Coach John Buskirk

John Honored With Naming At Kent State Ashtabula

2009-08-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

Hello all, I hope you are all doing well and have enjoyed your summer!

Here is a picture attached of a plaque in John's memory. My mom's new health and science building at Kent State Ashtabula had it's official grand opening today. My Mom funded the Occupational Therapy Assistant program directors office to be in John's memory. He was looking forward to seeing this building open for my Mom. I know he is very proud of her. Talk to you soon.

A Fitting Tribute For His Final Resting Place...

2009-06-25T17:27:00.006-04:00

Hello all,

John's headstone was placed on Monday. It looks amazing!! It's such a good feeling too see it in finally! Hope everyone is enjoying the weather and the start of summer. Talk to you all soon.

Marathon Update...

2009-05-31T10:01:00.003-04:00

Hello all,

The Cleveland Marathon was May 17th. It was a great time that supported an even greater cause for Team in Training. I finished in 3hrs and 27mins along with Carrie and Stacy. Moe and Amy finished ahead of us because they ran it all. Mile 10 was dedicated to John and mile 11 was dedicated to Luke. It was great to have my parents meet up with us at mile 10 and Luke's parents met up with us at mile 11. There are pictures attached as well. The picture of Jan and I is before we left for the start. Jan is wearing the jersey John wore when he did the Alaska marathon for TNT. There is one of Carrie and I displaying what we wrote for John and Luke. There is also a pic with me, Moe and Luke's parents and one of all us before the start and once we all met up at the finish.

I will post again once John's headstone is in with a picture of it. Hope you are all doing well.
-Jess

Hall Of Fame Honors For A True Herald...

2009-04-26T20:56:00.005-04:00

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying our little heat wave. I recently got back from visiting Coach Meyer and the GATOR football team. I had a great time and saw a lot of great football. It was not easy to watch the GATORS without John but I knew he was with me. It was great to see Coach Meyer and visit with him. He and Coach Addazio have their pictures that they took with John last year in their offices; that was great to see.

It was a busy weekend. The blood drive was Friday and they had a good turnout; I think the nice weather kept some people away though. Thanks to all who came out to donate in John's memory.

Last night was the Hall of Fame induction dinner. It was a wonderful night honoring many great Heralds. I was so nervous that I would be a total wreck during my speech then I knew John would give me strength to get through it. It was great to have my parents, our great friends with me and one John's senior football players whose Grandparents were also inducted to the Hall of Fame last night. I have added my speech and some pictures from last night.

John has been awarded his masters degree in Education Administration. It's a great tribute to John for all of his hard work especially since the majority of his time finishing the degree he was either in remission and on maintenance chemo or he was still recovering from his transplant.

May will be here before we know it. It will be a tough month. John's birthday on May 9th. The 1 year anniversary of our great friend Luke's passing on May 11th. The Cleveland Marathon on May 17th. Moe, Carrie, Amy, Jan and myself will all be in purple for Team in Training. We know John and Luke will be cheering us on.

I have also added a picture of John's grave. The headstone is scheduled to be in beginning or mid June. That's about all for now. Talk to you all soon. Jess

Hall Of Fame Speech...

I found out that John was inducted into the Hall of Fame the day he passed away. When Coach Timonere told me that he was accepted I thought if John just heard this he would try to muster up what energy he had and say “I won’t take it I haven’t done anything yet to deserve it give it to someone else”. John was not one to accept honors like this.

John did more than he knows for our beloved school. He wanted nothing more than to see this school survive for so many reasons. He was in the process of finishing grad school and talked his adviser into letting him do all of his projects here in hopes to get more kids in the school and what he could do to make it better for future students. He had gone to CCD classes talking to kids about the benefits of attending this school and all it offers to the community.

John had hopes to become the next principal here once Miss Larson decided to retire. He had his plan all laid out of what he would do here and how he could bring more students here. He wanted to get more students here and wouldn’t hurt to bring in some (as John would say) “studs” for the football team.

The most important thing he did here was form an incredible bond with his football players throughout his time here. Especially the football team this year most importantly the seniors. The seniors have been with him since he first got sick and they never left his side or mine. He taught these boys so much more than football in the short time he was here. He wanted nothing more than to see the boys win but more importantly than football he wanted them all to succeed and be proud of themselves.

I know after seeing what the boys have been through this year with John, Coach Timonere’s baby and with Mrs. Thornton being sick he is so proud of them and will always be watching over them in all that they do. It’s not often you see young men go through what this football team did this season. One of John’s wishes was for his football team and assistant coaches to follow his casket at his funeral. When he said that to me I lost it then I thought how am I going to tell the boys and coaches. He loved this football team so much.

John had many ties here at our school. How could he not he had this energy about him that drew everyone to him. His best friend Geno who he considered a brother. The stories of these 2 here are priceless and Miss Larson can attest to that. His high school coaches here from Coach Iarocci, Coach Roc, Coach Clem, and Coach Perry. His teachers and many friends he made here. Then there was me the lowly 8th grader as he called me at our wedding.

When I was in elementary school I knew I wanted to go to St. John. It wasn’t until my 7th or 8th grade field trip to the high school that I finally understood why. Miss Larson talked to us about what it meant to go to school here it was more than a catholic education it was a second family. Two things that I remember that I will never forget were what it meant to be a True Herald and when you come to this school you will bleed blue and white.

There is no better man that fit those two sayings. John bled blue and white and he was definitely a TRUE HERALD. I know John is in heaven looking down on all of us and this school watching over all that come through here. His memory will never die here because teachers, coaches, parents, and current and past students will teach everyone that comes through these doors about the great man that is Coach Buzz.

Saints John and Paul now has an added angel looking over it. Thank you.

SSJP 2009 Hall Of Fame Inductees

Jess & Eric. Eric's Grandfather and Grandmother was also inducted for their contributions and support of SSJP.

Rest In Peace, Dear Friend and True Herald...

Two Upcoming Events In Memory Of John...

2009-03-21T19:20:00.004-04:00

Hope you are all doing well. I have added a picture of John's headstone with the pictures that were added to it. It is going to be amazing. I can't wait for it to come in. It should be in mid to late June.

I have also added the flyer for the blood drive in John's memory. It is April 24th at Sts. John & Paul Gym from 1-7. There will also be a bocce tournament May 15 and 16 to raise money for the John Buskirk Scholarship Fund at Sts. John & Paul.

I'm still working with John's academic advisor on his diploma we should know more next week. He was waiting on the final approval. That's about all for now talk to you soon.

2006 Team In Training Kickoff Speech...

2009-03-10T18:22:00.002-04:00

Here is a speech John made at a Team In Training Kickoff Celebration on 2-2-2006. This was his first time speaking at a TNT event he spoke two other times at other events beside this one but this is the only one he typed out.

Running For Leukemia Long Before Diagnosed...

2009-03-01T21:08:00.005-05:00

I saw Jan's comment and thought I would explain a little more. Many of you know John ran the Alaska Marathon with his friend Carolyn in 1998. They ran it for a friend who went to Getttysburg who lost her battle with Leukemia. John and Carolyn ran for Team In Training(TNT). It is so surreal knowing that 6 years later we would need the help of The Leukemia Society and TNT.

All TNT participants wear a purple singlet or t-shirt for marathons or cycling. John and Jan were planning on participating in The Tahoe Ride together this year. Jan will be wearing the TNT singlet John wore on May 17th for the Cleveland Marathon. It does fit Jan I saw him put it on! He is very honored to be wearing it for his dear friend John.

Keeping John In Our Minds And Our Hearts...

2009-02-27T17:22:00.008-05:00

I hope you are all doing well. Here are a few things that will be happening in John's memory:

There will be a blood drive April 24th from 1-7pm at Saints John and Paul High School's Gym. This will be dedicated in John's memory. I will have a poster with his picture on it in the next couple of weeks and will add it to the blog.

There is a bocce tournament that will take place in May to raise money for the John Buskirk Memorial Scholarship at Saints John and Paul; this scholarship will help a needy student attend this school which is so special to John. I will have more info on a date and where the tournament will take place in the coming weeks.

The senior class at SJP will be dedicating their Baccalaureate Mass to John on June 4th and their Graduation Ceremony will take place later that night.

The Cleveland Marathon is right around the corner May 17th. If anyone is interested John's nurses are guest bar tending at The Blind Pig next Friday from 5-9pm all tips are donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Talk to you all soon.

John and the nurses from the clinic who loved him and Luke so much; John and Luke are the reasons they do what they do every day.

