My life is very, very different than it was three years ago at this time. I started losing weight unexpectedly and feeling gradually increasing numbness in my feet and hands. I was in the hospital and physical rehab for 6 weeks, as I could no longer walk. I went back to work because I always have worked. It’s what I do, it’s who I am. 

But I got sicker and sicker and had to leave work again. I was semiconscious and barely functional for much of June/July 2016. My friends came to the hospital to pay their respects. I was dying. It nearly happened, and I can vaguely remember how it feels to be slipping away. 

But I survived, due in no small part to the friendship and generosity of the Virtual Swamp, many of whom I know in person. Life has been a slow rehab ever since. I still go to physical therapy.  I’ll never run or compete in triathlons again. I may not be able to get to a live Gator game, and I may not even be released to return to my former position as a project manager (legal technology). 

I’m alive today, though my shelf life may be shortened a bit. And I am grateful for your friendships, prayers, and gifts. God Bless each of you.

GJ