Kurt's Fight

01/21/2024

A busy few weeks have passed and seems it is time for an update once again.

We survived 10 days at Mayo for all the pre op testing for the stem cell transplant. They really do every test under the sun to prepare one for this process. Reminds me of getting a race car ready for a race. His “engine” was educated, scanned, flushed and poked more than I wish to count. 😳

There have been blessings in this journey and one of them is that Kurt is learning patience. Yes for those who know him this may be hard to believe. 😜 He has taken a back seat to the controls. His level of patience and understanding for the endless medical “pestering” has blown me away. As we all know, Kurt is a man of few words but what I can’t help but notice is what a moment of growth it is. To say I am proud of him is an understatement.

With all the testing a few things revealed themselves. Unfortunately one was a fairly big stall but a doable one nonetheless. The cancer has “ate” thru his hip and femur bones. This lesion has always been there from the beginning but has gotten large and dangerous for a fracture. The drs said it would be “catastrophic” if it were to fracture right before or right after transplant. The solution was to put a rod in the hip and femur to lessen that chance of a fracture. So we set up an appt for surgery, went home for a few days and then headed back up to Mayo.

The surgery was last Tuesday and it went excellent. ❤️We got home a few days ago and despite the rough long ride for him, he did so well. He is using his walker and even putting weight on that leg. They are expecting all dates for transplant will remain the same as long as his labs hold steady. They have stopped all chemotherapy for the sake of letting his leg heal properly before transplant. This new regime he was on was literally “killing” off those cancer cells and working so diligently. Unfortunately it’s a fairly hardcore chemo and he can’t be on it for long term maintenance.

A shout out to my kids who have gracefully accepted this new norm. Brody who has respectfully become the “man” of the house taking care of things that Kurt normally would. Many probably don’t know but Brody had a terrible finger accident back in Oct. A wood block slipped out of the way and a trailer pipe hitch came down on his right index finger. It was almost completely severed. With a call to 911, ambulance ride and a very,
very, very frantic mother we made it to the hospital. (Memo..1.) Do not call me in an emergency, I am worthless. 2.) Get a tourniquet to keep at your house/car/shop. wherever there are appendages. 89 cents on Amazon! Worth every cent but wish I would have had one during the situation.) Brody ended up with surgery, 3 pins, tons of stitches and a lot of pain. We were fortunate the finger was saved however he is working hard to get movement in that finger once again. He is still in physical therapy and not giving up! He even learned to weld with his left hand and hold up right hand up when the cast was on so it wouldn’t catch a spark. Determination and now, ambidextrous at its finest!

And Harper who has fearlessly stepped up and put on a brave face when I know her heart is hurting. We brought her with to Mayo last week and what a terrific help she was. Keeping me company, helping with my “overpacked” luggage and making Kurt smile and laugh. She was my Applebee’s Date Night one night and I couldn’t have asked for a better date. Plus the fact that I pulled her from school made for one happy teenager the whole week. Score!

Both of them watching their hero challenge this new life. My heart aches for them but what they are seeing is truly how strong their Dad is. I will say it until I am blue in the face despite this sh*tty diagnosis, there are blessings in every lesson. I am so proud of all of them! ❤️

Now we wait a few weeks and get ready for what Kurt’s calls it..”the big transmission flush.” Keep those prayers coming. A few pictures of our journey over the last 6 months..
“You are together for such a time as this.”

12/10/2023

We apologize in the delay on the updates, it’s been busy, but fortunately the update is a good one!

