The Struggle Has Ended

Greg Hewlett passed away on January 17th after nearly eight years of battling colon cancer. While we grieve his loss, we are comforted to know that he is with his Lord.

If you would like to leave your thoughts on Greg, please see this thread.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Greg's honor, please see this thread.

Friday, March 4, 2005

Me & Martha

I'm not the only one being released. My pal, Martha, is reintroduced into civilization today, as well. So Martha, what shall we do first?

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Good to go

dr rod w greg.JPG

Today, Dr. Rodriguez-Bigas removed my drainage tube. This was the last foreign attachment holding me in Houston. Because it had been in for such a long period of time, he wanted to pull it out strong and fast. He put his hand around the insertion spot and pulled the tube not unlike starting a lawn mower. It was so fast, I wasn't sure what happened.

He tells us we are now free to leave town. I am so pleased to have made it to this long-awaited day!

Below are a couple of nurse friends who have helped me through the past few weeks. Phyllis, on the right, is the RN. Dr. Rodriguez-Bigas does the cutting, she does everything else!

n1.jpgphyllis.jpg




Wednesday, March 2, 2005

An Important Role

I've mentioned to you that Carl and Sue are down here supporting us right now. There was one very important role Carl played that I have yet to mention. Yesterday, when it came time to remove my staples, Christine hustled back out to the waiting room to retrieve Carl to come join us. He had done this once before. The protocol for my staple removal goes like this. The nurse uses the staple remover to extract the staples one by one. I hold Carl's hand and proceed to crush it with each staple removed. It went by quite well for me. I'm not so sure his hand did so well, though. Gives fresh meaning to the concept of bearing another's sufferings.

By the way, the pic below is the back side of the Hazel's house we visited yesterday...

Hazel House.jpg


Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Turning the corner

I think I turned the corner a day or so ago. I really feel some improvement in how I feel. The meds have caught up with the pain and nausea and I've found a good balance among them.

As best I can, I am enjoying passing the healing time away. Christine's parents are with us here in Houston and have been great companions to me and Christine during the surgery and my recovery.

Today, I cleared a milestone. They removed the fifty staples with which I have been zipped up. Thursday, I return for a final (hopefully) visit with the surgeon and to remove the drainage tube. Then we hope to return to Dallas Friday or so.

Today, we stopped by the Hazel's to pick up the piece of art Sarah painted for me. I am looking forward to enjoying this winter image reminding me of the warmth I received from everyone during this cold ordeal.

The going is still rough - I cannot sleep very well because of discomfort - but I am encouraged by the progress.