His cartoon web page has been updated as a memorial site. You can see it here.

Many friends have left touching notes at his Facebook page as well.

We left Thursday morning about 7am and arrived in time for his appointments in the afternoon, then stayed one more night at the Neville Family House. The bronch was the only thing to do today and was an outpatient proceedure, so we were free to leave by about 5pm.

It was done under mild sedation, so there was some observation time before we could leave. The photos here are Al having his first food after being NPO since last night. He really felt okay and was glad to get the sandwich. They wanted to get a lot of fluids into him, so he had some cranberry juice and a can of Pepsi.

We noticed they have a new can design that we haven’t seen at home yet.

Al has been cleared to drive, but with the sedation still wearing off, I drove home tonight. He’s free to drive himself around all he wants to now, and enjoy that until they tell him he can go back to work!

We’ll be driving home this afternoon as soon as we can get checked out and packed up.

We’ll be home well in time for Thanksgiving!

Al visited the Doctors on Monday and had a couple lab tests done. He’s having another blood test drawn tomorrow and if all looks well, they are going to consider letting him go home to Lockport.

We are planning on a quick day trip to Lockport for Thanksgiving (going AWOL) but may not need to resort to that, now.

Things are quiet here. We go out to eat or to pick up a prescription. I was kidding Al today, saying I didn’t think there were many days that he didn’t have to run to the pharmacy for something. He agreed, he could only think of a few. But the exercise is good, even if the weather has been wet and cold.

Yesterday, a couple friends of Al’s dropped by to visit him. They were people he knows from some online groups and are students nearby at PITT and CMU. It was the first time they had met in person, and they had a great time hanging out and talking.

I’m writing from the guest computer at the Family House, as my laptop is broken. I’m going to have to send my Toshiba back to the factory for repair, but first, I want to get it home and back up the entire hard drive so I don’t lose anything. I can do that easily at home. It’s not that anything that important would be lost, I just have it set up the way I like. Thankfully, I have my USB thumb drive set up for all my email accounts and passwords.

We’ve met a few people staying at the Family House who have had lung transplants and are back for check-ups. They’ve been supportive and almost always surprised by how well Al is doing.

There is always need for caution after any transplant. Rejection can appear suddenly. Infection can also happen and appear quickly. Both need to be addressed with immediate diagnosis and treatment. That’s why they are keeping him here for so long. He’s got a contact person who is only a phone call away and can advise him on any aspect of his recovery. Plus, he’s only blocks from the hospital, should there be need for any test or exam.

But as long as everything goes well, it’s pretty quiet. Boring, even. But it’s best to be routine and boring.

Today, I went shopping. I was about to go out for lunch, but checked the parking lot situation. There was two empty spots and if I left, there would be three. I decided a quick run to the grocery store was worth the chance of losing a parking spot. We were almost out of milk and cereal. Pop was running low. There is a vending machine in the kitchen area and bottles are only $1, but I never seem to have a One Dollar Bill when I need one.

So I went out to the nearest Giant-Eagle. It turned out to be the same one we stopped at on the way home when I was with Mark and Gayle. It’s called Market Square and they have a parking ramp underneath it. Very convenient compared to any shops on Fifth or Forbes.

I picked up a few items and even though I tried to keep it limited, it filled out cupboard area at the Family House. There really isn’t much space for food, which is why it’s become so routine for them to pool things and cook a communal dinner every night. No sense for each person to have every item.

There are some people who have been there for several months. Others who have come and gone several times. So there is some continuity and people who know each other. A couple ladies seem to like to cook. I’m sure it helps pass the time and is a chance to socialize as well. We’ve had some good, home-cooked meals there since we’ve been here. I have been leaving a contribution to the kitty for them to buy whatever they need. Probably the best way for me to help.

Last night, a local Sorority came in with a lasagna dinner for us. It’s the second time a college group has done that since we’ve been here, so it must be a regular thing. It’s nice to see the young people doing something like this. It’s such a simple thing, but it really means a lot.

But, the cooking skills of college students are pretty amusing. Almost everything has been either very simple, or something you just pick up from the freezer and throw in the oven. The food cooked by the residents for the communal dinners, although simple, has been better. They make some really good foos out of almost nothing, just whatever is on hand. I’m not being unappreciative, just observing the level of cooking skills of college students. It shouldn’t be a surprise, I suppose.