Sharon's health (Stan's Facebook updates)

[Steve Hubbell]

47 minutes ago
After almost 5 months in the hospital or convalescence, Sharon comes home today!

[Glennosuke]

Welcome Home Sharon!! Okairi-na-sai!

Glenn & Carol Masuda

[Toukon]

That is excellent news! Congratulations and welcome home.

Our thoughts will be with your family, hoping everything goes and stays well and we'll continue to keep Sharon in our prayers.

[Steve Hubbell]

4 hours ago
It's a challenge, but we're glad that Sharon is home. Here we are enjoying our front yard, which has not been watered since she went into the hospital in April.



A couple days ago, Sharon's blood pressure dropped, not to an alarming level, but to one of concern. I worked with her until it was raised to a decent level. Later, the nurse told me that I did all the right things. That was reassuring.

Daughter Hannah has taken on so much of the responsibilities for Sharon's care--taking the late night shift, organizing the dozen or so meds that Sharon has to take throughout the day, etc. Still there are glitches that happen. I just went to turn off the nebulizer treatment, then found that the tube was not connected to the pump.

about an hour ago
I remember finally getting Karen home after her accident. It was a wonderful feeling. The end of one adventure and the beginning of another. Wish Sharon our very best from the both of us!

about an hour ago
I remember when your got word of her accident, Charles. We were in Chicago on the Trilogy Tour, and you could not get a flight out until the next day. I admire how you kept everything together.

[plasticplayhouse]

that is a touching pic

[Steve Hubbell]

14 hours ago
Sharon had an appointment with her Ear/Nose/Throat doctor today. It was our first outing since her homecoming. We learned a lot--how much longer it takes to get ready, how fast I can drive in LA rush hour traffic to make the appointment, and that we need a wrench to turn on the spare oxygen tank. Fortunately, a car a few stalls away had car trouble, and we borrowed pliers from the AAA man. Yeah, I know that's terrible, but I'm a find-joy-in-all-things kind of guy. The handicap spaces in the car park were all full, so we had to find two adjoining stalls so Sharon could get out and into her wheelchair.

When we got home, we were greeted by a box of fruit and snacks from Harry and David. Thank you, Rob Wall!





Sharon was exhausted, so fell asleep right after getting her meds and having her trach suctioned. I'm having leftovers for dinner. I had made a mixed berry glazed pork loin roast and rosemary rice last night. Thank you, Nina Savino, for sending that box of homemade preserves. We're really enjoying them!

14 hours ago
Looks like you did it right, Stan!

14 hours ago
Thank you, Nina. I butterflied the pork, and was going to stuff it with sautéed apples, but forgot to buy the apples. I used your apple sauce instead. It was really good. That berry glaze you sent me is wonderful.

14 hours ago
Love you all dearly! You're family. Anytime I can come over, please let me know.

14 hours ago
Thanks, Kirby. We're still settling in, getting used to our schedule and still trying to get Sharon's space to her liking. We're mounting a 40" TV for her this weekend. She's still deaf, but wrote she needs a big screen so she can read the closed captions.

14 hours ago
Thats very sweet of you. I'm not far away so just let me know

13 hours ago
Glad to hear you were able to score the use of a wrench!

13 hours ago
We did bring all four of our oxygen tanks--two small one hour ones, and two large two hour ones. The small ones don't need any tools to turn on, but the larger ones do. Live and learn.

13 hours ago
Yes, indeed.

[Steve Hubbell]

2 hours ago
Sharon has a nebulizer, or mist treatment, every 4 hours around the clock. We called in a prescription refill on Friday for a Saturday pick-up. The instructions said the prescription could not be refilled until the 29th, Sunday, but she would run out Saturday night. The pharmacy would be closed on Sunday, so we were able to place the order a day early. When I got to the pharmacy, I was told they did not have it in stock and were expecting it Tuesday afternoon. I waited while they called associated pharmacists for 50 miles around but no one had it. I asked to speak to the supervisor, and we finally came to a solution.

Sharon's nebulizer is a mixture of a couple of different medications. She gave me the individual meds, in the proper doses, and I will just have to mix them in the nebulizer chamber.

Every day is filled with these little challenges.

2 hours ago
Glad to hear you were able to get the prescription refilled! My mother's always came in the mail (refills, etc) so I don't remember ever having to go through such an ordeal.

about an hour ago
We get a lot of medications sent to us, but some, like this nebulizer and heparin, has to be picked up. We once went to pick up a prescription, and was told that it was locked in the safe and the guy with the key was out to lunch so we had to come back later. That one was $8,000 for a one month supply. Most of it was covered by our insurance, though.

