Recent Accident to My Son

[cheesecake]

I just saw on the news that President Obama is going to be in Mesa AZ on Wednesday speaking at the high school that Brian attended. This is only 2 miles from our house. My wife is going to Dobson High School tomorrow to try to get a ticket to attend President Obama's speech on Wednesday. It would be great if Brian could ask President Obama when he is going to remove the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research imposed by President Bush.

Roger

I hope Brian and Ann get in and can ask that magic question.

[Roger]

We were not able to get a ticket for President Obama's speech.

Roger

[Roger]

Brian is recovering from the first tendon transfer surgery. The cast was removed Feb 13 and incisions are healing. He has a plastic splint that he wears to protect the hand. I can say that the debilitating effects of the surgery are more difficult than Brian expected. We're getting through because we have a routine. The ceiling mounted in the bathroom has really saved us from a lot of transfer problems. This was a big big deal.

Brian is working financial aid forms for Hopkins. Some of the forms even request that I submit financial information. I'm surprised that my finances are still relevant since Brian is 27 years old. I think I mentioned it previously that the two counselors at AZ Vocational Rehab told my wife and Brian that AZ Voc Rehab would pay for all of Brian's expenses if he attended medical school. Unfortunately with all of the economic turmoil I'm not sure if AZ Voc Rehab will be able to make good on their promise. They haven't said that they won't but we all know how bad the economy is at the moment.

On March 9th Brian has an interview at the Stanford Medical School and then on the following day he has the second surgery to complete the tendon transfer procedure on his right hand. It seems late in the medical school application process to be having an interview so Brian is thinking that they might be interviewing him for the wait list. I would hope that's not the case because applicants incur expenses traveling to the schools for the interview it wouldn't be proper to have an applicant travel to the interview if there were not positions available. In Brian's case it's not a big deal because he was traveling to Stanford anyway it's just one extra night in the hotel.

Next weekend two of Brian's college friends from San Francisco are coming to Phoenix to visit for the weekend. It's been really great how supportive Brian's friends have been.

Roger

[Eileen]

Hi Roger,
Fingers crossed for Stanford, and also for the second surgery. Thank heavens for the ceiling lift! That's great that some of Brian's friends from SF are coming for the weekend! There is nothing quite like having friends visit to alleviate the recovery period bummer from his first surgery. Enjoy.

[cheesecake]

Brian is recovering from the first tendon transfer surgery. The cast was removed Feb 13 and incisions are healing. He has a plastic splint that he wears to protect the hand. I can say that the debilitating effects of the surgery are more difficult than Brian expected. We're getting through because we have a routine. The ceiling mounted in the bathroom has really saved us from a lot of transfer problems. This was a big big deal.

Brian is working financial aid forms for Hopkins. Some of the forms even request that I submit financial information. I'm surprised that my finances are still relevant since Brian is 27 years old. I think I mentioned it previously that the two counselors at AZ Vocational Rehab told my wife and Brian that AZ Voc Rehab would pay for all of Brian's expenses if he attended medical school. Unfortunately with all of the economic turmoil I'm not sure if AZ Voc Rehab will be able to make good on their promise. They haven't said that they won't but we all know how bad the economy is at the moment.

On March 9th Brian has an interview at the Stanford Medical School and then on the following day he has the second surgery to complete the tendon transfer procedure on his right hand. It seems late in the medical school application process to be having an interview so Brian is thinking that they might be interviewing him for the wait list. I would hope that's not the case because applicants incur expenses traveling to the schools for the interview it wouldn't be proper to have an applicant travel to the interview if there were not positions available. In Brian's case it's not a big deal because he was traveling to Stanford anyway it's just one extra night in the hotel.

Next weekend two of Brian's college friends from San Francisco are coming to Phoenix to visit for the weekend. It's been really great how supportive Brian's friends have been.

Roger

Wishing Brian luck on the interview tomorrow as well as on the 2nd surgery. I am guessing they are in Palo Alto now. Sending good vibes Brians way.

[Roger]

Thanks Cheesecake

Brian and Ann left Sunday at 11:00. I'm flying to San Jose Monday evening. The Stanford interview is Monday and surgery Tuesday.

Brian and Ann are going to Baltimore the weekend of April 16-19. Hopkins has a get acquainted program that weekend for the new class of medical students. I'm not sure if I'm going yet.

Brian is going to contact you to see if you have any information about accessible housing in Baltimore near Hopkins. A very nice lady from the Hopkins disability office called last week and offered to help Brian locate housing. The lady was so nice that after Brian hung up he said I guess I'm going to Hopkins.

Roger

[cheesecake]

Thanks Cheesecake

Brian and Ann left Sunday at 11:00. I'm flying to San Jose Monday evening. The Stanford interview is Monday and surgery Tuesday.

