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Me? You ask. On St. Patrick's Day, I decided to take a little vacation of my own in Abbott Northwestern Hospital, (at the behest of the emergency room doctor), and low and behold, six weeks later — I'm still here! Forty-two days and counting. I'm finally over the worst of it and am on the upswing. I need to be strong enough, and have my blood pressure stabilized to the point where I can sit up for at least four hours without having it go down to dangerous levels and I pass out. I'm hoping that will happen by the end of the week.
I'm also getting very tired of hospital food!
It's only been a few days since I've been able to type and even this post is slow and tedious. I've been at it for more than half an hour, and, "I'm not done yet." Like how I worked my quote in there? I still need a little help with some of the keystroke combinations which Mom has helped me with.
Yes, she's been up here every day helping me and teaching new nurses how to do my cares. I don't know where I'd be without her.
I've had a lot of time to do research for future posts; unfortunately, the hospital servers have so many sites blocked, I can't watch YouTube videos, read my Facebook page or even listen to my brother-in-law Jeff Farias' radio show. If you like listening to a good, intelligent, Ivy League-educated, progressive voice, click here to hear what's on The Jeff Farias Show today.
I NEED to get out of here!
Here's a parting shot to show you why I'll never grow a beard or a goatee:
That was only two weeks growth. I had to take a few pictures to make sure my web cam was working properly. I didn't recognize the old guy with the white beard! I don't think even Photoshop could do anything with this picture.
No comments required about the photo.
Later,
Mike
Young people constantly amaze me. October first, I shared the story of young Dalton Sherman and how he is a gifted public speaker. Today, I want to share a story about another extraordinary young man who just handled a possible life-threatening situation like an old pro.
His name is Max Farias. He's fifteen years old and a sophomore at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix. He lives with his mother and father, Tammy Patrick and Jeff Farias, and their dog, Brutus. Oh, and he's my nephew. Here's a picture of Max and me in the Badlands of South Dakota two years ago. Yes, he was only thirteen years old!
Max was held hostage for about two hours Wednesday afternoon in the family's home by an armed gunman as helicopters circled above, police cordoned off all the surrounding streets and SWAT teams encircled the house!
During the entire ordeal, Jeff was doing his radio show in their studio in the back yard. To hear Jeff tell the story, I encourage you to listen to the first fourteen minutes of The Jeff Farias Show from yesterday, October 23rd's podcast. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.
Am I a proud uncle right now? Absolutely! Is Max a hero? In my mind, absolutely! Could the situation have ended differently? Absolutely, and many of the scenarios could have been bad! The critical thinking skills he demonstrated are truly astonishing!
It's just another example of how many of our young people are being nurtured by loving parents who are teaching their children to do the right thing. Like I've said before and will say again, "Young people may not always tell you how important their relationship is to you as parents, but you are the most important role model in their young lives!
WAY TO GO, MAX!
I look forward to your comments.
Later,
Mike
