Reply #7: Thanks for all the advice.

[SheilaT]

He does have friends out there who've been helping him out in many ways. He's been unable to drive for five years because the retinal hemorrhages have left him quite blind. But the kind of intense care he'll need for a week or so is almost too much to ask of them.

He's had someone in cleaning his place for years now. Luckily it's quite small. He's never been married, and he's the classic example of a never-married man who doesn't really pay attention to things -- with all due respect to the never-marrieds here on the board.

The essential worry is that he's in Tucson, Arizona, and I'm in Kansas. The rest of the siblings are also here or in the DC area, and I'm the only one who is free to go out on such short notice as this.

I'm glad to do so, and even gladder of the internet (Thank you, Al Gore!) for making it easy for me to get cheap flights, hotel, and car.

Having had major surgery twice myself (C-sections for both my babies) I know that it's difficult to get around after any kind of major surgery. With luck he'll bounce back easily. One thing in his favor, is he is not a complainer. He's actually been amazingly cheerful ever since his vision started to deteriorate and he went from being on his own, working, and independent, to unable to work or drive inside of three months, and then on kidney dialysis six months after that. The dialysis is very limiting, since it takes place three times a week and consumes a good part of the day. I don't know if I'd be as good natured about all that if it happened to me.