Our father has had kidney stones for as long as I can remember. On August 6th, he had another round of stones. He dealt with them in the usual manner and waited for relief. Eventually the doctors decided that they would need to be treated differently. Unfortunately, he was ill and had to wait to heal a bit before they could be treated. On October 08th Dad had a lithotripsy to blast the stones. The treatment was a small success as the broken stones were passing a shard was stuck and Dad was in a considerable amount of pain. He had a severe reaction to the anesthesia and was not able to eat or drink much because of the pain of swallowing and the fear of pain in passing the broken stones. After struggling to eat for a few weeks Dad had lost a lot of weight, about 40 pounds.
On Monday, October 25th, Dad fell and was taken to the ER by ambulance. We thought he had passed out because of dehydration and expected him to be evaluated, treated and released. This was not the case.
The ER doctor identified a mass in Daddy’s abdomen and chose to keep him for further testing. We soon found out that the mass was surrounding his spleen and needed to be biopsied. The biopsy could not be done because Dad’s platelet count was too low. It should be between 150-200. Dads was 15. After a few transfusions he was up to 75 and could have the procedure.
They wanted to do and MRI but were unable due to an implant that was not completely identifiable. Instead, three different CT scans were done. The biopsy confirmed cancer and the kidney stones were just a biproduct.
- October 28th the results confirmed Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. The Doctor was confident that it was treatable under different circumstances. While Chemotherapy is a viable treatment Daddy was not a candidate. This course of treatment would not extend Dad’s life just his suffering. Because of Dads weakness and age, he was given one to two weeks to live.
This morning, Saturday, November 6, 2021, our father, Phillip J. Peters passed away peacefully with his wife of 54 years by his side. We have been blessed with a peace that we don’t understand but are truly grateful for.
While we are shocked and saddened at the idea of losing Daddy, the Idea that our Mom will be alone is much more daunting. Daddy has spoiled her with love and care for 57 years. The coming season in her life will be challenging.
Daddy was generous to a fault, so often putting others before himself. As a result, there is debt that we were unaware of as well as hospital bills that will be coming due before we know it.
So many have reached out to ask, “How can I help?”
We are dealing with all immediate needs but are concerned about debt and future finances for mom. We are doing everything we can to help in advance and will be in and out to help and work whenever we are able.
If you are led to help financially we would be grateful. If you are able to help in other ways please reach out to ne of us.
Sorrow comes in waves and is sometimes overwhelming, but the Peace and Grace that God has given and continues to give in this situation is immeasurable. Please keep our family in your prayers. This is the hardest loss we have ever faced.
Aaron Peters & Phylan Peters Bahkou
