Our 33rd Year

September 8, 1999
October 6, 1999
October 20, 1999
November 3, 1999
November 17, 1999
December 1, 1999
December 15, 1999
January 26, 2000
February 9, 2000
February 23, 2000
March 8, 2000
March 22, 2000
April 5, 2000
April 19, 2000
May 17, 2000
June 7, 2000
July 5, 2000

Other Years

September 8, 1999

by Dick Prentke

From the “ain’t gettin’ any younger” dept.: After flunking his annual stress test in April, John Fisher checked into New York Hospital for what he was assured would be a routine angiogram with a likely angioplasty. Instead he learned that he needed a quintuple bypass asap. Two days later he had just that (mildly relieved that he wasn’t bad enough to bump the schedule and go the very next day). Amazingly enough, the day before surgery, spent in the hospital, was one of the great days of his life because of an incredible outpouring of unimagined support that included former roomies Jim Slocum and Jay Bramhall, as well as Steve Oxman, John McWilliams, Cliff Ransom, and Allen Adler. The most extraordinary support came from Roger Liddell, who showed up in John’s hospital room the night before surgery and patiently explained his own experience in the same place six years earlier. Since John lived alone, Roger allowed no argument – when he got out of the hospital, John was coming to stay with Roger and Fa. John can’t overstate how well cared for he has been in this whole process – in the hospital and especially during his two weeks with the Liddells. John is doing great now – walking five-plus miles daily and easing his way back into work and his kids’ busy lives. He has a new lease on life, and he’s grateful that throughout the whole ordeal, he didn’t have any great pain or fear. His doctors assure him that he will be on the tennis courts before the summer’s over, and that his usual third-set fade will be markedly reduced. John hopes that he can be as helpful to others as good-willed classmates have been to him. And if he could presume to offer advice to anyone going through a serious health concern, it would be: Don’t hesitate to reach out to the people who care about you, and if you know someone who is going through such an experience, make the effort simply to call or visit. It made all the difference in the world for John.

© 1999 Dick Prentke and The Princeton Alumni Weekly. Used by permission.