Oct Update: Good News - Fr. Steve is now back at Old St. Mary’s. His health is improving day by day. He is now able to eat real food and is no longer on an IV. He is able to walk around with a cane. He is still weak but getting stronger each day. Just the other day he joined my brother and me to see “Nollywood Dreams” at SF Playhouse.
Praise God for his recovery from Whipple surgery. This is one major invasive surgery requiring a lot of removing and rearranging of various body parts.
His next needs to decide whether to have chemo to make sure they kill all the cancer cells from his pancreatic cancer.
Feel free to visit him at Old St. Mary’s.
This will hopefully be the last update. Thank you for your prayers and cards for him.
Sept 12 Update: Fr. John writes: I wanted to share some wonderful news with you! I joined Steve today for a trip to the Veterans Administration to meet with the Nutritionist and most especially with his surgeon, Dr. Corvera.
To say the doctor was extremely pleased with Steve's progress would be an understatement. As of now, Steve will continue eating more soft foods and will only do 1/2 of his TPN (the overnight nutrition he as been receiving since he arrived home for good a week ago Sunday afternoon). He will start eating more substantial foods, ideally up to 6 times a day in small portions as he can tolerate them.
As to the cancer, it was clearly Stage 1 in the pancreas. There was no cancer found in any of the 26 or 28 lymph nodes that were tested. In addition to the cancer being removed from the pancreas and the pancreas being rebuilt though the Whipple operation, his gallbladder and 6 inches of the upper intestine was removed.
The doctor believes that hopefully in 8 weeks he will be back to a totally healthy state.
Obviously your prayers in these days and weeks ahead are greatly appreciated.
Sept 4 Update: Fr. Ivan saw Fr. Steve at the Paulist Labor Day BBQ at Old St. Mary’s in SF. He is looking good, walking with a cane. and slowing gaining his strength. He can eat only limited amounts of liquid food, giving time for his digestive system to return to normal. Hold off on visits as he continues to rest to gain his strength. In the meantime, feel free to text him or e-mail him. He thanks you for your concerns and prayers. He is overwhelmed by all the get well cards.
3 Update: Fr. John writes: He came home Thursday and unfortunately his blood count was off on Friday and he had to be re-hospitalized. I picked him up at 3:30 this afternoon and he is back home. Hopefully his recovery will continue here at home.
Aug 30 Update: Because they did not have nursing care set up today, fr. Steve needs to stay at the hospital one more day. He is scheduled to be released at 10am tomorrow. He is able to walk using a cane and is able to drink slowly Ensure like drinks. He is not in any major pain, just some that Tylenol can handle.
Aug 28 Update: Fr. John writes: received word about an hour ago that Steve’s release from the hospital has been delayed until at least Wednesday due to problems regulating his blood sugar. Please keep him in your prayers.
Aug 25 Update: Fr. Steve continues to improve. They hope to remove his staples by Monday morning and send him back to Old St. Mary’s that day. His brother and sister-in-law will come back to SF to assist him.
Aug 24 Update: Fr. John writes, “I am delighted to share this latest news with you. I had a lengthy visit with Steve at the VA this afternoon. I had requested a meeting with either a social worker or his doctor to get a sense of what their projections were for him.
They had removed his nasal stomach tube this morning, after his system finally starting working on its own without assistance last night. Today he had his first fluids by mouth, including broth and Ensure protein drink.
His doctor who came to meet with us projected that if all continues to progress (as they hope and expect) he will get more substantial fluids tomorrow, and soft foods on Saturday. He has been getting in a great deal of walking around the extended unit, and the doctor was hopeful he could come home on Sunday or Monday.
Steve's brother, Dick, and his sister in law, Peggy, will come in on Friday afternoon and plan to stay until Sunday evening the 3rd of September to help his transition back at the House.
Steve is ever grateful for your prayers and knows he has a lot more recovery ahead at home, but looks forward to being in his own bed and is grateful for the assistance Dick and Peggy can provide for him.
Keep up the prayers, they are working!”
