Bob Coffey was a local family man who was stricken with leukemia. Diagnosed on January 10th, he was transferred to Roswell Park Cancer Institute from Kenmore Mercy. On the day he arrived he had a bone marrow biopsy that indeed confirmed he had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He started induction chemotherapy that night. By the end of January he was released from the hospital in remission. He was able to spend two solid months at home with me which I am grateful for.
On April 5th, he returned to Roswell for preparation for his bone marrow transplant. His sister turned out to be a perfect match, not only for a marrow donor but also in blood type. We were truly happy to hear the news.
On April 11th he received his transplant. Although he had some complications, he pulled through it all and came home in the middle of May. We had his benefit in April 28th, 2008. We raised over $8000.00 to cover the cost of the transplant and other various bills that were adding up.
One thing he was happy to come home to was a new TV to watch all his favorite shows. He had bragged to all of his friends and family how we had this nice surprise waiting for him at home. (I'll be making payments for the next two years but thats quite OK with me!) I am glad he had some time to enjoy it.
Almost a week after he came home, he was suddenly in pain one evening. We returned to Roswell where they found a tumor between his lung and ribcage. It is called a Granulocytic Sarcoma tumor. From what I read, these tumors are very rare. About 3% of bone marrow transplant patients get these tumors and 80% of those that get them are under the age of two. That is how rare this is. The tumors would show up about 7 months after a bone marrow transplant. The doctors tried to use radiation on the tumor however a week later more tumors were found in the spine and Bob's bones started deteriorating in the pelvic area. Another bone marrow biopsy confirmed that the leukemia was back with a vengeance in the bone marrow and bloodstream. A progosis of a few weeks to a few months was given to us and our lives were shattered once again.
Bob went to Hospice from Roswell on June 9th and spent 6 days there. Hospice was able to control his pain and make it so he was able to come home for a few days before the end of his life. Once again I am very grateful that I had that time with him.
I brought him home on Saturday June 15th. He was greeted by several friends and family members throughout the next few days. Unfortunately I had to bring him back to Hospice on June 19th because his condition deteriorated rapidly. On June 20th, we sadly said our goodbyes to Bob. He was laid to rest on June 24th, 2008 at Elmlawn Cemetary, Tonawanda NY.
Unfortunately, the moneys collected from the fundraiser went mostly to his funeral costs.
I will miss him dearly!