Dave's Medical History
In August of 2005 Pooh was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (cancer of the bone which usually occurs in children). He began chemotherapy in October. In December he had surgery to remove the malignant portion of his right leg, which was replaced by a prosthetic device, and had his right knee cap replaced. After two more clean-up surgeries on his leg, David began chemotherapy again.
In July of 2006 he had surgery on both lungs, but at that time, there was no evidence of osteosarcoma having metasized in the lungs. Dave continued with chemotherapy through November, and then he began the journey of learning to walk again.
In September of 2007 David had surgery on his left lung for metasized osteosarcoma, and in November he had surgery on the right lung, with two-thirds of that lung being removed. In May Dave was scheduled to begin a clinical trial for targeted delivery of cancer treatment into some small spots in his lungs, when it was discovered that he had developed a blood condition. In July he was diagnosed with leukemia induced by the chemotherapy treatment.
Pooh was then hospitalized for one month to receive more chemotherapy, this time to put the leukemia into temporary remission in preparation for a bone marrow transplant, the only hope for permanent remission. In September he had the cyberknife, a non-invasive, precise targeted delivery radiation treatment, to eradicate the spots in his lungs.
The following week Dave began outpatient maintenance chemotherapy. It was after this treatment, when his platelets were low, that it is believed a blood vessel burst in his chest. While the medical team attempted to stop the hemorrhaging, he was deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time and lost the battle for his life on October 25, 2008. In the end, it was complications from all the chemotherapy treatments that led to David’s passing.
