Update

Hey, Guys. Just wanted to give a little update, really just to forewarn of my appearance! I flew down to Palm Desert with my friend Nicole last Tuesday (her dad has a place down there). We were going for a few days of R&R. On Wednesday, we were riding in their supped up (suped up?) golf cart (obviously faster than a traditional one) and unfortunately, while she was driving we flipped. It was pretty bad. I spent 4 days in the hospital in Palm Springs. Broken clavicle, 2 broken ribs, collapsed lung, chest tube, stitches here, there, and everywhere, and surgery for a jaw laceration that required a plastic surgeon. I mentioned several times that my jaw hurt worse than anything else and was assured that it was due to swelling. After driving the 8 hours back to SF with Nicole (flying not permitted), I checked the patient portal the next day (Monday) and was astonished to find a radiology report saying “fractured mandible”. I sent it to my doctor friend Paul Carrell (Jesuit HS friend) in Austin to hear his opinion, and he encouraged me to get another CT or X-ray. Through a connection of Maria’s here in SF, UCSF was able to get me in immediately to run another Cat scan and double check the status of the clavicle too. They admitted me on Tuesday, and scheduled surgery for yesterday. It was a 4-hr surgery, they put in permanent plates and screws, and wired my mouth shut. It was significantly broken in 3 places. 🤯 They discharged me today. I am at Maria’s. Morgan is inflight on his way to SF. The wonderfully talented and kind team of Maxillofacial Surgeons know of Craig’s Celebration and the whole goal is to keep me on schedule. They will “unwire” me next Tuesday. The plates and screws will do the rest. It will be a liquid diet life for me for quite a while. 🙄 So, the party is still going on as planned. I will likely look a bit worse for wear. Hopefully my giant pumpkin head will be less swollen, but there is no hiding the scars (which will lessen in time), and I have some facial nerve paralysis (hopefully will work itself out over the next year). You have been warned! But I feel incredibly thankful, b/c I know it could have been so much worse.

It is really important to me to have this send off for my Ludes, and to speak my own words about him. ❤️ Postponement doesn’t feel like an option I’d consider. I’ll really look forward to seeing y’all in a few weeks.…

Hope this finds you all well,

A