It’s GOOD to be back!
Let me start by thanking everyone for the many cards, emails, and phone calls received during my absence. You have no idea how much that meant to me.Even my fabulous neighbors were there offering to help. Olivia, who lives down the street saw my wife on one of her morning walks and offered to come over and help to give my wife a break. it meant so much to her, and to me as well. I also have to thank my amazing colleagues, Jonathan, Kati, and Abhin, who, once again, stepped into the breach and worked the extra hours to fill in for me. I am truly fortunate to be part of a team like this.
So why was I out (this time). Well, the good news is that it wasn’t cancer. My cancer is still in remission, and I am back on the monthly treatments to keep it that way. This time, the problem was with my breathing. i came to work one day, and could barely make it down the hall to the station. it took me almost 10 minutes to recover. I called my doctor and he had me get a CT scan. they thought i had pneumonia, so antibiotics were prescribed, but to no avail. I was then admitted (to St. Agnes hospital, where everyone was absolutely fabulous) and had a great deal of blood drawn, and was subjected to several different tests, including a Bronchosopy. The final diagnosis was COP–Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia. It’s not pneumonia, but an inflammation of the lungs which sometimes hits people with impaired immune systems. It’s somewhat of a medical enigma. They don’t really know what causes it (it’s not viral or bacterial), they don’t know how you catch it (it isn’t contagious, to the best of their knowledge), and they know that Prednisone is the best treatment for it, but they don’t really know why. How about that? Down for a month with a mystery illness!
I’m happy to say that the treatment is working. I am able to get up and about, with a minumum of huffing and puffing. I’m not 100%, but I think that at my age, my 100% days are on a train that left the station a long time ago. Suffice it to say, I’m healthy enough to get back to doing what I love, and that is sharing the greatest music in the work with you, my amazing listeners. Again, I can’t thank you enough for all the well wishes, and I am glad we get to enjoy our mornings together again.
