Gary Newman Gary Newman

Gary's battle started suddenly last Wednesday, February 14.  He spiked a temp and suspected that he may have contracted the nasty flu bug.  After two trips to emergency in Burlington, WA, the doctors concluded that he did not have the influenza that has affected so many this winter.   He returned home but woke in the middle of the night...once again burning up with fever.   He was not able to communicate.  Phyllis called 911 and he went by ambulance to the Mt. Vernon, WA, hospital.  Testing began in earnest on Thursday.   He had several MRI's, CT scans and other invasive procedures.  The doctors were initially stumped as to what was causing his fever and listlessness.   Finally, they discovered that he had MRSA; this staph infection had invaded his body with a vengeance.  They determined that it had eaten a hole in his mitral valve and caused a small stroke.  He has been in the Mt. Vernon Hospital since Thursday and is currently waiting for a bed to open up so he can be transferred to Seattle where he will have his mitral valve replaced.