Blog – The Torkel Saga and HealthMan
Published – November 1, 2026
Title – How my Dad “Jerry” Died and Lived
George Gerald Torkelson - CPO
Contents
- Findings before Reading Death Certificate
- Final Three Days
- Friday at The Pulmonary Surgeon’s Office
- Need For Oxygen
- Steroids
- Surgery to Remove His Pericardium
- Diminished Appetite
- The Year Earlier Loss of Strength
- Exposure to Second Hand Smoke
- Smoking
- History of Exposure with Asbestos
- Carrying Disease & Toxins
- Active Aerobic Youth
- Born In 1922
- Willed Body Program
- 1993 – Our Dad - My “god” = electric light
- Prose
- How my dad lived: A picture show
Findings before Reading Death
Certificate
August 23, 2005 - I believe today
would be my mother’s, June Elizabeth Stoutenburg-Torkelson, birthday. Based upon what my father reported to me
during his yearlong illness, my father died of suffocation. He suffocated because he no longer could
clear the thickened mucous from his lungs.
The doctor said the mucous was thickened due to dehydration. I say that he no longer had the inter-costal
and diaphragmatic muscle tone to generate a forceful sweeping action cough or a
huff. From progressive reports from his
doctor I concluded that he had excess fibrosis in the thoracic cavity not just
lungs. Earlier in the year he had
surgery to remove his now inelastic pericardium (constrictive pericarditis).
Final Three Days
Throughout my father’s life I
remember him regularly doing huffs to clear his lungs. Two days before he died he told me that he
was unable to mechanize any clearing. I
took note yet did not see that this was the beginning of a fatal sequelae or
downturn. Some talk of drowning with
regards to processes such as pneumonia.
In a manner my dad’s pulmonary respiration impacted with thick mucus.
Friday at The Pulmonary Surgeon’s
Office
On the Friday before his death my
sister, Christine, and I accompanied my father to the pulmonary surgeon’s
office in Orange California. He showed
us another major problem; my father had a huge, over three inches in diameter,
tumor in one lobe of his lungs. The
doctor told us that if he operated and tubed him for general anesthesia he
would never be able to remove the tube again.
In less than gruesome language we got the message over to my father that
the situation had worsened and had become untreatable. I believe that it was at this point my father
spiritually began to leave this life. After
the doctor we met my brother Kevin and his wife Aurora at the Black Angus for
dinner. I took a picture of my
father. In the photograph I notice later
that his eyes are glassy and afar as if he was not here at all. It was nice to notice that my dad had a glass
of wine.
Need For Oxygen
The pericardial removal surgery
was intended to give him back some strength.
The surgery failed to do so. I
believed that his lack of stamina and strength were due to low aortic oxygen
partial pressure. Even though his
respiratory specialist did not agree he gave him an oxygen prescription
anyway. The oxygen may or may not have
helped my father to feel more comfortable.
It is rather expensive to have oxygen at home.
Steroids
The doctor was reserved to give
my father any cortical-steroids because they are not long-term solution. Yet I discussed with him how I really do not
think the long-term is an issue. My
father told me that he had a few better days after taking the cortical
steroids.
At Respiratory Specialists
At the respiratory specialists my
father was asked to perform some typical respiratory performance and integrity
tests. I remember my father trying so
hard to the point of near unconsciousness doing the total lung volume
assay. At this point I told the doctor
that it is obvious my father could not pass the assay and this testing was just
causing him suffering and hardship. At
this point the respiratory specialist not only discontinued follow up testing
he granted my father a handicap status.
Surgery to Remove His Pericardium
When my father’s doctors
concluded that he had a damaged pericardium we temporarily believed that this
might be the problem causing his lack of stamina. The surgeon removed his pericardium and completely
overlooked the probable tumor in his lung.
This surgeon did little or nothing to help with my father’s stamina
problem.
Diminished Appetite
My father fell ill in one day,
just over a year before he died. Soon
after falling ill he lost his appetite.
The lack of nutrition after a few months he began wasting. I assume that this general wasting affected
his muscle tone. The muscles that lost
the ability to function adequately were his intercostal and diaphragmatic
muscles. As I later thought that due to
the thoracic fibrosis he could not expand about the chest yet he also had
little ability to expand into his abdomen.
