Jay and Gary Pancreatic CancerCast

PCC 7: Over and Out

Gary, here. Episode 6, Final Hours, recorded on August 20, was correct. Jay died at 4:20 am the next day, Wednesday, August 21, 2024. I was honored to be by his side, along with his wife Melisse, his son Dale and daughters Sara and Mannon, Sara’s partner Coty Phousongphouang, and honorary family member John Henke. Little changed from my description in Episode 6. Jay’s pulse rate slowed a little overnight. Consulting with his doctor, we asked to have the oxygen feed removed. That dropped his blood-oxygen level from the 90s to the 80s, where it remained through the night. Dale, Sara and Coty remained overnight to keep vigil. The rest of us tried to get some sleep at home or our hotels. Sara called and woke me around 2 am. Jay’s blood-oxygen was dropping quickly, even though his pulse was racing, trying to keep oxygen in his bloodstream. The nursing staff said it was it was time to call us in. As we stood by his bedside, everyone touching him someplace (I had my hand on his forehead), his breathing slowed, the blood-oxygen level dropped below 50, and then his pulse dropped from near 100 to, finally, zero, as he took his last breath. There was nothing dramatic. No gasp, no shudder. He just stopped. Likely brain activity had ceased well before this, but we weren’t monitoring it. The staff cautioned us about hanging onto the pulse and O2 levels too closely. We told them that many of us were techies, and we understand measurement. Those numbers did help us understand what was happening, and accurately predicted the end. It’s September 25 as I type this. More than a month has passed. Melisse organized a Celebration of Life at the WILL TV Studios in Urbana, and about 70 of Jay’s friends and collegues attended. Another will be held in October in Carbondale IL, where Jay’s career began, and a final tribute is in the works for the Rock Island area where Jay was CEO of WVIK before retiring. I think this brings the Jay and Gary Pancreatic CancerCast to a close. However, the Jay and Gary Show may well continue. I’m not quite sure how, or under what name, but I have new connections to family and friends, and some of us aren’t through podcasting yet. Stay tuned. And goodbye, my brother. I love you.

PCC 5: With Friends Like These

Unable to eat or hold anything down, losing weight fast, Jay ended up back in the hospital last week. Brother Gary returned to Champaign to be with Jay and family. When he got there, Jay perked up for a moment and grabbed his hand, but he wasn't able to speak - it hurt his throat, which had a tube running down from his nose. They were trying to feed him by pumping food directly to his stomach, but that wasn't working, either. It wasn't all bad news. Scans showed the chemo was working - the tumor on his pancreas and liver had shrunk. But now he was too weak for more chemo. The doctors wanted to install a somewhat more 'permanent' port (a 'G Tube") into his stomach, but his white-cell count was way too low for surgery, because of the risk of infection. The white-cell drop was an after-effect of the strong chemo. White cell boosters and a temporary feeding setup through his chemo port began helping. So did some music. Then three old, very close friends arrived, and Jay even laughed a bit. Jay introduces this episode. It's about all the energy he could muster for podcasting, and you'll probably be a little shocked at his condition. But he wanted to say hello. Then Gary rounded up the friends for a little trip down memory lane, something Jay (and you) can enjoy watching. Gary learned a lot about his brother, as their adult lives were pretty separate. The Friends Like These are Jay and Jock Hedblade (Jock is the one on Zoom on the phone screen), and Wade Ferrel. Wade's wife Mary was hanging out off camera, and she was also one of Jay's friends from way back. That's the story so far. The doc's expect his white cell count will shoot up, the G Port can go in next week, he''ll start getting some real food, and he can get strong enough for chemo to start again. And Gary's hoping that his podcast partner will be able to get back on the mic 🎙

PCC 4: First Good Day in a Long Time

It’s been a rough couple of weeks since our last podcast, but today Jay’s daughter Sara sent a text saying he’s feeling better and wants to record a show 😀. And she and Gary’s wife Cyndi join us for this episode! And we’ll note that audio expert Gary had to hastily assemble a shot with all four of us, and he forgot to route Cyndi’s audio correctly, so she ends up with a voice of God echo. Good thing he’s retired🤨

PCC 3: A Little on the Barfy Side

Jay had his third chemo infusion on Monday (July 15), and we recorded this episode on Tuesday. The synopsis: less pain, still too much nausea, eating a little better, took a short trip, but feeling really weak.

PCC 2: Five, Maybe Four, and a Little Yard Work

AUDIO FAIL😟 UPDATE: The audio upload has been fixed! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jay had his second chemo infusion on Monday (July 1), and on Tuesday he (slowly) brought his laptop outside to record this episode with brother Gary. The title, Five, Maybe Four, and a Little Yard Work refers to the pain level Jay reported, which is getting more under control, and a surprising amount of energy. He hasn’t quite got the nausea problem solved, but it may have been excasterbated by an Italian Beef sandwich he craved… then ‘lost’… after Monday’s infusion. At least he’s interested in food some of the time, and just the thought of it isn’t making him sick. Things are getting better. The brothers also review Jay and Melisse’s reaction to hearing his diagnosis, and Jay’s attitude about short-term vs long-term thinking