Eric Goes Home!

I can't believe my eyes. Eric's wife, Sue, sent an update, and Eric is home! Apparently he was able to work it out so he could go home rather than stay at the hospital.

He will be home for the next 3 weeks, or so, while his feet heal. After that, he will have to undergo skin graft surgery...then off to the rehab hospital.

But for now, he gets to be home with his wife and children. When I called the house today, he couldn't have sounded any happier. The kids were watching baseball with Eric. They've set up a hospital bed in the home, and some of the neighbors built a ramp so he can get in and out of the house in his wheelchair.

Here's her note (by the way, Lanie is their daughter):
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They had Eric all packed up and ready to go when I got to the hospital around 2:15. As we left his room, the nurses had all gathered at the nurses station and gave him a baloon, a card and a huge round of applause. They all told me how much they would miss him and that they had fought over who would take care of him each day. It was very touching.

Getting into the car was a breeze and the drive home was no problem.

When we came down Wagner Ave., we saw that the whole neighborhood had decorated their trees with yellow ribbons. They were also all waiting to see him. So, we had an impromptu party with cake and snacks in the backyard.

In the meantime, Ray and Mauro had decided that the rent-a-ramp idea was silly. So, they built us one. Since these pictures were taken (Brian note: I couldn't upload them to the blog, sorry), they added side-rails to ensure I don't dump him into the sandbox.

So many friends and neighbors stopped by. We had a really lovely afternoon. I am sure he will sleep well tonight!

Lanie wanted to type a message:
Mom said sometimes I can bring my sleeping bag down stairs to sleep by dad.

Progressive Dinner

I want to thank the four Troy restaurants that are joining together this Sunday for our progressive dinner party. McCormick and Schmick's, Maggiano's Little Italy, Kona Grill, and Morton's the Steakhouse have either donated or have significantly reduced their costs to help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I can't thank them enough! Thanks to their generosity and kindness, we will raise nearly $1,500 for the society in one night. That is a lot of money. I couldn't have planned this event without Amy (McC/S), Annette (Mag's), Steve (Kona) and Andrea (Morton's). They truly are wonderful people, and deserve more thanks than I can write here.

Thanks to my friends at the local newspapers, the restaurant's generosity will not go unnoticed. Cindy Kmett ran a story in today's Somerset Gazette, and Megan Pennefather is writing a feature article for Thursday's Troy Eccentric. I only hope the picture in the Eccentric is better than the picture I submitted to the Gazette. I'm still surprised that the printer didn't shut down the line when my face appeared in the paper.

I can just hear it now, "shut down the line! We've got a problem here."

"What's that, boss?"

"Someone published the wrong picture, that's what's wrong. I mean, really, who would let THIS go through."

"I know, boss. But its the only thing they had."

"Naw. Cindy would never do that. She wouldn't let through something like...well...like THAT"

"You're right. But the guy isn't all that attractive...I've met him before...and unfortunately, that's what we got."

Begrudgingly, the printer turns back on the press. "Well, okay then. Let's just hope the dinner party is better than this picture!"

Team Bonding

For those who really know me, you know how much I struggle meeting new people.

I know...you would think with the line of work I am in, I would be comfortable at it. And if you know my dad, you would think I was a natural!

But I have a hard time meeting new people. I am much more comfortable laying back at first.

I think most people are the same as me. At least I like to think that most people are like me.

Oddly enough: I hate working out by myself! Go figure.

So, it is wonderful to see our team beginning to bond. There is a real sense of camraderie carrying through the group.

Because we are all at different levels, we don't really have a chance to bike or run together at practice. But we do hang around afterward and share stories.

Stories about our families. Stories about how Leukemia or Lymphoma has touched our lives. Stories about the latest celebrity breakups.

I really liked hearing the celebrity stories. Apparently, it is all the rage in Hollywood to do time for DUI. Who knew?

I really am surrounded by some wonderful people. Each week, we get together to train for a common cause. A cause, I am learning, that impacts more people than I ever imagined.

