Update direct from Dan

First of all thank you all for your kind wishes, prayers and positive vibes and hospital visits. This has been one of, if not, the most difficult experiences of my life and your support makes a world of difference.

This Tuesday I was discharged from the ICU and given my own private room on the 10th floor of Saint Paul's, the surgical ward. Getting my own room was a great gift as privacy is such a rare commodity in a hospital.

On top of this my room faces right out over English Bay towards UBC and I get great sunsets to boot!

I continue to improve each day. Every day I get out walking two to three times along with all my support gear... iv pole and a nurse plus Dylan or Tina.

My vitals are stable and other metrics associated with my recovery are trending in the right direction.

And it's one damn day at a time. No word on a release date and I figure the best approach is to take it one day at a time.

Being given the gift of making it through the crunch time of something like 9 surgeries and 3 procedures has also come with it the opportunity to process some of my thoughts and feelings about all of this.

Looking back I don't think I had much fear about the danger I was in and was only focussed on getting through what I had to (makes sense, focus on the important stuff).

Now I have more appreciation for it and can see why so many of you came to see me or called or wrote emails.

Now with my foot off the gas pedal this level of support brings tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. How lucky am I to have all of you in my life who love and care for me? How lucky  am I to be surrounded by such an amazing community of friends and family.

I also need to speak about Dylan and Tina. ICU and wards hospital time ain't easy from a physical perspective and from a mental perspective it can be very lonely and frightening. Tina and Dylan have been rocks through this entire journey. One of them has always been by my side, day or night. They have been there to advocate for me with the doctors and nurses. They have kept me company, listened to my worries and helped me remind myself of the wins that I am getting each day. I am forever grateful for them for this and feel much more peace knowing they will be by my side up until the day I leave the hospital and afterwards.

Wow, I'm a lucky guy.

If you would like to come visit me in my new digs you can find me on the 10th floor wing B room 18.
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Lots of love,

Dan