John cheering Jan on; it was the mile that was dedicated to Luke last year.

Continued Recognition for Coach Buzz...

2009-02-21T11:02:00.004-05:00

John continues to be remembered and recognized for his accomplishments, teachings and the short life he lived with us.

Jess has been in contact with John's academic program director and they working on getting him his master's degree. She thinks it will be a honorary Master's degree since he was supposed to graduate in May.

Mr. Joe Pete from ESPN 970 radio in Ashtabula interviewed Coach Meyer recently and commented on his involvement with John. You can hear the complete interview by CLICKING HERE.

John was also nominated for the Sts. John & Paul Alumni Association Hall of Fame and has been accepted. There will be a banquet to induct the new class to the Hall on Saturday April 25, 2009 at Sts. John & Paul High School. Dinner tickets are $30.00 and you can contact the school at (440) 997-5531 to reserve your ticket if you want to attend.

Moe, one of John's favorite nurses, sent the following information about their "Team In Training" fundraiser:

It’s that time of year again! Come support your nurses! Please join the nurses in an effort to raise money for “Team in Training” which benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Several of the Nurses from Taussig will be guest bartending on: Friday March 6, 2009 from 5:00 pm-9:00 pm at the Blind Pig (1228 W 6th street, Cleveland, OH. 44113)

All tips made, will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Each participant must raise $1650. Please come and get a beverage from one of your favorite nurses and support a great cause!

Thank you for your support,
Amy Schofield
Carrie Jenkins
Stacey Booker
Moe Tarbuck
Eileen Walsh

Fundraiser This Weekend...

2009-02-07T08:19:00.003-05:00

Hope you are all doing well. I have been keeping busy with many things that need taken care of. It is hard to believe that John is gone; it will be a month in the coming days. He touched so many lives it is truly amazing what he accomplished in 33 yrs let alone since he was diagnosed December 14, 2005.

I received a letter today informing me of John's induction into the Saints John and Paul Hall of Fame. I had actually found out the day John passed but was waiting to get the official word. He will be joining his mentor and friend Coach Urban Meyer in the Hall of Fame at our beloved high school along with many other great people. There will be a dinner in April for the official induction. I will keep you informed with more info on that.

On Sunday, February 8th, there will be a pasta dinner at the Assumption Church Parish Hall from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $6.00 or $4.00 for Seniors and children 3-12. Many thanks to Cheryl Woodward and Janis Brown, both Herald football player Moms, for coordinating this fundraiser. The event will include a 50/50 raffle and Chinese auction. Auction items were collected by SS. John and Paul parents and staff. Football players and coaches will serve the meals. CLICK HERE to see more information and the article about the fundraiser which appeared in the Star Beacon.

Our friends (John's nurses) will be doing a fundraiser for Team In Training to help raise the money needed to participate in the Cleveland Marathon on March 6th at The Blind Pig on West 6th in Cleveland. I'm not sure if I will be behind the bar with them yet or just there cheering them on. They did this last year and many of the Doctors and staff from Taussig Cancer Center (outpatient) and from the inpatient part of the hospital all came. If anyone is interested, I will have more info soon and a flyer with all the details that we will put up on the blog. It I'm sure will be a great time!!

I have added a sketch of John's headstone. It is still in the beginning stages I will be adding a wedding picture and a picture of John's beloved and faithful dogs. It will be a black stone and will be in sometime in spring.

Hope you are all doing well. Thank you all for the continued support, prayers, and comments. Talk to you all soon. Jess

Sketch of John's headstone...

Little Steps, One Day At A Time...

2009-01-26T19:22:00.001-05:00

It has been awhile since I have put something up. I have been keeping busy with financial things which need to be taken care of; things that come up here and there, and many thank you cards. I'm doing pretty good so far. I think because John and I had talked about this happening at some point; not necessarily by the way things happened with the infection. We knew the Leukemia coming back after the transplant was not good, so that gave us time to start to grasp what could happen.

A part of me thinks he knew because he always said Luke was with him, that I shouldn't be a widow at 30 years old and that everything would be OK. It sucks for all of us that he is gone, but amongst the many things that keep me going is knowing that he doesn't have to fight this awful disease anymore and knowing the man that JOHN BUSKIRK was and still is, the people that he touched, inspired and loved shows what he accomplished in his 33 years of life. The amount of people that I have talked to that say they have learned so much from him and they want to change their life because of him makes me so happy because that is what he wanted to do.

Since John passed on January 10Th he has been playing some tricks on many people; Coach Timonere's sink blew up, McGruder's dishwasher broke, Jan lost his license and credit card, the dogs have flipped out not quite the same and my brother tore his ACL the day after the funeral. Many of you got to meet my parents dog Dewey. If you knew him, you know that he could be very "friendly" whether you were human or a dog. He got fixed on Tuesday...but he hasn't quite changed his ways yet!

Many of you also know that the school was trying to get a patch with John's number 55 on it. Apparently there is a rule against that so they went with a black circle on their left shoulder of their jerseys. I went to lunch with some of the senior football players on Tuesday and they said Coach Penna took all the jerseys and put the number on anyway. My dad and I went to the game that night and nothing was ever said and shouldn't be. It doesn't hurt anything and it is a great tribute to John. The boys are taking such good care of me always checking on me by calling or texting even though this is such a hard time for them too.

My parents have surprised me with a trip to the Bahamas in the middle of February. It will be good to get away for a few days. It is somewhere John had always wanted to go since I always told him how amazing it was there. I will be returning to GATORS spring football practice in mid April. I can't wait to get there and see Coach Meyer and the National Champions. I will head to south Florida after that for a week or so.

John had always said he should write a book. I hope to start that on the plane rides and on the beach. We are still working on some tributes and memorials so I will keep you posted. I will be in the Cleveland Marathon on May 17Th. I'm going to do the half along with some nurses from Taussig, Jan is doing the full, and possibly Coach Timonere! We are all doing it through TEAM IN TRAINING, the foundation that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We will be doing this in John and Luke's memory. If you are interested in this please let me know. You can participate in TEAM IN TRAINING events all over the nation. I think I also have plans to be at the finish line for Jan after the bike ride in Tahoe in June.

Coach Timonere put up what my brother and mom wrote and spoke at the funeral along with some pictures below. Thanks for all your continued support and prayers.

Eulogy From Sue...

2009-01-26T19:15:00.003-05:00

The last time I was in this church was June 11, 2005; the day John and Jessica were married. It was an extremely hot day and many of you will recall that according to Tony, “we really needed rain.”

Most of you know the story of how John and Jessica connected. It was in August of 2004. I remember Jessica telling me about a week after their first date, “Mom, I think he might be the one.” I first met John, where else, but at a high school football game. I drove with Jessica to Cortland and we sat through a three hour rain delay. I met John after the game; you only had to meet him once and you fell in love with him instantly. John often joked that he knew Jessica was a keeper after she sat through that game. John and Jessica’s love affair was on a fast track. They were engaged in November and married in June. I often thought that John knew somehow that their time was going to be limited so they had to squeeze as much living as possible in to the time they had together.

John and Jessica had discussed his funeral arrangements and typical of John he wanted to make sure that it was not all about him and that someone would pay tribute to his Jessica.

When John was first diagnosed, I bought him a journal. I opened it the other day and immediately felt as if I had violated something sacred. We all know how much John worshiped and adored Jessica. After all, this was a man that took his wife to a New Kids on the Block concert last summer and even said he enjoyed it afterward. His love for Jessica was unconditional. But until I read the journal, even I did not understand how deep and abiding that love was.On the first page he wrote, "12-20-05. I dedicate this and my life to God and my wife-both of whom I love so much. Jess, I love and adore you so much. All I want to do is to go home and hold you and never let you go.”

In fact he started most of his entries with “I love God and my wife” (in that order). When he first started writing in the journal he made what we would consider typical journal entries; recounting his days and sharing some thoughts. As time went on however, the journal became a running list of what he loved about Jessica. John wrote, “this list is for Jessica Buskirk, it is an attempt by her husband to list some of the things he loves about her.”

The list went on and on for pages, but just leafing through the pages, I read, “I love the way you love me, the way you look at me, the sparkle in your eyes, the softness of your lips, your belly button, your toes, your giggle, I love laying next to you in bed. I love the way you take care of me and how you push me. I love shopping with you, putting groceries away with you, I love watching you get ready in the morning." I roared with laughter as I read the entry, “I love it when you act like your mother.”

