The fall of 2024 was a roller coaster for Joe and his family. What started as itching in his ankles and fatigue, led to a two-month long journey with two one-week hospital stays and multiple surgeries to fix blockages in his bile ducts. A referral to the University of Iowa Hospital ultimately was a blessing from God. A routine biopsy of the bile ducts led to another biopsy of a spot on his pancreas they found during his fifth endoscopy procedure. That spot ended up being pancreatic ancer. The diagnosis came in October of 2024 at the age of 37 and after discussions with the team in Iowa City, Joe was fortunate enough that age and health were on his side. This meant, he could have surgery first then followed by chemotherapy. This led to him having what’s known as a “Whipple Procedure” on December 2, 2024 to remove the tumor. Since they found the cancer in its early stage, the doctors determined it was in Stage 2 following the procedure. The surgery ended up being 11.5 hours long and was ultimately successful. Joe was then referred to Mission Cancer and Blood in Ankeny where he started his 1st of 12 aggressive treatments on January 22, 2025 and will go for the next six months. If everything goes to plan, the final treatment will be on his 38th birthday, June 18, 2025.
Joe has the most amazing support group supporting him. His wife Kari, his sons Will and Wyatt and their one-year-old Cavapoo, Poppy are by his side. Both Joe’s and Kari’s parents and siblings are all in Ankeny and here to help him on this journey. Joe has these words for his team, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported us in our journey so far. I am humbled by the amount of love and prayers that have been shown to my family and I. Ankeny truly is the best place on the planet to raise a family and live. To all the organizations I am a part of both personally and professionally. Thank you for your continued love and encouragement! This is only a chapter in my story, I am blessed to be able to tell it.”
