A double dose of cancer

By Jean Lundquist
Special to The Free Press

NORTH MANKATO July 20, 2008 11:26 pm

— After Dan Cahow of rural North Mankato suffered a heart attack last summer, he and his wife, Sue, thought the worst was behind them. As it turned out, they were wrong.
Early February of this year brought the news that each might have cancer. On Feb. 13, Sue was told she had breast cancer. The next day, Valentine’s Day, Dan was diagnosed with cancer. The source of his cancer was his mouth. Cancer was found in his tonsils, throat, tongue and the lymph nodes in his neck.
The couple had not told their two teenagers about the tests or the early fears of cancer. That weekend, they called 18-year-old daughter, Leah, to come home for pizza, and to come without her boyfriend.
Not knowing what to expect, she was shocked to learn both of her parents had cancer. “I thought I was in trouble when they told me to try to come alone. I thought it was something I had done,” she said laughing through tears.
Their Fifteen-year-old son, Colton, said he, too, didn’t know what to expect, but he knew it was going to be something bad. “Everyone was quiet, and then Mom started crying.”
Dan, 54, and Sue, 53, said it was the first time in family history there was leftover pizza at their house.
Because Dan’s cancer was late stage, he was whisked to Rochester for surgery and treatment. Sue’s treatment was all in Mankato. Because Sue’s radiation treatment was daily, she couldn’t get to Rochester to be with Dan very often. Dan’s sister came from out of state to stay with him in Rochester.
Sue’s surgery was scheduled for a Monday in March in Mankato; Dan’s screening in Rochester to see if his cancer was operable was the same day. It was operable, and his surgery was scheduled for 6 a.m. the next day in Rochester.
“I hated to do it, but I had to ask my kids to step up to help us,” Dan said. As an adult and parent, he said, he was supposed to take care of Leah and Colton and not have to ask them to help take care of him.
Although Dan’s treatment was finished and he was discharged from Mayo on May 30, he still requires a port directly into his stomach to take food. He is unable to eat, swallow, or taste, and his salivary glands have stopped working.
A huge milestone was reached the day he was able to take a first few sips of water. Because of the surgery that removed the base of his tongue, the back of his throat, his tonsils and 60 lymph nodes from his neck, he must relearn how to swallow. “It’s not automatic anymore,” he said. And he looks forward to the day he can eat again, hopefully with taste and saliva.
Sue’s treatment ended June 19. Through her surgery and radiation treatment, she tried to go to work as much as possible at Johnson Outdoors and continue to take care of her children.
Yet the Cahows said they are not bitter about the cancers or about the timing. Dan asked rhetorically, “When is a good time?” In fact, Dan credits having cancer at the same time with “bringing us closer together as friends.”
Both agree that the help and support of family and friends have sustained them. Friends have brought food to the family through the ordeal. The Cahows’ lawnmower needs repairs they can’t afford right now, so neighbors are taking turns mowing their lawn.
Sue decided to buy flower seeds rather than plants for her treasured planters this year to economize. One day she came home to find friends had come over while she was gone and had planted every one of her pots and boxes. “I’m careful to water these every day,” Sue said, stating she wasn’t always so devoted to watering in the past.
After the heart attack last summer and with the declining economy, times have been tight for the Cahow family financially. Dan hasn’t been at work as an over-the-road truck driver since February and has no short- or long-term disability insurance. Although they do have medical insurance, out-of-pocket expenses are climbing.
A benefit for the Cahow family is scheduled for Friday at Buster’s Bar and Grill. A trust fund has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank.

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