Our dear friend, Cooker, will be having non-heart-related surgery done on Friday week, June 20. Appears there is some degree of skin cancer to deal with. He did not want this news posted for fear it would draw attention from the heart patients. But knowing how very many friends he has here, I got Mary the Ref after him to get his permission for me to post this, and he finally relented. I know that many of you will want to send him your best wishes and prayers.
Chances are very, very good all will be well. As I understand it, he had two biopsies done recently, and one came back "hot." The docs are about 95 percent sure it is basal cell but they couldn't pin down some cells so they want to rule out melanoma. The surgeon is hopeful of not having to excise a large place but will need to go deep enough to be certain of "getting it all" without having to go back in. Cooker will not have to come off warfarin, and he's happy about that.
There is every reason for optimism but as we of this community all know, when the word is surgery, we all have our concerns and worries until we get the all-clear.
Tom, you are a dear and cherished friend to many of us here. We value your words of wisdom and your compassion, so often couched in much-needed humor. Take care, know we will be with you, and please do keep us posted. Everything is ultimately heart-related, after all, in the sense that we wear our hearts on our sleeves.
Godspeed.
Chances are very, very good all will be well. As I understand it, he had two biopsies done recently, and one came back "hot." The docs are about 95 percent sure it is basal cell but they couldn't pin down some cells so they want to rule out melanoma. The surgeon is hopeful of not having to excise a large place but will need to go deep enough to be certain of "getting it all" without having to go back in. Cooker will not have to come off warfarin, and he's happy about that.
There is every reason for optimism but as we of this community all know, when the word is surgery, we all have our concerns and worries until we get the all-clear.
Tom, you are a dear and cherished friend to many of us here. We value your words of wisdom and your compassion, so often couched in much-needed humor. Take care, know we will be with you, and please do keep us posted. Everything is ultimately heart-related, after all, in the sense that we wear our hearts on our sleeves.
Godspeed.
