Christmas 2009
[caption id="attachment_140" align="aligncenter" width="604"] At the Alpha Kappa Zeta Christmas Party, 2009[/caption] At Stonebench, Christmas 2009 To All Sharing Our Genes or Journeys, The final year of the Aughts found us once again in the thick of it, meeting challenges both expected and unexpected. We count ourselves supremely fortunate to have a family and a family of friends to share our adventures with. Not long after last year's letter was in the in the postman's hands, Russell checked into the hospital as planned to have a benign meningioma excised. Several hours later, 98% had been successfully removed, leaving only a calcified trace clinging to parts too tender to touch. All was well until his temperature began to climb dangerously. Many tense hours later, he awoke to begin a course of Dantrolene, the only treatment for his newly-discovered Malignant Hyperthermia. Within a few days, having bested both tumor and hyperthermia, Russell was