June was the hardest in a string of hard months for Octavio Medina, 52, of Perry. He had a stroke while he was in Chicago receiving cancer treatments and was moved into hospice care there, but he longed to return to Perry and spend the remaining months of his life with his family in the home they shared here for the last 12 years.
Since 2013 Octavio operated the popular taco truck, Tacqueria el Vecino, at 508 Second St. in Perry. At first he partnered in the business with Israel Canal-Rubio, whom he met when they worked together at Casa de Oro in Jefferson, but when Canal-Rubio returned to Mexico last year, Octavio ran the restaurant with the help of his wife, Rosalina Medina, and their son, Octavio Medina Jr., 15.
The elder Octavio learned he had cancer in 2014. He carried on as usual for a few months and kept the news from his family, but he could not hide his weight loss from his wife, and his condition finally became known.
“He didn’t want us to worry,” said Rosalina, “and he was always hoping to get better.” Rosalina spoke to ThePerryNews.com with the assistance of Samantha Yager, an interpreter provided by the Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa Community Voices program.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed in Iowa City and Chicago, and it was during a follow-up treatment in Chicago last March that Octavio had a stroke. He entered hospice care, with Rosalina nearby along with some other family members in the Chicago area.
The care was good in Chicago, but Octavio wanted to come home to Perry. When his family learned the cost of transporting him to Perry would be $2,000, they had to give up on the idea because the price was out of reach for a family of modest means.
That was when the HCI Foundation stepped in to make Octavio’s dying wish come true. The foundation paid $1,700 of the transportation cost, with the Chicago hospice covering the balance, according to Katie McIntyre, media relations coordinator with HCI Services.
Octavio Junior said he is sad his father is ill but happy to have him home.
“I was pretty excited” about the HCI Foundation’s help, Octavio Junior said. “I wanted him to come home already, and now I can see him here every day.”
He said his father’s illness has been “hard to take.” Octavio Senior “used to be up and moving around no matter what,” his son said. “Now he’s always in his room. It’s sad. He used to watch soccer with me all the time. Now I watch it by myself.”
Octavio Junior will be a sophomore at Perry High School in the fall. He said his freshman year was unsettled, with frequent trips to Iowa City and Chicago complicating a schedule already full with schoolwork and paid work at McDonald’s.
But his counselor at PHS, Angelica Cardenas-Diaz, was very helpful all year, Octavio said. She explained the situation to his teachers and arranged for Octavio to send and receive his homework online.
“They told me not to stress too much about it,” he said of his PHS teachers.
The last year or two has given the young Medina a crash course in cancer medicine. He can now discuss treatments and use technical medical terms with an ease and familiarity far beyond his 15 years.
“I’m for sure going to go into the medical field,” Octavio said. “My dad has been in and out of hospitals, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing all those medical things. I’ve learned a lot, too, from everything he’s been through.” He said his goal at present is to become an EMT paramedic.
The young Octavio has his own bucket list, including lots of travel — to “the Bahamas, Spain, Italy, lots of tropical countries.” In the meantime, there are responsibilities to shoulder at home.
“I remember whenever my dad would leave for Chicago, he would say, ‘You’re the man now while I’m gone and until I come back.’ So I have to take care of my mom and do things around the house, too, like take out the trash and stuff like that.”
As he speaks in a tone of quiet confidence, Rosalina looks at her son with a mixture of sorrow and pride. He is the man of the house.
The HCI Foundation raises funds to help hospice patients like the senior Octavio cross items off their bucket lists. The HCI Hospice Care Services’ Quality of Life fund covers care costs of hospice patients in need and also funds final wishes.
“Before I Die” is the theme of this year’s Art of Compassion, a new fundraising event benefitting HCI Foundation. Tio promote their cause, HCI Care Services and Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa have placed giant chalkboard “Before I Die” walls, similar to the one in Perry — currently at Caboose Park — in high-traffic areas across Des Moines, including at the Iowa State Fair.
The fundraising campaign will culminate this fall with the Art of Compassion’s evening celebration Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Capital Square Atrium in downtown Des Moines. For more information or to purchase tickets for the Art of Compassion celebration, visit the Art of Compassion website.
