Wally World

Andy, now that he is out of the hospital, took a trip over to Lone Peak High School with Darin and Elaine to pick up his car. Here is where another miracle happens; it fired right up. As most of you know, Andy has been blessed with mechanic skills that most of us can only dream of . . . enough said.

Now, a shopping trip--where? Where else? Wally World (WalMart for those of you who haven't been there). The down side is that they were all out of electric carts. I hate it when that happens. Upside is that Darin agreed to push him around in a wheel chair in order to purchase the necessary items he needs to make it on his own for the next couple of weeks: a food processor, several Lean Cuisine meals, fruit, and even some vegetables. Darin even tried to bump into a few women with the wheelchair to give Andy an opportunity to introduce himself.

Andy seems intent on obeying his doctor's orders. He even purchased a scale to watch his intake, especially now that he is sporting a new light-weight look after dropping 35 pounds. According to Darin, the scale Andy purchased was displaying weights approximately 15 pounds over what they should have, but then again, they all were, so no worries.

Final Test: Darin offered Andy some snacky items from his doc's "no-no" list. Andy's response, "Dude, I just had a heart attack ... I don't think I'll be havin' any of that!" Good answer Andy. Keep on truckin' . . .

180 Pound Weight Class

Andy left the hospital today! He and Raymond are living three houses North of the LDS Hospital on the West side of the street. For now, he plans to stay close to the hospital to complete both physical and speech therapy (he never sounded like he had much of an accent to me). When necessary, Raymond will push him back and forth in a wheelchair for his doctor checkups and testing.

Andy looks much better, and now he is in the process of changing his lifestyle. That said, he looks the best he has looked in nearly a month for sure. He has shed approximately 35 pounds and now tips the scales somewhere around the 180 pound weight class--it looks like he will be looking for some new shorts. After not drumming for a month, we'll see how many seconds it takes him to get back into form.

For the next couple of weeks he will be concentrating on rehabilitating himself and learning how to prepare a sundry of healthy food dishes. Thanks to all of you who have donated money to the Andy Garcia Fund at the Bank of American Fork and who continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Andy admits a miracle has occurred and he has a second lease on life. Welcome back Andy . . . one step at a time . . .

Tomorrow's a New Day

Rumor has it that Andy might be released from LDS Hospital as early as Friday. He will live temporarily with Raymond, his brother, in a nearby home owned by IHC. Raymond said that he and Andy will live together in SLC until they can be assured that Andy's health is stable enough to possibly move back to Bakersfield for a short time before returning to Utah. Andy plans to continue writing music and providing drum lessons to students on a volunteer basis.

Although the water has cleared from Andy's lungs, a brutal-sounding cough lingers as a subtle reminder of his ordeal. Daily insulin shots and regular blood sugar and blood pressure tests are now the norm. "The shots don't even hurt because the needle is so small," Andy said. "I'll do what I have to do . . . you get what you deserve if you don't take care of yourself," he said. In reality, however, that might be part of it, but heredity also plays a huge role in the lives we live.

If anyone knows where Andy's iPod is, please return it . . . and bring some watermelon if you think of it. We'll see how his tests go tomorrow, as it could be the start to a whole new life . . . his journey is just beginning, again.

Dodgers vs Padres

Andy is still experiencing dizziness when he stands. He can get around great in a wheelchair though, he said. Doctors will evaluate his blood sugar, which is low, and try to regulate his medication tomorrow in order to determine a potential release date. He continues to improve day by day. He must be doing better if he can sit through a Dodgers/Padres game...out.

Spinning Tea Cups

Andy is making progress slowly but surely. His biggest challenge right now is the dizziness he experiences whenever he is standing up. What he has experienced so far is a drop in blood pressure once he stands up and starts walking. Solution = "hospital hosiery" ... somehow, a pair of good tight, masculine, nylons (don't tell Andy we said that here) evidently help normalize his blood pressure.

Andy continues to eat real meals and prepare for more physical therapy. In addition, he will need a pacemaker check-up in one to two weeks to see how things are going. Other than that, he could be on his way to greatness, as long as he eats properly, exercises, takes his medication (including Insulin), finds a temporary place to live, and has some good fortune.

Vivian, his sister, returned to Bakersfield last week. Also, Diane, his mother, will be flying back to Bakersfield Wednesday morning. Ray will stick around for a little while to help determine Andy's next steps, which might include returning to Bakersfield or staying here in Utah for a while longer. Suggestions welcome as D-Day (Discharge Day) might be coming sooner than expected--now, some of the real challenges begin.