Dear Family and Friends,
John and I landed at 7:30 AM Sunday, December 30 after 26 hours in a Med Air jet with a doctor/anesthesiologist, respiratory therapist, and critical care nurse. The medical crew was great, and fun and funny, constantly bantering with each other and John’s humor returned enough to “give it back.” John did better and needed less oxygen than anyone expected at 35,000 feet altitude and with 5 stops for refueling - Uzbekistan, Moscow, Oslo, Iceland, Goose Bay in Newfoundland, and finally Dulles airport, where John was ambulanced to George Washington University and is in the pulmonary care unit. It was a real resurrection experience to see John revive on the journey home, eating peanut butter cups and drinking diet coke and Ensure (high protein drink), topped off by ice cream in Goose Bay. A combination of junk food, anti-anxiety medicine, oxygen, and an incredible medical team worked wonders. John wasn’t sure he was going to make it out of the hospital in India alive and ever see his family again so the reunion with Jessica, Peter, and Sara was particularly poignant this morning. Antonio and Scott will join us this afternoon. John’s brother and sister, and my Mom and sister are coming tomorrow. We will be spending a lot of time in John’s room over the next few days as family gathers. We have been gone since November 9. John has spent almost 5 weeks in hospitals, most of it in intensive care. The joy of being home and reunited with our family is beyond words.
John gets a day to rest today. Diagnostic work begins tomorrow. He will also begin physical therapy to see how much mobility he can back with the hope that he can soon manage to walk enough to make the transfers necessary to get home with oxygen. There is a long road ahead.
We were carried by all of you — and will continue to be in the days ahead. Give us a few days and we will welcome your calls and visits.
Love,
Barbara — and John
P.S. you may respond by e-mailing gerlachmack@erols.com if you’d like.
Posted on behalf of Barbara Gerlach (gerlachmack@erols.com).
You can also read John and Barbara’s story and leave messages at their CaringBridge site.
