Welcome
Donna, Al and Stephanie Brown have lived in the Garner area for 24 years. Al has worked as District Manager for Lance, Inc. in the Wake County area for the last 21 years. For the past 3 years, he has worked for Human Resources and Training through the corporate office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Donna has worked for the Garner Post Office for 24 years. They are very well known in the Garner area.
Al Brown was diagnosised with Pancreatic Cancer in March 2010 and had the Whipple Surgery, which lasted for approximately 8 hours. However, the surgery was not able to remove all of the cancer. Due to this, Al had to undergo 30 treatments of chemo and radiation. After completing the chemo and radiation, the doctors determined that his cancer had spread to his liver, lungs, and head, and told him he had less than 6 months to live if that. After hearing this, the doctors gave Al the option to travel to different hospitals all around the United States to participate in Research Trials. The hospital, John Hopkins, denied him several times but finally decided to see him for an appointment. Donna and Al traveled to John Hopkins the week of August 16, 2010 for their appointment on that Wedesday, August 18, 2010. On that day, Donna and Al received word that they would not be able to receive treatment due to Al having taken chemo within the last six months. This is not the news anyone wanted to hear. However, Al continued to fight by continuing with chemo and radiation until Al began to have strokes caused by the cancer. The first stroke affected a small part of his brain which left Al unable to finish some sentences, but he managed to recover. However, the strokes continued and got worse every time. Finally, the strokes affected his whole right side of his body, and he was left unable to use his right hand and leg. Walking became difficult and feeding himself or writing, he could no longer do. Along with the strokes, the cancer was still spreading. It had now spread to his shoulder, abdominal wall, liver, many lymph nodes, lungs, and the outside of his head. Stopping this deadly disease seemed to be becoming impossible. Finally, on Wednesday September 8, 2010 Al was hospitalized because his wife, Donna, could no longer take care of him by herself. Al by that time could no longer walk, rarely ate, and became someone who slept all the time. Donna did not want to hospitalize Al, as it was his wish not to, but she knew she had to do what was best for him. Al stayed in the hospital Wednesday night, and was then moved Thursday September 9, 2010 to Hospice of Wake County where he would live the rest of the time he had on earth. As the days went on, Al's condition worsened and his breathing patterns became irregular. Finally on Friday, September 10, 2010 the doctors informed his family that he was beginning to change in color and his breathing had worsened. Donna, and his daughter Stephanie, who had came home from college Wednesday night when Al had been hospitalized and was there every day/night since then with her mom and dad, knew it would not be much longer for their husband and dad. A friend of Donna's had stopped by to take Stephanie to grab a bit to eat and bring something back for her mother, since they had not eaten all day, when as soon as Stephanie left, Al passed away. Stephanie left hospice at 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon, and Al passed away two minutes later at 2:32 pm. It was almost as if Al did not want his babygirl to see him take his last few breathes. Al passed away at 2:32 pm on Friday afternoon on September 10, 2010 at Hospice of Wake County. He has left behind a wife, Donna, and daughter of 18 years old, Stephanie.
Thank you for everything everyone has done and continues for Al and his family. Please remember him and his family! It will be very much appreciated.
Please help this family with a donation
Donations can be mailed to:
James Allen Brown
c/o Wachovia Bank
1301 5th Ave. Garner, NC 27529
acct # 1346
or through the webpage via PayPal