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Dad had fluid on his lungs on March 6th and had a battery of tests done to find out why. After reviewing those test results, doctors thought there were some suspicious cells that appeared to be meso cells. Those results were sent to Duke for a second opinion and on April 1st we got the difficult news that Dad has mesothelioma. It was not really obvious to Dad when he might have come into contact with asbestos which causes mesothelioma but obviously he had in the past. The scary thing about asbestos exposure is that in can take 25-50 years for it to show up.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, we were not sure what that would mean for his treatment. However, with help from friends Dad was able to get an appointment with an oncologist in Aiken, Dr. Flanders, who referred him to a doctor at Duke who specializes in mesothelioma. Again, we were not sure how quickly he would be able to get in to Duke, but it was just a week later that we got the appointment.
Dad had his appointment and is scheduled for surgery April 23rd at Duke. The doctor is extremely optimistic, as is Dad. First, Dad is in great shape for his age. And Secondly, they caught this very early so it doesn’t appear that it has spread. The doctor at Duke is confident that he can remove 99% of the mesothelioma with surgery. Dad will also have chemotherapy to take care of the rest. The hardest part for Dad will be the recovery from surgery and the chemotherapy. The hardest part for all of us is that we will not be able to go with him into the hospital or visit due to Covid. Your prayers are appreciated❤️
For those who have asked, there will be a rosary on Thursday evening at 6:15pm at Old St. Mary’s church and a funeral mass on Friday at 10am at New St. Mary’s church.
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