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Retirement Notice
I have made a decision to retire.
It has not been an easy one since I love this business and my customers. I will be 70 years old on my next birthday, and that's too old to be unloading furniture off trucks. The small stroke I had in July cemented the decision.
I have already listed my building for sale with a commercial broker and will begin selling off all floor stock at discounted prices. Once the floor stock is gone, the store will close. It has been a good run, my store has survived all the downturns in the Market and my customers are very loyal, which I have appreciated more than you can imagine. Without your support, there would be no Keeping Room, for that I am grateful.
I don't think there is a buyer for my business, it's hard, physical work that requires an owner presence. Furniture stores are rarely sold, mostly they just close. However, if someone does want to buy it - reach out to me at to discuss.
I will continue to take orders as I expect it will take 6 to 12 months to sell off all the floor inventory (the store is fully packed right now, its very full). At some point I will have to cut off orders, but that will likely be later on in 2024. Most my suppliers will not allow me to work from home taking orders, and require a brick and mortar presence to continue to sell their lines.
I will be discounting all floor inventory in order to move it out. I will have to tag everything which is going to take some time. For now, it will be 10% off all tagged prices on every piece of furniture, 30% off all accessories (lamps, artwork, rugs, etc). Please don't expect me to photo every single item and post it, that is too large a task. All sales will be final.
It has been my honor and privilege to be your dealer for all these years and help everyone out with over 15,000 posts to this forum since its creation in 20008. What a ride!
Duane Collie
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I can't say this is unexpected but you will be missed. A trusted source in this business is rare and you are that. I hope this means that you will be able to spend more time doing other things you love. You will likely have the cleanest, shiniest cars in the world, if you don't already, lol. How often can you can clean and treat your leather furniture? :) I hope you leave the site up, it is a wealth of information, but even if you can't, you have already educated thousands. Thank you for that. Just take care of yourself, and don't overdue it in the process of winding down the business.
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Thanks Duane for educating us about fine leather furniture. You've really made us all understand what quality and craftspersonship really looks like.
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Enjoy !! It was hard for my husband and I to retire last year from our apple orchard. We were 70 also but lifting 40 pound bushels and making cider was getting too much too. We miss the customers and still get calls. We decided at some point we have to retire and pursue other things in life. We are riding our horses all over New England, enjoy riding your bike.( Do you still have it? )
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Enjoy your retirement. You have certainly earned it!!! Although I'm sorry to see the store close, all things must come to an end and You will have the time to enjoy life. Don't be surprised if you find you need to have your foot in the door somewhere though. My husband has been retired for over 13 years now, but now he's a consultant so he does still work, but it's at home or online meetings.
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I do have a question regarding ordering. You have stated that if you have a problem with your furniture you should contact the selling dealer. What happens once you have retired if there is a problem in the future? Who do we contact for help? I'm not expecting to need any, but just in case.
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The manufacturer's warranty is always in effect, no worries there. You would contact the company directly in such a case. There have been hundreds if not thousands of furniture stores that close, they are used to dealing with it.
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Congrats Duane! I am just getting caught up here. Sorry to hear about the health issue but very happy for you being able to ride off into the sunset! This forum has been a wealth of information and I commend you for your business practices and wanting to do right by your customers. Will keep checking back!
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Appreciate it! I have had so many folks come in the store and shocked that I am winding down - and one customer actually had some tears... "Where am I going to get my good furniture now from someone who is honest and fair?" It almost makes me want to re-think retirement.
But I have so much trouble unloading trucks these days, and many other things that used to be easy are more difficult, Father Time has just caught up with me as a store owner of a very small business. I'm going to miss my customers (well, most of them!) Yesterday for example, there were so many really nice people in the store, not a single person giving me a hard time about this or that, it was really pleasant. There are always a few people come in a store ready to do retail combat, and I just won't engage in that any more.
I suspect it will still take 6 to 9 months to sell off the floor inventory, so I'll still take orders and still be around until that happens
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Sad news Duane but completely understandable. I purchased most of the furniture in my house from you. From a John Buchanan desk I use in my home office to Hancock and Moore and JL Treharn furniture throughout my house. It was great to be able to deal with someone who was not only an expert in home furnishings but was, more importantly, honest and able to provide the best pricing available for some really nice furniture. Every time someone sees my dining room or living room furniture they always ask where I purchased it and who made it because it is of such very high quality. Enjoy a well deserved retirement.
P.S. I'm in NY but may have to take a road trip to your store in the coming months to pick up a piece or two before you close.
