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About Lugnut -- Patrick Malone

Many of us have come to know Patrick Malone (Lugnut) as a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and kind individual. He is a frequent and enthusiastic contributor to our analog discussion forum. He has initiated only 17 threads, but responded to 559 threads. I would guess that many, if not most, of us can recall a time when Pat replied with helpful advice to a question we posted or helped us track down a rare recording. I have come to love Pat as a friend, and to respect him as a man, and I suspect many of you share those feelings.

Today I write to share difficult news with you. Pat has been diagnosed with an aggressive stomach cancer. It has yet to be determined whether surgery will even be worth it. If surgery is performed, most or all of the stomach will be removed, and Pat would face a difficult and long post-op period in the hospital. The medical course is still uncertain, but will be determined soon. Whatever is decided, it will not be easy or pleasant.

Something may be planned in the future to assist the family. For now, