Tobias’s Story

Site created on June 22, 2022

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place, especially with how fast things are progressing now. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


Back Story:
On April 18, Tobias was admitted to the hospital. He had pancreatitis, pneumonia, ascities, and was later diagnosed with end stage liver disease. While in the hospital, they discovered a lesion on his liver. He underwent many tests and procedures to alleviate some of his symptoms. After a week in the hospital, Tobias was released to go home with referrals to specialists. 

A couple  of days later, Tobias was readmitted to the hospital, due to complications during his paracentesis procedure. They had punctured some enlarged veins in his stomach while inserting the needle to drain the fluid on his abdomen. 

After a month of seeing his primary care doctor to manage symptoms, and many ER visits,  he was finally able to be seen by the gastroenterologist.  Tobias was put on many medications to help with his liver failure and ascities. He had also been diagnosed with a pleural effusion earlier, but no treatments were done until then. The gastroenterologist ordered an x-ray of his lungs and discovered it was collapsed to about a quarter of it's size. He then began getting regular (2x a week) thoracentesis to drain fluid on his lungs (2 liters at a time) , and weekly paracentesis for the fluid on his abdomen. He was also referred to the Avera Transplant team in Sioux Falls (about 5 hours away). The Dr. said it would probably be 2 to 3 months before he was seen by them.

About a week later the transplant coordinator called and asked him to come in two weeks for the transplant evaluation.  Tobias is nervous, but very hopeful for this week-long appointment with the entire transplant team. His evaluation begins June 28th.  Please keep Tobias in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to fight for his life. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Charlie Starkweather

Tobias got to spend a few wonderful days out of the hospital. He did so good with his restrictions and the doctors were impressed by his labs. On Christmas night, at midnight exactly, I took him to the ER. He had shortness of breath and they found pneumonia in his lung. They admitted him for some I V antibiotics. I left the hospital at 4AM. At 8 AM, they called and said he had gotten really sick and became unresponsive. His hemoglobin dropped to undetectable. He was taken to the ICU and got a CT scan. They saw he had an enormous amount of bleeding in his abdomen. They tried to find the bleed and repair it by going in his veins through his groin. They could not stop the bleeding. My family and Ezra came to the hospital and Ezra was able to see his dad one last time. I FaceTimed Tobias’ sister, mom, and brother and they were able to speak to him one last time too. Chenoa was on the phone with me when he coded. The doctors did all they could, including CPR when his heart stopped until I asked every single person in the room if there was anything else they could do. They each told me no, so I told them they could stop and he died. He looked instantly peaceful and his suffering was over. He is the strongest person I know, and he fought until his last breath. Thank you all for caring about my sweet, amazing Tobias. Your support was not unnoticed or unappreciated. Tobias is no longer suffering and he is with God now.
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Tobias Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Tobias's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Comments Hide comments

Show Your Support

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

SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top