He continued to write to Jessica, “I love seeing you happy, I love the way you forgive me, the way you accept my faults, the way you make me such a better person, your passion, your strength, your faithfulness, how you fight for me, the way you sacrifice for me. I love telling other people how incredible you are. I love my wife and all that she means to me, the way she makes me feel necessary and wanted, the joy she brings to every second of my life is indescribable. Thank you baby, for loving me.”

As was his love for Jessica, what a gift that journal is.

The family in friends talked about who might say something about John at the funeral, but where do you start? Where do you end? But after reading John’s journal, I started thinking about all the things I loved about John.
I loved watching you trudge up and down the sidelines
I loved the way you said, “exactly”
I loved our adventures, taking you places you had never been before-
I loved buying you things
I loved proof reading your papers
I loved hearing your stories about teaching
I loved how you listened to Tony talk about the farm
I loved how comfortable you were displaying affection publicly
I loved cooking for you
I loved watching you play with the dogs in the yard after Sunday dinner while Tony and Pat did the dishes
I loved how, even despite exhaustion and extreme pain, you called each nurse and caregiver by name and never failed to say “thank you”
I loved telling people you were our son in law
But most of all, I loved the way you loved our daughter.

I remember losing it in front of John on two occasions, sobbing uncontrollably, and each time as you would expect, John comforted me. The first time this happened, he said, “Sue, the past three years have been incredible” And again, last week, when he laid near death in the intensive care unit, I started to cry as I tried to tell him just how much I loved him. He struggled to find the strength to reach up and hug me and with a real sense of serenity, he said, “Sue, it is going to be all right, it’s OK,” and I knew both times that he was at peace with whatever God had in store for him. It was the rest of us who were struggling and it was for the rest of us that he kept fighting.

While John had many virtues, with John what you saw was what you got. Perhaps that’s what was most endearing about him. I remember one of the first times I met John’s mother, Kate. She described John as a “cement head.” Patience was definitely not one of his virtues. Even as he lay close to death last Friday, he was ready to get out of bed to head home, “let’s go, let’s do it.” And we have all found comfort this past week recanting the stories of his escapades with his brothers, cousins, childhood friends and college friends.

Whether you knew John for 33 years or never met him, he inspired, he made you a better person, he was self-less, courageous, gracious, and he epitomized goodness. Tony and I often said, he was an angel that was sent to heal our family and for that we will be eternally grateful.
-Sue Stocker, John's Mother-In-Law

Eulogy From Pat...

2009-01-26T18:50:00.001-05:00

I am sure everyone here today would have liked the opportunity to speak about our friend John. I feel honored to have the chance to share some of my memories. Over the past couple weeks, I have marveled at the people in John’s life; from his childhood friends, who would probably lay down in front of car for him, to his friends in college who seem more like brothers, to his doctors and nurses at the clinic especially Moe, to Urban Meyer who lifted John’s spirit in times when you wouldn’t think it possible. The list is endless and I have been so impressed by so many of the people here today and your willingness to help in any way possible. It has been a blessing to the family and for that I thank you. Of course, I would not think anything less but to associate John with good people.

I know John helped to make me a better person and he will continue to make me a better person. His core values, unbelievable fight, kindness, love, faith and everything about him was pure. He was one of those rare people who you struggle to find something bad to say about.

We all know John could be counted on as one of your best friends; he was a teacher and coach. His teaching and coaching extended beyond the classroom and the playing field. He helped mold many young people’s lives. You only have to look at his football players sitting here today to see the impact he had on them. It is so unfortunate that John and Jess did not the opportunity to become parents. They would have been wonderful parents. And their children would have had true role models to look up to.

I flash back to a scene from one of my favorite movies, Gladiator when during the movie Russell Crowe playing Maximus says, “what we do in life echoes in eternity.” To me this is so fitting for John’s life. It is important that John’s life, and especially his fight over the past couple years not be forgotten. It will be a long time before you hear me complain about how tough my life is. His love for life and people and his values will be something I pass on to my children. Years from now I will sit down with my kids and teach them about their Uncle John. If I have one request of people here today it is please do not let the teachings of this man go to waste. I believe God put John here to make us all better people. Please even if it is just one thing that you found to be special about John try to take that and incorporate it into your daily lives. If we do this his life will certainly echo in eternity and the world will be better because of it.
-Pat Stocker, John's Brother-In-Law

Calling Hours at Sts. John & Paul High School
Left to right: Donnie, Jake, Jacob, Erick, Eric, Jessica
Kneeling: Mike, Jeremy and Steve

The First Of Many Thank You's From Jessica...

2009-01-17T20:20:00.007-05:00

Coach Timonere, Jacob, Eric and Jessica with autographed football and helmet from Coach Meyer and Tim Tebow.

**Many newspaper articles about John have been added in the right column of this page under favorite sites.

I want to thank you all for all your support, prayers and for just being there for me and both of our families. This is a first of many thank you's I need to get out and if I miss some, thank you cards I will be getting to them eventually.

I want to thank you all for coming to the calling hours and funeral, whether you are family, friends or have never met John or myself or any of the family. He, I'm sure, is so grateful to have the family and friends we have. The calling hours and funeral today with the amount of people that came through truly shows what type of person my husband is. He will be extremely missed and never forgotten.

Thank you to the Behm Funeral home. I have known all of you since I was little and to Trevor, thank you for everything.

To Saints John and Paul and the whole Herald family for everything you have done for us in the past, present and future. I don't know what John and I would have done without our Herald family.

To Jim Timonere. I don't know where to start; John and I love you, Janice and the kids. Thank you for being there and for continuing to be.

To all of the Costello's. I again don't know where to start. I love all of you.

To Gordo and Steve. Again where do I start? You guys have been there for us since John got sick. I was so happy to get out to see all of you this summer.

To the Saints John and Paul Football team. I thought I was going to have make sure you all would be ok, but you guys are taking care of me! I love having you guys around and being able to talk to you.

To the Laurello's and Bowdens. Thank you for Thursday night. That made John proud to have everyone there to remember him.

To my family. Thank you for everything you have done for John and I. I don't know where I would be without my family and all of these people.

I know I have missed a lot of people in this and I'm sorry. There will be more thank you's coming.

One final thank you to the Star Beacon and the sports department. Bob Ettinger, you started getting our story out to everyone. We couldn't have gotten a better writer; thank you and to the rest of the sports department. Thank you from the both of us and our families.

This blog will continue to be updated. We will have more pictures coming. There are also some memorials in the works to be in John's name that I will have more info in the coming weeks or months. I will continue to use John's email address as that is both of ours. Many things will be happening to keep John's name alive and his spirit, so please keep checking the blog.

Coach Meyer and I will be working on a couple of things in the near future. I will also be working on getting Leukemia more recognized to hopefully get closer to finding a cure to this horrible disease and everything that comes with it.

Thank you all again and I will keep in touch. The above photo is from Wednesday night with Coach Timonere, Eric Simon and Jacob Flautt with the helmet and football Coach Meyer and Timmy Tebow signed.

My Husband...

2009-01-13T08:51:00.003-05:00

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for all your thoughts and comments. My parents, family, friends and myself love reading all of your comments. It is amazing the amount of people my husband has touched in many different ways. Thank you for all of your support and incredible kindness during this most difficult time.

I cannot explain to you what this man means to me. He is my life and my time with him was way too short; but we packed a lot in these short years together. I love this man more than you will ever know. He made my life better from our very first date. We knew that first date when it was over we were meant to be together. I have learned so much about life these past four years and John taught me that. No one should ever have to go through what John and I did in the first years of marriage. John no longer has to fight and endure what he has the past four years. His suffering is over and for that I am happy that he doesn't have to take everything he has gone through.

I'm so happy I got him home to where he wanted to be. If the last thing I could do for him was to get home to be with me, our families and friends and most importantly our dogs that he missed so much that makes me feel so much better that I got him there in time.

My life will never be the same ever again but I know he will be with me and never leave my side because that is what he promised to me. I thank God every day for bringing us together I'm still dealing with him taking him from me and I'm sure I will fight with that for a very long time; but one thing I know is that John Buskirk loved me and will never stop. Thank you all for all you have done and continue to do for us.

-Jessica Buskirk

Arrangements For John David Buskirk...

2009-01-11T22:50:00.003-05:00

Arrangements have been made for all of John's family and friends to say goodbye one last time and honor his life and time with us.

The Behm Family Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements for John's funeral.

Calling hours and visitation will be on Friday January 16th, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in John Mahoney Gymnasium at Sts. John & Paul High School. The address for the school is 541 West 34th Street in Ashtabula, Ohio 44004.

