Hashem still wants me here!

I’m back (with a vengeance), thank God!

Let me fill you in about my unfortunate lengthy absence (from our limited perspectives). As you know, my wife and I traveled on a journey of a lifetime to the land of Israel.  This incredible event took place in December 2013.  Leading up to this endeavor, I worked and trained extremely hard for all the eventualities that would likely occur.  This went on for several months before the trip.

In fact, the day before the big trip,  I smashed my record on the tortuous arm bike.  I did 31 uninterrupted minutes at 40-50 rpm for a total of 1300 rpm. I was in peak condition, ready to conquer every obstruction that might lie in my way.

What occurred in Israel is memorable beyond words. Except for a visit to the hospital with the wicked pneumonia.

What transpired over the next several months was a cycle of hospitalizations in the ICU. Apparently I had picked up a rare bug only found in the middle east, especially in hospitals.

This all culminated in a n ICU stay of 114 days. I suffered from three major infections that almost cost me my life. These were a nasty case of pneumonia, c dif and strep a in my blood stream. This is so serious that one of these would likely do in a otherwise healthy individual. The doctors called it a miracle.

This left me with a trachostomy dependent on a respirator to breathe. My new reality is that I can’t talk or eat.

To be continued…