This morning when I entered Jacks room he was fast asleep. I walked around his bed over by the window chair and set up camp. As I sat there looking out the window the life flight helicopter came into view. You see the landing pad is just out side of Jacks window. As it hovered over the landing pad on the rooftop next to use. Jacks eyes began to open. He smiled a little bit and greeted me. Just as fast as he opened his eyes he shut them again and fell back to sleep. I quietly pulled out my laptop and began to work. Just like clock work the doctors and nursed wondered into the room like a carousel they came and left over the next four hours pushing buttons, poking, taking samples of this and that. Its no wonder Jack can't get sleep.

Around 3:30 PM today three very official looking doctors entered the room, as they began to wake up Jack, I took off my ear phones. They introduced themselves and began to explain a procedure that they would like to start on Monday. As I understand it this procedure starts out by inserting a catheter,( in addition to the one on his right ) into his left chest area. This catheter has a two way valve. They will be hooking Jack up to a machine that resembles a dialysis machine although this machine has nothing to do with his kidney, what it will do is recycle his blood and wean him off of the steroids that are in his system. The doctors will run this machine three times a week for about two to three weeks. For more information on this procedure click this link: http://www.therakos.com

This is a very good thing. This means that Jack is on the HOME STRETCH. There is light at the end of this tunnel and thank the lord its not his light. The doctors explain to Jack and I that after about a week that Jack can begin to eat more solid food as it is now he eats very little and he pays for it BIG TIME, the food goes right through him and it hurts like he has acute gas.

In order for him to begin this new process on Monday the nurse had to change his meds a bit. Hence I'm down at the Starbucks right now as Jack sits on the pot. There isn't much privacy, the portable toilet is next to his bed and he needs help from the nurse in order to get on it. I usually leave the room and give him some privacy. I fear he will be on the toilet for a couple of hours.

I did get pictures of Jack today with the goodies that sister Eileen sent to him. These pictures were taken earlier today before the med change. So this is what Jack looks like when he's not feeling so badly.

It's getting time for me to head back up to Jack's room and tuck him in for the night. Not that he will get any sleep, but he will most defiantly get caught up on Fox News.

Donald J. Zelen Jr.