Surgery postponed till Tuesday, and I've got a freakin' motorcycle!!!

Today's been kind of a weird day! My surgeon, Dr. Peter Pinto (his real name) called me to push back my surgery one day, till next Tuesday, Nov. 1 (All Saint's Day, if you're of the Catholic pursuasion). I guess one day's not going to make a big difference, but that's one more day I have to sweat it out....(sigh).

My friend Dave, a builder here in the Ocean City area, has been a good customer and a good friend for a long time...he recently hired a superintendant who has decided to use a different shelving contractor, no problem...it happens in the construction biz. Anyway, Dave's been gradually working himself out of a job for the past couple of years, having burned himself out 2 or3 times over (I can relate!). He & his new bride Cathy bought a sailboat, and are heading down to the Bahamas next week, for the winter! I don't think he knows much about sailing, but he's a smart guy, so bon chance, Dave! Today, he called us, and announced he was stopping by, since he'd missed the benefit on Oct. 14...he arrived on the back of a Suzuki Intruder motorcycle, whipping into our driveway like Easy Rider, and proceeded to tell us he was giving us the bike as his donation to the fund. We said "Huh?!?" He kept insisting that we accept his umbelievably generous gift, in spite of every argument we could come up with, so I guess we have a motorcycle for sale....more details & pics to follow!

Mike

Here's my first posting...

Well, I'm on the surgical protocol at NIH for a radical nephrectomy of my left kidney, a.k.a they're gonna rip that sucker out, and see what the bleep is going on with it! In one of those strangely appropriate timing things, it's happening on Halloween....ooh, scary! Actually, I'm not that scared, due to the fact that the docs I have are just the best in the business, and I have high hopes for a smooth operation & non-eventful recovery. The worst part of this whole experience. so far, has been the 3 AM "dark nights of the soul" moments, when I have to face the reality that I am pretty sick with something, so far unspecified, that could concievably kill me...or not, as the case may be!
That's the challenge, to stay positive & hopeful in the face of that little voice of doom & gloom that likes to torment me in the wee hours of the night. My Mom, who is a breast-cancer survivor, tells me she's grappling with the same thing...probably anyone who's ever had a doctor tell them they have cancer has a similar experience. I'm spending the week before surgery trying to get my business dealings organized, stock up on supplies for James & Diane to use for the month or two I'm out of action, and generally tie up loose ends around here...keping busy helps me not to focus on the risks of this situation. More to follow!
Mike