About The Jackie Wayne Stell Foundation

On November 27, 2023, Synette, along with her youngest brother Jason, watched their father, Jackie, take his last breath. Watching this moment and remembering all that her father endured inspired Synette to make sure no other family loses a loved one to prostate cancer due to a lack of awareness about risks and treatment options. The Jackie Wayne Stell Foundation was created to spread awareness about prostate cancer, its risks, and testing options.

I can remember it so clearly. When my father called to tell me that he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, he said "now I don't want you to get all scary Pumpkin." I thought to myself, how could I not? No one wants to hear the word "cancer" associated with their loved one. It was a gut-wrenching feeling. 

My father asked me whether or not he should have the cancer "cut out" or if he should have a laser surgery. I really didn't know how to answer, so I responded that I just wanted it removed. In my mind and with no knowledge of cancer and it's treatment options, I just thought cutting it out was the best solution. In my opinion (I am not a medical professional and I am not making any recommendations on treatment), I believe my father should have had the laser treatment. I believe cutting the tumor is what ultimately led to it spreading.

After my father's surgery, he immediately experienced erectile disfunction and incontinence. It felt like my father's manhood was slowly being chipped away. I can remember him talking to doctors about getting treated and he was told about different options that just did not seem to work for him. Having to go from wearing underwear to wearing Depends, and navigating how to change in public restrooms was really hard to adjust to. He did it though. He did it with grace and a smile which is how my father handled most challenges in his life.

In the years that followed, it seemed the biggest issues were the incontinence and the erectile disfunction. Then he started talking about his high PSA levels. "How can you have high PSA levels if you don't have a prostate," I would ask. I just really don't think my father received the best medical advice or care. We didn't know what questions to ask. There was so much we didn't know.

At one point my father decided to get a radiation treatment that his doctor recommended just in case, they said, there was cancer. Now, we (my siblings and other family members) observed that Dad had been losing weight. It wasn't too alarming because Dad ate healthy, was active, and walked every day. It made sense. In 2019, I noticed that he was really a lot smaller. When I asked about it, he said that he was okay and it was just because he wasn't eating as much as he used to.

Fast forward to January 2020 at my father's 75th birthday party (shown in the picture), he announced to family and friends that he was cancer free. That's what he was told. He was cancer free. Christmas of 2020, I noticed Dad was so small that it was alarming. I was really concerned, but he nor his wife, made any remarks regarding his weight loss. 

Dad always told me when he had a doctor's visit. He mentioned that he was going in for a scan. When I followed up with him about his appointment, his response was "you don't want to know." I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't prepared for the news. His voice breaking to keep from crying, Dad said "it's in my bones Pumpkin. It's all throughout my bones, my skeleton." Why hadn't his doctors checked Dad's bones before when they noticed his PSA levels were so high? I found through a simple Google search that prostate cancer likes to hide in the bones! Why didn't they check his bones years ago?!!

After that news, it was a race to find the best treatment possible. I can remember my sister and I researching trying to find options. My brothers were trying to help Dad understand food options. Dad's wife was also researching different options. It almost felt frantic. I still didn't think Dad was going to die from this. We are a Christian family and our faith was strong. We believed Dad would conquer this.

Dad received various treatments with his last in May of 2023. He seemed to be doing well prior to that. He was walking around his driveway for exercise again, he was taking the trash out and cooking. He seemed to be regaining strength. 

My daughter (Dad's only grandchild) and I flew to Dad's for Spring break. As soon as the plane landed I turned on my phone and saw several text messages from my brother. Dad was being taken to the hospital. I called Dad's house and his wife answered informing me that Dad was unresponsive and she called the ambulance. The calcium had begun leaking from Dad's bones and caused increased calcium levels which affected his cognitive ability. From that point on, there were highs and lows, but Dad never regained full mobility. He had also been re-admitted to the hospital a few times and the doctors consistently said there was nothing else they could do.

On November 27, 2023, Dad passed away.