Kurt had a pretty good stall and decline a few months ago in his lab counts. He had what is called primary refractory myeloma. They also thought it could possibly be plasma cell leukemia but thank goodness that is not the case. Basically with primary refractory myeloma his body stopped working with the chemo regime he was on which was a 4 drug combo. So his Mayo doctor started a whole new chemo regime and guess what..it is working!!! His lab counts are improving each week with the new treatment plan. He was getting blood transfusions every week and has not needed one in 4 weeks! He still gets his weekly chemo and only has seen some minor side effects from it. The nurses sure get a kick out of his stale (usually a thrown in curse word) humor and honesty and for some reason they love him. 😘

Also no more crutches or walker! We believe the kyphoplasty and radiation finally starting healing and his walking has improved tremendously. His back still hurts a lot but he knows his limit and takes a rest when necessary. He had another PET scan a few weeks ago and obviously the bone lesions are still there and growing but some were actually a little smaller and no new fractures were seen, which is a miracle! He even has hit Menards by himself a few times and for him, that is a what makes him the happiest besides the obvious which is spending quality time with his gorgeous wife. 😂

Best news: We are all set up for his bone marrow transplant. We will be heading to Mayo for a week in Jan for a whopping 31 appts he has to do in preparation for the transplant. Returning home and then heading back in Feb for the long haul of appts, harvesting cells and then his transplant!!! We found a cute house a few minutes away from Mayo where Kurt will stay for 2 months. It will be a trying time to say the least of our family being split but we are more excited for the outcome then to dwell on our fears and sadness.

We want to sincerely thank everyone for your support these past months. We cannot thank you all enough for the well wishes, donations, gift cards, food and prayers. Your support has pulled us along when times were too hard to see the positives. We truly, truly mean that. He is getting back a little twinkle in his eyes that we lost awhile back and for that our appreciation will be eternal. This year when you are celebrating the Holidays, I want you to stop for a minute, look around at your family and friends and truly relish the time. This is what life is about. Happy Holidays my friends! ❤️

09/29/2023

**UPDATE 9/28**

The Impatient patient is holding steady…which after a rough couple weeks is refreshing. Like ice cold lemonade on a hot day refreshing. Kurtie’s blood work numbers are standing their ground, he has gained a couple pounds, and the constant pain has lessened its grip enough for Kurt to manage moving around better. Slow and steady wins the race; this is no fairytale, but I will gladly share the outcome with that turtle.
Having not seen Kurtie in-person for the past 3 weeks, seeing him generally “looking better” was uplifting. Being ruggedly handsome is a given among the men in our family, so by “looking good” I mean more along the lines of looking less like a patient – looking more like my determined brother – one eye on today and the other eye on the upcoming months. He is even starting a cute little belly…another male family trait, but his first time in the club!
As we close in on the 2nd month of this battle, it has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. Kurtie continues to deal with the challenges as they come – with all of us behind him at every step. The support that everyone has shown continues to lift him up every day; the impact is immeasurable. Jess would thank everyone of you personally, but I have the keyboard…so Thank You all at once.
For more detailed information – please await the upcoming posts…. for now we hold steady and step forward into tomorrow.
-Corey

09/15/2023

** Update 9/15**

Kurt went in for radiation on Sept 7. The good news is they were able to do radiation on 4 different areas. The bad news is the radiation forced him into a febrile neutropenic state which is very very dangerous. Within minutes he had formed a 103.3 fever. They immediately started antibiotics and fluids, and later that night he finally broke the fever.

He was admitted to the hospital where the next 3 days were spent making sure he was safe to be discharged. Chemo was cancelled for the week. He received 4 bags of blood during his stay and Thursday his hemoglobin was at the highest it's been which was a 9.1! We are hoping for a successful chemo today.

While in the hospital, they had a virtual appt with his Mayo doctor and looks like everything is still a go for the bone marrow transplant! Eye on the prize!!

09/07/2023

**9/7 UPDATE**
We received some positive news this week and are happy to share it with you all.

Doctors say labs show a 20% improvement with the overall fight against the cancer.
Kurt will continue with Radiation and Chemo treatments today and Friday and is also scheduled for a virtual visit with Mayo to discuss the stem cell transplant.

Kurt is still experiencing pain and some difficulties associated with it but is able to get around much better with some generously donated equipment.

