Lodi family deals with deadly diagnosis
Longtime Lodi residents Peter and Letty Nava were both successful business owners when tragedy struck. Now Peter is suffering from double lung cancer that has metastasized, and was forced to end his 30 year career as a respected tile layer in the community. Letty is trying her best to maintain her business, Nava and Co., while being her husband’s main caregiver.
It all started when Peter developed a cough back in December of 2016. He went to the doctor and was given cough medication, which didn’t work. For four months, he kept going back and forth to the doctor, and none of the medications or cough syrups the doctor prescribed worked.
During that period, Peter had developed a persistent cough and had also lost a lot of weight. By April of 2017, Peter’s cough had worsened. He had previously been a liver transplant recipient, so Letty decided to schedule an appointment with his former liver doctors at the University of California, San Francisco. It was there that the Navas discovered that Peter had cancer.
Peter began chemo treatments immediately, and soon after, doctors discovered that he had a mutation in his blood that allowed him to take a new medication on the market. The medication worked for Peter and he was able to stop the cancer, but only temporarily.
The doctors had warned the Navas that the medication would only be effective for about a year, and then the cancer would find a away to navigate around the medication. And it did.
“One year to the date, he started coughing again and at the same time he started having a hard time swallowing food. In April of this year we found out that the cancer had come back and spread to his esophagus,” Letty said.
Doctors informed the Navas that Peter could return to chemo, and he had his first dose on June 7 along with a surgical procedure on his esophagus that would allow him to swallow food. When they returned home from the treatments Peter never fully recovered. Two weeks later during a hospital stay a CT scan revealed that the chemo had caused the cancer to spread to Peter’s lymph nodes, stomach and spine. According to Letty, Peter’s prognosis is grim.
“There is no chance. It’s terminal. The doctors called hospice, and three weeks ago they told us he only had a few weeks left. It’s really difficult,” Letty said.
The day Letty received that devastating news, she immediately decided that her place was at home. She cut her hours at her store located at 6 W. Oak Street in Downtown Lodi. Currently, her daughter is assisting her with maintaining her store, meanwhile she is at home providing 24hour care for Peter.
“I do everything for him,” she’s said. “I give him all of his medication. I change him. I feed him. I bathe him. It’s around the clock. He’s on oxygen as well. We both sleep in the living room because the bed is not comfortable for him, and it gets tiring, but I try to rest when he is resting.”
For the Navas, the support from the community has been overwhelming. They’ve received several prayers, dinners and visitors during this difficult time.
“That support is what lifts us up, and I can tell that he’s happy to see people because he doesn’t feel alone,” Letty said.
Peter’s tile clients and Letty’s customers were devastated by the news of his illness and have been very understanding and supportive of them during their time of need.
Letty said her Facebook page for her store is filled with thoughts and prayers. They give her strength, and she is really appreciative of them.
Family friend and former client Denise Warmerdam was heartbroken to hear the news of Peter’s illness. Their children attended St. Anne’s School together, and she has known the Nava family for over 20 years.
“I was very sad,” Warmerdam said. “They are just such a dear, faithful family. It’s just very difficult. Pete has done tile work for us in the past. He has done tile work for many homes in the Lodi area as well as St. Anne’s Church, and he was their main bread earner. It’s just been devastating. Letty has had her store she’s opened for a couple of years, and that’s always been her dream. She was finally able to do that and now Pete is not well. It’s time for friends to kind of circle the wagons around them.”
Warmerdam said that the Navas have often been the first to help others in need, from their friends to their church community.
Warmerdam has started a GoFundMe page to help the Navas with their expenses. As of Thursday afternoon, $4,405 had been raised. The goal is $10,000.
“We don’t want Letty to worry about finances at this time,” Warmerdam said. “She just needs to be able to focus on Pete. They are very proud people. Letty would rather have somebody come in and buy a piece of her jewelry than just donate to them.”
Those interested in donating should visit the GoFundMe page at https:// www.gofundme.com/assistance-for-the-nava-family.
“We’re just taking it one day at a time,” Letty said. “It is scary to just have the shop and being able to keep those doors open is very important.”
Both Peter and Letty have lived in Lodi their entire lives, and they have raised three children, Michael, Stephanie and Jennifer, who have all pitched in to help with the care of their father.