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Understood, and you deserve it. You've helped untold numbers of people with this site, and many people no doubt remember your advice fondly every day when they sit or lie down on their favorite sofa or recliner.
This site is an amazing resource, I hope you keep it going or find someone to take it over.
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It's bittersweet but I have to remember to not be selfish and be grateful that I found the forum and The Keeping Room when I did. But I was very much looking forward to ordering H&M bar stools in a few years when we get around to remodeling our kitchen.
Perhaps H&M can use this forum to generate some kind of AI bot to answer questions about their product offerings. Or could you become a dealer trainer for H&M? With your knowledge and experience, I bet they could really improve their salesforce and increase their volume if others could learn even a fraction of what you know about furniture.
Duane you have been a pleasure to work with and I appreciate your dedication to your craft, your customer base, and this forum.
Cheers to you sir!
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Thanks! I am quite sure I can get a job in the industry if I want one....not sure I do, however. I've worked hard since I was 14 years old, that's 55 years of mostly physical jobs. I may just enjoy the sunshine!
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Duane, while this is hard news to hear, I want to wish you all the best in your retirement, you have certainly earned it! And what a legacy you leave behind - so many of us have not only been well-educated by you in all aspects of fine furniture, but also have the priviledge of having ordered this furniture through your store, and will be using this for many many years. We absolutely love our Taylor King couches and Hancock and more leather chairs and would never have had a clue about how to choose such quality pieces without your help. I only wish that we lived closer and were able to take a road trip.....hmmmm who knows maybe I can twist hubby's arm into taking his truck for a little detour via Virginia! Again, many many thanks and best of luck.
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Congratulations Duane, you have earned it. Thank you for being patient with me through every one of my purchases from The Keeping Room. I have had my fair share of transactions with you :) I think I bought my first piece of furniture something like 15 years ago or so. Wow, time sure does fly. I might just have to find a reason to buy one last piece of furniture....my homage to Duane and The Keeping Room ;)
Best of Luck!
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Congratulations Duane! Although your store was a rather recent, and completely accidental discovery for us (saw a piece of furniture we were looking to purchase on your forum), it turned out to be an extremely valuable one. We had just the best buying experience, and have received a wealth of information from your forum. And we haven’t really yet scratched the surface. You are such an honest and forthright person to buy from that I have to say somewhat jealously that I’m just a bit sorry to see you go. But no matter how much you love what it is that you’re doing, there comes the time to stop, and you know when that time has arrived. Interestingly enough, I got the first good information about leather care from you on a Porsche forum. And I didn’t know the writer was you until we met. All the best wishes to you on your retirement. Hope it’s long and enjoyable. One thing will now be certain: Northern Virginia will be home to the cleanest Porsches on the planet! Don’t need anything, but we may just have to get down to Alexandria before the doors close for the last time.
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Duane,
Thank you for helping so many of us! Your willingness to share your knowledge of all things furniture related (and more!) has been educational, incredibly helpful, and much appreciated. You have always gone above and beyond, including with those of us who needed a bit of hand holding while working our way toward our furniture purchases. This is rather bittersweet, but CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS on your retirement and all the best wishes and health for you and your family! Job well done!
Sincerely,
TXCajun
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Going out of Business is HARD. I have not worked this much. or for this many hours in a very long time.
I am not getting to anyone in the time they expect..
Remember, I am a one person operation, though my wife is coming down to assist, but she is not of the business and is not trained up on specifics. With so many people coming in the store now to get the clearance specials, I am not at my desk and cannot take the endless stream of phone calls. Sorry. Leave a voice mail or send an email. Repeated calling isn't going to help. I have to be on the floor when there are people in the store. Please do not call to ask if I got your email two hours after you sent it. I can't reply promptly to them - Allow 24 to 48 hours. The more complex the email, the longer the response time will be.
* In Store takes priority. If there are people in the store, I have to be out there.
* Next are orders, either new orders or for existing stock. Yes, I am still taking new orders.
* Decorating assistance, or parts orders for replacement cores, general questions etc....sorry - you are on the back burner for now, I will get to them when I can and that can be up to a week.
Selling my building is also taking a lot of time, getting documents the sale, setting up closing, and doing the monthly taxes to the State and Feds. Also, one of the reasons I am retiring is I have not recovered from the medical event I had July 6th. My vision and balance are both compromised so it takes me much longer to do things - the speed I used to have is gone. Please be patient.
The Inventory is selling down and leaving gaps in the store which I find unsettling. I am not used to that and have always had a full store in the past. Its very strange to see otherwise for me!