Kurt, Jessica, and family are very grateful for the continued support and positivity from so many loved ones. Thanks so much to you all.❤️

08/27/2023

Kurt was finally able to come home Friday night after almost a week in the hospital. After many blood transfusions and a sedated MRI, his hemoglobin was finally approved for his procedure. On Thursday, they did a kyphoplasty, (injecting cement into the fractured vertebraes) on his L1 and L3, which were two of the worse fractures. They also did an RFA, radiofrequency ablation along with another bone marrow biopsy. Waking up from the procedure and anesthesia was full of Bob Barker and The Price of Right talk. This gave me a good laugh. A few scares after that with low blood pressure and a low heart rate and he was back in his room a few hours later. We are hoping the kyphoplasty will make for less pain and make walking more manageable.

The MRI results also revealed while in the hospital, he also fractured his T4 and T11 vertebrae. Additionally his sternum is also fractured in two different areas as well as 2 ribs, hence the pain in his chest which initially sent him to the hospital last Sat evening. Unfortunately this is the beast of this cancer, the bones fracture at any given moment. It is a heartbreaking cancer.

On Friday he got a quick ambulance ride over to the Cancer Center to get his first radiation treatment. Those will be once a week. That went smooth and while in pain during,
it was tolerable. Back to the hospital and a few hours later received his 4th chemo treatment and was finally discharged a few hours later.
Home is good but also challenging as it brings a new transition of constant pain, wheelchairs, walkers and pain management. He has been pushing forward like a champ despite the horrible pain. We will see what next week brings us but prayers for less pain would be greatly appreciated. Once a fighter, always a fighter! You got this babe! ❤️

08/27/2023

08/23/2023

**8/23 UPDATE**
Before we begin this update, we want to thank everyone for your outpouring of love and support for Kurt. There are a few of us “behind the scenes” helping to provide these updates and keep everyone informed, while also respecting the privacy of Kurt and his family. We appreciate your patience as we navigate through events and information.

Kurt went to the ER Saturday night (8/19) due to labored breathing. A CT scan revealed in addition to his L1 and L3 compression fractures, he also has multiple fractures on the interior of his spine facing the wall cavity portion of his vertebrae. This is caused by the .cancer cells rapidly eating away at the bone. Kurt was then admitted to the hospital for further tests and observation. While he was in excruciating pain, the doctors were able to find a combination of meds that helped to provide a little relief and bring his pain from a 10 to a 6 (GREAT NEWS!). While in the hospital, Kurt also received another blood transfusion and an MRI for a more detailed look at the fractures. He handled the MRI like a champ and we are awaiting the results and next steps. More to come!

08/21/2023

UPDATE 8/20/23
The source of much of Kurt's pain was identified as a compression fracture of the L1 and L3 by a CT scan this past Tuesday, 8/15. On Thursday, 8/17 labs showed a low blood hemoglobin level which required another blood transfusion. The transfusion was given on Friday, 8/18 during his third round of chemotherapy.
So far he has not experienced many side effects from the chemo but has been in a lot of pain.

08/13/2023

The outpouring of love and support Kurt has received this weekend has been overwhelming. The kind words, thoughts, and offerings of support make our hearts swell and is inspiring. Knowing we have a community standing behind us helps us hold strong.
You are a ray of sunshine during these cloudy days.
Thank you all!

08/12/2023

Thanks for joining us here. We have created this page for friends and family to find updates on Kurt's journey. This is also a great space to share love and well wishes with Kurt and Jess and their family.

Feel free to share stories, photos, as well as fond memories of good times had.

If you feel inclined to help beyond the much appreciated following and sharing of this page please consider donating to Kurt's go fund me https://gofund.me/b40b92ac or by supporting cancer research.

Thank you.

This is our brother, Kurt. Most people know him for his incredible work e… Katie Piper needs your support for Help Kurt and His Family Kick Cancer's Ass!