A chat with John Lazares

From Kathie Bracy, April 29, 2007

I had a nice telephone chat with John this evening; he was sitting on his deck; yesterday was the first he'd set foot outside; he attended an event his son was involved in, and paid for it today.

John had his second knee replacement surgery (same knee as before) in February. They've gotten rid of the staph infection that had given him so much pain for so long; but there's a lot of scar tissue, and the excruciating pain continues. If you thought he had disappeared from the radar screen, he pretty much had, as he was kept pretty sedated for nine weeks with pain killers. John is getting physical therapy three times a week, and the therapist comes to the house. From his description, the experience is anything but *fun*.

John wants to thank everyone for their cards, letters, etc. He's really grateful to have so many friends at a time like this. He's going to try to make it to the May Board meeting at STRS. If you come, you'll see a thinner John because of all this. He's also hoping to go in to work tomorrow for an hour. We all wish him the best for a full and speedier recovery from his long ordeal.