The funeral service will be at Assumption Church on Saturday January 17th beginning at 11:00 a.m. The address for Assumption Church is 594 West Main Street in Geneva, Ohio 44041.

Jessica, her family and John's family cannot thank all of you enough for your overwhelming support for them in this most difficult time. Your words of encouragement and kindness to John are helping ease their pain. We hope to give John and his family everything they deserve as we honor his life and the lives he touched this Friday and Saturday. We hope to see you there and hear your stories.

As we get closer to the weekend, if there is any other information you may need, we will pass it along to you.

Home Where He Belongs...

2009-01-10T20:22:00.005-05:00

**Pictures have been added below this post of John surrounded by family and friends at his home. A Benevolent fund has been established for John and his family at KeyBank. You can visit any KeyBank and make a donation to the John Buskirk Benevolent Fund.

Surrounded by his dogs, dozens of family and friends and Jessica in his arms, John went peacefully home to the Lord at about 6:50 p.m.

The entire day was filled with family and friends, sadness and laughter, football highlight films and most importantly, being in the presence of a great man and his incredible wife. What this loving couple has had to endure over the past years cannot be explained in words and I am confident not many couples would do it with the love and adoration of each other and an entire community. They have touched people across the nation.

Early in the day, John's boys from the team visited for a few hours during the time John was most lucid. They saw Coach Buzz in action during the 1991 Herald Football Season in his highlight film. John got to be in one more team photo with the boys before they left. Many of his coaches, classmates from the St. John days and colleagues visited. We know he was aware of everyone's presence.

We know John was laughing his you know what off when a bed was delivered and after setting it all up, it didn't work. After three different flashlights, manipulating a lamp to use and almost taking apart the entire bed, we gave up and brought in another from the truck. We could almost hear John saying "I'm fine here, and I'd rather be on the couch."

I cannot tell you what this man has meant to me personally and professionally. I cannot imagine how he has touch you in your lives whether it be for just a moment or a lifetime. Although our time together on this Earth has been cut short, we will carry John with us in our hearts, in our minds and in our soles.

As soon as the family confirms the arrangements for calling hours and the funeral, I will post them here.

Rest easy and without pain, my friend...we will all see you soon in heaven.

Surrounded By Family & Friends...

2009-01-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

Happy To Have John Home...

Surrounded By Family...

Friends...

Coaches...

And His Herald Football Team, Past & Present...

Time To Come Home...

2009-01-09T22:21:00.002-05:00

John has decided it is time to come home. At around 10:30pm or so, an ambulance will take him from Cleveland to their home in Ashtabula County.

John & Jessica received word today that his only kidney was beginning to fail, and the infection was most likely progressing in his body. He would have to be on dialysis and the surgeries would continue to try to get ahead of the infection. There was great fear in the possibility they would not be able to get John off the ventilator and if they could not, he could never come home, regardless of how bad it got. John has said from the very beginning he did not want to die at the Clinic. When the options were laid out for him, he told Jessica it was time to go home.

Hospice will be at the house with him and he wants to see everyone that wants to visit. Please call Jessica ahead of time so that they can expect you.

His boys from Sts. John & Paul are heading over tomorrow along with many friends and family. We are all taking this very hard, especially after what seemed to be a successful surgery Tuesday night and of course the Gator win last night. He did speak to Coach Meyer this afternoon when the decision to come home was made.

Jessica and I will keep you updated as events unfold. Hopefully by tomorrow, she and John will have a better idea of what is ahead.

The support and adoration for John has been amazing and you have helped the family so much with your thoughts and prayers. This is going to be a tough week and the support is needed more than ever. John will be much happier to be home with Jessica and his dogs, surrounded by friends and family.

We will update you tomorrow. God bless you all, and may He hold John and his family in His hands.

BUZZSTRONG Attends National Championship...

2009-01-09T07:06:00.003-05:00

Coach Meyer holding the National Championship trophy, and wearing the BUZZSTRONG bracelet as promised...

John had an exhausting day, filled with friends and talk of the game. There were over a dozen people at the Clinic to visit with him and watch the game.

When I got to Cleveland to see John and Jess, he was asking about the game and it was only 5:00pm. He had talked to Coach Meyer and Coach Addazio earlier, and Coach Meyer was sending him text messages as they were getting on the bus, traveling to the game, and when they were getting off the bus. As you can see from the photo above, he wore the BUZZSTRONG bracelet. As someone remarked as we watched the previews and beginning of the game, it was surreal to look at Coach Meyer and all that must have been going through his mind, and for him to take the time to give so much attention to John. This goes to show you what type of man Coach Meyer is and the effect John has had on so many lives.

John was taken for an MRI before the game to see if the infection was spreading anywhere. The results looked good and he was back in time to see the kickoff. His movements and context of conversations were a little off, and there was some concern the fungus may have spread to his brain. The MRI ruled this out. They believe John was just exhausted from being up most of the day after surgery and the excitement the surgery was a success. I'm sure he will be tired today after being up all night watching the game.

He is scheduled to have surgery again today at 2:00pm. From what the doctors reported yesterday, the edges of the area looked good and they did not see it spreading. They will take all the dressings and packing out in surgery to make sure today and remove any other tissue that looks infected. This senerio will play out a few times until they are certain it is all gone, and until his counts can come up and he can begin to fight the infection on his own.

Good news so far, and celebrating a National Championship...Prayers and support are powerful things...lets keep them rolling! Go Gators!

"I have too much shit left to do." - John Buskirk

2009-01-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

Well, John has proven once again what a tough S.O.B he is. He is such a strong, inspirational and just amazing man. He has such a passion to live. Moe came into see him today and he told her "I have too much shit left to do." He has so much more of his life to live and if he has to do that with one eye and part of a nose, he is going to do it his way.

He is so happy to be awake and alive today. We didn't think he would be awake and communicating this quickly.

There is a picture below of what his nose looked like yesterday and what his eye was starting to look like so you have an idea of what he was facing. He was making sure we made the right decisions last night for surgery. If we hadn't he would have died in the next few days. The doctors are pretty confident that they got most of the infection which is very fast moving.

This doesn't mean he is done with surgeries. He will require a couple or more operations. We don't know yet how many. He will be back in surgery on Friday evening. The doctor that took care of his nose and sinus area checked the sites this afternoon. He is pleased that he did not see any signs of dead tissue or bone today. That is promising at this point. They do know that they will most likely be taking more tissue out on Friday in surgery.

There are a number of things that are complicating this even more. First he has no immune system; they are hoping his white blood cells will start kicking in but minus leukemia cells. Second, he only has 1 kidney and the antibiotics he is on to fight and kill this fungus are very harsh to kidneys so they are monitoring that more and flushing his kidney with fluids as much as possible and premeditating him. Third he has low platelets so if these wounds start to bleed uncontrollably that is a problem so they need to keep transfusing him with platelets and blood.

He was so happy to hear from Coach Meyer and Tim Tebow today. I cannot explain to you the look on his face and to hear his voice to talk to them both today. Coach Meyer wants to talk to him in the morning again. Coach Meyer will be wearing the Buzzstrong bracelet tomorrow night in honor of John and hopes to come see him soon.

He has touched so many of our lives and we are so much better for knowing him and being a friend or family member to this man. He has captured the hearts of many nurses at the clinic in this close to 4 year battle. Many of these nurses he considers sisters he never had and myself too. They have all become a part of our families. He was so happy to have Moe with him most of the morning. He was asking for her this morning and she dropped what she was doing to come be with him. They have had this joke for a long time that if he ever needed a catheter she was going to be the one to do the job; she missed her opportunity last night but he said he will make it up to her sometime!

Please keep him in your prayers and I will update you as I can or Jim will fill you all in. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers they are working.

Site of the infection...

Inspiration And The Power of Prayer...

2009-01-07T13:23:00.006-05:00

Just got off the phone with Jessica...and John!!! He continues to defy medical logic and, well, is just a stubborn you know what!

I cannot tell you what a relief it was to hear his voice when Jessica put me on speaker phone. They did not expect him to come off the ventilator for days, or if he would wake up at all. This morning, he was giving the doctors the thumbs up, and mouthing Jessica's name. They pulled the vent a few hours ago and he has been doing fine. The surgeons will be checking in on him and making a decision as to whether or not more surgery will be required. They have him on a ton of antibiotics and are trying to get his white blood cell counts up.

His spirit has not been broken. You can hear the joy of life in his voice. I am amazed and inspired by him every time I talk to him. He is truly an unbelievable man.

