Re: Dad

Hope you are both =
doing well.=C2=A0

I wanted to let you know that =
Dad was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 salivary gland cancer a few =
weeks ago and just before Valentine's Day had a significant surgery =
that required removing most of his hard palate. This has left an opening =
in the roof of his mouth leading up into his nose. He will require a =
special prosthetic device to be able to talk and eat properly. =
Unfortunately he can't get in until March to have this device =
fitted. Right now he is not doing very well living on his own and is =
having some difficulty eating and=C2=A0drinking well. Mentally he is not =
doing well and is very confused and depressed. We have home health and =
social work involved and Leslie and I are looking at options for =
assisted=C2=A0living at this time. It's been a very difficult few =
weeks and we're not sure how things will progress. He had a PET scan =
that showed a nodule in an area of his lung so it may be that the cancer =
has spread further than the palate.

As soon as =
I know more or anything significant changes, I will let you =
know.

Love,=C2=A0

Elaine

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