Cadets Family Comes Together
Cadets family comes together in prayer
Thursday, December 27, 2007
By: Christen Juel
Member, author undergoing brain surgery
Our thoughts and prayers are with David C. Welch, Cadets mellophone player from 1984-1987, and the "This I Believe" Essay Contest winner for finals night 2007. Welch is also the author of The Middle Horn Leader 2006, a chronicle of his 1984 rookie season with the Garfield Cadets.
Welch will undergo surgery today, Thursday, Dec. 27th, at 2 p.m. for a brain tumor first discovered in December 2004. After learning last week that his tumor had changed from slow-growing to fast-growing, Welch quickly set a date for a second brain surgery with Dr. Patrick J. Kelly at NYU, one of the top three neurosurgeons in the world. David is expected to be in New York City for at least a week after the surgery to recover.
This information for visitors is taken from Welch’s non-profit website called 38 Lemon, which is dedicated to "Brain Cancer Awareness – from a Patient’s Perspective." This website has drawn over 7 million hits in just the past 12 months alone. Why 38 Lemon? Because David was 38 when diagnosed and the tumor was the size of a Lemon.
A common question
Speaking of practical things, I have a wonderful issue to address. Many friends and family members have asked if they can visit me at NYU Tisch Hospital. Well, that is one of the easiest questions I have ever been asked. The answer? Yes! The more the merrier.
That said, there are some severe restrictions at different points in time. Here is what I know at this point.
When it will be good to visit
1.) 12/27/07 I will have brain surgery. It will last much of the business day.
2.) I will be in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following surgery. Access at that point is quite restricted. I can only be seen for 5 minutes every hour and only by a few people per time.
3.) For the first 24 hours after surgery, I will not have any pain medication, so I will be a groaner more than anything else. Bad time to visit, by any measure. In those first 24 hours, my only goal is to find myself awake with an ability to talk and move. That is the only thing I care about at that point. Period.
4.) As my conditions improve, I will be moved to a separate room. I will be there for upwards of a week. This is where visitation is much more possible. Last time, my condition improved daily. It took some time, but I slowly got to a point where I could visit.
5.) I remember it took quite a few days for pain to decrease. I was slowly taken off pain killer, but the first several days I found myself living for that big shot in the butt to help kill pain. As soon as I would see the nurse, I would roll my hips so she could stick that big ol' needle in, where it mattered. Never before have I been so happy to see a large needle!
6.) All this said, I would say that I am going to be more approachable 48 to 72 hours after my brain surgery. Updates will be made on 38 Lemon about when I have recovered enough to be social for brief periods of time.
7.) No matter what anyone says, just to open my eyes and see people who care is a gift. Even if I am at a point where I cannot say much or if I am still in a lot of pain, I know that seeing people I know is love being extended directly to me. Just seeing is a gift, even when I cannot talk much. There! It is published, just in case there is doubt or disagreement on such matters.
Where I will be
This is another good point to cover. Where will I be? Here is what I have been told, which matches my instructions from my 5/5/05 brain surgery. After I am out of ICU, I will be moved to the 12th floor of the following building:
New York University Tisch Hospital
530 First Avenue
New York, NY
(Please note that this is at the intersection of East 34th Street.)
I am not certain the exact room I will be in after surgery, but there is a Patient Representative Department which can be reached at 212/263-6906. They may have additional information about where I am located. I will also ask for this specific information to be posted on 38 Lemon so that folks know.
Read Welch’s daily journals and learn more about how to help at 38 Lemon leave a message on his Messages tab.
Get well soon David! The 2008 Cadets are expecting to see you cheering them on at DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., in August 2008.
Source:
The Holy Name Cadets