I believe this muscle wasting issue was progressive and integral to his
ultimate suffocation.
The Year Earlier Loss of Strength
One day my dad came to my
apartment in Laguna Niguel with my mother and cousin, Edward Stoutenburg. My parents had bought me two pieces of
unassembled furniture. My dad said that
just that day he was sick and could not muster any strength, that he could not
help me carry the 100 plus pound boxes.
It was as if something acute had changed in one day. I have no idea was system could be challenged
in one day and then become progressively worse.
Exposure to Second Hand Smoke
In my parent’s household the
whole of the time that I grew up my mother smoked cigarettes. This second hand smoke could only complicate
any pre-existing condition in my father thoracic cavity. I haven’t read yet the pathology and
progression of chronic long term second hand smoke exposure.
Smoking
When I was a child my father
smoked cigars. I remember him telling me
on numerous occasions that I couldn’t remember because he quit before I was
born. Yet I remember clearly him saving
and giving the cigar bands to Candace, my sister, so she could redeem some sort
of gift with the bands. The point is
smoking could have aggravated a pre-existing thoracic challenge or be a primary
trigger for excess thoracic fibrosis.
History of Enclosure with
Asbestos
My father worked for two years in
the bowels of the battleship Colorado from 1943-1945 during World War Two. I am not certain yet it is very likely that
there was asbestos within the ship. My
father's ship was hit many times at Tinian by Japanese shelling. I also believe that one or more kamikaze
planes hit the ship. Huge impact shakes
materials in the ship loose and cause fire.
It seems possible that my father had a history of asbestos exposure. In his later life he had a history of
chemical exposure both at work as a machinist and at home.
Carrying Disease & Toxins
Possible Corynebacterium tuberculosis
Exposure
My father grew up during the
depression, a time when the TB prevalence in the United States was
greater. The respiratory specialist that
he saw in 1998-99 could not rule out a history of TB. An early TB challenge could lead to some lung
damage.
Active Aerobic Youth
On the other side my father
indicated to me on several occasions that he was rather physically fit while
growing up. He mentioned some very
strenuous jobs such as laying railroad track as he grew up. Yet he never mentioned any aerobic events or
exercise. I think that his development
favored health rather that work against him in his ultimate pulmonary fatal
crisis.
Born In 1922
August 23, 2005 - Born in 1922 in
Minnesota my dad saw and experienced one of the biggest changes in World
History. He survived birthing, the
great-depression, prohibition, hard labor, Naval World War Two, migration from
Minnesota to California for a better job, economic boom, having 9 kids, giving
three kids away, conflict with his wife, conflict with his boys, social issues
of the 70s as they infected his home, etc.
In the last month of his life with his wife now deceased for a year my
father told me he was going to his Battleship (BB45) reunion in Texas. I felt that he would die at some point away
and told him to not go to Texas. He
didn’t go. My father died while in his
sleep period. I know from myself that
the suffocating event probably woke him up.
My sister says his eyes were open.
I almost did not go to see him before he was taken away. I went and had my last goodbye to George my
dad. I cried and gave him a kiss on the
forehead. Unlike my mother he was
already cold. I went to the foot of his
bed and massaged his stiffened feet.
Willed Body Program
My father donated his body to the
University of California, Irvine’s willed body program. My sister got his ashes back a couple years
later. He had been used to teach future
doctors that he would have been very happy to know. During his anatomical dissection not one
report came back about his unique thoracic pathologies. I remember in veterinary school that we were
to bring attention to the instructors any abnormalities so the whole of the lab
section could make note. Though I would
not have wished to participate in the whole of my father’s dissection I think
back that the lab on the mediastinum and thorax would have been rewarding. My father as of today lays to rest not next
to my mother, yet in his old safe, probably in a closet at my sister
Christine’s house in Huntington Beach California. She tells me that she knows what he wanted
and that was to do with him whatever he wished.
I personally wish that part of him were with my mother in Riverside
California and another part spread on the Pacific Ocean that he may re-enter
the food chain resume a part of life in an act nearly divine, just, and right.
Photo Gallery of George Gerald Torkelson
(Dad)
