Happy New Year!

It's been a while since my last post. I'll explain more about that in my next post. I will publish that in the next two days. Really. Seriously.

A lot of things happened last year, especially over the last few months. For more details, read Jean's most recent blog. We anticipate things will happen in the next couple of months. We've lived on the borders of medicine over the last eight years. This year we may cross into uncharted territory or an undiscovered country. It's a lot to think about.

At this moment, on New Year's Eve, I'm thankful and I want to express that gratitude. The feeling of gratitude might seem odd, given the misfortune we've faced and the future to come. But it's still there after all these years.

I'm grateful that I've had the support of so many people in our lives: our family, friends, colleagues, doctors, counselors, and even strangers who haven't met us except online or in hospital waiting rooms. They are my evidence of goodness in the world, that even in the worst of times, we have each other.

Most of all I'm grateful to my wife. She's given me the chance to share her life with me. I'm living with the purpose of not squandering that opportunity. I look back at the previous eight years and think: if I could alter the foundation of molecular biology, and conquer what the world's best doctors can't resolve, damn, I would do it in a heartbeat... but I do not regret the time I have spent with her. Not a second. This is my personal treasure. I hope we'll be able to live without any regrets in the time to come.

So give your loved ones a heaping helping of love - you can never give and get enough. And have a happy, healthy, fortune-filled year in 2008!

Happy New Year Too!

It's been awfully busy from the end of the summer to the end of the year. House. Work. Family. Friends. Doctors. Doctors. And, now and then, Sleep. When you think about it, what were you missing?

So, yes, we're alive. You wouldn't know it from reading the blog. We promise to keep this updated regularly. Perhaps I'll even write some useful information about something. Stay tuned...

Rip van Pasco

Now that Jean's home and her parents are looking after her, I can catch up on many, many other things that were set aside. Like work. And updating this blog. And fixing the e-mail notification.

If you weren't receiving e-mail over the last few weeks, even though you signed up, my apologies. I had to make a few corrections to the blog software, which is otherwise well-programmed.

Jean was in the hospital 20 days - her longest stay yet. Being discharged after such a long stay is like waking from deep sleep. Rip van Winkle discovered he had slept through the American Revolution. We got home and discovered it was spring, snow had melted, and President Bush... was still President. Two out of three ain't bad.

I'll have more to say in the near future. If the e-mail notification didn't work - well, you won't know because you didn't receive any e-mail. But if you did - thanks for reading!