Aug 23 Update: Steve writes, “Mary Spears is right. Whipple is about as invasive as surgery can get. A really wonderful surgeon came by one day when my brother was here and gave us a short course on Whipple surgery. It was interesting but scary. No wonder it’s long slow process to recover.
We are at the beginning stages of deciding when and where to discharge me.
Can’t eat until there is more digestive activity. So I’m here for another day or two at least. Do not encourage others to come.”
Aug 20 Update: Steve writes: “The saga continues. Today was the ninth day since the surgery. My challenge. Last night I had a bad setback on the road to healing when I tried to take some meds by. Mouth and vomited everything in my stomach which Has all been fed to me intravenously. The MDs are convinced my digestive system is starting to wake up but is pushing things in the wrong direction - up toward the stomach and not down into the bowels. I'm feeling a bit stronger and managing pain better each day. The MDs and nurses in this place have been wonderful! I expect to be here a few more days and then see how Ican manage further healing at home. It has been the toughest experience of my life but I'm beginning to see healing on the horizon. Thanks for the support you have given throughout this journey. Steve”
Aug 18 Update: Steve is progressing. They took the tube out of his nasal passage yesterday. His brother and sister in law are visiting yesterday, today and tomorrow and he’s getting a fair amount of walking in. His blood pressure elevation remains an issue. I am hopeful he can return home somewhat early next week.
Aug 17 Update: Fr. John writes: He [Fr. Steve] is settled into his regular room, and his nurse (Alan) was attending him the whole time we were there. He is getting excellent care and hopes to have the nasal tube removed soon. Major concerns at the moment are getting his blood pressure back down to normal, and getting him walking as much as possible. His brother Dick and sister in law, Peggy, will visit tomorrow for 2 1/2 days and hopefully Dick will be able to assist in the walking, as he needs two people to take a walk. One to be with him, and another to follow immediately behind with a wheelchair. Progress towards returning home is being made, and he is grateful for your prayers. He feels too busy and tired to take calls at this time.
Aug 16 Update: Steve says: They just came by to say they have a room for me. So I should be in a better place to see [Fr.] Rene tomorrow. My nurse is scrambling to get things ready. They are taking X-rays daily in my bed. Just got two more. Took a long walk earlier today. Am getting ready to take another one.
Aug 13 Update: Yesterday they inserted a tube into his nose to drain his stomach. Today they had him up for a walk around the ICU. 3 trips, each longer than the earlier one. It is anticipated that he will likely be moved to a regular room as early as tomorrow. Evidently the VA is full, so they will move him as a room becomes available.
Keep the prayers coming. He is progressing and grateful for your prayers.
Aug 12, Saturday Evening Update: Fr. Steve writes that those who would to visit him, to wait until he returns to Old St. Mary’s.
Aug 12, Saturday Morning Update: Fr. John writes: “I’m sitting here with Steve in the ICU. He is alert and talkative. In a fair amount of pain. Surgery was approximately 8 1/2 hours. They found the tumor to be very hard and also resected about 6 inches of the small intestine. They removed and inspected all of the organs and found the others cancer free and returned them to their appropriate locations. (Reorganized intestine). He is on major pain meds. He’s having hiccups which he is told is normal and it hurts!
He asks for your continued prayers.”
Aug 11, Friday Evening Update: He is in ICU for observation after a major surgery. His ICU nurse said Fr. Steve is doing very well. The procedure went well. We wait until tomorrow to hear from his surgeons their assessment of the operation.
Aug 11, Early Friday Morning Update: He went to the SF VA Medical Center for an extensive operation. The operation is a long one, so Fr. John who went with him was told to go home and come back after 5pm.
In July, while doing a routine CT scan, Fr. Steve’s doctor found a spot on his pancreas. They later did an biopsy to find that it is pancreatic cancer. His doctor said they found it early and recommended surgery as soon as possible to address it. After exploring the options and talking to several folks, Fr. Steve decided to have an operation to try to remove the cancer before it became worse. The Whipple surgery is the only real hope for a cure. He is expecting an extended period of recovery and some lingering effects but assurances that full recovery is possible have encouraged him to face those challenges.
