SGGAF Luncheon - January 5, 2002

SGGAF Headline

First the report... then the pictures... hang in there!

This is kind of a long one again this time.. lots of news to report!

Sorry this is late again in getting put up here. Just the usual complications of life.

We sure did have a grand time visiting at Trina's on January 5th. It was great to have Heidi (Camelot479) with us again... especially WITHOUT her crutches! She shared with us some information about her thesis, which is about World War II! She has been traveling around interviewing a lot of veterans for this project and has made some great friends and gathered up a lot of information that might otherwise be lost.

Lots of prayers and support needed this time. The past couple of weeks have been really hard on our friends. Both BarbyLu7 and CIvey48939 (Carl) have been diagnosed with lung cancer and are proceeding into the treatment process. They are both fighters and we are all giving them all the support for which this bunch is famous. Details and regular updates are posted in the Hearth folder in SeniorNet on AOL. If you need a link to it, send me an email. If you aren't on AOL and would like to receive updates about either or both of them, let me know and I'll contact the appropriate people.

DesertLady33 (Dee) can use some prayers and support, also. Her scheduled surgery was postponed because some heart problems were found. She is being referred to a cardiologist to see what can be done to help with that. I'm just praying that everything turns out well for her.

On Saturday, January 19, AWalls 1050 (Annie) fell while moving some boxes, receiving a severe head injury and a broken clavicle. Annie is also known as "Anita," "Nita," and "noo Noo" to various friends and family, but she's Annie to us. She was found early Sunday afternoon, taken to the hospital, and later transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California. The doctors were trying to delay surgery until the brain bleeding stopped, but she went into seizures on Monday and they did emergency surgery. I went to see her on Tuesday and spent some time visiting with her daughters and other relatives and friends. She has been put into an induced coma, which is expected to last at elast two weeks. That is done to avoid further brain injury. She aspirated when she had the seizures, which presents another risk. The most recent news is that her oxygen assist has been reduced from 80% to 60%, which seems good, but the brain bleeding persists. There is no way to even predict the outcome until she is brought out of the coma. Her family and close friends want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support they have received and ask you to keep it coming. Our good pal, Bob Pettit, is a well-known and well-loved volunteer at Loma Linda, as most of you know, and he is following up as much as possible, also, and spending time with her as much as he can. It's about 35 miles away from me, so I can't get over there as often as I would like. Her family all live far away, so they can't be at the hospital as much as they would like, either. Her closest online friend, Candy0Lane, wants us to remember Annie as "The Eagle" and to hope and pray that our Eagle flies again soon. Updates are also posted in Hearth for Annie.

HamlinePL (Frank) says he is recovering slowly but on schedule from his heart surgery. He is hoping to make it to the February luncheon. We hope so, too!

MayerNV wants everyone to know that Jo's oncologist said the operation for the removal of a Stage 1 lung cancer can be deemed a complete success. No further treatments are warranted. He said they are not concerned about the lymph node close to the cancer. He will see her again in April for a follow up. And, again, a lot of thanks going out to everyone for their prayers and support.

Montyxiii (Bill) has reported in and he's safely at home now. I'm quoting some of his report here... He had a fall on the stairs about a month ago in the dark. Called a cab and went to the hospital. Then he got captured in an Assisted Living place for about a month, but he got sprung and now he's home. No breaks, just bumps and a bruised ego, which is not bad for an 86-year-old kid! He said he's really enjoying having his own cooking again (he's a fine cook) after the stuff they served at the facility. His computer was at home all that time, so it was rapidly filling up with emails. He said to give apologies to all, but there was just too much mail and he deleted all of it and is starting over now. I can't even imagine trying to deal with a month's worth of emails, so I don't blame him a bit and I hope everyone understands.

I got Medicare as of December 1... not from my age but from having been officially disabled for two years. They did some tests and on Friday, January 4, 2002, my new oncologist told me I am OFFICIALLY cured. He was crying, I was crying, the staff were crying. He said this is not something that he gets to say very often, especially to someone who started out with a Stage3b (inoperable) lung cancer diagnosis, so it was a very moving moment for everyone. Now I am working with a pulmonologist in an effort to try and regain better lung function. But even if I can't, I'm sure grateful for what I already have. And I am also the most grateful person on earth for my SeniorNet friends and others who prayed and supported me through all of this.

