Al's Blog-o-Sphere

I finally got word that Albert was out of surgery. He was done a bit after 2:00pm, so he was in there nearly eight hours. He was one of two lung transplant they performed that day at UPMC. I have a hard time imagining a surgeon working eight hours straight in such a delicate operation. Of course, that’s my laymans’ impression, fueled by what I see on TV. The reality must be that they do so many of these here, that it’s like an assembly line and many people do pieces of the work. The main guy in charge just gets the credit. Continue Reading…

Al is still in surgery. That’s according to schedule. I’m hanging out in a “Family Waiting Room” where I was told to stay so the surgeon could find me if needed. It’s nice. There are a few other people here that spent the night. There are pillows and blankets to help make the couches comfortable. It was a nearly full house this morning when I first got here.

I got a nap for a while, the went to the cafeteria. I called the Family Services to let them know I was going there, just in case they needed me. They seem to have a system to keep tabs on you here, so I went along with it and called. Continue Reading…

I’ve never talked about this here before, but I think this might be a good thing to do right now. I’m sitting in a waiting room at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) while my son Al is undergoing a double lung transplant.

He’s 32 years old and has had Cystic Fibrosis all his life. This was not unexpected, but it’s been something that’s been on the horizon for so long, it never felt like it was something that would actually ever happen. But here we are and it’s real.

Al was understandably nervous. He had been resolute in his decision to get the transplant since he decided to go ahead with it a few months ago. But, of course, when reality was in front of him and he was sitting on the gurney getting poked and prodded, it all sunk in. But he stuck with it and is going through with it. Continue Reading…

This is the time of the year where Pumpkin carving comes into it’s own. Some people can make it an art form. Having a good template can go a long way to making a clever carving.

Not to be left out of it, the political parties have capitalized on it and are offering guides to make Jack O’Lantern into your favorite candidate. Continue Reading…