Hello Friends, I just arrived home from 5 weeks at Cedars-Sinai hospital. I originally shared this picture on social media to confirm that I am alive, mostly thanks to the efforts of one brave and tenacious doctor who persevered through two surgeries to save me. Her efforts were so successful, in fact, that I am now halfway through what should be a 2-month recovery with very little pain, relatively speaking. The daily pain of the last 5 years should be largely a thing of the past, and most of all, the worst happened, I survived, and while recurrence is always possible, there's no reason to expect it. The picture was me seated comfortably in my recliner about to enjoy frozen pizza after hospital food.

While there is much to celebrate, my illness began on August 24th, and I ran out of sick days sometime in mid-September. While I've applied for, and expect to receive, short-term disability, the fact is that in about 1 week, I will be out of funds. I don't know how long it will take for the disability claim to process, and I do know that my recovery will likely persist through mid-November before I can return to work. Thus, I am asking for whatever help you can give so that I can pay my bills between now and the earlier of my return to work or the approval of my disability claim. Thank you!