was a crack-up and thoroughly kept me entertained with his humor and conversations. Marian and many of my visitors had an opportunity to see him in action and would have to agree with me. Drew (the night ICU) was equally compassionate and funny, but he also had a philosophical side that brought me comfort. One night I remember being afraid to go to sleep because I was afraid I would not wake up, but Drew reassured me with his words right before he provided me a sleep aid. Drew is a crazy, wild BIG Pittsburgh Steeler fan so he was entertaining to watch as Pittsburgh made it through the playoffs. I can only imagine how crazy he went over the Super Bowl game. Yvonne, in PCU, was a real character as well. She wasn’t one to mess with but she had a warm personality and would not let me feel down and out. She wants me to send her a finish line photo of myself when I complete my first post-surgery marathon - - but that’s another story.I want to also share with you a funny story about my visit to Providence Hospital’s ER the day after I came home - - remember, I sprung a leak when built-up body cavity fluids leaked out of a stitched-up tube hole. My friend Craig Ely (a fellow biologist) took me to the ER and was very attentive. Upon reaching the ER they began processing me immediately when Craig told me to show them my leak, which by now had completely soaked through all bandaging and into my pants. They whisked us to an ER room and soon thereafter both Craig and I thought we were in an NBC production of “ER”! Why did we feel this way? Well, everyone who tended to me looked like they were straight out of NBC/”ER” casting. The doctor I saw was a tall, beautiful, brunette woman with a strong, confident aura. Her aid was equally beautiful and competent. The phlebotomist was a 20-something blonde with a real bubbly personality. Central to casting the ER episode was when my heart surgeon (who happen to be in the hospital at the time) Dr. (Saint) Misbach entered the scene to “save” the day. By now, Craig and I were looking at each other every time someone would enter the “set”…we didn’t have to speak, as we both knew what each other was thinking. The ER episode continued throughout the evening; especially when it was time get my chest drained. Appearing out of nowhere came a doctor who looked like he came out of GQ Magazine and he directed the procedure. Craig and I began to feel uncomfortable because of our grubby, old biologist appearance and being surrounded by the cast of ER, but we got over it because each ER episode relies on folks like us to make the cast look that much better. Craig and I actually had a blast with the entire 4-hour adventure and all the way home talked about the surreal experience.
One last thing, my running mentor/friend Ellyn Brown dropped off a DVD movie for me to watch for 
inspiration. “The Dipsea Demon” is about a 96-year-old man (Jack Kirk) who runs the 2nd oldest footrace in America, the grueling Dipsea race, for a world record 68 consecutive times. The movie also won Best Documentary-Biography at the 2004 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. You have to watch it…his quote tells it all, “You don’t stop running cause you get old, you get old if you stop running!”
Take care my friends and God Bless!
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. Former UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden
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