Update on my Dad's Cancer

This weekend could quite possibly be the last time my two brothers and I are all together with my mom and dad.  Three years ago my dad was diagnosed with stage 4, pancreatic cancer.  When they first told me the news, I new this was the beginning of the end.  There is no cure for pancreatic cancer and it's one of the most aggressive cancers.  Most patients die in less than six months.  My dad has been very fortunate to have come this far.  About two months ago, we found out he had a brain tumor and that it was the pancreatic cancer that had spread.  One week he was okay and normal just with some headaches, the next week his mental state had change drastically.  It's like he has the mental state of a child.  He does not speak unless spoken too and just watches television and thumbs through car magazines sometimes.  Nearly all responses are "yes" or "no".

Before his diagnosis, it had probably only been about 2 years since my parents had moved southwest of town.  They bought a house out in the country on 5 acres.  We had helped him erect a 40x60 metal building over several months.  He had it packed with all the tools and stuff from the old house.  He had a New Holland tractor with a front-end loader and several attachments for it to help take care of the property.  It was nice and quiet out there but is was about a 20 minute drive into town.

Several months after my dad's diagnosis, they told us they had bought a house in town and would close on it around Christmas.  I was a bit confused on why they did this until sometime later.  They both knew he might not have much time and they needed to get my mom back into town and in a house where she would not have to worry about anything for when the time came.  Only problem was, was that the house they bought needed to be complete renovated.  So over the next year, my dad, with the help of a friend worked on getting the new house renovated.  My younger brother and I helped when we could.  He pretty much gutted the entire house.  New wiring, new floors, new kitchen and bathrooms, new heat and air.  Before the brain tumor hit, the only things left to complete were one of the bathrooms and the floor in one of the living rooms.

We are here this weekend to try and get all the stuff in his shop and garages at the country house moved to the new house in town.  My older brother lives in Alexandria, Virginia and came down for 6 days.  I can't remember the last time the three of us stayed the night with our parents since we were all still living at home.  It's quite surreal.  My younger bother will be here for 2 days starting tomorrow.  Getting all my dad's shop stuff moved over will only be the first step.  We then have to figure out what stuff we want to keep and what to sell.  We will have to get rid of quite a bit because my mom won't have any need for it once my dad is gone.

My dad has been getting Cyber Knife radiation this last week and will finish next week.  We haven't seen any improvement in his mental state yet.  If his mental state doesn't change, the most we can hope for from the radiation is that it will give him a little more time.  With the discovery of the tumor, doctors gave him weeks if not days.  It's been about 2 months since the tumor was discovered.  I suspect the cancer will probably start to take over in the coming weeks.  It's been difficult.  I know my mom is under a lot of stress with trying to take care of him.  My younger brother and I only live about an hour away, so we have been able to come over just about anytime.

We know this life is not the end and that we will see him again.  Some of the comfort I have is that I don't think he knows what's happening at this stage.  I pray for the best, but know it's only a matter of time.