Received from Mary Kay Cipolla via Jose Cocco Valdez and Fast Eddie Creamer:

From: mary kay cipolla
To:
Date: 6/30/2007 10:24:13 AM
Subject: Update on Chip's surgery

Dear Family and Friends,

Chip's spinal surgery last week(Thurs.) in Green Bay went very well. The Dr. removed 2 damaged disks from his neck and replaced them with coral and steel pins and plates. He has no pain in his neck and the feeling in his right hand is beginning to come back. The only set back has been the continued problem with his lungs. His oxygen levels were quite low before the surgery(due to lung disease related to years of smoking) and he had early stage pneumonia which did not show up pre-op. When the anesthesiologist intubated him, he aspirated stomach acid into his lungs which further aggravated the COPD and the pneumonia.
He spent the next 2 days in Acute Care on anti-biotics and oxygen. The hospital was wonderful and allowed me to stay each night in the room with him. Chip was discharged on Sat. with 2 oxygen tanks and a parcel
of prescriptions. By Sat. evening, his bladder and bowel had quit functioning, his kidneys were beginning to shut down and he was in extreme pain. So early Sat. a.m. I called my brother Terry and we bundled up Chip and took him to the emergency room. After he had 2
liters of urine drained from his bladder and an IV of Demerol he was ready to go off and fight another war again. Hopefully he will have the catheter removed next week , the collar will go in another 3wks, and we
won't know how long he'll be on O2 until the next visit to the pulmonologist.
He's been a real trooper. The dog and cat keep getting tripped up in the fifty foot oxygen tubing and all of my refrigerator magnets end up around his neck when he walks through the kitchen but other than that he's doing really well.
Your prayers and well wishes have been deeply appreciated.

With blessings and love,

Chip and MK