Brian and Ann are going to Baltimore the weekend of April 16-19. Hopkins has a get acquainted program that weekend for the new class of medical students. I'm not sure if I'm going yet.

Brian is going to contact you to see if you have any information about accessible housing in Baltimore near Hopkins. A very nice lady from the Hopkins disability office called last week and offered to help Brian locate housing. The lady was so nice that after Brian hung up he said I guess I'm going to Hopkins.

Roger

Roger: That is funny about the women from the students with disability office. There is a lot of non-accessible housing in Baltimore. I think a good start is the womens list and my sense of areas. Right now I expect to be gone those days back in town on the 19th, leaving again on the 22nd. There is an Dental Association Conference at the Marriott so get a room now.

Have Brian give me a ring when he is up to it.

[Roger]

We're at the Stanford Medical Center. Brian's in surgery. The interview at the Stanford medical school went very well. They told Brian that he would hear something in a month. Brian really likes the environment at Stanford. It's flat and warm but seriously right now Stanford is his first choice. The medical school class is small only 86 students. There's nothing Brian can do now but wait for their decision. This is not the worst position to be in, if he's not accepted at Stanford he'll go to Hopkins.

Roger

[cheesecake]

Hope the surgery went well and the post op goes easy.

[Roger]

Brian is recovering from the hand surgery he had on Tuesday. He's trying to minimize the amount of pain pills because they cause other problems. Recently he has been editing some articles for Emedicine.com and doing a little work for a doctor at Barrows.

Today, Brian received a letter from the USC medical school inviting him for an interview. I was surprised because I thought the interviews were done. He's trying to decide if he wants to interview there. I think the main reason he's interested in USC is because Los Angeles is an accessible city.

Roger

[RAFS]

Brian is recovering from the hand surgery he had on Tuesday. He's trying to minimize the amount of pain pills because they cause other problems. Recently he has been editing some articles for Emedicine.com and doing a little work for a doctor at Barrows.

Today, Brian received a letter from the USC medical school inviting him for an interview. I was surprised because I thought the interviews were done. He's trying to decide if he wants to interview there. I think the main reason he's interested in USC is because Los Angeles is an accessible city.

Roger

Glad to hear that the surgery went well & Brian is now recovering. Please tell him for me as he's messaged me that I'm wishing him a speedy & full recovery. I hope he decides to interview at USC as it would be nice for him to live in an accessible city. Hope you have or had a safe trip back home to Arizona.
Take care Roger & thanks for the update.

[Roger]

Brian has decided to turn down the interview at USC. He's currently waiting to hear back from Stanford and the University of California San Francisco. As I've mentioned previously he has been accepted at Johns Hopkins. All of the drama will be over by the end of April. Sometime around April 9 he's suppose to hear back from Stanford. UCSF told Brian that he's on their high priority wait list and they will get back to him by the end of April. Who knows what high priority wait list means? It could just be a feel good name that UCSF puts on their wait list.

Last week the desk where Brian was working collapsed. It's an IKEA desk that one of Brian's friends put together for him. Evidently the screws that attached the desk top to a bookcase were not tightened properly. It was no big deal except when the desktop fell to the floor a cup of water spilled on Brian's laptop computer. The water got inside the laptop case and fried the motherboard. It was too expensive to replace the motherboard so Brian brought a new Toshiba laptop.

Unfortunately the story didn't quite end there the Toshiba laptop has the latest VISTA 64 bit operating system. Brian really likes the new laptop but we found out that Dragon Naturally Speaking doesn't run on a 64 bit system. I thought I knew quite a bit about computer but there's always something else to learn. Today Brian is returning the Toshiba laptop to Best Buy and picking out a laptop with a 32 bit operating system. This sounds like a soap opera.

Roger

[Eileen]

Wow, Rodger, when it rains it pours? I can't believe the desk collapsed. I am a fan of IKEA too, so it pains me to say that must have been very poorly designed. Hoping "high priority wait list" really means what it says!

[Roger]

Eileen

The desk collapsing was not a design problem it collapsed because Brian's friend didn't tighten the bolts properly. The whole incident was really no big deal other than water spilling on the laptop and frying the motherboard. We're trying to get the important files on the hard drive transferred to a CD. This has proven to be more difficult because Brian's laptop had Etoken security. This was a laptop that Brian used when he worked for a medical consulting company in San Francisco. He had patients medical records on the laptop so it had to have good security.

Brian took the Toshiba laptop with the 64 bit operating system back to Best Buy and exchanged it for a laptop with a 32 bit operating system. The new laptop is a little larger than the original Toshiba laptop but it will be fine.

Roger

[Eileen]

Glad to know the laptop return was done, and also glad to know I don't have to look at any of my IKEA purchases wondering when they will collapse!