Faced with his own mortality, Kevin Weber made an unusual decision.
One of two master trainers with the Fort Wayne Police Department’s K-9 unit, Weber is on medical leave after being diagnosed with brain cancer in April.
Doctors said the 55-year-old divorced father of three may have a year or two to live.
Trainers develop a close bond with their animals, and Weber is no different. If it worked out, he decided, he would be buried with his current dog, Badge, an 11-year-old Dutch shepherd he helped nurse to health after an illness in 2009.
Talking about his brain cancer, his family and his dog makes Weber misty-eyed.
“Don’t lie or take things for granted,” Weber said, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I have a relationship with time. I think every moment is precious.”
After wiping away the tears, Weber’s slightly trembling hands move to blot the corner of his mouth. What once was a full head of dark hair was shaved months ago, after it started falling out in clumps because of radiation treatments.
A scar above Weber’s left ear stretches almost to the top of his head – remnants of a three-hour surgery to remove lesions on his brain.
“Everything changed overnight,” his daughter, Megan Weber, said.
The two oldest children, both in college, make sure their dad is up in the morning and drive him to his medical appointments and other errands. They see that he takes his medicine and coordinate his schedule.
Numerous businesses around the community have helped Weber with work around his house and other needs. Fellow officers put on a benefit in May to raise money for the family
What hasn’t changed is Weber’s huge smile, his booming laughter or his torso-consuming hugs.
“My mission is to get healthy and get back to work. I expect my days are shortened, but we don’t know. You may die before me,” he said with a laugh.
What brought him to this point began on Weber’s shift on April 20. He started to feel strange. He was having trouble coming up with the right words in conversations, and he had a headache.
After working until 2 a.m., Weber awoke later that morning drooling uncontrollably. His mouth was twitching. He thought he was having a stroke.
Weber made sure his 13-year-old son got off to school and planned to drive himself to the hospital.
But Weber bit his tongue involuntarily and began bleeding. Unable to speak, he went to his neighbors for help. They called an ambulance. Doctors determined Weber had had a seizure but wanted to conduct more tests.
On Easter Sunday, after being in the hospital for four days, doctors told Weber he had glioblastoma, one of the more common types of brain cancer. But Weber’s case is uncommon because doctors think he has multiple tumors connected microscopically.
Bonded for life
Walking through his home in northwest Fort Wayne, Weber points to numerous awards, framed photos, letters of commendation and newspaper articles.
He talks about taking a job at the Allen County Sheriff’s Department just 10 days after a two-year stint as a Navy radio operator. Weber worked at Baer Field before taking a position at the Allen County Jail.
At 24, he joined the Fort Wayne Police Department and became a dog handler two years later.
As a young officer, Weber recalls hearing a dog handler talk about catching a burglar.
“I thought, ‘What are we as policemen – we’re hunters,’ ” he said. “We have to hunt the lost child; we have to hunt the bad guy – what better tool as a hunter to have than a properly trained police dog.”
One of the most memorable moments in Weber’s career was when his first dog, Zak, became the first certified narcotic detection dog for the Fort Wayne Police Department.
“I love the animals and they love me,” he said. “I get joy from seeing a raw animal trained.”
He also recalls one of his first arrests with Zak. The two were tracking a man who had broken into a house and was fleeing police. The suspect was hiding in a closet when Weber ordered him to come out.
“He came out with a knife. If I didn’t have the dog, I would have shot him,” he said. “The dog knew what to do.”
Zak took the man down, and he was arrested without anyone getting hurt.
“Kevin is just a tremendous trainer,” Police Chief Rusty York said. “He’s made the Fort Wayne Police Department’s K-9 unit one of the most highly respected in all the Midwest.”
Weber had three other dogs that worked for the department before Badge, who is used for bomb detection and tracking people and narcotics.
In 2009, the dog contracted a form of pneumonia that required a three-hour operation, a decision by Weber that might have saved the dog’s life. Badge repaid his handler through a recent display of love and dedication.
When Weber was plagued with intense pain for a few consecutive days, Badge never left Weber’s side.
“We slept together a couple of nights,” Weber said. “He was with me when normally he was in his kennel. He recognized it. I had headaches, and he seemed to be getting to me and helping me more than medicine.”
So, Weber says, if the dog dies before him, they’ll be buried together.
Mission: Get healthy
One of the tumors on Weber’s brain affects his speech.
“I sleep when I get tired. After I sleep I perform … ” he says trailing off and pointing to his mouth as he searches for right words, “I get better.”
Work with a therapist is helping. His speech and ability to remember things has improved over the past month. After six weeks of almost-daily radiation, Weber had his final treatment at the end of June. He is on a four-week break and will undergo more tests in August to see if the radiation eliminated or shrunk the tumors.
Megan, a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Saint Francis, moved back in with her dad after he got sick.
Matt Weber, 19, attends Purdue University but is home helping this summer. Kevin Jr. is 13 and attends St. Jude School.
“Seeing him get better and seeing him improve helps us,” Megan Weber said. “The waiting is hard. The fear of the unknown is hard. Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive.”
Her dad works to stay upbeat.
“I don’t want to miss anything that anyone has to offer. This brain cancer has given me the ability to do that,” Kevin Weber said, with tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “I have the support of so many people. … We’re going to beat this.”