The day got even better after a phone call from Coach Meyer, then a few texts of what they were working on in practice...then the call came...from Florida Gator Quarterback Tim Tebow!!! If you think John was happy to make it out of surgery, you should have heard the excitement in his voice recalling this phone call. Coach Meyer is another class act and it is really something to know he took the time to help john.

As you watch tomorrow's National Championship game, look for a yellow wristband on Coach Meyer. The school sent Coach Meyer a "BUZZSTRONG #55" band and he told John & Jess he would be wearing it during the game.

If you are interested in getting one of the bands, the are available at Sts. John & Paul High School.

The Power of Prayer is a great thing, and although news today has been good please continue to keep him and his family in your thoughts. There is still a long way to go and John is not about to give up.

A Rough Night Of Surgery...

2009-01-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

Jessica and I spoke a few times throughout the night and she sent a text to me around 2:00 a.m. when John was back in ICU.

As you may know from yesterdays entry, John has an infection in the sinuses that required surgery. The surgery went on for hours, and the infection was in a lot of the tissue...which had to be removed. They unfortunately had to remove his eye, and part of his nose to rid him of the infection. He is in ICU and they are hoping they have it under control now. I have not spoke to Jessica since this last text.

Please keep praying for John as these next few days are going to be crucial in his recovery... I will update the blog as soon as I hear from Jessica.

In Need Of Surgery...

2009-01-06T21:24:00.004-05:00

I spoke to John & Jess through the afternoon and there has been a major change in John's condition.

The swelling in his eye turned out to be a fungal infection which is in his sinuses and thought to be in the eye. They were taking him for a CAT scan when I spoke to John and then to surgery. Jess called around 9:15 p.m. to say he was still in surgery and they have not heard any news so far.

This is a big hurdle, probably the biggest to date. Please pray for John. I will update with any information as it comes in.

May God watch over our friend.

Another Day, But One Day At A Time...

2009-01-06T02:16:00.001-05:00

From my phone conversation with Jess...

John slept most of the day today. He now has a pretty swollen left eye. It almost looks like he was punched. They are thinking it may be another infection of some sort, possibly pink eye and they are treating it as that. His counts have not really moved and we are hoping the Neupogen will begin to get his counts moving.

John has been a little down and needed to be reassured that this butt kicking was worth it and the doctors had high hopes for another successful outcome. His main oncologist paid him a visit and recapped the steps they are going to take. Besides his lack of strength, things are on target. He really needs to get his counts moving and rest to rebuild his energy. One of his favorite nurses, Moe was with him most of the day and kept Jess and her parents up-to-date on his status and occupied him with talk of the Ohio State game.

He has been through more than any person should be, but his desire to keep fighting overwhelms many.

Jessica had the D&C Monday morning and was resting. Everything went as good as can be expected in a situation like this. She will need her rest as well to recover from her procedure and is not sure if she will make it to the Clinic tomorrow.

It is these low times where John needs us the most. Please continue to pray, post and call to keep his spirits up.

"A Lot Of Fight Left..." - John Buskirk

2009-01-04T20:31:00.003-05:00

John, Dwight and Sue Bowdens & Jessica

John is still very exhausted; emotionally and physically. He slept all day yesterday. He tried to stay awake most of the day today. It was great to see him awake and talking, but he was very tired. He kept fighting trying not to go to sleep. He had a rough early morning vomiting and diarrhea. His white blood cells are actually going down instead of coming up. The doctor decided to give something called Neupogen. It is a white blood cell booster. They questioned this because they don't want to stimulate leukemia cells if they are hiding out in his bone marrow. So we will see what this does. It usually takes about a week or so for it to work. It is to early to do another bone marrow biopsy because of his counts being so low. It wouldn't show anything; it would be a waste to put him through that.

He actually ate a little more today for lunch. He just doesn't have an appetite at all. He is drinking plenty of fluids though and they have added some lasix to help in getting rid of the excess fluids he is carrying. They have started to taper down the steroids. He is now at 60 mg. His skin is looking so much better his legs are still blistering, weeping fluid and are still very swollen. Cardiology is still following him and doing EKG's and echo cardiograms every few days. They were in today and said his heart is functioning very well at this point it's just the fluid that is still there; but he has no issues with a fib for awhile. His hickman is holding up very well so far.

He had a few visitors come while he was awake today. The Bowdens (Dwight and Sue) who are in the picture above. They are very close friends of ours. The McGruders (Gru and Steph) also very good friends of ours. He was very happy he was awake to see them all. He is still having a very hard time staying awake.

He says hello to you all and that he still has a lot of fight left; he says "I'm just getting my ass kicked a little right now". Talk to you all soon.

2009 Brings More Challenges And Bad News...

2009-01-02T17:18:00.003-05:00

John got his hickman put in this morning they were able to get it in on his left side as he requested. They will be keeping him on most of the antibiotics to hopefully stop any infection that tries to pop up. In the meantime, we pray that this one does not get infected. He is extremely tired still sleeping throughout the day and the night. They are now checking his blood sugar before meals since the steroids have increased the sugar in his blood; he did need a shot of insulin this afternoon. The skin is still getting better his face is looking much better it's mostly his legs that have a lot of blisters and open areas on them. His counts really aren't moving up. They are kind of at a stand still. He still requires platelet transfusions every morning.

We got some bad news this morning that the second baby no longer has a heartbeat. I will be having a D&C Monday morning. This is, as many of you know, our fourth pregnancy. We are both taking this very hard. This wasn't supposed to happen this time. John was very upset to hear this news as he was getting his hickman when my Mom and I were at my ultrasound.

Please continue to keep John in your thoughts and prayers.

Here's To A Better 2009...

2009-01-01T19:36:00.002-05:00

John, Brenda and Ziggy (Luke's Parents)

John has been extremely tired today. He did take a quick shower this morning which made him feel a little bit better. The hickman has been postponed to tomorrow early to mid morning. We told the doctor our concerns. We asked for other options and it has come down to they will try to put it in on his left side since none of his hickmans have never been infected on that side. He told the doctor and the assistant that came up later that if they can't do that they need to come up with an alternative.

The doctors have confirmed through another skin biopsy that it is not graft vs host disease it is from the chemo. It is starting to look a little better but it is still very ugly especially his legs. His counts aren't moving except for his platelets keep getting chewed up and requires a transfusion every morning. He was hoping to watch some of the Rose Bowl but was doubtful. Luke's parents (Brenda and Ziggy) came to visit for a little bit today there is a picture above of them with John from today.

Happy New Year. Talk to you all soon.

Out with 2008...And The PICC Line?

2008-12-31T19:25:00.001-05:00

John has been extremely tired and has been sleeping most of the day since yesterday. He has gotten up and ate and taken a couple little walks around the unit. His white blood cells are hanging steady at 280 and he has needed platelet transfusions every morning. The doctors are happy with how his skin is starting to look better. His legs are still weeping fluid and still has some blisters on his legs and arms.

He called a little bit ago to say that while he was turning on his side in bed he pulled his picc line out of his arm. He said it really didn't hurt. They have plans for him to get a hickman put in tomorrow. We will be trying to stop that in the morning. We will be asking for another picc line or some other kind of central line. They have finally gotten the infection taken care of from the last hickman and he does not want another. So we will see what happens in the morning. That's about all for tonight.

Happy New Year to you all.

White Counts On The Rise...

2008-12-29T19:16:00.002-05:00

John had a busy day. His white blood cells are rising he now has 300 so far there are no leukemia cells floating around they will continue to watch them as his counts keep rising. I missed rounds this morning but John said once his counts are high enough and his skin has improved and he is clear of infection and leukemia he will be able to come home prior to transplant like he did last year for a couple of weeks.

We went to the eye doctor today to make sure he is not getting graft vs host in his eyes; they believe it is from his skin that is leading to irritation of his eyes. They gave him some eye drops and an ointment to keep them lubricated. We got back from that and he took his first shower since being admitted on Dec.10th. It wore him out but I was able to get the majority of the flaking skin off and he looked and felt a ton better. His skin is starting to calm down he has a long way to go to back to normal though. The blisters on his legs are weeping so we have to keep changing his sheets and padding that soaks up the fluid.

