Chance = Change

Dearest Ann J. reminded me that I need to clarify the latest situation with Alice White...wonderful, gifted Alice, who has been quite ill lately and deep in a healing sleep at Beth Israel...I had erroneously reported that she was in a coma, but that is not strictly true: in order to ease her breathing when she first entered the hospital, they had to intubate her, with a breathing tube down her throat, and in order for the human body to endure that, it must be sedated...otherwise, gag reflexes and choking automatically set in and the tube cannot do its job..so ALice has been sedated, not comatose...then, the day i last visited her, they had performed a tracheotomy that morning, enabling them to remove the tube from her throat, so slowly they are allowing her to wake up...i imagine she will have quite a sore throat when she does...but we are all hopeful she will gain consciousness soon. and the infections that had been plaguing her, forcing her to be hospitalized, will be under control....she is surrounded by the love of so many caring friends day and night...I will return there tomorrow...she ahs been moved to a more intermediary floor than the MICU...fifth floor , I believe. I keep hearing stories of how she seems to be responding, even while "out", to stories being told to her by bedside pals...her spirit, strong and engaged in life, will always find a way to laugh...that is, simply, Alice.

Had the most remarkable lunch with Cynthia A. yesterday. What an deeply bright and loyal friend she is. She is teaching at the Stella Adler School,in their outreach program...such important work, and she is well - suited to lead these youngsters to knowing themselves better in a creative way...theaters and companies concerned with art should, in my view, help the young to now their world better through that art...especially the youth who otherwise could not afford to experience life that way. Finally, why else do we do what we do, if we cannot give others a chance to grow?