08/26/2026
💙 It's Warrior Wednesday 💙
Today we honor Warrior, Joe ðŸŒ
On January 3rd, my dad had fallen and was in the ICU with complications and severe pneumonia in his chest. This was extremely sudden and very weird, considering my father was scheduled for back surgery on the 7th, and no doctors saw anything wrong with him in his blood work and X-rays.
Fast forward to the 6th, when they had put my dad on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. We all tried to remain hopeful as the hospital told us we were running out of options, and every day, a new issue would arise with my dad's health. If something even slightly started to improve, another organ would start to decline.
We were just about to leave the hospital on the 7th when we were told they had a breakthrough on what was wrong with my father. They diagnosed him with secondary HLH.
We were told the only way to help my dad was chemotherapy. We all knew my father's body wasn't going to be strong enough to handle it, but we were left with no other treatment options, so we proceeded. The doctors were hopeful and told us we should see improvements by Friday.
Well, a few hours later, around 10:30 p.m. on the 7th, we got the phone call that we needed to come and say our goodbyes.
We all knew my dad did not wish to be kept alive on a machine and that he was suffering at this point. So, we made the decision to shut the machine down and let him pass as peacefully as possible.
At 1:13 a.m. on January 8th, my dad passed away.
This disease took my dad so quickly and suddenly. We had no idea what it even was. He left behind a wife, two daughters, and two grandchildren that he loved more than anything.
He was supposed to retire that year. He passed right before his 56th birthday.
