August 29th AM Update

Friends and Family:

Russ has been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping...he is resting comfortably and once and a while wakes for a few minutes to say, "hi, baby" to my mom or "there's the boy" to my 1 year old son, Liam or something similar to whoever is in the room. He was awake for a total of about 1 hour yesterday and was able to visit with a few old friends. He asked a good friend of his, "are you going to my party?" she answered "yes" and he said "don't be afraid to get your clothes dirty!" What a sense of humor, even in his final days.

Thanks everyone who came to the event last night...it was nice to see so many of you that have loved Russ over the years. Thank you also to those who made a financial contribution in honor of Russ - these are tough economic times and so we appreciate your generosity ever so much.

My mom is by his side at all times and finds a sense of solitude in staying near. All "the kids" are also there for several hours a day...again, it feels comforting to be as close as possible to the family and especially Russ.

Thank you again and again!

Sarah