Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Nadine and Rick Strelka of Caribou. Their 30-year-old son, Derek, of Rose Hill, Kansas, faces a life-threatening disease and is in immediate need of a double-lung transplant. A 1996 graduate of Caribou High School, Derek has twin brothers — Mark, who lives in Fort Fairfield, and Todd who lives in West Jordan, Utah. Here is his story as written by Derek’s brother-in-law for the local newspaper in Kansas.
Special to the Aroostook Republican
Derek
Along with being a loving father and husband, Derek Strelka is one who battles a seemingly unbeatable disease. Derek grew up enjoying the same things any other child would; basketball, swimming, hiking and other physical activities. Derek is from Caribou. He grew up a strong member of his church, and even served a mission in Russia for two years. Derek’s life long goals were to find the woman of his dreams, marry, have children and grow old with his family. Diagnosed at 22 years of age with PPH (primary pulmonary hypertension), which is a heart/lung condition, Derek learned his life would not be what he expected.
Mary
A loving mother, caring wife, and the primary moneymaker for her family. Mary grew up in a small town near Portland, Ore. She grew up with a family that fostered many children who were in need. Mary also loved the outdoors and physical activities. Mary’s goal in life was to find the man of her dreams, get married and have a family. Mary wanted to have children right away. After having children, Mary wanted to stay at home, raise her family and be a loving support to her husband.
Jensen
A miracle baby that was not supposed to even be possible. Due to the large amounts and types of medicine Derek takes, the Strelkas were not sure they would be able to give birth to a child. Jensen Leo Strelka was born on Dec. 6, 2007. He continues to learn and grow and shows no signs of complications from Derek’s medicine. He brings such joy to their family.
The family
Mary and Derek grew up on opposite coasts. They met online in a chat room and fell in love almost immediately. They decided to become engaged even before meeting face to face.
Derek was open and honest about his condition.
Mary, who grew up with a diabetic Dad who took shots daily, simply said, “So what do we do to take care of it?”
The illness
The effects of PPH are serious, life changing and extremely difficult to live with. Derek wears a fanny pack that holds the medications that flow through a tube directly into his heart. When first diagnosed, Derek’s doctors didn’t know what kind of life expectancy he would have. A double lung transplant was the only cure, but after a transplant, the life expectancy was five years, so he was told the transplant would be the very last resort.
Now, eight years later, Derek is told that without the transplant, he would most likely not live three more years. He now, besides his fanny pack, carries a portable oxygen tank with him 24 hours a day.
Derek is now number two on the double lung transplant list, and if he does not get it very soon, he will also be in need of a heart as well, as the disease is destroying his heart.
When baby Jensen was born Derek worried that he wouldn’t be able to see his son graduate from high school. Now Derek fears he won’t even be able to watch his son enter kindergarten.
Mary suffers from the effects of the disease as much as Derek does.
Mary has to wake up throughout the night when Jensen wakes up. She works six days a week and only has Sundays off. When Mary gets home from work, she has to take care of Jensen, as Derek is physically exhausted from caring for him during the day, and takes care of the house and has not time to sit and relax or spend time with her dying husband.
All of this is causing a physical as well as emotional strain on Mary who is suffering from depression.
Out of Mary’s small income, over $500 monthly goes toward medical insurance for the family.
Derek does have Medicare, but it does not take care of all of his needs and will only cover 80 percent of the transplant.
The wish
Mary and Derek have reached out for whatever help is possible, but they seem to be one of those families that “fall through the cracks.”
If Mary quit working, they would be financially better off because they would qualify for help. As it is, they are told she makes too much money. With Mary and Derek’s limited finances, they have to find the means to take trips every six months to Denver to the hospital where his specialist is. Derek could not live in Denver, because of the altitude. Gas money for the trips, motel stays and food all comes from someplace they don’t even have.
All of the problems Mary and Derek face still don’t cause them to complain. They cherish each and every day that Derek is alive. They have definitely learned not to let the “small stuff” bother them. They continually do for others. Last Christmas they didn’t have much money for presents. Instead of buying for themselves they bought for other family members. They care more about helping others and bringing joy to others than they do about their own personal satisfaction.
Derek only has a little time left and is trying to enjoy it the best he can. Their little family stands in need of so much. All of us who love Mary and Derek have been trying to fill Derek’s “bucket list”. The family got him a scooter he could sit on and ride so they could take family walks together with Jensen in his stroller. Because swimming was a favorite past time for Derek and he cannot be submersed in water, they bought him a dry suit so he could get in the pool and splash around with his son.
Now Derek is not strong enough to even have the energy to put on the dry suit or hold himself steady on the scooter. As Mary and Derek’s family, we are reaching out to anyone who wishes to make life a little easier and brighter for this sweet young couple. Our dream for Mary and Derek would be that Mary would not have to work for these next few years so she could stay at home and help raise her son and take care of her husband who has so little time left. But any help at all would make their life easier. As a family, they are truly deserving of any help that anyone would be willing to give them.
Mary and Derek didn’t ask for this, they didn’t do anything wrong in life to deserve it. They are just trying to be as happy as they can be and are grateful for what they do have in life, which for now is each other. They need all your prayers, they need a miracle, they need help to financially be able to afford what has come their way and to make their life a little easier.
For anyone who wishes to financially help, please send donations to: Strelka Family Fund c/o Rose Hill Bank; PO Box 68; Rose Hill, KS 67133.
