Welcome to the CaringBridge website that we have put together for John. We have had many different family and friends reach out to show their support to both my dad and the rest of our family over the last several months. It has been a blessing to have so many people who care about John reach out and show their support in such a wide variety of ways. Thank you for all of the cards, phone calls, text messages, gifts and meals. As my mom's days become busier and and busier with caring for my dad, we decided that it would be a good idea to create a page where we can provide updates and keep all of my dad's family and friends up to date with where he is at in his journey.
Initial Update on John's health Journey:
About a year ago my dad was diagnosed with Lewy Bodies Dementia. We had already started to see a decline in his memory when he was diagnosed but it was somewhat minimal at the time. Since being diagnosed with the Lewy Bodies Dementia, my dad also started to experience some pain that was not going away. He went to the Mayo clinic where he had some scans done but nothing was detected. In April, he had another scan that included a contrast and also covered a larger portion of his body. That scan revealed that he most likely had bladder cancer. There were no signs out side of the original pain. He then had an appointment where the doctor would use an instrument to go in through the urethra and into the inside of the bladder where they could see the cancer. The next step was to have a procedure where the plan was to get a sample of the cancer and to stage the cancer. During that procedure, the doctor broke through the bladder wall which caused some complications and a rough recovery for my dad. Initially we were not provided a stage of where my dad was at. Both my mom and dad were very frustrated with not only what happened during the procedure but how things were being handled after that procedure. They felt like there was not much of a treatment plan and my mom began to look into alternative options both from a wholistic perspective as well as changing medical doctors. The frustration continued as every time my dad had an oncology appointment set up, he would end up in the ER prior to the appointment, which resulted in him missing multiple oncology appointments. Over the last several months, my dad has ended up in the ER at least 5 different times with one visit turning into a 30 plus night stay in the hospital.
The 30 plus night stay in the hospital was in August. My dad went into the ER for extreme amounts of pain. It turns out that his kidneys were failing and he needed stents put in. One of the stent worked but the other did not take after multiple attempts. He now has a tube coming out of his lower back which is connect to a nef bag to collect waste coming from that kidney. We saw significant decline in his mental state from the time that he went into the hospital until when he came home (most likely from all of the meds and procedures). I would guess that he was at 80% to 85% metal capacity going into the hospital and about 30% mental capacity coming out of the hospital.
Since his stay at the hospital, he has changed doctors and has been able to see the oncologist. It turns out that his diagnosis after the original procedure was stage 4 bladder cancer. We still don't know why that information was not previously shared with us. He has gone through 10 treatments of radiation and he is going in for immunotherapy every 3 weeks. In addition, we have changed his diet to eliminate pork, dairy, gluten and processed sugars (pretty much anything that is known to help cancer growth). He is eating a lot of oatmeal, chicken and vegetables. Additionally, we have tried to implement some of the wholistic items such as a infrared sauna and he sleeps with a rife machine running by his bed.
On the more positive side, my dad was able to meet his new grandson, Miles John Haskins (Zachary and Hillary's new born baby). My dad also turned 76 on Sunday. We are thankful for the time that we have with my dad and continue to pray for the rare moments where there is a little bit of clarity. He is still very attached to my mom and always asking "where is Wanda" when she is not in his sight. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Please continue to pray that we are able to keep his pain under control and him comfortable as he continues his journey.
Our family will be holding a Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth MN. We would love to have friends and family join us to remember my dad, share stories and celebrate his life.
Visitation - 10 AM
Service - 11 AM
Luncheon - 12 PM
Fourth Baptist Church
900 Forestview Lane North, Plymouth MN 55441
763-417-8200
Memorial gifts are preferred to the family for funeral expenses and can be sent to:
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