Hertz greetings from Copley

Hello family and friends!

Greetings for a Merry Christmas, a happy (belated) Hanukkah and a joyous 2005! We hope this letter finds you well! .

Our big news for the year was, of course, David's bypass surgery, and we are thrilled to report that he is doing much better! For those of you who don't know, we decided late in the summer that David's disease (Takayasu arteritis) had taken such a toll on his lower aorta and the iliac arteries in both legs that it was time to take action. He was in near constant pain due to the fact that the disease had reduced the blood flow in these arteries to a near trickle. After much preoperative testing and consultation, the surgery was performed Oct. 11 at The Cleveland Clinic. The surgeon used a synthetic artery to bypass the damaged arteries and restore blood flow to David's legs. The surgery was a great success. David's feet again have normal pulses and have returned to a healthier color. The recovery from the surgery, though, has been slow and difficult. He was in the hospital for a week and home recuperating until Dec. 1, when he started working half days. He's slowly increasing the length of his work days, but still struggles with pain in the main incision (13 inches, cut diagonally across his abdomen) and fatigue, but is getting stronger every week and is enjoying being free of the vascular pain for a change.

We couldn't have made it through his long "down time" without all the help of our family and friends! We can't tell you how much we appreciate all the help and emotional support we received! The generosity we experienced was truly overwhelming.

The kids are both doing great, and are enjoying having Daddy back in their lives. Alyssa is LOVING kindergarten and can't wait to go every day. She'll be 6 in February. Joshua, 19 months, is learning new words daily and can climb on just about anything he sets his mind to (the couch, the bed, the kitchen counter). He adores his sister and she feels pretty much the same about him. Watching their relationship develop is the best!

Beth continues to work part-time in the Communications Department at The Cleveland Clinic and do freelance writing and editing on the side.

Take care and drop us a line sometime!

Love,

David, Beth, Alyssa and Joshua Hertz

Address:
906 Bridlewood Drive
Copley, OH 44321