Then I received a really wonderful gift - a beautiful little yellow electric scooter — here at the senior village where I live — in gratitude for some things that I do here. I will use it for field trips and on days at school when the weather is really awful or raining. Since I can't hurry very well yet, this is a true blessing. I will still walk when the weather is good because the exercise is the very best thing for me.

Good things just keep coming. I finished up the semester with straight A's. Then on January 18, I got a phone call telling me I won the Soroptomist Scholarship, and I am jumping for joy on that one. I am in the running for 21 more but I won't know about those until late May. I will receive the Soroptomist award at a luncheon on March 13.

SeniorNet on the web in in the midst of a major overhaul and redesign. If you aren't familiar with it, it's really worth a visit. SeniorNet on the Web will get you there. Many AOL SeniorNetters also go there. The site has lots of good information, plus TONS of great forums and a chat room to boot. Those of you who know Marciei from AOL will see her there, also. I actually don't know how she keeps up with all the work she does for SeniorNet! The chat room doesn't have all the bells and whistles of AOL but all the people there and everywhere else on that site are the same kind of wonderful folks you find in SeniorNet on AOL. In the past, all the people I mentioned were from the AOL bunch, but now I will start adding on the end part for those who are not. With an extra space so that screen name harvesters won't pick them up. Check out SeniorNet on the web... you won't be sorry! You can either register or try it out as a guest. You will need to pick a screen name to use and it's a good idea to pick the same name you use on AOL so you don't confuse me... LOL!!! If not, try to get something similar if you can!

The web bunch is getting up a bash in Tucson in April and it sure looks like a good time is in store. You will find all the information here...

I hope I didn't forget anyone!

We sure hope YOU get a chance to be with us next time!

Please go back to the main SGGAF page for address, directions, and other general information about our luncheons.

We always miss (and gossip about) those who can't attend... and we always have a good time with those who CAN.

Who attended?
*means this is not a screen name and all are @aol.com unless otherwise noted

Camelot479 (Heidi) — Anaheim
CWP157 (Charlie) and BettyAnn780 — Riverside
DesertLady33 (Dee) — Indio
Dodie32 (Delores) — Palm Springs
LadyZinnia (Zinny) — Corona
Lotsa000 (Nancy) — Diamond Bar
MciScot (Mac) — Corona
RodWoods — N. Hollywood
RustyDog214 @webtv.net (Mark) and Terri218 @webtv.net — Redlands

It is always so sweet to see old friends, meet new friends, and to put faces together with screen names for online pals we've talked to but have not met before. If you weren't able to attend,

WE MISSED YOU!

These pictures are courtesy of LadyZinnia. VistaGal always has nice photos on her site, also, although he has not been able to attend our luncheons for some time. You'll find a link to her site at the end of these pages. Please update your link for her, by the way... it's new.

All of these pictures have the captions ATTACHED to them, so they will stay with the photos if you want to right-click and download any of them to your computer.

I always put these photos up two or three to a page, so that I can leave them larger and still have them load quickly into your browser. Just keep using the "NEXT" button on each page to see more pictures.

These pages were created for the SGGAF luncheon group. The intention is to provide information about the group and its luncheons and other social events. No warranty, either express or implied, regarding the warranties of merchantability and the usage for specific purposes, is made. Neither SGGAF nor anyone who participates assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any aspect of the functions, or for the accuracy, completeness, currency, quality or usefulness of the information provided or the activities advertised herein. Attendance at any SGGAF function is at the risk of the participant. Permission to photograph and/or to post photographs is assumed by attendance at functions. If you object to a particular photograph of yourself, please inform the webmaster who will, at her sole discretion, either remove the photograph or disguise your identity. This is a volunteer group, the mailing list is maintained by a volunteer, luncheons are organized by a volunteer and the website is produced by a volunteer; and all of those volunteers are the same person. Suggestions, questions, and assistance are welcome.

You can also email me with the same name but at aol.com; I check that one most often.