Lemme tell'ya sumpin bout Gregg

[MAGNUM4342]

As many of you regulars know, I recently underwent back surgery. I was scared out of my wits from the moment they started talking about cutting away part of my spine. One slip and i'm in a chair the rest of my life, which statistics say is only a little past half way.

I contacted Gregg through a private message to ask for help in easing my mind. You've all seen his avatar, who better to ask right? His response was completely unexpected. Gregg wrote back one simple sentence that meant the world to me. "Why don't you call me."

Now before I go any further let me state here and now, Gregg did not give me his number on a whim, and for no reason whatsoever will I give it to anyone else for any reason. I just want to make that clear.

During our twenty minute conversation, Gregg told me everything I needed to expect from the moment I hit the gurney, until the moment I would be ready to leave the hospital. He left nothing out and did not hold back. Did some of it frighten me even more? You betcha! However Gregg knew that it was information I needed, despite how spirit shriveling it could be.

What I found out during my ordeal, was that every single thing the man told me was dead on accurate right down the line all the way to the removal of my catheter. During which by the way it is said I made a sound that a human should not be able to make. A doctor and three nurses all heard it and none could agree on what it sounded like! But I digress.

So yesterday I had a follow up appointment. It went so well, that I wanted to make one more call to Gregg before deleting his number, to personally thank him for his guidance in getting me through one of the worst episodes of my life. I could not do so. Gregg was apparently quite upset, upset enough that he was not accepting calls. Of course his first thought was most likely 'here's another call to ask why the forum is shut down'.

One can hardly blame him except that I had no idea at that time that it was. So now, I am here, spelling out to everyone on the board what should have been a personal conversation between myself and my new found friend and O'hana. I have found, read and digested the point in fact that caused the shutdown and it sickens me.

Do we really have to have that much acrimony on one thread? The purest answer is NO. However we are all human and sooner or later the overriding need to be RIGHT strikes us all. So in the future I ask this one simple thing. Keep in mind we are a family of sorts here, and as any man who has ever had a wife or longtime girlfriend knows, there is a question that often must be asked. "Would you rather be right? or happy?" Right and happy are NOT the same thing.

Gregg- Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not just for the magazine and the forum, but for who you are. No matter how long the site or magazine remains I for one will never forget the personal steps you took to help me.

I am going to lock this post as it niether requires or needs replies. Should anyone feel the need to discuss it further, feel free to contact me privately. Just don't ask me for Gregg's phone number because you won't get it. It has been removed from my phone. Thank you for reading.