This crises is over! Nurses are removing all kinds of plastic tubing from Suzie's body and physical therapy is helping to assure that she has enough body strength as all of us prepare for her return home on Thursday or Friday of this week. The major change going forward is that she will now have a machine to help clear the carbon dioxide from her lungs as she sleeps.

Three years ago we thought Suzie was reasonably healthy. In September 2006, we learned that she had a rare cancer that was thought to be untreatable. In March 2007, we learned that she also had COPD but we never thought that this disease was life-threatening. What this experience has taught us is that the COPD, which we were not worried about, is as much a threat to her survival as is the cancer. And that really sucks!!!

Going forward, we plan to continue spending time with friends and family and to living our lives to the fullest extent possible. We must avoid crowds and we must be extremely diligent when it comes to washing our hands and to avoiding those who are ill.

Mike