He'll be coming down the mountain to do my stitches; spine surgeon amazes yet again

How will we ever thank Dr. Robert Lee?
Seriously. We could use the ideas.
There have been a bus load of people who have been integral to Carol-Ann and I so far surviving this ordeal, one that began with a tumour being found in my T-2 vertebrae in October and has included seven surgeries, two of which featuring rods and screws being placed in my back to stabilize it. Lee, a spine surgeon at VGH, has been particularly paramount.
The good doctor, who got into a battle at VGH to get my biopsy done in a timely manner after it was initially postponed and was keeping tabs on me while visiting his family in England in early December with such fervour that he telephoned Carol-Ann at the hospital to make a couple of suggestions about my care, added to his list of good deeds on Saturday when he had us meet him at VGH to sew up a wound on my back after I had torn out some stitches rehabbing at GF Strong.
The catch? He was on his day off, skiing at Whistler, and hustled down the mountain and back to the hospital to meet us.
(Worried about the new stitches, Dr. Lee has put restrictions on my mobility over the next two weeks, including keeping me from propelling my own wheelchair. I'm not pleased about it, but I'll make it through. For what it's worth, I haven't felt this strong physically or mentally since November.)
The very fact that we even had the surgeon's cell number has stunned nurses both at VGH and GF.
You read the papers (particularly the Province...shameless sucking up to my employer) and you watch the nightly news on TV and there are routinely stories about how messed the B.C. medical system is. Sorry. It's like nothing we've experienced. People have gone out their way, done more than their share, to make these last few months a little less nightmarish. Dr. Lee, of course, has been at the top of that list.
If you have any clue how we can show our appreciation, drop me a line.

Wonky workout leads to getting the word out on women's hockey with Province colleague

I had an awful rehab session today at VGH. I had trouble accomplishing the most routine of tasks set out by my therapist, Ann, in my battle to come back from a second major back surgery brought about by a Solitary Plasmacytoma tumour.
How will I respond? Like any 40-year-old going on 14, I am going to lash out and pick a fight.
Tony Gallagher, one of our rock star columnists at the Province (www.theprovince.com) has a resume and rolodex any sports writer in this country would covet. I know I've dropped his name with hockey people in the past to win favour.
Tony's take (http://tinyurl.com/66azhvw) on Canadian women's hockey coach Melody Davidson being undeserving of a spot in the Canadian Olympic hall of fame, though, is off base to me.
Tony maintains that women's hockey is a two-team event, between Canada and the U.S., and Davidson's crews have only needed one substantial victory for a gold medal.
No dispute here.
What I do argue is that set-up makes Davidson's career all the more impressive. The second-place team in women's hockey at the Olympics loses gold, rather wins silver. An entire four-year cycle comes with those expectations, that pressure.
Men's hockey has a bull's eye on it, obviously, but they aren't also together for four-year stretches. They also get other chances at the spotlight, which must lessen the pressure for some players.
And, frankly, so what that Canada demolished the majority of opponents during Davidson's reign? Being really good at something is such a bad thing?
I know that I've stepped in Tony's line of fire. He can be as hard-nosed they come. Hopefully for me, he remembers I have CANCER. (Yes, I am a still playing that card.)