Then we drink. Not in the Hollywood DUI way... hmmmmm... well...ahem...maybe that's why I'm not losing any weight.

But seriuosly, I am humbled to be around such wonderful and caring people. I am equally humbled by all the friends and family that are supporting us, spiritually and financially.

Ouch...

I didn't mention much about my Grand Haven triathlon experience, other than my times and scores. It was my first day back from being gone for almost two weeks, and..."Oh stop your whining already!"

Okay, Okay. I hear ya.

In any event, sorry. It was a truly wonderful experience. My mind and my body went through every known emotion throughout the 1 1/2 hours.

My body is still going through some emotions...its called pain! Holy crap. It started with my left heel. I had this shooting pain explode from the ball of my foot shortly after I crossed the finish line.

After seeing me hobble around earlier in the week, Andi, one of my teammates, helped me out with these awesomely-cool magnetic insoles. Within a day the pain started to go away.

But then I got a cramp in my right leg at swim practice. I don't know if maybe I was babying my left leg, and set myself up, or I didn't recover yet from Sunday, or..."really, stop the whining! It's getting to be annoying."

Well, Andi's magnets have been helping out, too. That, and the five pounds of bananas and three quarts of magnesium.

Man, I knew what it was like to be fat and lazy. It never hurt this much!

But then, I remember that I still got it easy. There are so many people who are afflicted and impacted by blood cancers, and I think they would gladly trade places with me.

I think I'll stop whining.

Things are looking good for Eric, yeah!!!

Here's the latest from AJ:
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People for the Liberation of Eric –

Membership continues to grow. Who knew he had so many friends? If you knew him like I knew him…

Eric had the staples removed from the skin graft on his right arm early because it is healing so quickly. The foot surgeon doesn't think they'll have to do any reconstruction where his toes used to be. All is looking well on the healing front.

They are talking about removing the tube from his throat. He hasn't been on the vent in some time, but they kept the tube in place just in case. They have been plugging it up (with bubble gum, I assume) for long stretches of time to see if he can take it. He seems to be taking it well. Hopefully they will remove the tube soon.

Another hand specialist was in to do some testing on his left hand. The results showed pretty severe damage, I'm afraid. The Doc said the nerve damage on a scale of one to 10 was a 10. My brother, the overachiever. Not really sure what they're going to do with it at this point. Probably they are going to want to give it some more time before deciding. There's a chance some of the nerves could regenerate given time. He's probably looking at some surgery down the road. Apparently they can move tendons and muscles around in there to give him more use of the hand. I'll keep you posted.

All of this leads to the very best news: It looks like Eric will be leaving Yale soon. Perhaps even as soon as tomorrow. They are going to move him to a rehab facility in White Plains that's about 10 minutes from his house. It will make like much easier on his wife and kids to lose that 75 minute drive. I will let you all know when they spring him. He is ready for a change in venue, and really looking forward to getting out.

Eric's attitude continues to defy skeptics. I think we can all be thankful that this happened during baseball season. He's watching more games than he has in years. Many, many thanks to all of you who continue to visit and send him obnoxious cards.

Grand Haven, what beautiful city

I did it. I finished my first triathlon.

Wow. Now I can call myself a triathlete.

Not a good triathlete, mind you. And it was a sprint triathlon. I have to go twice as far in September. I still have a long way to go to be ready for Washington DC. Needless to say, I will be at our group swim practice on Wednesday and the TNT brick training on Saturday.

But still, I did it. And, if I can boast, I am pretty proud of my results:
I came out of the Swim in 1st place in my age group (4th overall) with a 2:13 pace. I still did pretty well in the Bike with a 18.4 mph average (17th in my age group). The Run felt really weak. But I managed to keep an 8:42 pace (15th in my age group). So, I can't complain too much about the run. In all, I completed the event in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

I didn't set a goal for myself before the event. Really I just wanted to know that I could do it. And I couldn't have done it without you. Knowing that I have friends and family that care and support me and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society really made a difference through out the day. Thank you so much.

I'll have an update on Eric in my next post...