Dear family and friends, 

Recently many of you may have notice a rapid decline in June’s Facebook activity, her postings, comments and especially sharing pictures of her beloved family.

It is with a broken heart I have to write this and even more difficult to have lived through it with her for the last 18 months.June has lost her fight to June cancer, she passed away on July 29th at 8:30 pm. 

June can be a very private person, especially during this time she didn’t want anyone to know of her illness; while it may escape your logic her wish was to fight this in private with the love and support of her immediate family. We ask that you respect her wishes and try not to understand her motive; the fight of terminal cancer is very personal and private.

November of 2017 June underwent what should have been a standard procedure, only it was anything but standard; her official diagnosis was stage IV appendicle cancer.  They removed a tumor the size of a grapefruit, appendix, female organs, over 18 lymph nodes and 18” of her large intestine, along with some other organ covering tissue, all infected.

That initial surgery was actually one of the easier parts of her long and painful journey. Following her surgery, she spent ten days in the hospital, with one complication after another. She should have been discharged in 2 or 3 days; however it seemed like if it could go wrong it did.  One of her complications didn’t occur until day 4 or 5 post surgery, one the nurses thought she was faking her symptoms for sympathy, turns out June proved what I already knew, she’s one amazingly strong and tough woman.  When the doctors finally figured out what was going on and began treatment that naysaying nurse was in tears due to her own guilt of how she was treating June.  The nurse could not believe what June was enduring, she had developed a bowel obstruction from the surgery and had accumulated over 3 gallons of fluid in her stomach! A nasogastric tube was then placed to rest June’s stomach and the grueling hospital stay continued. The places she went to in her mind to make it through some of life’s most excruciating events is purely amazing.  She is the strongest person I know, she has always had my respect and adoration but seeing her fight through this particular moment was truly amazing… 

Following her surgery and recovery from having an access port implanted near her collarbone, she began a long and very ugly chemotherapy program in late December 2017.  As with any chemo treatment the expected side effects were numerous and in many cases severe. One of the medications causes nerve damage, and they would ask her repeatedly if she was having any tingling in her hands and feet, by the time she started to feel the side effects the damage was done.  Unfortunately, even after stopping that particular drug the symptoms continued to increase in severity until reaching the point of permanent nerve damage. 

July of 2018 brought the news we had hoped and prayed for – REMISSION.  That was a greatest summer for June and the rest of us, she lived every day to the fullest in her pool, babysitting her grandsons and enjoying life cancer free. 

By late October of 2018 she was experiencing symptoms she shouldn’t be. She went to her oncologist and to our disbelief, her cancer had returned, this time with a vengeance.  When they first told us the type of cancer she had, we knew eventually it would return. They had told us she will not be cured of this type, her only hope was for quality of Life, not quantity.  The 5-year survival rate was very low and we understood that her time with us was limited.  We thought we had more time then 2-3 months...

The treatment process of chemotherapy began once again, only this time the second, third fourth and fifth treatments protocols failed to control the growth and spreading of her disease. We tried clinical trials, second opinions from Milwaukee, Chicago and Mayo Clinic in Rochester all in attempt to find someone who had something worth trying. To our disbelief the answer was always the same, we’re sorry but we can’t do anything for you at this time. The issue was her type of cancer was so rare they just didn’t have enough data and experience to successfully fight it.  

Late February of 2019 June and I took the entire family, including significant others and grandbabies to Cozumel, this was her wish – to see her family on the beach swimming in the ocean and having fun.  She was well enough to travel even though she was still receiving treatment; we had a great time especially seeing her smile at the kids and the grandbabies having fun. She was a selfless woman always doing for the family, we always came before she did every time.  You just don’t realize how much influence one person has in your life until they can no longer do what they once did.  She is an amazing woman, wife, mother and friend, the loss of which will be felt for the rest of our lives. 

Unfortunately, sometime in May she was faced with the decision to end her treatment and enjoy what time she had left. Since then we’ve been managing her care and trying to keep her as comfortable as possible.  

June will be missed beyond any words of description, as a mother to her children, a grandmother and especially as my life partner and best friend.  Words can’t describe the hole she leaves behind, the emptiness of the house and loneliness by her lack of presence.  The only comfort I can take at this time is knowing you’re home with God and your physical suffering has come to an end, I know you will watch over us all.  

My love to you always and forever – David …