Wow! This is terrible news. I enjoyed his posts about the equipment he worked on daily and I was always impressed with his ability to diagnose and repair things the way he did. Life is so complex and we just never know what burdens people carry. I send my condolences to his wife son, family, friends and colleagues. Rest in peace Bradley. You’ll be missed by many.
I thought of this too. Or he received bad news and knew the road ahead wasn't promising and quality of life would be nonexistence. His BIL said he suffered from severe migraines. Im good to get migraines at least 4 times a year. It totally puts me down for 24-48 hours. Total misery. I have often thought if I had migraines everyday or every other, I'm not sure how or if I could deal with it. Guess we will never know the reasons. It's just a damm shame.
Yes for some folks migraine headaches are very severe. For others they aren’t that bad. In my case I’ve suffered from them since I was a teenager. In my younger days it was a 24-48 hour deal like you. Lately they have been lasting 5 days or more. That alone is enough to make a feller start thinking. I am happy that Brad (Buttermilk) has found peace. It’s a sad deal for his family, and the rest of us who have to carry on without him though.
Having recently lost a cousin to Pancreatic Cancer, I'm loosely familiar with the endgame when the gastrointestinal system is denied proper function. QoL certainly goes out the window and the decision tree as dictated by our healthcare and insurance policies is especially cruel to the victim of such illnesses. My wife is also a Leukemia survivor so I'm also familiar with, and an advocate for, research and hope. If the patient chooses to engage in the medical battle, even with favorable odds, the financial consequences would put many families (especially traditional single-income or those dependent on dual-incomes) in unenviable situations even with health insurance. The first questions on any financial aid forms always ask about assets, including retirement savings. Cancer treatment (and screening policy) HAS come a long way and many diagnoses have far improved rates of 5+ year survivorship than even 10 years prior. Unfortunately for my cousin and thousands of others, inoperable Pancreatic is still almost always a terminal diagnosis but he was in a career where his surviving family is likely to be well-supported by his survivorship benefits since he heroically endured his final months. But it basically meant choosing starvation. Take care of yourself like your life (and lives of those you love) depends on it. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Live like no one else, so you can live, like no one else (that's not just a financial trope!). Be an advocate for your own health. Today's healthcare system in the USA does not encourage building a meaningful relationship with a family Dr, but you shouldn't let that stop you from regular preventative screenings. Do NOT wait for something to be unbearable or obviously wrong before bringing it up. It was moderate (but constant) fatigue and a regular blood panel that threw early flags on my wife's leukemia. We could have easily chalked that up to normal stress, kids, and aging. Don't be afraid to question the Dr (or challenge the mindless insurance companies). It's ok to make 'em think!
Appreciate that reply and you are right. It leaves a lifetime open wound. And (for me) talking about it, most times, is like pushing salt in there.
I have a BIL that was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer more than 15 years ago. He had to have the head of the pancreas removed (forget what that’s called). He took all kinds of treatment but finally he told his oncologist that he just couldn’t do the chemotherapy any longer and felt like it was literally killing him. He stopped the treatments and (with meds and watching his blood glucose levels) has had a good life for many years! His doctor finally told him that he made the right call and agreed that continuing chemo would likely have killed him. There’s still so much that the medical field just doesn’t yet know and every person’s body is different.. Still, so sorry to hear about Buttermilk and hopefully his family can come to terms with this eventually.
4 years ago one of my sisters was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died less than 2 weeks later. This was at the time of Covid so I was not able to make it to her funeral. She lived 300 miles away. I know that she believed in Jesus as her Savior and that is what makes her death less hurtful for me and the rest of the family.
My husbands life long friend took his life several months ago, he was fighting stomach cancer. I also noticed a Doctors office that offers gastrointestinal services sent a plant.
Thanks for updating us. No matter what happened, Buttermilk (Brad) was family here in our forum. Prayers to him and his family. Such a sad situation.
I am so sorry to hear about this Thoughts and prayers for him and the family Thank you for posting Jim1978.
Sure hate to hear this. I enjoyed his posts and he was always sharing things. May JESUS give his family peace and comfort
I just saw this...horrible news. I was hoping to get to actually meet him in person sometime as he was one of the closest FHC members to my location, we PM'd once or twice about a potential rendezvous. I sure enjoyed his posts and will certainly miss his FHC presence. Will definitely pray for the family!
So sad, always enjoyed what he had to share with us. Sure didn’t seem like a selfish man…I have to believe that he made the best decision he thought he could in his own mind. Thinking he didn’t want to be a burden to his family. Sadly they are left with an emotional burden for life now. You just never know what makes people do the things they do. Definitely not blaming him or condemning his action, not knowing his circumstances. No one can say they wouldn’t make the same choice depending on what he had going on. Praying for his family and rest in peace Buttermilk. We will miss you.