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Duane Please take care of yourself first!!! I understand your wanting to sell everything ASAP, but your family needs you to be well.
Take care of you first!!!
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Some new developments.....
1) I was unprepared - very much so - for the number of clients and customers that are loyal to my store. One lady who has been shopping with us since the mid-1980's came into the store in tears, saying "You're an Institution - you CAN'T CLOSE - we shop here, and my kids do too now that they are grown up!" I did not think there would be that many who would truly miss the store. Thank you for your loyalty, I didn't expect that.
2) Many of my suppliers are aware of my relationships with my customers, this forum, and the brand ambassador that I am for them. They want me to stay on and we are thinking of ways to do it. It is unprecedented to have a dealership without a showroom, so this is covering new ground for both them and me. It might work out, it might not. We are discussing how to do that and for me to work from a home office only, while at the same time respecting the other dealers around the country and not taking customers from them. It's very important to not "steal" customers due to pricing, I will respect that and there may be other conditions to meet as well.
3) The Keeping Room showroom and physical presence will be gone forever come February, and I will not be opening another location - that's a for sure.
4) My wife of 39 years has a serious and deteriorating disease that will require me to be home as caretaker. I need to be home with her and not tied to a brick and mortar store. . However, I feel I can still work from a home office and take care of a my existing customers and perhaps add a few new ones.
Right now my main focus is clearing out inventory...Its moving, but has to be all gone my middle of February!
.
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Duane, I am sorry to hear about your wife's illness and your recent medical issues, but it is great news that you will remain in the business. You have too much knowledge and passion for this business to walk away. You have educated countless buyers on the value of well-made furniture and have done more to promote the brands that you carry than the manufacturers themselves. The photos of pieces coming through your showroom or from the High Point Furniture Market that you share on this site are a terrific resource. Would I order Hancock and Moore furniture from a showroom where I have to sit down with a designer, answer their questions and have them come to my home to provide their ideas? No, but I wouldn't hesitate working with you on that order. Happy Thanksgiving to you, your wife and Sarah!
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My last phone call of the day yesterday was a West Coast customer whom I had emailed quotes to on pieces and she stated that she wanted to buy locally from their dealer for the service aspect of the sale. However, she wanted my pricing which her local dealer would not agree to without a formal quote to prove the pricing was legitimate. A formal quote is really on letterhead and something to print out and walk into another dealer. I refused to do that and I will decline to take this order from this client. She is playing one dealer off another and the turmoil this creates is not something I want to be a part of. The local dealer would be on the phone to the Supplier in 15 minutes after having a copy of the quote in their hands and raising hell that they are losing business to a store in Virginia, and why should they keep investing their money into promoting and flooring their brand when they are being undercut by some guy on the internet? Then I get a phone call from the President of that company and everyone is unhappy.
So while companies like Hancock and Moore, Century or Sherrill struggle with the idea of me operating and continuing as a dealer from a home-based office with no showroom, this is EXACTLY their concern and why they may not agree to it. They are balancing the concept of The Keeping Room being a seller and representative for them vs the fear TKR will steal their clients base on price points. It's a very real concern and one I respect as well. This is a hard business folks, every dealer has different operating costs that have to factor into how much they have to charge their customers.
I could never afford a warehouse with a loading dock, I am truck-to-ground unloading every piece in every kind of weather. I cannot afford to have employees who are younger and stronger on duty 40 hours a week to unload those trucks, its only yours truly catching those sofas coming off the trailer. I have no staff, its been just me in the store 90% of the time in the past 37 years. I own my own building (now sold) which means I was never subject to landlord increases in rent. Yes, I run lean....yes I have good prices because my overhead is so low. Other dealers have much higher operating costs and have to have higher prices to support their business. As a customer, you should respect that and be aware of it. You can choose lower price and long distance, or buy locally and get all the benefits of that service a long-distance dealer cannot provide.
Be smart and don't start fires, because those fires will ruin if for everyone else. It's a game too, that I won't play.
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I'm glad you are able to take care of your wife, and hope you are taking care of yourself too. I wish you the best in retirement. I hope you keep busy and engaged, especially if that includes sharing your knowledge with people like me who were struggling to find quality furniture. You are a beacon of hope in a massive sea of mis- and disinformation. Safe travels!
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I am so sorry to hear about your wife's health issues. I know you are still recovering too so you have a full plate right now with everything going on. I hope the next couple of months go smoothly and you remember to take care of yourself as well. You can't take care of her unless you take care of yourself first. I hope all this works out in the best way possible for you. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving with your family.
