We met just before Thanksgiving in 2014. It was the beginning of a beautiful story. I never met a man so driven or so kind. He taught me how to love and to love deeply.When we met, he was a Real Estate investor in Indianapolis, IN. He bought old houses and made them absolutely beautiful. In turn, he sold these properties at a low price so families who couldn't otherwise afford a nice house would be able to call a place home.
In spring of the next year, I married him.
A few days before the wedding, he started to feel a little ill. I told him we could postpone our honeymoon and go later on in the year. He insisted that we continue with the honeymoon and just schedule a doctor's appointment when we got home. However, on the drive to Florida, his back started hurting. We didn't think much of it due to the 12-hour car ride, but it was odd that the pain never stopped. We arrived in Florida, and despite the pain, we enjoyed a week of blissful memories; we shopped, laid on the beach, and enjoyed little hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It was the most wonderful week of my life.
We got home from our honeymoon, and two days later, he was diagnosed with stage 3 Rectal Cancer. His tumor was so large that it was pushing on his sacrum, causing his back pain. In only his early twenties, my groom was fighting for his life.
They said his cancer was curable. He tried chemo (multiple times), radiation, and every type of holistic medication. Nevertheless, every time he tried a new form of treatment, his cancer grew.
This year, the doctors were able to remove his tumor. However, they said things didn't look good and expected he would have a reoccurrence within one to two years.
Eight weeks of grueling recovery passed, and we rushed to the hospital thinking he had a blockage, and after another 4-hour surgery, the doctors informed us that his cancer spread, and he was now at a stage 4. My husband was diagnosed to have Lynch and BRCA gene mutations. He had 6 months to live, and there was nothing more they could do.
Two weeks ago, they found a tumor the size of the volleyball in his stomach in addition to three tumors in his liver. My husband is now in hospice and has only days to live.
I hate what we are going through, but I love what God is doing through this process.
I am forever thankful for the relationship my husband and I both have had together and with Jesus Christ.
Soon, my husband gets to finally be free of pain. He gets to go home.
But until then, we continue to fight, and despite all we have been through, I'm still so thankful for every breath and heartbeat I get to spend with him.
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The patient was very grateful that as he expressed what his wishes were, his nurses (Jennifer Wilcox and Ashley Lefever) made sure they were fulfilled. They went out of their way to go above and beyond to make his time with them more comfortable and peaceful.The patient shared, "They surprised me beyond words!They went out and got me a little pool so I could finally have a bath.For the first time in months, I was comfortable.It was like I was home.Thank you so, so much!"