Wow, Chuck and I've had so much fun reading your responses. We had no idea what a HUGE blessing this would be. I've received some questions concerning the surgery via email, and would like to provide some basic information:

• Chuck will be at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, 4700 Alliance Blvd., Plano, TX 75093.
• The purpose of the surgery is two-fold.

1. First, his spine is currently fused except for the last four vertebrae. He has developed arthritis in those final four, the disks between them have worn down. Thus, he is living with a great deal of pain. The first two segments of the surgery will take care of this.
2. Second, his lungs and other organs have very little room due to the compressed space known as Chuck's chest! Currently, his lungs function at 40% capacity. This is "fine" now, but as he ages, this percentage will continue to decrease. After the surgery, his lungs should be at about 60% capacity. Though it sounds small to me, the doctor said Chuck will feel like running a marathon! The final segment of the surgery (vertebrectomy, insertion of rods) should take care of this.

• The surgery will not have a direct impact on Chuck's ability to walk. However, you never know. Once he is out of pain and able to breathe ... there's no telling what the man will be able to do.
• Full recovery will take at least a year. However, we expect Chuck to be up and "running" in about a month. If all goes well, he'll be in a regular hospital for one week, then a rehab hospital for two weeks. Once he's free from the hospitals, he'll stay with his folks, in Bedford, for a month for follow up visits with the docs and to be fattened up with Mom's GREAT cooking.

Peace out.