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Hello family & friends,

Joe’s Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, June 5th, 2022. We’d love for you to join us. Please see the attached invitation for details and RSVP info, and you’re welcome to share this invitation with those not on CaringBridge who knew and loved Joe.

Unfortunately, we are not able to live-stream this event.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself (mbreames@me.com) or Heather (heathervolk@yahoo.com).

My dear family and friends. It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing Joe’s passing on Friday, April 15th, 2022. Please continue to keep Heather, Jessica and Mitch in your prayers as they navigate each new day without their beloved husband and father. A date for Joe’s Celebration of Life will be disclosed in the days ahead. With love, Beth (Joe’s sister)

I apologize that so much time has passed since my last post!  Joe is still a warrior at heart and fighting this beast day in and day out. I always knew he was strong but never knew the depths until cancer.

Joe remains on the same treatment of Cabometyx with the occasional radiation.  Unfortunately, he has had a couple of hospital stays recently due to pain from progression in his bones.  Joe is currently awaiting radiation treatment to his lumbar area.  It was scheduled for last Friday but after we got loaded in the van and were ready to head out, the van wouldn’t start!  So, the 28th is our new scheduled date.

I continue to be amazed as Joe’s strength & will despite challenges that come his way.  Due to nerve damage from cancer, he has lost movement in both legs and now numbness is starting to set in on his right arm.  He has a nurse that comes into the house each week (thank god!) and an amazing physical therapist that works with him two times a week to help improve his strength.  She just ordered him a Hoyer lift that will aid in getting Joe into his chair and into the bath – we can’t wait for it to arrive!

On the non-Cancer front, we have had to say goodbye to two loved ones this month.  Joe’s dad, Fred, passed away on March 9th which was such a huge loss to our family.  Beth, Joe’s sister, had been primary caregiver for Fred this last year+ and we couldn’t be more thankful for the loving care and support she provided Fred…we know he was thankful too.   We are grateful he passed away at his senior living facility (versus the hospital or the rehab which was his “home” 4 weeks prior) and was surrounded by his friends and nurses that loved him so much and most importantly his daughter was by his side comforting him to the end.❤️

We also had to say goodbye to our family dog of 12 years, Mater, this month.  He rarely left Joe’s side this last year so his loss has been challenging as well. 

We hope everyone is well and we miss you all.  We appreciate your support and know you are with Joe in his prayers and fight. 

Joe will be turning 60 this coming week…  Happy Birthday, Joey!

It was a year ago this week we learned of Joe’s diagnosis.  We are not celebrating this milestone but we are cognizant that some little treasures have come about this last year that may not have happened otherwise, such as…. 

• Visits from old neighbors and loved ones to our new home here in Nevada
• A deeper level of quality time with Jess & Mitch
• Mitch learning how to winterize the sprinklers, change the battery on Joe’s truck, and just all around maintenance of the family cars and home.
• Jessica growing from being friends with everyone to protecting her own health and being selective of who is in her tribe.
• Making our home our sanctuary…with so much time spent at home, there isn’t a closet or cupboard that hasn’t been cleaned out and organized. 
• The creation of new family photobooks – ‘Happy Campers’, ‘Motorcycle Adventures’, ‘Snow Days’ – to name a few, that will ensure we don’t ever forget such fun memories.
• A deeper appreciation for doctors and nurses caring for Joe…and even the CVS pharmacist 🙂
• Experienced a deep level of love and support from our new neighbors
• Reconnecting with long lost friends & extended family
• Witnessed ultimate bravery firsthand by fellow RCC patients and caregivers.  We have read some of the most beautiful (and heartbreaking at the same time) stories by fellow members in the ‘Warriors Living with Stage IV Renal Cancer’ Facebook group that motivate us each day.
• The people we work with are not just co-workers but are some of the most caring!  Did we ever share that Joe received over 50 “happy birthday’ cards from co-workers when he was in the hospital earlier this year?!  Cards came in from the CEO and even people he hadn’t met yet! 
• And the list goes on….

Let me be clear, cancer sucks and seeing Joe in constant pain or struggle is enough to make me want to lose it some days, however I stay steadfast in the current and making today the best it can be for Joe.  

So how is Joe you ask?  The most recent scans tell us the current treatment MAY be working.  He does in fact have progression of the disease in ribs and lungs but at the same time other areas have shown improvement, such as his femur.  They are concerned with his recent loss of movement in right leg so Joe goes for additional scans this coming Friday where they will look deeper into his spine to determine next steps.  Until we get more news, Joe is staying on his current treatment plan. 

Until the next update, here are some recent pictures.   Thought the saying in the last pic would benefit everyone that will have a bad day in the future (which is everyone 😊)…remember your track record!

All our love!

❤️ Heather

Hi family & friends,

The last time I posted an update, Joe was to be starting Votrient, his second line of treatment.  Well, that lasted 9 days before they took him off the treatment due to extreme side effects one of which was low white blood cell count.  He had to take the next 5 weeks to recover and wait for his body to return to baselines.  Joe’s oncologist was planning to have him return to Votrient at 50% the original prescription however Joe wanted NOTHING to do with it being what he just went through.  

Joe asked for a second opinion, so we set up a call with his Oncologist at UCDavis who specializes in RCC (Renal Cell Carcinoma).  To Joe’s delight, he prescribed an alternative path, Cabometyx.  Joe has 40 days under his belt on Cabo and relatively speaking it is going okay.  He is taking the weekend off to curb mild side effects but all in all, he is hanging in there.

