Summer is here!

A week following the debulking surgery, capillaries in Dave's transplant tissue leaked and caused much swelling as well as a disappointing appearance. Some adjustment in the blood thinning medicine apparently stopped the trauma and he is better now. In fact, his jaw and outward appearance are looking more normal, finally. The area is still painful and no steak dinners are being ordered yet. Next Tuesday he hopes to get the stomach tube removed by his surgeon at Hopkins (it was left ready in case the bleeding required feeding via tube instead of via mouth). On Saturday he plans to fly to Geneva for an important meeting regarding making cholera vaccines more readily available where epidemics can be controlled (as in Zimbabwe last Dec-Jan). Hopefully the PEG tube incision will heal as quickly as the surgeons say and the changes in air pressure won't cause inordinate pain on the flights to/from this short WHO conference. Here in Baltimore, David has been keeping up the pace at Hopkins and in working with many colleagues around the world via his computer and skype. Jean has also been lobbying in Washington DC for Foreign Aid reform (organized by Bread for the World) and locally to prevent our Fallston branch library from closure due to recession deficits in Harford county. Sightseeing with grandchildren and friends has also been possible in June!

Monthly meetings of a head and neck cancer support group at Greater Baltimore Medical Center have certainly given us perspective on this type of cancer and the courage which so many people must conger up to survive with much more severe deformities than David.

We plan to meet Rebecca and Paul Mosley and our two young grandsons in Nairobi at the end of July for their two week vacation in Kenya. This will be precisely 5 months after Dave's surgery and a great way to celebrate our 43 anniversary the first week of August! Thanks for your continuing good thoughts and prayers for David's successful recovery as we say goodbye to spring and welcome the first day of summer!

Second outpatient surgery went well today

David is back at home today, June 1st, taking it easy after a short operation to reduce the unneeded bulk of tissue on the transplanted gum. Back to some nutrition supplements via the stomach tube but he was able to take the liquid pain killer and antibiotics orally after we drove home from Hopkins. It's beautiful weather for just staying home this week (and watching the berries, cherries, sugar snap peas, spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard ripen in our garden). Two bluebirds hatched in our birdhouse this week. Life seems hopeful. Thanks for your prayers.