ReachOutGiving

April 2010 on Easter day Dave came down with jaundice and became very ill.  Dave has hardly ever been sick a day in his life before this.  After a couple weeks of testing and procedures it was confirmed that Dave had Pancreatic Cancer.  Adenocarcinoma to be specific.  He was told that he had a chance to beat it because the cancer had not yet spread anywhere else.  He would not know the whole of it for some time.  Pancreatic Cancer of the type Dave has is almost always terminal but he bravely went forward with the hope he was one of the few that would beat it.

Dave had a Whipple surgery May 20, 2010 to remove the head of the pancreas, the gallbladder, part of the duodenum, a small portion of the stomach called the pylorus, and the lymph nodes near the head of the pancreas in an attempt to remove the cancer.  He did very well with the surgery.  He was released after 9 days in the hospital which was a very quick recovery.  He did not have any complications that really slowed him down.

In June of 2010 he started Chemo to eradicate any rogue cells that may have been missed by the surgery.  He later in late July underwent 5 weeks of daily radiation and Chemo.  That was followed up with more chemo that ended in November 2010.

All was well until March 2011 when his tumor marker number excelled to over 200 and his pet scan revealed that the pancreatic cancer had spread to his liver.  The cancer had spread through the blood stream before he had his surgery.  He was told at that moment that there was nothing more that could be done.  Dave and his family were devastated by the news, but he did not stop and say ok I will go home and die.  He went to specialists in Portland and Seattle and came up with a plan of action.  Dave is waiting to hear if he is accepted into a drug trial in Seattle that may extend his life 2-5 years with the hope that a cure will be found while he is still with us.  In the mean time he is starting a new round of Chemo that is said to confuse the pancreatic cancer for awhile (1-1 ½ years) but will not cure it.  Dave will continue with it as long as it does not make him too sick.  Quality of life is very important to him.

One of his current doctors which they like very well said – “We will give you every treatment we think will help nothing will be held back if it is a good fit for Dave". He also said "It is not a matter of money because if it was Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze would still be with us it is just a horrible disease”.  Another Said –“Don’t call the backhoe yet we still have time to help Dave”.  They gave him hope that he was not done yet.

He has not been able to work since April 2010.  Peggy his wife spends her time taking care of him and driving him across the northwest to doctors and treatments.  She to is also unable to work because of her commitment to Dave and his care takes all of her time.  Dave hopes that he will beat the cancer but also knows the averages are not with him.  His family would like to be able to keep him in his home until the end and also make sure he has all the treatments he needs.  So that is why we as his family are asking for your help.  The mortgage and fuel bills have become overwhelming for them. Dave and Peggy have used all their saving and resource and have nothing left.  They truly could use some help!

Dave and Peggy have been married for 26 years and have two wonderful boys Cody 25 and Colton 20 with the new addition of a beautiful daughter in-law Tanya this year.  He is a very hard working man that is incredibly loyal, ethical, likes having fun and a person most people would like to get to know.   

Dave was a working cowboy/ranch manager the majority of the last 26 years.  He managed ranches and worked extremely hard alongside his coworkers/cowboys.  The last one he managed they lived there for 10 years was in Inmaha OR.  He worked for the Hubbard Ranch.  They raised their boys there and had a great life.  The ranch owner got sick and the ranch had to be sold.  He decided to start over not as a ranch manager on a new ranch but instead taking his hobby as a wood worker and becoming a cabinet / furniture maker opening his own shop.  So for the last 5 years he has worked for himself building beautiful wooden pieces for his customers that he hopes one day will become heirlooms.