He also took a walk to the lounge this morning. He is very wobbly and can't attempt this by himself yet. He was able to check the blog and read all your comments. He had much more energy today but was exhausted at 4:30. He had a few visitors. The Tulino's came after their appt. Carrie and Stacey from Taussig, he kept them well entertained. His mom and my Dad came after work. My Dad brought the news that the local talk radio was saying that the Browns should go after Coach Meyer. John thought that was funny and he would be crazy to even think of talking that job. It is looking good for John to be home to watch the Gators on the 8th. That's all for tonight talk to you soon.

Counts On The Rise...And Another Room

2008-12-28T20:07:00.003-05:00

John has been feeling a little better today. He is still extremely tired and worn out. His skin biopsy came back as dermatitis; but the oncologist, nurses, myself and John all know that it is graft vs host disease (gvh). His oncologist who is on service now (he's had him in the past) says it is grade 4 gvh. The steroids are definitely helping it isn't spreading as much and is not as inflamed as it was. He still has a long way to go to get rid of the blisters and for his skin to heal. His eyes have been bothering him and seem to be worse today we believe that it is in eyes now. He is getting eye drops and the steroids will also treat that as well. His kidney function levels were elevated somewhat today if they continue to go up they might have to put him on a dose of 1 of the anti rejection meds he was on. He doesn't need to get gvh of his kidney since many of you know he only has 1 to work with. We will see how his levels do in the next coming days.

His white blood cells are starting to come up so we will see what they are producing in the next few days; there are still to few to tell at this point. If they are producing leukemia cells he will need another round of chemo before he can get the chemo prior to transplant.

He has changed rooms. The nurses feel it would be better if he was across from the nurses station due to him being unsteady on his feet and at times he likes to try things on his own before thinking. He also still out of it as he calls "loopy and not quite all there". It is much better for him, nurses and staff to keep a eye on him until he starts feeling better. He really misses his dogs he keeps dreaming they are laying next to him and he starts to pet his legs. That's all for tonight will update you all again tomorrow.

Onto the BMT Floor...

2008-12-27T20:29:00.006-05:00

John & Gordo

John & Moe

Jessica & Moe

John has now moved to the bone marrow transplant (BMT) floor. He is happy to be there he feels "more emotionally and physically stable" on this floor now. We don't know if they will keep him there straight up to transplant or if he will come home leading up to transplant.It will all depend on his recovery from everything he has going on at this point. His counts really aren't moving up yet so there is still some time that he will be at a high risk for a number of things. He is extremely tired and when he is sleeping he is talking or fidgeting. His skin is not as flaming red today but he is covered in some nasty blisters that are leaking everywhere. They have doubled his steroids because that seems to be helping in the treatment of the skin issue.

He is in one of Luke's old rooms now; John was across from Luke when he was in this room now. He was talking and half sleeping today he said it's not the same without Luke to go through this again. He has a lot of the same nurses on this floor that he did a year ago. He has his favorite nurse Moe with him today. There are some pictures attached of Moe and one of Gordo and John from this afternoon before he left for the airport. That's about all for today. He will be getting some much needed rest today and night and we will see the docs in the morning.

A Day Of Gifts...

2008-12-26T21:47:00.005-05:00

John had a better day today. He was more awake and alert for most of the day. He didn't have any episodes of a-fib or fevers last night or today so if that continues he can possibly go back to the oncology floor tomorrow(Saturday). His skin is now blistering all over his arms and legs. Dermatology has him on all needed creams and have increased his steroids to help in treating this problem. They are leaning more towards a chemo burn or graft vs host disease. The results of the biopsy will be in by Monday until then they are treating it as if it were both of these; so treatment really wouldn't change.

I had another ultrasound this morning. It is no longer identical twins. The smallest no longer has a heartbeat and will just reabsorb itself. The other still has a good heartbeat but is small. So I go back again next Friday for another ultrasound. It was very hard to tell this news to John but I couldn't keep it from him. He was sad and thought it was his fault.

John got a big surprise this afternoon. One of his closest friends from college (Gordo) flew in from New Jersey today to see him. He was so excited to see him. He is staying until tomorrow and hanging out with him tonight in his room. My parents, brother and his girlfriend came tonight for John to open his Christmas present; a Keurig single cup coffee maker) he can't wait to get home and use it. The biggest gift that was opened was for my Dad. We had been planning to get my Dad a GPS system for the farm to put on the tractor. John was upset that he wouldn't get to see my Dad open it so they brought it to the hospital. My Dad was so surprised and it made John's day to see him finally get what he has been wanting for a long time.

That's about all for tonight. Hopefully he will have a calm and restful night and possibly move back to the oncology floor tomorrow.

Another Christmas At The Clinic...

2008-12-25T18:08:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas. John was sounding good this morning when I talked to him before I left the house. When I got there he was extremely tired. He was hoping he could take a shower today but the docs want to give his skin a few days to settle down. It is very ugly; there are a few pictures of it below...you get to see what he is dealing with. We still don't know yet if it is from the chemo or it is graft vs host of the skin. He is on a number of different creams to treat it and they have put him on prednisone (steroids) 80mg to help with treating it. I was able to get him cleaned up and we cut his hair because it is starting to fall out and is itchy. That took about 30 mins and he was incredibly tired.

He was able to read the article in the paper today and he said what a good job Bob did on it. He did go into a fib last night but was able to get out of it quickly. He has to go 48 hrs without any episodes of a-fib before they will take him back on the oncology floor. We will be unwrapping presents on Saturday morning at the clinic because my brother wants to be there for it. So we will have more pictures up on Saturday. Hope you all enjoy your Christmas with your families.

Ghost of Christmas Past...

2008-12-25T09:36:00.002-05:00

The Star Beacon did an article on John's story which appeared in today's paper. Click HERE to view the entire article by Bob Ettinger. He did a tremendous job capturing the spirit of John & Jess and their love for friends, family and most of all, each other.

A Calmer Christmas Eve...

2008-12-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

John is now out of cardiac ICU. They did not need to shock him back into rhythm as they thought last night. They were able to get in back to normal throughout the night using fluids, magnesium, and potassium. We have had a very rough few days on the floor he was on and we refused for him to go back to it. The oncology floor can't take him back yet due to the a fib last night and high fevers. He is now on the heart and lung transplant floor. This was chosen because it has the telemetry (monitors to keep checking his heart rate) and they are familiar with patients that require similar care as he does. This floor also takes Bone Marrow Transplant patients when that floor is full so they have an idea more than the other floor. The oncology team will still be following him closely while he is on this floor. It is nice because it is in the new part of the clinic so everything is brand new.

He is extremely exhausted. He has a very bad rash still not sure if it is from the chemo or if it is graft vs host disease flaring up. Dermatology was in today to take a skin biopsy so we will know more when those results are in. He does still have fluid around the back of his heart the doctors don't believe that is sending him into a fib; they think it is the infection that he is fighting. It doesn't help that he has no immune system right now but they have all the antibiotics going that they can to fight it for him. Hopefully by the end of next week into the following week his counts will start to recover to help him fight it. He was having many conversations with people last night while sleeping. It was actually funny to hear him saying the things he was. He was talking to my Dad, Coach Meyer, and the dogs. Hopefully he will get some much needed rest the remainder of the day and night. Merry Christmas to all.

Trying Day To Say The Least...

2008-12-23T20:37:00.003-05:00

Jess asked me to post a few details about the day, which has not been very good. Between a upsetting visit from ENT, and a fever of 105, John's heart went back into a- fib and he is back in the cardiac ICU. They have been trying to get his heart back to a normal rhythm since 4:00 p.m. or so with drugs. It has not worked so far. Jess was called back to the clinic when they were passing the 615 exit on Rt. 90.

They are exploring the option of trying to shock his heart back into rhythm. There are risks in doing this because of his platelet counts, but at this point it is felt the benefits outweigh the risks.

Jess is going to try and call me later tonight with any updates and I will forward them on the blog to you...please keep him in your prayers tonight. This is one of those critical points in his recovery.

-Jim Timonere

A Better Day...

2008-12-22T20:18:00.003-05:00

John is having a much better day than yesterday. I couldn't make it due to the weather and a full day of morning sickness. I was able to stay in contact with him and the doctors. He did get a picc line put in after a platelet transfusion. He won't need to be a pin cushion as much anymore. He will be getting 2 units of blood tonight. They were waiting on the blood bank to send it up. He did go into a-fib last night along with a fever. He has not had any a-fib issues today so that is a good sign. They have now determined that the issue with the a-fib is from an infection. Infectious disease believes they have it covered with all the antibiotics and now have added another to hopefully get this taken care of. The doctor said things are definitely better than yesterday and they will keep checking on him through the night.

