Ill light a candle for you and your hubby tonight, and hope that the good vibes reach you both.

Kara

Yikes to #6; poor Baron! Your list is pure genius - it’s awful it’s based on your true life experience. I like the idea of taping it to every hospital door.

Rest now my lady.

Also, there is the human tendency to interrogate to try to find out the cause of the disease…

Questions like: Did you smoke? Do you eat white flour? Or did you always wear a condom?… are more about the questioner trying to calm their own fears of their own mortality than providing comfort for the other person…

Also, take candy… Even if the person can’t eat them or doesn’t want them… It’s for the staff… You want the staffers dropping in as often as possible… So offering them candy brought by a guest is a sure way to set a good mood of hospitality and the staffers WILL be by more often!

Take care Karen! And well wishes to the Baron.

Rachel - Thank you.

Roo - Thanks. But I think that no one will recognize themself.

Catma - You’re right, it isn’t long enough.

Shelly - It doesn’t matter what the illness. I do understand that when we don’t know what to say, stupid things tend to come out of our mouths. Plenty of stupid things have come out of mine. . . Hugs for Sean, friend.

Mike - Thanks for being there - and you can ask any questions you’d like!

SB - Thanks. Oh, and since we’re home now we must be up to entertaining. Sigh. . .

Zen Panda - That was AOK, thank you.

Linda - Thank you.

Steve - Are you channeling Mom with the caps? I know, I know, I need to work on my shyness.

Richard - Good one. Thanks.

Robert - Thanks, you are right on about courage.

Guusje - Very familiar. . . thanks for the hug.

Kirk - Oh, I know about well-meaning. I too, have had extensive hospital stays & recuperations. I just don’t comprehend the people who are suddenly interested - really - folks who have had nothing to do with us before. And it seems that they obviously have been watching too many TV medical dramas. Hugs for Sheba.

Anonymous - We are grateful for the wonderful friends, family and neighbors that we have. But we are exhausted by the folks who never gave a damn about us before who are now hovering.

When Lou Gehrig (the legendary baseball player) was diagnosed with ALS (the disease that would henceforth bear his name), his teammates on the Yankees would keep their distance from him for fear the disease was contagious (it is not). We know so much about many diseases, but what is so scary is that there’s so much we still need to learn (and that includes doctors). My ma suffered on and off for 25 years–which just means that God will take you when He’s ready. And in the Baron’s case, I’m hoping it won’t be for a long while–that this is just another test of his character.

By the way–diabetes isn’t contagious either. (I’ve had to explain that to folks a time or two.)

Kirk

When my friend Pie was so ill she kept getting cards that said “hope you feel better soon”. yeah right. She was terminal. Those cards were tossed across the room in disgust. She liked the thinking of you cards and the funny cards. And the sometimes life sucks cards. Because sometimes it does.