- Monday, 02-19: Jerry has been feeling sick for about a week, including headaches and fatigue.
- Tuesday, 02-20: Jerry is admitted into Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and diagnosed with acute myelomic leukemia (AML).
- Wednesday, 02-21: Jerry is moved to Froedert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI, and a catheter is inserted for chemotherapy.
- Thursday, 02-22: Jerry is in good spirits, commenting on how cute the nurses are, and is actually looking forward to chemotherapy.
- Friday, 02-23: Jerry wakes up, vomits, and loses consciousness. He is rushed for a CT scan which shows a huge area of bleeding in the frontal lobe of his brain. ["We feel that at that point we lost him." - Zach] He has brain surgery to remove the bleeding and part of the brain. He becomes unresponsive and is put on a ventilator for the rest of the weekend. Family and friends visit all weekend, who have to go up in small groups because there are so many.
- Sunday, 02-25: Jerry carries a fever which when treated with Tylenol reaches 101° F; untreated Jerry's temperature spikes up to 110° F.
- Monday, 02-26: A chemical trace in Jerry's brain reveals brain death. The decision is made around 4:45 pm to turn off the ventilator. Zach later says, "Its with great sadness that we lost Jerry today.... His heart was so strong, it didn't want to stop beating. That guy never quits! THIS SUCKS! [sic] He didn't feel any pain, except for the vomiting, but we all know that he was no stranger to that after a night of Jack Daniels'. ...Let's... celebrate Jerry's life, and not grieve his death."
So it is with a heavy heart and teary eyes that I will say farewell to a man who despite his intimidating stature and demeanor was a wonderful person and a great friend, a man who always put his friends before himself. I am thankful to have known him. May he rest in a better place.