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I also am sorry to hear about your wife's health. I continue to read your past post about all you happy times and your struggles and admire your perseverance in continually helping people. Some not so appreciative but I think most people are as I read through the post. I wish you the very best what ever path you take.
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A funny thing happened on the way to Retirement......
My Suppliers, AND my Customers, want me to remain active. And, I have to admit, I have no plans in Retirement. I have worked hard and relentlessly my entire life from age 14 to now (with my 70th Birthday on the horizon) - 60 hour weeks have been the norm. Because of that, I don't know anything but work, and we can't really travel as my wife is not up to it any more. So what the heck, I don't have to fully retire, but I am weary of manning the showroom daily and no longer want to be tied to a having to operate a retail location. I was surprised by the overwhelming support by my customers and not just saying that as a cliche', it's genuine and appreciated. About 65% of my clients are out of the area and have never set foot in my showroom and never would, they are used to working via email or forum with me and the occasional phone call. Many of my customers are in more remote locations across the country where there are no quality dealers of furniture for hundreds of miles.
Suppliers have all said "Keep on Selling". That was also unexpected. I figured incorrectly that most would say "It was a great run, see ya", and go open up another dealer in the region. But that has not happened, mainly because people dont' want to be in the retail furniture business. The margins are low, the square footage requirements are high, the product is heavy and requires trucks, and ovehead (mainly rents) kill them. There really is no place for them go open. Even the most successful stores in metro Washington DC are losing interest in furniture, one of the top ones in our suburbs bought a mountaintop winery and are putting their energies in that. Much more profitable, easier to run, less logistics. Suppliers like my store because 1) I always pay my invoices within terms (you may be suprised how many stores do not). 2) I understand the business 3) Any issues I take care of them myself, 4) I have a genuine interest in their products.
That brings me to my latest thoughts. I will continue to keep The Keeping Room open, it will just be an internet company, there will not be a showroom.
* I will set up a Home Office and work three to four hours a day from the computer.
* I'll have time to go to the High Point Market and take more photos of pieces in the showrooms in Spring and Fall each year. I'll go do more factory tours with photos as well.
* I will keep my warehouse for the time being and one of my two trucks and continue to do local deliveries as long as there is demand for them.
* There will be no product in stock at all, everything will be a Special Order. Samples will be ordered by request, just as they now are.
* The address for the store will eventually become a Post Office Box.
This let's me stay at home to take care of my wife, and still do work in a dedicated office, and on nice sunny days I can go out and play, not stuck in a store! There will be some people uncomfortable with this, and I get that. They will want to go to a Brick and Mortar store instead. I just renewed the SSL Certificates for this site (My Furniture Forum ) and the store website (www.keepingroom.com) for another 2 years each @ $ 400, so I plan to keep them going.
Guess we will see what happens! Meanwhile, I have to really clear out the floor inventory in the store. The new property owner takes over the building the end of February, and we have to move everything on the bottom floor that remains up to the upper floor for the month of March (the downstairs will become a jewelry store once he renovates it). Upstairs means outside staircase entry ONLY, on the opposite side of the entrance we now have. I would rather sell the pieces downstairs (especially the heavy ones) rather then move them upstairs.
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That is great news indeed! Really happy for you, and I think everyone on this forum is too. An honest man to buy from who knows the product, what more can you ask?
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Hi Duane, I am one of the 65% of your clients whose only contact with you has been through email and on the phone. My first pieces of Hancock and Moore were ordered in 2012 and my last pieces ordered during the supply chain and shipping nightmares following the COVID in 2021 and 2022. Through it all I always had faith in in you and in The Keeping Room. I am glad you have decided to downsize and make it a part time home based business instead of quitting. For the majority of us, it makes no difference. For you it means you still get to do what you love (part time) but will shed the daily commute and all that goes with stocking, maintaining and running a retail operation. Not to mention wrestling with heavy furniture. All the best for your semi-retirement. Looking forward to your continued posts on myfurnitureform.com
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Yay, that is great news and will give you a nice way to ease into real retirement over time instead of being rushed into it. :)
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Great news Duane! I think you'll like the compromise, as long as you are able to carve out me time. Many folks, including myself, have learned the work anytime anyplace WFH sometimes becomes you're expected to do so!
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Duane, it was great talking with you in store a few weeks ago. I'm really glad you'll continue to be able to sell. I loved visiting your store the few times I've had the opportunity (it's a long drive from Ohio, lol), but the first time I bought from you it was over the phone from what I had seen on the forum. I think I'm split about 50% / 50% now with forum/phone calls and in store. I hope to be able to stop by the store again before you close up.
