Ground Control To Major Tom ... David Bowie

Ground control to Major Tom Ground control to Major Tom:
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing countdown engine's on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you

Wow…what a flight I’ve been on. All your support, well-wishes, and prayers have gotten my family and I this far; however, we still need them so I can make a safe splash landing back into a yet-to-be-defined “normal’ life. I thought I'd add a note to Marian's.

I’m finally feeling up to getting to more emails and wanted to let you all know that I'm getting better each day...my follow up visit with Dr. (Saint) Misbach is Tuesday so I hope I gain more "freedom" then. Today my buddy Neal took me to the University of Alaska Anchorage campus and we walked about mile through all its interconnected interior walkways. I felt great...thank God I was in shape before all this happened.

It was a beautiful sunny, 10 degree day today, highlighted with about 8 inches of fresh, overnight champagne snow. Afterwards we went out to lunch for some pizza and salad - - no beer - - yet!
The 2009 Alaska Heart Run is late April so (hopefully with my doctor's approval) my goal is to run/walk it (about 5K) with some local running friends and supporters.

How is this for a coincidence? Today I received mail from Medtronic, the primary sponsor of the last marathon I ran, the Twin Cities Marathon in October. I thought I would find inside a registration form for next year’s marathon. Nope! Inside was a card from them informing me that they were the supplier of the aortic heart valve that was installed during my operation, and that I must carry the card with me at all times. It was an emotional reality-check for me and thought it appropriate that it was “their” marathon I ran last. If you remember in an earlier blog entry, I recalled the very emotional Twin Cities presentation Alberto Salazar made about his comeback from heart disease…I'll treasure even more the photo of he and I at the Twin Cities Expo.

Thanks again for your friendship and heart-felt prayers…love.