A note of explanation . . .

I was born in 1958 with a birth defect.  My small intestine didn't connect with my large intestine. The doctor who delivered me had read about an experimental surgery where they sewed the small intestine to the large intestine and removed the damaged portion of the small intestine.  He convinced my parents to allow him to perform the surgery on me.  It was successful (my chance of surviving was 25%) and I was written up in a medical journal as one of the first babies to successfully have this operation.  I suffered no ill effects from the operation--never even thought about it actually--until 1999 when my intestine blocked off (adhesions) and I had to have abdominal surgery.  I recently had a second surgery.  Neonancy is a of record my progress in relearning how to eat.