I talked to him around 6 he was definitely more perky. I think that had to do with the fact that the majority of his favorite nurses were visiting him. He can't wait to get back to his nurses. They have all become more like family to us now than just his nurses. He said he was still very tired but not as bad as he was where his eyes would shut mid sentence or while drinking water. They have started some lasix to get rid of some of his extra fluid. Hopefully it will be a quite night with no issues and see what tomorrow brings for us. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Another Day Of Ups And Downs...

2008-12-21T20:21:00.001-05:00

John had a very rough day. He has another fever his heart has gone back into atrial fibrillation and he is vomiting. He had started out the day with a brand new nurse so when my Dad and I got there I couldn't take it and I went to the supervisor and said he needs someone with experience. He requires too much care to have a new nurse. So that was taken care of. We were just not feeling confident in what this floor was doing for him. So I went down to the oncology floor to see what needed to be done to get him back there. They had a room for him but by the time I got back upstairs his blood pressure had dropped and heart rate had increased. It is better for him to keep being monitored on the floor he is on now because the oncology floor does not have all the monitors and IV meds to control his heart. They had gotten him stabilized when we left and he is just so exhausted.

He has been through so much since Thursday night. He says he feels okay just really tired. He can barely keep his eyes open. Hopefully they can get this figured out and taken care of soon. He has 110 white blood cells floating around his body now so they are loading him up on a number of antibiotics to cover anything that tries to pop up and complicate things even more. Hopefully he will sleep through the night with no problems and see what tomorrow brings.

On The Move Again...

2008-12-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

John was moved from cardiac ICU this afternoon to another floor to be monitored. This floor will be monitoring his heart rate and blood pressures on a monitor. He will stay there for 3 or less days to make sure he is stable enough to go back to the oncology floor. The oncology team will be following him closely until he can get back down to the oncology floor. He is extremely tired and worn out. He said he is tired of being a pin cushion; hopefully they can get a central line in him in the next couple of days.

He is now what they call neutropenic which means his counts are bottoming out and he is very susceptible to infections. Visitors will be limited during this time for that reason and due to his fatigue. That's about all for tonight.

Tour de Clinic...

2008-12-19T15:57:00.001-05:00

This will be quick as I am exhausted. John is now in the coronary cardiac ICU. He called last night around 10:00pm saying his heart rate was too fast. He called back and said they were moving him and gave me to a doctor who we are not very thrilled with. So my parents and I rushed up there; by the time we got there they still had not moved him. John was very pissed off because he felt o.k. and they were making a big deal out of nothing; which was a 190 heart rate! So they finally got him to the cardiac step down which was an adventure when he is neutropenic and we are taking the full tour the Cleveland Clinic with no mask on. We were maybe on cardiac step down for an hour or little more until his blood pressure dropped so off we were to the ICU; at least we got to see the new Cleveland Clinic heart center.

There are many things that can be causing this problem. There is some fluid around his heart. First it could be lingering infection, a bleed, or stress on his heart from chemo. They don't have an answer yet. They couldn't shock him to get him back into rhythm because he has 15,000 platelets and that would not be good. They talked about taking the fluid out with a needle but it is behind his heart so they went with a chemical shock that worked throughout the night by using IV meds.

His hands and feet look absolutely horrible from chemo rash; they had extremely hard times getting the IVs in him. By around noon he was starting to stabilize he is still in ICU for the rest of tonight with a possible move back to the oncology floor tomorrow but not for certain yet. He is on 5 or 6 different antibiotics and the fluids have slowed down. He was extremely tired and was left with very good nurses.

I still made it to my ultrasound this morning. There are still identical twins that are sharing 1 yolk sack. So 1 is bigger than the other. I could see heartbeats today the 1 has a good strong heartbeat and the other is still small with a little flicker for a heartbeat. I go back again next Friday to see how they are doing. The little 1 just might fade away but I'm told with identical twins it sometimes takes 1 awhile to get going. So we will know more next week on their progress. Hopefully John gets some much needed rest the remainder of the day into the night as well as my parents and I. I will let you know of any updates.

Where We Are, And Where We Need To Be...

2008-12-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

Today, John needed 2 units of blood and a pack of platelets. He is ballooning up full of fluids. His ankles and hands are very swollen. We have been propping them up and it seems to be helping. It's kind of hard for him to get up and walk around the unit with low energy so he can't get the fluid out that way just yet. They might throw in some lasix in the next week if it gets too bad. His counts are dropping quickly; his white blood cells today were at 0.26 and he had 7,000 platelets. When I got there this morning he was waiting for me to get off the elevators he said it really wore him out to get there. While he was there he looked at the blog and checked email and was ready for a nap.

Dr. Sobecks came in this afternoon to talk about where we are with treatment and what the next steps will be. We really need to get him through this round of treatment and hope and pray he doesn't develop a severe infection, as well as the graft vs host disease doesn't come back, and the major thing is that he needs to get into remission with this chemo and stay in it.

If he gets any of these things they can be life threatening or they can be treated successfully and we move on to transplant. He plans to not get them or if he does get them he will beat them. Once he is cleared of any of these possible complications he will need some pre-transplant testing to check his heart, kidney etc to make sure he can tolerate the chemo leading up to transplant. Dr. Sobecks is looking at possibly getting him set for transplant if all goes well by mid to late January. He will have a repeat bone marrow biopsy in 7-10 days to see if the marrow is empty and hopefully not housing any stray Leukemia cells.

Chemo will end tonight around 6:30 or 7. The next step is to get him to his lowest point and see how long it takes his body to recover from this round of treatment. We just need to hope and pray that nothing happens as far as infections, graft vs host disease or the leukemia doesn't go into remission.

I know that is a lot of information and not the most uplifting. We all know what a fighter, strong, and stubborn man John is. He has the most amazing attitude towards all of this. It is unbelievable. If anyone can do this for the third time it is him. I just wish he didn't have to because it kills me to see him have to do this again.

He called me last night to tell me Vegas had a foot of snow. I was half asleep so I thought I was dreaming. I told my Dad this morning and he said Oh no he is delirious because of a fever. I turned on the news and sure enough Vegas had snow. I guess you never know with this crazy weather. Talk to you all soon.

Better Today Than Yesterday...

2008-12-17T20:13:00.002-05:00

John had a better day than yesterday. His fever seems to be lingering but not as high - 99-100. His blood pressure was really low today so they were pumping full of fluids to get it to stabilize. He is still very nauseous and extremely tired. He ate a couple bites of chicken fingers at lunch and was done. He slept all day and just called a little bit ago (7:00).

The doctors are hoping to get the infection under control so they can get a picc line in him to have better access for his fluids and other needed transfusions; the IVs will only last a couple more days. The good news is that chemo for this round will be done tomorrow night. That's about all for tonight if there is anything new tomorrow I will let you know. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Treatment Taking Its Toll...

2008-12-16T19:13:00.006-05:00

*Jessica called me (Jim) tonight and asked me to post the following info from our conversation and visit this afternoon...

As you know, John has been battling an infection and fever since Sunday. Janice and I stopped to see John & Jess this afternoon after my daughter's appointment. He still had a fever when we visited, but later in the day it began to get worse. Jessica said it topped out around 103 - 104 degrees.

While we were visiting, news of the source of the infection came...it was the hickman port yet again. After an afternoon of shaking from the fever, John & Jess finally convinced the nurses and docs to take the hickman out rather than try and treat the infection with antibiotics. He was heading down to have it removed when Jess and I spoke around 4:30.

His hands and feet have swollen quite a bit, and he has the rash from the chemo.

It was great to see John today...His spirit and sense of humor has not been affected one bit. He is strong and stubborn, and most of all John is a fighter. Please keep sending your prayer and energy his way, this is one of those tough times and he needs your support.

**Jess called on the way home from Cleveland with another update around 8:00 p.m.
John had the hickman taken out and he said it felt like the infection was being taken out with it. His fever has gone down to 100, and the shaking has stopped. He even had an ice cream sandwich, which was the first thing he has had to eat in a while. He was joking with the nurses and apologizing for such a hard day.

They will continue to monitor the fever and infection, but so far it looks like forcing them to get the hickman out now has paid off.

Many Steps Forward, One Step Back...

2008-12-15T22:34:00.003-05:00

We were hoping things would stay the way they were going. John's body decided differently.

