Greg took his first steps yesterday as he continues his excellent recovery from liver surgery this past Monday. His progress continues to be remarkable and we all were impressed with his strength, determination, and grit.

Items removed on Friday: Foley catheter, IV in jugular, epidural. The removal of all of these so early signifies that his liver function is good and his blood should clot well. This is great news and a real answer to prayer for swift healing.

Of course, great progress does not mean that there are no difficulties or dangers. Please keep the following requests in mind as you pray for Greg:

* That the doctors would let him out of the hospital at the right time, that he and Christine would find the best place to stay in Houston for up to a week after release from the hospital, and that the transition to the new living situation would go well.
* That the wound from his jugular IV would would heal when the bandage is removed today.
* For dealing with the effects of droopiness and incoherence now that he is on morphine instead of the epidural.
* That he would regularly practice the breathing exercises prescribed for him, and that he would not develop excessive fluid in or around the lungs.
* That no infections would develop.

Greg asked me to pass on his thankfulness for the many notes that came to him as a result of the patient contact system at MDACC. Any notes received are printed and hand-delivered to Greg or Christine and they have drawn tremendous encouragement from them. He is also checking the website as and when he can, and will hopefully make a post of his own very soon.