Joe’s next scans are mid-November which we’ll learn if the Cabo is working.  We are saying our prayers and remain hopeful.   In the meantime, Joe looks forward to our family dinner nights every Thursday where he gets to take in the love and laughter of us being together.   Sharing a picture from our last one where the kids and I put up a Christmas tree in our bedroom for Joe to enjoy.  ❤️

Hope everyone is happy and healthy.  

All our love, 

Joe & Heather

Hello Family & Friends,

We hope you and your families are healthy and safe.  The fires this summer are the most devastating yet and seems like they are hitting closer to home for many.  That is the case for our family as my Dad, step-mom Pat and step-brother Rich who live in Lake Almanor were evacuated for the first time in 27 years due to the Dixie fire.  While we had the ultimate pleasure of their company for three weeks (they just left this morning ☹) we are so thankful their home and the immediate neighborhood was spared.  They are still under evacuation warning but the outlook is positive.  I know that is not the case for many so love and prayers to all.  

So how is Joe? First and foremost, he continues to stay strong. He has good days and bad days but overall he is a warrior at heart. I continue to be amazed at his strength, courage and outwardly love.  Despite him being in the fight of his life, he is still the same loving Joe that is more concerned for others than himself…regardless of his pain… “Heather watch your head” every single time I am strapping in his wheelchair to the van, continuous talks with mechanic to get Jessica’s car fixed so she is safe, movies and just hanging with Mitch in his room to stay close, etc.  He is relentless in his love for the family despite anything he is facing.

So back to his health…..Joe had a couple of 911 calls this month which lead us to learn that his cancer has been spreading to his spine (again), hip and pelvis.  The oncologist explained that the spread of cancer means the current treatment plan has run its course and Joe must move to the next line of treatment.  We were devastated to say the least — thank God Dad and Pat were here with us, nothing like family to help you get back up and keep fighting.

These last two weeks have been lots of doctor visits and tests….MRIs, a bone scan, a CT scan, and an echocardiogram.  They have decided next chemo treatment will be Votrient, a chemo pill taken daily, which starts this coming Monday.  In addition, Joe had one power blast radiation treatment on his hip/femur area and he is now currently on Day 3 of 10 of radiation to his spine. In addition to Votrient and radiation, he will continue with monthly infusions of Zometa to prevent weakening of the bones. I am amazed at his strength in tackling this all head-on… and his bravery is relentless.

A sincere thank you to everyone fighting with us.  It surely takes a team to fight cancer and we are surrounded by amazing family and friends fighting this battle with us.  You have no idea how your presence in our lives fuels our hearts (not to mention sanity).  We couldn’t do this alone.  Thank you, we love you.  

xo

It’s been two months since we posted an update but you know the saying… no news is good news. No hospital visits in the last 60 days…YAY!…no steps backward, just all forward. 🙏 Really is a miracle when we stop and think about it….each day is a blessing.

Joe continues to have infusion treatments each month and PET scans every 3 months. And, he starts outpatient physical therapy next week to improve his strength. We’ve had PTs come into the house to help with recovery but you can only go so far with that …so now he’s ready for them to introduce muscle strengthening equipment. As for Joe’s job, they parted ways last month since there was no return date in sight. We are grateful for how good they were to Joe these last 7 months and we have nothing but appreciation for everything they did for him!

We’ll be back with any news or updates. In the meantime, we wanted to share a couple of pictures & a video – our highlights from the last month as they relate to Joe’s progress.

We wish everyone a joyful Independence Day! 🙌 XO

All our love,
Heather & Joe

First I want to thank everyone for the support and love you have shown us as we’ve gone through my journey over the last seven months! Heather has been great at keeping you all informed so I’m going to take a shot typing with one finger and post some updates. this is my first time typing on a laptop since November.

This morning we had a call with our Oncologist and received GREAT results! All of the areas they were tracking/treating, such as my spine, kidney, and spots on my lungs have all decreased in size….one as much as 50%! We still have more to go but for our first PET scan we’ll take it.

Behind every man is a strong woman. I’m fortunate enough to have Heather who’s perseverance, support, and love keep me motivated to keep me moving forward in the hardest of times. I’m thankful beyond words to have had her by my side for the past thirty years.

Much love, Joe

Joe is home now and doing really well.   Happy to share pain is no longer a constant obstacle for him…he still has pain here and there but to go hours and sometimes all day with no back pain is unbelievable to us.  So so grateful!  

Joe is still not able to walk, and not sure the outlook on that, but thanks to excellent health benefits through his work, he has himself a new power chair that elevates which is a godsend for getting in and out of bed.   I wanted to share a picture…love this smile. 

The PET scan has been scheduled for 5/3.  🙏

xoxo

Heather

Hi Family & Friends,

No new news to report. Well, actually a lot has happened in the last three weeks but nothing worth writing about.  It’s in the past and we are looking ahead.  🌈🌄

Joe is due home from rehab on Tuesday and then he will go for his 4th immunotherapy treatment on Wednesday.   It’s a milestone because Joe’s oncologist said they would have him do a PET scan following 10 rounds of radiation (done!) and 4 infusions of immunotherapy (done this Wednesday!).   The last PET scan was prior to cancer treatments starting so a new one will tell us if the treatments are working or not. 

I saw Joe yesterday and he looks good, he’s the strongest he’s been since all this started, he’s hopeful, and just wants to be home.  I get it — he’s spent 57 days in a hospital in the last 4 months.  

Hope everyone is well.

Lots of love,

xo, Heather