2018 Warrior: Joe Scheffler
It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our very first INDY Warrior, Joe Scheffler. On the morning of May 9th, 2018 Joe walked through heaven’s gates to be with Jesus. We ask that as a strong INDY Tribe, we send prayers of peace and comfort to Joe’s wife, Shannon, and their family.
Thank you and God Bless,
Kayla Strand
Joe, our son, Nolan and myself were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our daughter due in April 2016. I was 36 weeks pregnant and we were thrilled to have made it that long, as Nolan was a preemie. Monday, March 21 Joe had not slept well, he began throwing up through out the night and into the morning. We figured he just had the stomach bug and would be better within the next day. By Tuesday, he had not kept anything down for 24 hours and I told him I was taking him into the ER to begin fluids, as he was clearly dehydrated. After a round of blood work and speaking with the doctor, Joe had mentioned he had been having headaches almost daily for the last few months. We always brushed it off as stress and anxiety, lack of sleep, but the doctor seemed quite concerned. A CT scan revealed there was swelling in the brain and that he needed to be transferred to a higher level of care. Working in health care, I can read the faces of doctors and I knew this wasn’t just an infection. Joe was transported down to Abbott Northwestern and this is where our lives changed, forever.
A series of MRI scans revealed that Joe was dealing with a mass in his brain. The teams of doctors were unsure of the severity or what type of tumor he had, so a brain biopsy was completed. A few days after discharge- it just so happened to be Easter weekend, we got a call that the results were in. Joe was dealing with an aggressive Grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma. The tumor was not just a big mass that could be removed; it was a mass with finger like projections that intertwine with all of his good brain cells. Surgery to remove this would potentially affect his quality of life. His best course of action would be six weeks of radiation and 12 months of chemotherapy. Joe was scheduled for mask fitting for his face for radiation a week later and just five days before his first treatment we welcomed our sweet baby girl, Lucy. Fun Fact, Lucy was named after three of Joe’s nurses that took care of him while he was at Abbott. Joe was successful in completing his full course of radiation and he also completed 17 consecutive months of chemotherapy, which was administered monthly for five days. While I can make it sounds like this was a walk in the park, there were many ups and downs. There were days of severe nausea and vomiting, many weeks of fatigue, weight loss and something new, oral seizures.
In October 2017, Joe was almost cleared of no new tumor growth. He was allowed to not continue his last dose of chemo and we were to return in five weeks for another scan. Joe has MRI’s monthly, but we were getting a little extension. November’s scan revealed new blood flow to the tumor area, so he was started on avastin, a drug that is used to suffocate blood flow. He had these infusions every other week and to return after three treatments. His most recent MRI done January 11th revealed the avastin is working to block blood flow to the right side of the brain tumor, however the tumor on the left side of his brain has become active. His next course of treatment will be to continue avastin every other week, but also receive a new chemo drug that will need to be administered in the hospital, which will also require a three-day stay. He is now looking at another year of chemo, where he gets to stay at Abbott three days a month. Hospitals are okay if you are there temporarily, however not when it becomes your home for a few days a month.
Why is Joe our warrior? Joe has not been able to work for almost two years now, and let me tell you, it is making him go crazy. He has always been the “bread winner” and a very hard worker. He takes care of our son three days a week, the days he doesn’t have school because we cant afford to send both kids to daycare. He takes care of the laundry and cooking while I am at work. He does all the outside chores the best he can without becoming too exhausted. This man fights, and he fights so hard. Never once has he complained or sat and felt sorry for himself. While I fall apart and cry, he is the one holding me telling me it will all be okay. After a long day at work and I come home and become short with the kids, he comes in and tells me to walk away and breathe. Finances are tough and he assures me it will all work out. He loves our children and myself. Even with this last doctor appointment, he didn’t respond with worry. I asked him how he felt about the news and his response, “Shannon, the only choice I have is to live, and to live to the fullest of my ability.” “I can’t change the outcome nor dwell on what could be.” He is so brave and not willing to quit. He will not let cancer win! Joe, this is why you are our WARRIOR and YOU are not done yet.
With Love,
Shannon