From TJ:
Eric is calm. He slept good last night. The surgery is expected to last about five hours and we probably won’t know anything until it’s finished. No worries if you don’t see an update from me for a while.
He said something this morning, drug induced of course.
“Oh no!”
“What?” I asked him.
And he said,”We forgot to tell everyone we’re getting married!”
I told him everyone already knew.
He smiled at that.
Let’s go, let’s go , let’s go.
From TJ
Eric’s set for surgery on Thursday morning on his brain stem.
Eric is ready and so am I.
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.
I cannot STOP writing Jay as Jae. See just did it again.
Come see me ramble! Here me babble! Enter to win a $15 Gift Certificate to the vendor of your choice! WOOOOOOT!
It’s question and answer time! I’ve got a facebook chat coming up this Saturday. It’ll be from 9 am PST to Noon on Dreamspinner’s Facebook page. I’ll post a link before it starts.
There will be giveaways … wooooooot free stuff! And readings and um…. Something. What? I didn’t know there’d be a test!
But one of the things I do ask ahead of time… like right now… is if there are any questions you might have for me. I’ll answer them on Saturday and then post links here for everyone who couldn’t make it.
I’ll be doing readings from FOUR pieces this time around. Probably. Yes. *nods*
I have coming up: Fish and Ghosts, Dirty Deeds, Clockwork Tangerine and Tequila Mockingbird and I’ll talk a bit about Devil’s Brew, which is a short being released just before Tequila. I’ll also be talking about coming books like Bobby and Ichi in Down and Dirty.
So, be sure to come on by. Win stuff! Get drunk! Okay, that’s on you but I shall NOT judge!
Leave your questions here and yeah, pretty much anything you want to ask. Any book…any series.
Hope to see you there.
From Teej: Eric has opted for the surgery. Didn’t even let me finish explaining what the neuro had said. Kept interrupting me with “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” He knows it’s time to kick this thing in the ass. Surgery should be either Monday or Tuesday.
We got this. He is too fucking strong to let this beat him.
From TJ:
We received some very difficult news from the neurologist last night. Our friends and family are aware. This is meant to let you all know what will happen in the near future.
Eric has what is known as a cavernous hemangioma attached to his brain stem. This is a non-cancerous, calcified tumor. He actually has multiple hemangioma’s in his brain, but it is the one on the brain stem causing the issues. He had an operation back in 2005 on the brain stem to remove as much of it as possible. Unfortunately, it grew back. This led to the significant breathing issues he has been having as part of the brain stem controls breathing.
He has two options. The first option is to do nothing. Eventually, and probably quite soon, Eric’s brain stem will be cut off from the rest of his body, causing quadriplegia, and eventually death.
The other option is surgery on the brain stem, and all the risks that come along with it. The neurologist, as blunt as a person could be, basically said the highest hope would be to preserve how Eric is now, with a traech or attached to a ventilator for the rest of his life. The choice is going to be up to Eric.
But since I know my husband to be very well, I know he is going to choose to fight. Because he has so much to fight for. He has done this once before and he can do it again. And I will be damned if I am going to let this be the thing that takes him away from me. He will have the surgery, and it will be next week, hopefully sooner rather than later. If you believe in a higher power, please pray. If you don’t, just keep him in your thoughts. He is the greatest man I’ve ever had the pleasure to know, and the fact that he chose to love me out of everyone in the world is something I don’t know that I deserve. And even if my heart is breaking, I will hold it together for him.
He said “Teej.” It was a whisper, but by God, that is good enough for me. — with Eric Arvin.Woman dances with surgical team before masectomy. Good times had by all. From what I hear, she’s doing well.
From TJ:
At work for the first time since this all started. Eric Arvin won’t be having any procedures for a bit, so I am home for the next couple of days trying to place catch up. He is resting comfortably today following the tracheotomy yesterday. The final scan we are waiting for should arrive via courier at some point this morning. I have already warned everyone at the hospital that I will be texting every ten minutes.
I was told by my employer when I got in today that I do not qualify for FMLA since Eric and I are not legally married. FMLA is what protects your job when an emergency arises and you need to take extended leave. Just when I was about to lose it, my boss told me that it didn’t matter what the law said, that they were going to let me have as much time off as I need and I don’t need to worry about my job in the slightest. I couldn’t ask for a better employer.
I have enough vacation time to cover for a couple of weeks, so I don’t have to worry about paychecks for a while. But you have all made the fundraiser go over 31K yesterday, so I know we have a cushion there. I can’t thank you enough.
NSFW kinda video ….
http://www.andrewchristian.com/index.php/video/thenightbefore.html
Rhys Ford 