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Thanks Brian. As my sell-off of stock continues I have had several customers come in just yesterday and say "I came back with my husband to show him that furniture I wanted to get and its gone!" Yes....that happens when its all on markdown and clearance-priced! I had SO MUCH product in the store early in the Fall. About half of it is sold off, and now the store looks "normal", not overly-packed when it was really full. You can actually walk around the showroom now without bumping into things.
I think we are at a transition phase for the Furniture Industry, I've been on the phone with a lot of the owners of companies and they all realize the Internet has forever changed the business models they have long resisted. There are no new high quality furniture stores opening other than direct-to-consumer chain stores like Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, C2C, and so on. Brilliant operators that rely on Marketing to sell their products rather than quality in the pieces. And it works, I don't take anything away from them on it. They spend a lot of money to make walking into their stores feel rich and expensive, a shopping adventure that transcends them product itself. Like fancy packaging which has become the rage the past couple of years since Apple started doing it, impressively wrapped up!
I forsee in the not too distant future the manufacturer's opening their own stores and selling direct to consumer. They almost have to - there are no new independent dealers opening retail locations these days to sell and market the premium brands. I look at the Washington DC Market, one of the wealthiest in the Country and while there are plenty of Costcos and stores selling cheap furniture that comes in containers by the hundreds of identical pieces, there are no stores to buy quality product. After my store closes up, there will be only one store in the region to see better brands and its in a warehouse near Manassas Airport with the furniture just piled onto a concrete floor. The customer service there is dismal as well Not hardly a shopping experience people want. I can see manufacturers having to open their own stores to keep their brands alive and in front of the consumer. One of their biggest concerns is keeping it staffed with good people though - that's a pretty big deal.
So yes, my suppliers all want me to keep doing what I am doing without a (previously required) showroom so far. That can always change and of course there are certain people that have already stated they would never place an order with a business that doesn't have a storefront - so I guess they are going to have to drive to that airport warehouse!
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This is a very good arrangement both for you and for your loyal customers. I'm happy for you that this has worked out well and you can both be home to care for your wife, have some time for yourself and still make a good living (at least I hope it's a good one). My husband retired 13 years ago and now does consulting. It give him something to do that he enjoys.
I will continue to be one of your distance customers.
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Duane, congratulations! Also, sorry to hear about your wife and good on you for shouldering that responsibility. I'm a newcomer here, mostly reader, but your knowledge and information is invaluable. The amount of times I've googled "xxx furniture company myfurnitureforum" is countless. The physical store is great, but it's your knowledge and customer service that people will miss, whenever that day comes. For now, relieved and happy to hear you'll still be active online.
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I have an update, one I make with great regret, but my wife and I feel it should be done.
I am no longer going to take orders after the end of the Hancock and Moore Sale Period, which is Feb 8th. That is for all items, all brands and products.
What prompted this change? Well, in the effort see what happened to me after the mini-stroke that I had this past Summer, the Doctors discovered that my cancer has returned, with final confirmation coming in this morning. Being a one-person business, I don't want to be in a position where my customers are asking where their furniture is after they ordered and I could be unable to respond in a timely manner
For those of you seeking cushion core replacements or parts like gas struts, you can order directly from the maker. Also, and warranty issues will be handled directly by the maker as well.
What I need to focus on now is clearing out all remaining floor stock as soon as possible. The quicker I can sell off the inventory and fixtures in the store, the sooner I can re-direct to health issues full-time. Please mention to your friends - effective today I am marking everything down even more aggressively than before.
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Duane, the most important thing for you right now is your health. Taking care of yourself and your wife is what you need to concentrate on. I'm sorry that you will not be able to continue with your part time business as planned, but it's more important for you to concentrate on yourself and your wife.
Take care and hopefully the store will clear out quickly so you can concentrate on yourselves.
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Duane,
Sorry to hear your news but the important thing is to take care fo yourself and take care of your family. A smile comes to my face everytime I thnk about the time you gave me a ride in your Porsche. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime in the future. All the best from Allison and I. Warm regards, Sean
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I am so sorry to hear that. I fully second and third your need to concentrate on yourself and your wife. I so hope you can beat it again.
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Oh yes, I'll get past this. I'm already in touch with my Surgeon from 2006 (John's Hopkins) who is now Chief of Surgery for MD Anderson, Banner health in Phoenix, AZ. I trust him 100% and we spoke on the phone today. When you have a strong corner - it's empowering, and I never quit a fight.