Why is Jon Duncan still hospitalized after doctors found two bacterial kidney infections?

Four days ago, Tiffany Duncan was waiting anxiously for blood culture results while her husband, Jon, battled a kidney infection amid an already difficult fight with cancer. The fear was that the infection could have turned into sepsis. Now, after days of uncertainty, the family has received an update they had been praying for: so far, the blood cultures show no signs of sepsis.

Jon remains hospitalized at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, where doctors are treating two bacterial infections in his kidneys with two different antibiotics. The infections have kept him in Utah instead of allowing the family to make the seven-hour drive home to Montana. For Tiffany, the immediate focus is now on helping Jon get through treatment and watching closely as his condition gradually improves.

This latest hospitalization comes after a long and difficult cancer journey. Jon was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of bladder cancer in January 2025, beginning a series of treatments that would ultimately include five surgeries, chemotherapy and repeated bladder treatments. Despite those efforts, the cancer could not be stopped, forcing doctors and the family to face an even more significant operation.

Doctors eventually removed Jon’s bladder and created a neobladder using part of his intestine. After that procedure, the hope was that he would eventually be able to return home to Montana with Tiffany. Instead, the kidney infections changed those plans, leaving the couple in Utah while doctors work to clear the bacteria and make sure Jon is strong enough to continue recovering.

For Tiffany, the past several days have been filled with the kind of uncertainty that can make every update feel enormous. She had been waiting for blood culture results while worrying that the kidney infection might have spread into his bloodstream. Now that the results have shown no signs of sepsis so far, she has something positive to hold onto, even though Jon remains hospitalized and his recovery is still unfolding one day at a time.

Treatment is continuing as doctors use two different antibiotics against the bacterial infections affecting Jon’s kidneys. Tiffany says the process remains day by day, with Jon slowly beginning to feel more like himself as the medications do their work. There is still a road ahead, but the latest results have given the family a reason to breathe a little easier after days spent fearing a potentially devastating complication.

Through everything, Tiffany is holding onto faith and the prayers surrounding her husband. She says she is hoping the antibiotics clear both infections and that they can eventually make the journey home safely before moving forward with Jon’s recovery. After everything the couple has already endured since his cancer diagnosis, even a small piece of encouraging news carries tremendous meaning for them.

For now, Jon’s story remains one of persistence through another difficult medical setback. His family is waiting for the infections to respond to treatment while holding close the encouraging news that there are no signs of sepsis in his blood cultures so far. The road home to Montana may have been delayed, but Tiffany is continuing to hope, pray and believe that Jon will regain his strength and eventually make that seven-hour trip home.