Memorial Service

Dad's Memorial Service will be Wednesday, May 25 at 11 AM at Trinity United Methodist Church in Chillicothe (24 South Mulberry Street). There will be a short gathering after the service in the Community Room, aka Fellowship Hall.

The Dispatch Obituary is already available online. A slightly different version will run in the Chillicothe Gazette.

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."

13 Weeks.

13 weeks to the day after a doctor suggested Dad may have leukemia, he passed away. Today at about 11:30 in the morning he died peacefully at home.

His condition deteriorated quickly beginning Tuesday morning so we apologize for not giving much notice or warning that this was coming.

We are working on details for the memorial service and will update the blog as soon as things are finalized.

Thanks again for your love and support. Though we are terribly sad - and sad for all of you who are also dealing the loss - it is comforting to know he was loved by so many.

Dan Herbert Marsh
June 11, 1950 - May 18, 2011

If you are looking for ways to honor Dad, please consider registering to be a Bone Marrow Donor or making a donation in his name to the Be The Match Foundation.

May 4 Update

I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated. I'm sorry about that!

As many of you know, Dad spent 13 days at Kobacker House and was sent home early for good behavior (my words, not theirs). He was feeling well, eating like a horse and not Kobacker material. The doctors felt he wasn't "actively dying" and he got to transfer home under continued hospice care. I think it was a great treat for Dad to be in his own home and in familiar surroundings after more than 9 weeks straight in a hospital facility.

However, Dad is now returning to Kobacker. He's been dealing with an increasing level of pain and it is simply too much to be managed at home. The hospice nurse suggested returning and Dad agreed it is the right thing to do. So, this afternoon he'll be heading back to Kobacker after a week long vacation at home.

We thank you all for your continued love and support. At this time, due to Dad's ever increasing level of discomfort and need to rest (and to respect Kobacker House) we ask for limited visits. It's best to call ahead before stopping by.

Kobacker House

Dad has been transferred to Kobacker House. It is a small inpatient hospice care center with an excellent reputation. We were very hopeful he would go here and are thankful the transfer was arranged so quickly and that they had a bed available for him.

Today was very bittersweet. Dad spent most of the day (and last night) sleeping peacefully. They stopped waking him to take vitals so he got his first full night's rest in, literally, nine weeks. But, there was a period this evening when he was wide awake and very lucid and had us all laughing hysterically. I hope everyone who cares for Dad has a moment like that with him.

Throughout the day and last night many nurses and PCAs stopped in to goodbye to dad and to say really nice things about him/ how much they enjoyed him. It was nice to see how they had grown to care for dad - nurses rearranged schedules to see him, they fought over who would care for him and even came in on their days off to say good bye. He really did receive great care at the James and we're grateful for all they did for him.

Here's the address for the Kobacker House, should you need it.

Kobacker House
3595 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43214

Thanks again for your continued love and support.

April 12 Update

Things can change in an instant. They sure did for all of us when we heard dad had AML. And, they did again today when we heard that the leukemia has again spread to dad's bloodstream. If you remember, his post-chemo bone marrow biopsy showed leukemia cells still in his marrow. Since then, the leukemia has done its dirty work and spread. Dad's blood counts had decreased over the last week, but yesterday was the first time they noticed an indication of leukemia in the blood.

If dad were well enough, the doctors would recommend the next course of treatment - chemo, bone marrow transplant - but he is not. He's still quite ill and they can't seem to fix him. It seems that perhaps parts of his body are done fighting before we expected.

The entire family (sans Jon) gathered in the hospital room with dad to hear the options from the doctor. After hearing the grim reality of the situation - that, given his type of AML a chance of achieving remission from chemo is around 20% and with a transplant is around 40% - and the fact that there is no possibility of such treatment any time in the near future because he's ill, Dad has decided to change the focus of his care to hospice care.

We support and completely understand the decision. Tomorrow they'll start the process of moving him to a hospice facility and in the mean time will change his care to focus on comfort and not treatment.

It's obviously a difficult time for all of us. I'll update when we know where he'll be staying.

April 8 Update

I apologize that it's been so long since the last update. In some ways things not much has changed so there hasn't been much to share. Dad remains at the James to tackle his intestinal issues related to Ogilvie Syndrome.

Ogilvie syndrome, or acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO), is a clinical disorder with the signs, symptoms, and radiographic appearance of an acute large bowel obstruction but with no evidence of distal colonic obstruction. The colon may become massively dilated and must be "decompressed."

So, the past week or so has been spent trying different methods to decompress Dad's colon and get it back into action again. A procedure on Thursday went well and will likely be repeated on Monday.

I asked a nurse what would cause such a serious case of Ogilvie Syndrome and if it was a side effect of the chemo or being so ill or what. She said many chemo patients have gut problems, though Dad's case is unusual, and that if he had been well enough to leave the hospital and walk around it would likely be a different scenario. But, it's not a direct result of the chemo, and more likely from being so ill and essentially bedridden.

Dad has returned to dialysis treatments, but not for blood cleansing and only to remove fluid. (Sorry, I forget the particular name of it!)

I promise that I will keep you updated when things change.

March 28 Update

Dad seems to be doing his best to check the box on every single chemo - related complication. At the moment he's dealing with a stomach issue that hasn't allowed him to eat in a week. Thankfully, the doctors have decided to go with TPN - Total Parenteral Nutrition.

It provides your body with nutrition such as protein, sugar, vitamins, minerals, and sometimes fat (lipids). TPN is used when you are unable to eat or cannot get enough nutrition from the foods you eat. TPN always goes into your vein (blood vessel) through an intravenous (in-truh-V-nus) (IV) line.

While this is obviously not the ideal way to receive nutrients, it's necessary and we hope it will help Dad regain some strength and energy. The TPN is temporary until the gastro-intestinal doctors determine his belly and intestines are well enough for food - hopefully in a few days.

Obviously, the GI issues have delayed transfer to Dodd for medical rehab, but that remains the goal on the horizon. Dad remains is decent spirits (despite the Ohio State loss), but he's still pretty wiped out and exhausted.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.