Hi Everyone: I just received a note from Gary's very close friend of many years. I hesitated to share it because it is of such a personal nature -- however, I know many of you are wondering how he is doing. He is such a fighter'... As I've gotten to know him closely the past few years, this is the way Gary is -- a 'fighter'. He has always been incredibly generous with others - never asking anything for himself in return. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. I cry quite often that I cannot simply dash off a note or joke to him. I miss his wit and keen sense of humor. Not long ago, I sent a short note to Frieda -- and she said, Gary is tough'.... He'll pull through. My Regards As Always, Nancee --------------------------------------------------------------------- Good Morning Nancee, I just got back from my morning visit to the hospital. Gary's condition continues to worsen. He now has a Pseudomonas infection, which means gowns and gloves when visiting him, and his kidneys are beginning to show signs of the wear and tear of this ordeal. As I was leaving, the nephrologist came in to do her assessment. They called me yesterday morning at 5:30 because it looked as though he had reached the endpoint, but they bagged him, his perfusion came back up to normal, and when they put him back on the ventilator he was able to maintain his O2 saturation within normal limits again. It truly is one step forward and two steps backward at this point. Given that the cardiologist never expected him to make it through the night to the morning on July 12, this has been quite a trip for Gary. His weakest organ system has of course been his lungs after 50 years of smoking. His heart has been beating on its own for nearly a week now, but his lungs continue to fill and become infected, and that is not compatible with life. Although he has never regained consciousness, he has put up a good fight, as they say. Thank you from both of us for your continued support and concern. He would be so very pleased. Sincerely, Doug