Daryl Carlson

Many of us have had the opportunity to get to know. Darrell. Over the past several years. Whether it be working with him, representing as a union steward, or simply a friend? I had the opportunity to sit down and hear Daryl’s story. This is where we need to come together as a community to help him. Here's Daryl’s Story in his own words.

I woke up one morning around the middle of December with a sharp pain in my back. I had been having back issues for many years, so I assumed it was just my back acting up again. So, I took my medication for it, but after a few days nothing changed, and my wife and I discussed it. She said it wasn't acting like it normally does. So, after my back went out and she said I should go see my primary doctor because this was different. So, on December 29th I went to see my doctor and she put me on another medicine to try and calm the pain down. At this time, it was a constant eight or nine around the clock, but I tried to be stoic and not take anything for the pain.

While I was with my doctor, fortunately, it was time for my yearly checkup. So, we scheduled my yearly CT, labs, scope, ETC. They also weighed me, and I had lost over 30 lbs. in the last couple of weeks. Mind you, at this time I had no symptoms except for my back pain and weight loss.

I was able to get my CT done that weekend, but because of the holiday, I did not hear back from the clinic until Tuesday, January 2nd. My wife decided that because I was in so much pain we could give them until noon and if she had not heard from them, she was going to take me to the emergency department. The clinic called around 9:00 AM. My wife and I were, both on the phone when my doctor called us. Stated there was a mass of about 9 centimeters, the size of an egg in the upper right lobe of my lung.

The pain was constant 24/7 and nothing they did made it better or worse. My doctor couldn’t get an appointment for a pet CT until the 4th at Abbott. I went and had my pet CT and after the lung doctor came to see us. And they had confirmed I had small cell lung cancer and that this type was very aggressive. They wanted to admit me and get treatment started as soon as possible. I requested they admit me to Buffalo, but they said no. She wanted to get my chemo started now. There are no rooms available at Abbott, so the doctor had me go through their emergency department to get me admitted. After I got admitted, they sent me to surgery. To get a port put in and we started my first chemo later that evening. I had three days of chemo in a row. I was at Abbott for eight days. But I still wanted to get closer to home.

So, they do not do radiation at Buffalo, but they do at Monticello. I will do chemo at Buffalo and radiation at the Monticello Hospital. There is no cure for this, but hopefully, they can control it. Today (February 1st) I will finish my second round of chemo at Buffalo, where I have received excellent care from my nurse. I have a follow-up appointment at Monticello at the end of the month. We will go from there.

If not for my wife, who has been there for me every step of the way, things might have been different. Because of the chemo, my memory was affected, and I told my care team to give her all the information. Because of the issues with my memory, I wanted her to be the one to have the information, I couldn't trust my memory.

My wife has been my strongest advocate for me with everything. I can't say enough good things about her. With everything going on right now, she has had to take time off to take care of me and I truly appreciate everything She has done for me. I have had a tremendous amount of support from family and friends as well. During this time My wife is not able to qualify for short-term disability to help take care of me. So, all of the time that she has to take off, she is not getting paid for.