[Steve Hubbell]

9 hours ago
I took Sharon to get an MRI today. She has been getting MRIs since 2004 to track the growth of her brain tumor. This was the first time I got to go in with her, because the technician wanted me to be on hand in case she needed her trach to be suctioned. I brought her portable suction compressor, along with her wheelchair, oxygen tanks, and her travel paraphernalia. I had to wear ear plugs because of the noise from the machines. At first, the sounds were kind of neat, like sound effects from an old sci-fi movie. It quickly became just annoying, though, and I was glad when it was over. It took about 40 minutes, with a 5 minute break in between when a nurse injected some dye into her.

We have an appointment Monday afternoon to go over the results of the MRI.



Sharon always made use of the time spent in the MRI and during radiation therapy. She would spend that time in prayer and contemplation.

[Steve Hubbell]

October 6
Thank you again, Nina Savino, for the preserves. I made another pork roast last night with mixed berry preserves, seasoned with herb de Provence. I butterflied it, and rolled it up with sautéed apples and onions. I roasted some rosemary carrots with it, then deglazed the pan and added some blueberry preserves to make the sauce.

I baked blueberry muffins this morning, and am enjoying it with some of your blueberry jam.

16 hours ago
I will have to try my hand at YOUR recipes, Stan.... the photos LOOK as good as they sound and I am salivating! Stan, I have a proposal... only once was I able to have you draw a nice Usagi portrait for me (which was later stolen )... are you interested in trading a portrait for a big mixed bag box of my preserves? I think Sam Parsons did the color for me and it was wonderful.

15 hours ago
NIna--Sorry, but I am so behind on my work right now that I am unable to take commissions of any kind. I am finishing up my story for Dark Horse Presents, then will have to do three paintings before I can return to UY: Senso.

14 hours ago
Well, I am glad you are busy... That's always a blessing, and the offer is always open!

13 hours ago
Thanks for taking a rain check on that drawing/preserves trade, Nina. We'll do it when I have a bit more free time. I just do not want to make a commitment that I know I cannot keep right now.

13 hours ago
I really understand... I am so behind with apples right now. But I KNOW my preserves are in good hands and well appreciated by you. It's always a pleasure when people appreciate your work.

[Steve Hubbell]

6 hours ago
We met with Sharon's neuro-oncologist today to discuss the results of Saturday's MRI. There is no visible change in her brain tumor. It is large, inoperable, and pressing against sensitive areas of her brain (as evidenced by her paralysis, deafness, etc). She will return to her bi-weekly chemotherapy infusions that was interrupted when she went into emergency and convalescence, then will go in for another MRI in three months.

5 hours ago
Also, Sharon has gained some weight. She is now 82 pounds.

2 hours ago
Her weight gain is not because of my cooking, as she is still being fed a liquid formula via a G-tube directly into her stomach. The trip to the doctor today really tired her out, and she slept most of the afternoon. We also went to church yesterday, her first time since late April, and went to get her MRI on Saturday. We are still getting used to how much preparation needs to be done for her outings, including how many tanks of oxygen she might need.

[Steve Hubbell]

October 8
I finished the second half of my two-parter for Dark Horse Presents in which Usagi meets up with a foreign trained artist. Since it is a color story, the panels that show the artist's work will be done with traditional mediums to differentiate it from the computer coloring of the rest of the story.

[Steve Hubbell]

16 hours ago
Oh, my! Guess who will be writing the introduction for the next Usagi Yojimbo collection--Book 28: The Red Scorpion, out in June or July of 2014.



This photo is from April, 2011

And it's not that guy with the mustache in the background photobombing us.

[Ghost9]

Those pages look absolutely amazing!

[Steve Hubbell]

12 hours ago
It was a small turnout at the CAPS meeting Thursday night, mainly because APE and NY Comic-con are going on this weekend. We had four cosplayers as speakers. They talked about their background, what they do, and how they do it. Then they modeled for a life drawing class. It's been awhile since I've drawn from a model. I had brought my travel watercolor set. It was fun.

They held poses for 10 minutes. They were terrific.









All four of them were terrific. I had to leave after the third pose, but wish I could have stayed until the end.





Tom Luth

12 hours ago
Using the old school manual bifocals.

Dean Yeagle

[Steve Hubbell]

16 hours ago



Sharon started up her chemo therapy again today. She had bi-weekly sessions for a couple of years, then stopped when she went into emergency six months ago. It took about three hours, though subsequent sessions should be shorter. Contrary to what the photo shows, it really exhausted her.