1985: My Good-Bye Party

Saturday, January 6, 1985, was a good day.  Nearly every member of my family, including all my friends and the friends of my parents, showed up at our house for my good-bye party.  My cousin Scott and his band played music in our living room.  My Uncle Torrin mocked Willie Nelson in a version of "On the Road Again" by plugging his nose while singing.  I knew there was going to be a good-bye party, but I had no idea it was going to be this big.

At the time I really didn't understand why they were throwing me such a large party.  I was only going to be going away for 6-9 weeks.  Surely this seemed like a long time to me, but it wasn't going to be forever.  Yet, in retrospect, I know now that my parents and those taking care of me were afraid asthma was going to take my life.  They were making a gallant effort to show how much everyone cared.  

And surely they never stopped the effort, as nearly every person who showed up at this party sent me letters while I was on 7-Goodman.  Between all of them, I think I received over a hundred letters in the first three months at the asthma hospital.  It was great back then because it was nice to receive a letter or package every day.  It's also nice now as I'm trying to tell my story, because these letters helps me remember what I was doing back then, and what was happening the rest of the world outside the asthma center.