I had hoped to be done with the draft of the sequel by now - in truth I had hoped to be done with the draft two months ago - but life has a funny way of interfering with the best-made plans.
I just returned from an unexpected trip to Florida. My grandfather was (and still is) in the hospital - in the ICU - and they weren't too sure he was going to make it. He has congestive heart failure (heart functioning at 30%), pleurisy, pneumonia and Stage 4 kidney failure. Unfortunately, having both heart and kidney failure creates a difficult catch-22 situation for medical practitioners: everything they need to do to help the heart has a negative impact on his kidneys and vice versa. Fortunately, he has managed to defy the odds - for now.
My grandfather has always been a big strong man - he's 6'2" and over 200 lbs - and he was blessed with many athletic talents. But in these later years of his life, he's been plagued with a myriad of medical problems that have essentially zapped all of his energy, affected his cognitive skills, and relegated him to his recliner. He cannot read any longer. He cannot do his beloved crossword puzzles or play a round of golf. He can't make it from his recliner to his bed without the help of my grandmother. He is depressed, and has lost all desire to eat.
Today they drained 2 liters of fluid from his lungs. Hopefully that will make it easier for him to breathe. I just wish there was a fix for everything else that has been taken from him. I'm sure this wasn't the final chapter he had envisioned for his life :(
And with that depressing segue, I am happy to report that I am currently working on the final chapter of the sequel. It should not be too much longer now (hopefully I did not just jinx it)...
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