacting positively to the chemotherapy treatments and along with the support of his family and friends is doing his best to remain optimistic for the challenging months to come. 


His family would just like to say thank you to all those who have visited, kept him in his prayers and helped out in this trying time.  Thank you for visiting this site and for the continued prayers and positive energy being sent our way. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Jodi Beguhl

The old saying goes, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. While this phrase is usually associated with the weather, we believe that Greg is also a great representation of the lion right now. To say it short and sweet: Greg is a beast. He has been working hard day after day and that hard work has really paid off. 

On Friday, March 2nd Greg defied the odds and walked through the front door of our house again. He continued to amaze us all by walking up the stairs on his own. Yes, you read that right. Greg is back home once again! There is still quite a bit of healing and recovery on the road ahead, but the gains that Greg has made in these past 57 days are truly incredible. Greg will still need to have dialysis three times each week while his kidneys continue to heal. Other than this, he is eating normally, walking around the house and back to his laid-back witty self. 

And while we are hoping the weather in March will go out like a lamb, we all truly believe and pray that Greg will continue to get stronger as the days go by.
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