Glioblastoma Multiforme

I sit here again in a Illinois hospital as a loved one lays in intensive care. I cannot seem to escape the gravitational pull of Illinois hospitals with my family members as patients.

Arriving yesterday at 6:00 p.m. after a long flight from Alaska I was confronted with another horrific example of the frailties of human life. He lay there, barely able to breath on his own, with eyes partially open. He just came out of surgery – a craniotomy – and was very tired. He smiled and was able to squeeze my hand in his. He was orientated to both time and place. He needed rest so we left for the night.

A 2:30 a.m. phone call woke me up. The ICU nurse told me he was having trouble breathing on his own so he was intubated. After a quick shower we drove over to the hospital. Asleep, a propofol drip running into his left arm. One of several lines attached to him; feeding him, hydrating him, giving him oxygen. All day spent at his side. I learned that it wasn’t all that uncomfortable sleeping in a chair with my head on the plastic bed rail propped up by my crossed arms.

Hours passed. An attempt to let him breath more on his own the oxygen in the ventilation tube was reduced. The result was not encouraging. A few hours later they raised the oxygen levels back up. The propofol drip was turned-off so he could be better monitored. Pain developed.

Other family showed-up so I went to his house to check the mail and newspaper. Cleaned-up a little bit. Then it was back to the hospital. Now here I sit typing in the dark. Nurse shift change is soon. He wants his propofol drip turned back on. Soon we will go home for a few hours after the nurse shift change. We will come back; perhaps again at 3:00 a.m. or maybe just at 6:00 a.m. and begin this anew.

Sad Serious of Events

Last December a jury convicted Derrick Wren of murdering his friend Adam Calderon in cold-bold. I worked on that case for several years and was one of the trial prosecutors. During the month long trial I got to know Adam’s family – the Matos family – as they sat through it. Edwin Matos was Adam’s brother. Edwin had a young son. Yesterday Edwin was murdered at a local mall. So sad. Such a sad serious of tragic events.

I feel really awful for the Matos family, for Edwin’s girlfriend, and for his kid.

2 weeks

It’s been two weeks since I arrived back in Chicago. Worst trip ever.

Ashfall!

The volcanic ash is now falling in Anchorage. The sky is hazy and the snow now has a thin layer of ash. There is also an odd smell to the air. I’ve brought the dogs inside.

Photograph taken by the Alaska Volcano Observatory 28 March 2009

Thy Name…

Winter thy existence is like a broken record.

It is now, and I find this ridiculously hard to fathom despite more than 13 years of living here, colder than it was before. The outside temperature is -19 at my office. That’s colder than when it was -20 over at the police station due to the police station always being colder than my office’s location.

R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S

Cold…

The ocean is still frozen outside. It’s quickly becoming rather tiresome with all of this cold weather. KD (our dog) didn’t even poo this morning because it was too cold.