Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I don't know if some of you know yet, but Harry has been ill this past year, and more recently suffered heart by-pass surgery. I've been to visit him, with his generous assistance, and am going again this weekend.

He is still recovering, tho he has his bad days and his worse days!

He still looks out for us on the Forum, still interested in every one here, still can't wait to get to Fall River again, and meet up one day!

He's cool!

Here are some pictures we took of his Blue Ridge Mountains, about 45 minutes away from his home. They are The-Smokies-turning-into-the-Blue-Ridge.
He wasn't driving then, and so I drove, but he is getting out and about more now and driving himself, as well.

This is from August 7th, 2010

Harry's Mountains!

Yay Harry!

Absolutely lovely!

So sorry to hear you've been ill Harry. Know we're all pulling for you!

Hi Harry...I certainly know what you've been through. I had to deal with heart problems this past year from December though July. But everything is fixed now. I know things will be better for you too very soon. Will be thinking about you and wishing a very speedy recovery.

How would you like to wake up to that view every day? Nice!

Hang in there, Harry. We are all pulling for you!

-1bigsteve (o:

Angel @ Thu Sep 09, 2010 10:48 am wrote:Hi Harry...I certainly know what you've been through. I had to deal with heart problems this past year from December though July. But everything is fixed now. I know things will be better for you too very soon. Will be thinking about you and wishing a very speedy recovery.

It's a good feeling when you finally defeat an ongoing problem that just wears you thin. I have been there and done that! Glad to hear your heart is better, Angel.

-1bigsteve (o:

Hope you feel better Harry! Really beautiful pics Kat!

Those are beautiful pictures.
Harry, I sure hope you feel better. You'll be in my prayers. Hang in there, you have a whole group of us behind you cheering you on!!!

I lived in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in north Georgia. They were quite a scenic backdrop for our small town. Have hiked in the Smokies and visited old cabins and mills. I could never get enough of the beautiful scenery.

Harry, take care of yourself. You are in our thoughts and prayers. I wish you all the best.

Hope it's a speedy and thorough recovery, Harry. Glad you are past the surgery. You are lucky to have a friend like Kat, and to be so close to the "mountings," as the Piedmont patois would have them.

A big THANKS for all your prayers and well wishes. They are much appreciated.

I had quadruple bypass surgery in July and was hospitalized for 8 days. It came as a complete surprise as I had no indication of any heart problems. Was simply watching TV at the time the pains started.

Added to that was I had had a prostate cancer operation in September of last year. That was performed by robotic surgery, a DaVinci prostatectomy, an amazing minimally invasive procedure. I've has 3 subsequent PSA tests and all have been negative. Hooray!

Add to those two an ongoing battle with spinal stenosis which limits my walking ability. I'd be going to FR if it wasn't for that.

I seem to have gone through the prostate and heart surgeries okay but am still weak and tire easily. It will take time to get back to "normal". Trying to remember what that was.

Yes, Kat has been a great and loyal friend. I count both the Koorey sisters among my closest friends.

Again, THANKS to everyone.

Do please take care of yourself, Harry. Some of us haven't met you face to face yet!

Seriously, all the best & hope good health now finds you for a long time to come.

Tina-Kate @ Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:27 pm wrote:Do please take care of yourself, Harry. Some of us haven't met you face to face yet!

I am certainly one who very much wants to. Very sorry to hear about your health problems. Hope the worst is over.

Knowing that heart attacks often come without warning, I've been going to a cardiologist myself for preventive measures and am now taking medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. (The cholesterol was through the roof and the blood pressure, while not life-threatening yet, was inching up there.) So far so good, apparently.

All the best, Harry.

When it rains, it pours. That's quite a burden, but it sounds like you're equal to the task of recovery. Stay tough, we're all pulling for you!

Thank you for looking after our friend, Kat.

I've been through the mountains in North Carolina, and they really are beautiful!

I am so sorry to hear about your illness, Harry. You have been through a lot. Even though we have not met face to face, I consider you to be a dear friend. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Kat, the pics are absolutely beautiful!

Again, a sincere thanks to all.

We're all almost like family members here. If only the Borden's had got along so well.

Wait a minute...if they did we wouldn't be here.

BTW, the pictures were taken in Saluda, NC, a quaint little town known for its arts and crafts festivals. We found this little motel (think Bates motel ) at the top of a hill and they had a great view of the area. We didn't stay there but "borrowed" their view, a spectacular view which must be even more beautiful when the leaves begin to turn.

You're right, Harry - we are almost like family!

The pictures are absolutely beautiful, especially the first one; it is my favorite of the three posted. It reminds me of the farm I grew up on. From my parents back yard you could see down through a valley, which was covered with trees, and at the sky line were the three mounds of Belmont, WI. The one near the center of Belmont, is called, “Belmont Mound”, and then there are two in the western part of the town called, “Little Mound” and “Platte Mound”. The Belmont Mound, reaches nearly 400 feet above the Village of Belmont. From the 64-foot observation tower on top, you can see for many miles in all directions. Actually, from the top the tower, on a clear day, you can see the three towns of Darlington, Lancaster, and Platteville.

Kat, thank you for posting these pictures.

A most expensive ride.

Just saw the bill for my ambulance ride to the ER. A whopping $484.02! Not that I'm complaining for I wouldn't be here to type this but for them. Luckily my insurance covered all but a small part of it.

Gotta invest some money in an ambulance company!

Here's a PSA-- tho' most all of you probably know this, but just in case:

If you have a true life/death emergency, as Harry did, take an ambulance to the ER, because you will be seen immediately.

Even if you have someone to drive you, even if you live less than a mile away ... "the life you save may be your own."

Yup that's true!
They do get in right away- maybe that is part of the Four-Hundred-Eighty-Dollars! Expensive valet service!

Your loved ones following tho, may not get in right away tho!

Get well Harry. Sorry I never read this thread till now. I haven't been looking around the forum as much as I should.

Nice view alright, nice contrast and combination.

Thanks Tony, I appreciate it.

What I like about those photos is that there is not a house, road, telephone pole, power line, etc., in sight. There undoubtedly are some beneath that canopy of trees but one can wish.

Constantine, take care of yourself. Watch that blood pressure. it sneaks up on you. That applies to all of us.

Angel, when you had your operation did you have any numbness in your hands after?

Don't know where I've been but I missed this.

Harry, I hope you are doing so much better now! So many people find their quality of life improves tremendously once they've recovered from the bypass surgery. I certainly hope that is true in your case. The DaVinci surgery is certainly a marvel. You live in a beautiful area. Hope that beauty helps you regain your strength...we want you visiting FR again soon.

Thank you, Cynthia. It's been a long 13 months but I'm slowly getting back to normal. My biggest problems now are the Spinal Stenosis and the numbness still in my fingers from the heart surgery. Its hard to type.

Yes the DaVinci robotic surgery is a wonder indeed. When the doctor first mentioned robotic surgery I envisioned the robot Gort from the movie The Day The Earth Stood Still.

For those not familiar with the procedure this site has a little movie on it:

http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/index.aspx