Help Dave and his family win the fight!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to learn about Dave and his journey.

In October 2006 just days before his birthday Dave was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in his abdomen. This cancer is slow growing but has no known treatment. The only way to reduce the risk of it spreading is to perform surgery and remove the cancer. After having multiple surgeries over the next 3 years Dave recovered and continued moving forward with minor digestive issues. Over the next 13 years Dave was fortunate enough to continue his career as an occupational therapist who is known for his compassion and relationships with his patients and provide for his growing family. Along with his wife Becka and their 3 sons – Nathan (7th grade), Owen (2nd grade) and Dawson (Kindergarten) they moved to Myrtle Beach, SC to advance their professional careers in OT. Dave also has an older son Evan who is a Sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. Dave and Becka stay quite busy providing their sons with athletic and academic opportunities.

In October of 2022, Dave was given the unfortunate news that his cancer had returned for the 3rd time. The plan set forth was to return to Pittsburgh and have the cancer removed by his oncologist at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. The surgery was scheduled for December 12th. This would allow him time to recover and be discharged in time to return to Myrtle Beach to enjoy Christmas with his family. The surgery was a success however it proved to be much more intense than expected when they found more cancer spread through his abdomen and had to remove parts of his liver and diaphragm. As with the previous surgeries, the plan was he would make a full recovery and would be closely monitored over the next several months and years. However, Dave had a setback with his intestines and was not able to return home to Myrtle to spend Christmas at home with his family. He underwent another surgery on January 3rd to perform a resection of his not working intestines. During the surgery, the doctors, unfortunately, discovered that his intestine was extremely damaged, swollen, and seized. The doctors placed an ostomy bag that will allow his stomach to drain so that nothing will enter the intestines to give them time to heal. The plan is to have the ostomy bag for at least 6 months at which time the doctors will attempt to perform surgery to reverse the ostomy bag. During that 6 months Dave will not be able to eat or drink and will receive his nutrition through a PIC line. Once Dave is released from the hospital Dave will be required to remain in Pittsburgh close to his doctors. Dave will be in the care of his parents with daily visits from a nurse.

We are asking for donations to help Becka and the boys with the loss of income as well as travel expenses from Myrtle Beach to Pittsburgh to spend time together as a family. Thank you for your support and prayers!

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