John Dunnigan details his journey back to health

The weekend that began Jan. 22 was a busy one for John Dunnigan. Busy, but not all that unusual. At least not when it started.

It was Dunnigan’s regular night for playing at the Great Northern Bar and Grill. The next day he served as a judge at the Northwest Artist Syndicate’s Singer/Songwriter Showdown event at Crush Lounge.

Saturday was double-duty: A solo show at the Boat Club at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, followed by a special appearance with the Lil’ Smokies at the O’Shaughnessy Center. Sunday he was at Casey’s Pub and Grill for the Winter Carnival’s skijoring awards ceremony.

According to Dunnigan, the packed weekend was filled with good friends, good music, a lot of laughter and a lot of tequila.

Early Monday morning a long, busy career caught up with him.

Monday, Jan. 26

Dunnigan said he woke up around 4 a.m. with pain in his stomach. He thought it might be a bad case of indigestion or maybe food poisoning.

Then the pain became worse. Dunnigan said the intensity hit suddenly, and that by about 5 a.m. the “pain was so off the charts.” Dunnigan’s wife, Andrea, rushed him to the emergency room at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish.

“You just go into emergency mode,” Andrea said. “It was very, very scary.”

By the time John was admitted at North Valley, he said the pain was “so horrific I couldn’t catch my breath.” He was put on heavy pain-killers right away.

The next thing he remembers was waking up days later at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Wednesday, Jan. 28

By Wednesday morning word had gotten out that the valley’s beloved musician was in serious trouble. John and Andrea’s two sons, Andy and Jimmy, as well as a few other close friends and family members, had been at John’s side for 48 hours.

“In those first couple of days, we didn’t know the extent of what was happening,” Andrea said. “We didn’t sleep for about a week.”

By this time the diagnosis had been confirmed: John was dealing with a severe case of pancreatitis. Andrea said they were told by doctors that for 30 percent of his pancreas, “the lights are out.”

John said pancreatitis can be worsened by additional infections, causing enzymes to go where they aren’t supposed to and internal bleeding. While he was still in a pain medication-induced haze, his family was hearing a range of possible scenarios from the doctors.

One of the realities is that pancreatitis can be fatal.

“Your whole life kind of stops in that moment,” Andrea recalled. “The idea of going through the rest of life without him … It was frightening.”

Tuesday, Feb. 3

On Feb. 3 John was released from the hospital and sent home to rest. By this time Scott Moore, a fellow musician and close friend of the family, had set up the website https://helpjohndunnigan.wordpress.com to help get updates to friends and fans. Well-wishes, cards, gifts, meals and donations had begun pouring in.

“People have been so generous,” John said. “The response has just been overwhelming.”

Andrea said the support was overwhelming.

“We’ve seen such an outpouring of love and support from so many people,” she commented.

On March 1 Andy shared some of the same sentiments as he thanked people on the Helping John Dunnigan website.

“They say you come to realize who your true friends really are in trying times. If this is the case, which it most certainly is, my father has more friends than anyone I’ve ever known. But it’s certainly not just the quantity that matters; it’s the caliber. Friends of the highest echelon have showered our family with support. Phone calls, flowers, post cards, and hand-crafted meals have inundated my mother and father’s house since Day One. A profoundly beautiful thing to witness ... To use my dad’s poignant and profound words, ‘It’s just unbelievable, man.’”

The following weeks and months were filled with ups and downs in John’s recovery, including another stay in the hospital in mid-February.

The Dunnigan family found comfort in the support of friends and family during the ordeal. John described it as “the most surreal time in my life.”

They also credit the staff at both hospitals. John said he took a lot of comfort in knowing his doctors were the best of the best.

Drs. Neal Wilkinson and David Sheldon are surgical oncologists at the Northwest Center for Specialty Oncology Care in the Department of Therapeutic Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where John received his care.

“The doctors were fabulous,” Andrea said. “We are really fortunate to have them here in the valley.”

Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20

John said he was feeling all right. Not 100 percent, but overall pretty well. He said he went into the doctor’s office for a scheduled check-up and CT scan to find out how his recovery was going.

After looking at the scans, the doctor told John he was a “ticking time bomb.” A large cyst had developed in the dead area of John’s pancreas and blood clots had begun to form.

His weekend fishing plans were put on hold and emergency surgery was scheduled for the next day.

Doctors removed John’s gall bladder, the dead part of his pancreas and the cyst, and then attached the remaining section of the pancreas to the side of his stomach.

The surgery was deemed a complete success.

John and Andrea said his recovery since March has been nothing short of miraculous. With a new restricted diet, a firm no-alcohol policy and a second chance at life, John said he is looking forward to what comes next.

Jimmy said it was a wake-up call for the whole family.

“You just don’t know when your time is up,” he said.

Since January John said he’s lost 30 pounds, has read practically every book in his house at least once and is “really enjoying my time off.”

The time off officially comes to an end this weekend. John played at the Yakima Roots and Vines Festival in Washington on Saturday. He plans to return to the local stage with the Lil’ Smokies at the upcoming Dunnigan Fest in Whitefish on May 28.

Going forward, he hopes to take some lessons from his experience.

“I’ve got some guilt, some remorse,” John said. “I felt invincible. I was playing Jimi Hendrix on one hand and taking shots of Patron with the other. This was a chink in the armor.

“Death never went through my mind, and maybe that was because of the drugs I was on. We were told at one point there was a 30 to 40 percent chance this could be fatal. But I thought, you know, I’ve caught some big fish. When the time comes, I’m ready to go where the fishing is always good.

“It turns out I have more songs to write and more fish to catch.”

Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.