He had a bad night which included some bad abdominal pains, vomiting, diarrhea and a fever. The abdominal pain could be a muscle strain from all the intestinal issues he has going on or possibly the graft vs host flaring up. They are testing everything to see if that can be the case or if he might be developing an infection. His fever still has not broken. They started him on some antibiotics this morning to get a jump on any possible infection. He has been so nauseous that he is getting a lot of meds to help it. He slept all day and got up to go to the bathroom. He is really not eating anything; his appetite has really decreased quickly. He is happy though because he can lose the weight he put on from the steroids from transplant.

His counts are steadily dropping; he will most likely be getting blood and platelet transfusions in the next couple days. That's about all for now thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Sunday With Friends...

2008-12-14T19:33:00.003-05:00

John had another busy day with visitors. Dave and Dom from Harvey came this afternoon. Patrick and Jimmy, his younger brothers, came shortly after that. He was waiting for Geno, Donald, Gipper and possibly Billy to come visit a little later.

He has been very tired, been having diarrhea and is losing his appetite very quickly. His counts are dropping; he needed magnesium this morning but no need for blood or platelet transfusions yet. The doctor is pleased with how things are progressing thus far. They are doing further testing on his bone marrow biopsy that won't be in for another 2 wks; but they do believe it was in the marrow. It really doesn't matter anymore if it was in the marrow - the treatment would not have changed. As far as the lumbar punctures go, since he has not had any complaints or symptoms to lead them to believe that it would be in the spinal fluid, they will not put him through that as of now. He might have 1 done in a few wks but it is not important at this time. The Idarubicin is done. That is the chemo he had for 3 days. The the cytaribine will be completed Thursday night.

Things are moving along well it seems as though he is feeling the effects a lot sooner than in the past; we aren't sure if that is a good or bad thing yet. His counts will continue to drop this week, decreased energy, increased fatigue and increased nausea and diarrhea this week. This will be the last post for a couple days unless something comes up. Please keep him in your prayers.

If there is anything that comes up during the week I will let you know.

A Visit From The Boys...BUZZSTRONG

2008-12-13T19:19:00.004-05:00

Left to Right - John, Senior Heralds Jeremy, Jacob, Jake and Eric

The chemo is starting to work. John is feeling tired and nauseous. He says he can feel it already making him feel not all together there. He was nauseous this morning and got some meds for that and took a nap for awhile. His white blood cell count is starting to go down as well.

My Dad came to visit after working for a little bit this morning. Then 4 of his senior football players came too see him( Eric, Jake, Jacob, and Jeremy) He had a great visit with them. They are going to be ordering wristbands that say BUZZSTRONG on them and will also have his football number 55 on them. We will let you all know when those come in. My brother and his girlfriend Sarah came in this afternoon. It was Sarah's first time to the clinic she was amazed at the size of the clinic. Brenda and Ziggy (Luke's parents) came to visit also. It was great too see them. Moe was with us for awhile so we all were reminiscing of Luke.

We are asking now that since he is starting to feel tired, nauseous, and with his counts starting to drop, if you would like to visit that you please call our cell phones to see if he is up to visitors. We would really appreciate it and know you will understand. Thank you.

John's Third, Jessica's Two...What!!!???

2008-12-12T19:56:00.004-05:00

John is feeling tired and nauseous today. He is a little sore from the bone marrow biopsy and the hickman but feels better once the morphine kicks in. Chemo started last night about 6:00 so by next Thursday night he will be done with the chemo for this round. Late next week into early next week will be the start of his counts dropping and him not having much energy and not feeling well.

The big news of the day came at the ultrasound this morning. John was able to get disconnected from the chemo and walk over to the other side of the hospital with me. We were waiting in the waiting room and a woman was walking out of an office and it happened to be my old neighbor Molly Cuddy. It was so great too see her. The ultrasound is showing IDENTICAL TWINS. Jen Snow you were right!! I am at 6.5 wks right now they like to have patients with a history of miscarriage to come in early for the first ultrasound. Given that it is early they aren't seeing everything they would like too see. There is nothing to really start worrying about yet we are being told that this happens a lot with such an early ultrasound and that there were 3 other patients just like me today with the same issue. One is a little bigger than the other as of now. They had me have blood work done to check my levels and they all came back with excellent numbers. I go back again next Friday for another ultrasound to see how they are developing. We were lucky 1 of John's nurses he has had in the past now works in that office so she stayed with us during the ultrasound and will stay for next weeks ultrasound. Thanks Rachel!!

John's senior football players are coming too see him in the morning tomorrow so he is very excited too see them. He was able to get on the computer today and read all the emails and look at the blog he was very touched by all your comments and prayers. Thanks for everything and talk to you soon.

A Day Of Testing And A Phone Call From A Gator...

2008-12-11T20:25:00.001-05:00

We had a very busy day. John got his bone marrow biopsy around 9:00 then had an echocardiogram to check on his heart to make sure it is in good shape for this round of chemo, then off to have the hickman put in. While he was getting the hickman I was moving his stuff to his private room on the oncology floor; so now he is where he needs to be. He is quite the favorite on this floor and will be well taken care of. He took a nap once he got up to the room still a little out of it from the drugs today.

Chemo will be starting about 6:30 or 7 tonight. The first drug will be cytaribine for 24hrs a day for 7 days then he will get Idarubicin for 3 days about 2 hrs a day. His counts will start to drop in about 10days and that is when he will be feeling the worse. They will be premedicating him with some anti nausea meds based on his history with these treatments so hopefully that will ease the side effects. Once his counts drop they will be checking to see that this goes into remission. We are looking at about a month stay in the hospital pending on how all goes. The next transplant will depend on how quick this goes into remission and how he is doing. We don't have any definite answers as for when the transplant will take place. It is known that he will need another transplant. They will be using Billy (his brother) again.

John's counts will begin to start dropping late next week into the following week. Once his counts start dropping this is when he will feel the worst and get sick from the side effects of the chemo. We don't know if it will be better than it has been in the past or worse. So just know that he will not be feeling well at all during the process of bottoming out his counts.

The best part of his day was a very special phone call from Coach Meyer to check on him. He called while he was getting his bone marrow biopsy done. John called him back and was so excited to talk to him. He is getting ready for a huge weekend with the Heisman and a huge game Jan 8th and for him to take time out to call John was amazing. I can't begin to describe to you how that made him feel.

Baby news: We have the first ultrasound tomorrow morning at 9:30 in another part of the clinic we are hoping he will be able to come along with me while the chemo is running; not sure if it is possible yet. Thanks for all the emails and prayers. Talk to you soon.

Return To The Cleveland Clinic...

2008-12-10T19:33:00.004-05:00

John has been admitted to an overflow floor due to the oncology floor having no beds yet; hopefully tomorrow sometime. We rushed up there today just to be admitted and have blood work done. The doc didn't have time to do the bone marrow biopsy this afternoon but as of tonight it is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:30. The docs have been looking more closely at his blood work from Monday so far it is showing what looks to be AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) When he relapsed the first time it came back as ALL and AMl. They took some more blood tonight and will be looking at that as soon as it comes back. So tomorrow will be a very busy day he will have the bone marrow biopsy at 8:30, then is tentatively scheduled to have the hickman port placed, then possible lumbar puncture in the afternoon. He will be well drugged up for all of these procedures. The treatment plan as of now will be to start chemo possibly Friday if not earlier. He will most likely get Cytaribine and Daunarubicin. These have been the worst chemo treatments for him in the past. We are possibly looking at a month stay in the hospital pending what the test results show.

He is very pissed off. Tonight was his last grad class for the semester and had a presentation to do for it. We were supposed to leave Sunday for Vegas for our Christmas gift. If he has to watch the BCS Championship (GO GATORS) game in the hospital he will be extremely pissed off. That is about all for tonight. I will update when we have more info. Thanks for all the phone calls and emails. We really appreciate it.

Relapse...

2008-12-10T12:56:00.005-05:00

John got a phone call from his oncologist this am with the results of his routine lab work from Monday. The Leukemia has returned as of now it is in his blood. We don't know any more than that right now. We are heading up to the clinic for him to be admitted, bone marrow biopsy, lumbar puncture and possible other tests. They will get those results to see if it has returned to the marrow and spinal fluid. That will tell us what we are looking at. We don’t know the course of treatment yet as there are a few options; we need to get the results of bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture first. He is out far enough for another transplant but would not be able to get the radiation again due to the amount he has already gotten. They will most likely use a different type of chemo to start with. Again this will all depend on the results of these tests he will get in the next couple of days.

This is a huge shock to us right now and he will beat this again. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts. I will update you as I am able. Please hold off on trying to visit until we know what is going on. I will update you as I can with any info. We will not know anything until late tomorrow or Friday from test results.