In Memory of Francis Gritzmacher

It's been a while since there has been anything to post here. Like everyone, we've been hunkered down, riding out the pandemic thing. It's really not a very big thing to me, since I am retired and don't have a job to go to. I spent a great deal of time home anyway. I'd been avoiding getting involved in any commitments anyway, so that I could be free to help Frank. Now, the corona virus is tying me up.

I'd really like to be free to change that, but I'm not anxious to rush things. I know some people are hurting and need to get back to their jobs and that income, but I'm happy I am in a position to help by staying home.

Read more...

If you'd like to know the story of Frank's older brother Albert and his transplant, I blogged about it at the time. His was done at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) one of the foremost transplant centers in the country. (Do they all say that? It did have it's own TV show, Three Rivers, which lasted only one season, but was fairly factual about organ procurement and transplant surgery.)

This link to my blog will take you to the first post about Albert's journey. You can find more posts about both Albert and Frank by using the "transplant" tag to search.

Maybe you're bored and need something to do while staying isolated at home and would enjoy reading this...

All posts tagged transplant

Who could have known a month ago that we would not be holding Frank's memorial celebration tonight? That something called COVID-19 would be putting all our lives on hold. But here we are all self-isolating wherever we are.

Just think if Frank were still here, how lonely he would be. Cut off from all visitors. Living in fear of this virus, which if he contracted it, would surely end him. Maybe he was the smart one and got out in the nick of time.

But he would have wanted all of us to be safe and get through it. You all were his family, related by blood or not, and he loved you all. So keep safe and we will get through this virus and have a memorial in his honor when it's safe to get together again.

I hope that you all feel as I do, that when the time comes, and we can finally honor him, it will be a great celebration, full of pent-up feelings and relief we can finally do it. It would be a shame if the delay diminished the celebratory excitement. Keep it in your mind and help plan the Frankquet part Deux whenever it does come along. We'll make it a party to remember!

Be safe. Take care of each other. We ARE a family. Those of you who work in essential services, be especially careful. I hope we can all get through this and keep Frank's celebration as something to look forward to and give us hope..

We were all caught off guard by Frank's passing. Yeah, we all knew it would happen some day, but not that day. In fact, there was some concern with Hospice over how long he had been there.

My last communication with him was on Facebook. We often interacted there when we were just saying hi and checking in. He commented on a post I had made about the XFL football games. I knew it would get his attention because we had been watching the Bills games and the playoffs every Sunday. We had just watched the Superbowl and I had said "What will we do now that football is over?" He said "Well, there's always the XFL." I had missed a couple of weeks of that, but would have joined him for a few games of XFL eventually.

Read more...