My story is about my dad, Sheriff Joe. Being in law enforcement, he helped a lot of people and that is where his story begins.
In October 2022, he helped a man out of a ditch and fought with pain in his upper back for a few weeks. After seeing his doctor, going to the ER, CT scans, fighting shingles for a month and finally getting a biopsy, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV small cell carcinoma.
My dad's lung cancer had spread to his liver and bones and within a couple of weeks my dad went from holding others up to us holding him up. He was only able to complete one round of chemo, which helped with the swelling and on Christmas Eve he had to go back to the hospital.
On December 26, 2022 my dad lost his battle on earth but was healed in heaven. He told others, "Do not ignore what your body is telling you." A simple body ache turned into a void and heartache for our family and community.
