A Good Friend

This week I had a note from a friend, Greg that I had not heard from for some time. Just prior to my heart transplant, Greg told me he was experiencing some heart issues and would be seeing a doctor at the University of Washington Hospital. Greg’s condition, Cardiomyopathy (thickening of the heart muscle) had progressed to the point the muscle was interfering with the flow of blood through the chambers of his heart. The thing about Greg is that he is extremely athletic. An avid outdoorsman, SCUBA diver and instructor, and he enjoys climbing. Greg and his friend from Forks, Stan, introduced me to climbing with Mt. Olympus, Mt Adams and then Mt. Rainier. Greg has been climbing up to a few years ago. Today Greg gets around in a wheel chair. This Friday, he and his wife will fly back to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to be checked in for heart surgery on Tuesday. The procedure he is going to have is new and not performed in many places. The procedure will require that the surgeon opens up the heart to slice off a section of the thick muscle that is impairing blood flow. Greg’s heart will heal after this procedure and allow for proper blood flow through his body. Please join me in keeping Greg in your prayers through the upcoming weeks. The photos above show Greg and I on Mt. Adams and at Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier.

This week I was discharged from the UW Medical Center without any clear understanding of what is going on. The discovery of some spots on my lungs seems to be something that was being dealt with back in February and March. I am on a new medication to take care of the problem if it is a bacterium. I will be checked out in two weeks to see if there is any more information from another set of CT Scans of the chest.