Meet my Dad

He went to the doctor the first of the month to see why he'd been so sick for so long.  He is self-employed as a chiropractor and has no insurance so he put off going to see a doctor for a few months.  The doctor sent him for a CT-scan and they sent him right to the ER after getting the results to meet with a surgeon.  He had a perforated bowel,  internal bleeding, and a huge mass in his abdomen.  After getting admitted they put a drain in to drain an abscess in his abdomen and they wanted to do a colonoscopy on Sunday (he was admitted on Friday).  So he spent Saturday doing a colon cleans getting ready for the colonosocopy.  Sunday morning they took him in, not too long into the procedure they had to stop.  They couldn't get through.  His colon was completely blocked.  They scheduled him for surgery later that afternoon.  He went in just before 3pm, Carter and Hanna got to give him hugs and kisses before he went in.  My whole family was there; my brother and his wife and their 4 kids, all of my sisters, even some adopted family came to be with us. And then later in the evening my aunt came and a really good family friend came.  We were told the surgery would last 2 hours.  As 5pm came and went with no word we decided to take kids home and feed them, Jason. Trent, and my mom stayed there.  By 8pm there was still little word.  A nurse had come out as she was headed home to tell us they were still working on him, but hoping to close soon.  About 9 the surgeon came out, they had removed a foot of his colon, about half of his bladder.  He had what appeared to be stage 4 colon cancer (which would later be confimed). The cancer (the mass they saw on the ct scan) was about the size of a football.  It had started in his colon and then made it's way out and onto the bladder, but not into it which is good.  They got all that they could see.  Later tests would reveal that the cancer had not gone into the liver or the lymph nodes, both really good things.  We were told that he would be in post-op for about 30 mins and then he'd be taken up to the ICU for the night.  We waited, and waited, as Hanna wouldn't go home till she had given papa kisses goodnight.  About 10pm Trent called back there to see how much longer it would be (we were waiting by the elevators for him).  They weren't sure, so he asked if the kids could go back there to see him.  The nurse had to get special permission as they don't usually let people back to the OR.  I guess since he was the only one back there they let the kids go back to see him.  Papa was still a little out of it and didn't want the kids to get to close (he doesn't remember any of this) so they blew him kisses from the door, but that was enough for Hanna and we were able to go home.  He spent 11 days in the hospital before coming home.  He will start chemo and radiation in a couple weeks. He is recovering well now from his surgery, a little sore, especially if we've made him laugh.

He has no insurance and won't be able to work like he used to for sometime.  My brother in law setup this website to help them.  www.helpthehunters.org .   Many people have asked what they can do for my parents, and really all I can think of is this...they need financial help.  Even tiny bits add up and is much appreciated!  My parents are some of the kindest people I know.  They have opened their home to many many people needing a place to stay or just a family away from family.  I truly wish there was more that I could do for them!