Mike Dillon

1958-2020

This site is in loving memory of Mike Dillon. If you knew Mike, you likely know the list that describes him: loving, caring, fun, adventurous, a prankster, strong, whip-smart, generous, thoughtful, and on and on.

If you didn’t know Mike, you would have wanted to.

Any stories or photos that you’d like displayed on this site should be sent to: mikedillon1958.memories@gmail.com

Mike’s obituary can be read here

On February 1, 2021, Liz provided the information below regarding the circumstances of Mike’s passing:

Mike died less than two months ago. At times the grief is overwhelming. It’s been difficult wrapping my head around how Mike, who could bike 100 miles/day, garden for 8 hours non-stop, survive an Arctic hurricane in a tent, etc. could die within one week of experiencing severe abdominal pain. Our dear traveling-companion-physician friends analyzed Mike’s 694 page medical records and autopsy and determined he died of SEPSIS. His body was stronger than the “typical 61 year old male” and masked how sick he really was.

Upon admission to El Camino-Los Gatos hospital on 11/26, his CT Scan revealed a perforated viscus. The on-call surgeon discussed with Mike the options of treating it with surgery or antibiotics. True to form, Mike chose antibiotics. The hospital released him on 11/30. He was so happy. Emily and I brought him home. But this was only for two hours, before he experienced horrible pain. After consulting with his surgeon, we took him back to the ER. He was readmitted and scheduled for surgery on 12/1. What started as laparoscopic surgery, turned into open surgery to remove part of his colon, as his surgeon realized he had a perforated colon. The area was washed and 3 drains were left in. Emily & I spoke to Mike post-surgery on 12/1, he was happy and pain-free. (He also spoke to Declan and Bryce and expressed his love for them, too). He had no idea his organs were shutting down (nor, as it appears did his surgeon). The next morning, Mike was sitting up in a chair, chatting with the assistant surgeon, the nurses, the nursing supervisor and texting many of his friends and family. Devastatingly, the antibiotic-resistant infection had already seeped into his bloodstream and his organs were shutting down, ultimately causing his heart to stop. He stood up, told his nurse he felt a little dizzy, sat down, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he had no pulse. Due to COVID, throughout Mike’s time in the hospital, none of us were able to visit him. This made his unexpected death all the more jarring and painful.

As awful as it is having Mike gone, it gives me some relief knowing why he died. On his last morning, Mike made a point of talking with the Nursing Supervisor to compliment the staff. It was so Mike. Such an amazing human. The world is a sadder place without him.