Jeff - absolutely NO APOLOGY NECESSARY, but thank you for your candor.

All the best to you and your family.

Thanks, Greg

- 30 -

On 10/29/18, 8:04 PM, "Jeff Zeitlin" <xxxxxx@simplelists.com on behalf of xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

    It is much against my preference, and with my deep regret, that I must
    announce that there will be no November/December 2018 issue of
    _Freelance Traveller_.

    The past few weeks have been a trial for me. At the beginning of
    September, my father was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, and
    within two weeks of the diagnosis, it was confirmed that it had gone
    metastatic to the liver. Without treatment, the prognosis was no more
    than six months; with the most aggressive treatment available, the
    prognosis was no more than seven. My father has always preferred
    _quality_ of life over _quantity_ of life, and elected to decline more
    than palliative care. Rehabilitative placement followed, and was
    showing good progress, but after a week, there was a marked decline,
    to the point that the rehabilitative facility could not handle my
    father's needs and conditions.

    Just over a week ago, hospice placement was approved, and my father
    was tranferred to Calvary Hospital's hospice facility in the Bronx
    (NYC). Their personnel were mostly wonderful when it came to
    addressing my father's needs and wants - our family tend to be poor
    patients at best - and there were no indications of any problems or
    misinterpretation that could not be quickly resolved.

    Throughout this, my sister and I were providing administrative and
    emotional support for my mother, and for each other.

    At 6:15 EDT Saturday morning (October 27), my sister, my mother, and I
    received telephone calls from the doctor at Calvary, telling us that
    my father had passed shortly before, in no pain and at peace while
    asleep.

    As we are Jewish, burial is to be at the earliest opportunity, and
    that was today.

    My parents were married for 56.5 years, an amazing record when you
    realize that it is unremarkable for more recent marriages to end
    before the tenth year. There is more than the emotional aftermath to
    deal with, however, and my sister and I are still "on duty".

    Unfortunately, the level of stress and call on my time means that
    _something_ had to give. I thought perhaps I could manage to get the
    issue out perhaps a week late as I have done in the past, but it's
    simply not in the cards this time. There will be no issue 90 of
    Freelance Traveller; the next issue of Freelance Traveller will be
    issue 91, January/February 2019. Unlike past issues where there has
    been a gap followed by a "double issue", there will be no extra
    material in issue 91; it will be the usual 64 pages.

    I would have preferred not to have been forced into this evaluation of
    my situation, and would have preferred not to have needed to come to
    the conclusion that I have, which hurts you, the community, due to
    events beyond your control, and because of my personal weakness.
    Nevertheless, I would rather this than "lead you on" and then publish
    an inferior product, or silently fail to publish.

    You have my profound apologies.

    --
    Jeff Zeitlin
    Editor
    Freelance Traveller
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