Well, after countless attempts and  frustration I am finally on the
newsgroup!!  Actually, I guess, the newsgroup is finally on my computer.
Thanks to CJ and Elmo.   I guess you all could receive my posts but I
couldn't receive yours.  The problem was so simple I'm embarrassed. :-)  Now
that I'm here, I don't really know what to say.
   I know Elmo told everyone about Doug's passing.  I typed most all of his
posts, so even though no one knows me, I know most all of you.  You all
became friends of mine while becoming friends of Doug.
    Doug really enjoyed the dynamics of this newsgroup.  He enjoyed the
controversy, the humor, the creative outlet that he found here, and he
enjoyed you all as friends.   Even you, Cody. :-)   I miss that he is not
here.
    Doug got sick in the beginning of Oct. with some belly thing that
caused him pain whenever he would eat.  He had been hospitalized twice
before for the same thing and he knew that if he stopped eating his belly
would be able to rest and heal.   So he stopped eating.  To make a long
story short basically his belly didn't ever heal.  He couldn't eat.  He had
been in out of the hospital here in Plymouth, up to Lahey Clinic in Boston,
and had every test imaginable (all normal).  He could not eat substantially
enough to maintain his health.  He became so weak that other things began to
go wrong and he just reached the point that he could not recover.   We truly
thought he would get better.   The very day he went in the hospital for the
last time he was telling me he was going to beat this thing and that he was
going to get better.   I'm glad he went out with the fighting, determined
spirit that I know so well.
   He was an incredible person.  A true fighter and survivor.  He got
Pollio when he was 3 during the epidemic in the 50's.   He was in an iron
lung for 2 yrs when he was 5.   He was in a room with about 5 -7 other boys.
Boys would come and boys would go but for the two years that Doug was there
he was the only boy in his room that survived.  He was left with total
paralysis of his legs and partial paralysis of all the other muscles in his
body.   He could do everything but walk,  just not as easily as most people.
   There are so many amazing stories to tell about Doug's life and his
final days I'd have to write a book to tell them all.   God blessed me with
13 years of marriage to him and 8 years of friendship before that.  God has
been good to my family (we have a son 12 and a daughter 9) even through this
horrible thing.
   One of the last times Doug and I posted Thip wasn't doing so well.  How
is she doing?        Regards,    DW  (Doogie's Wife)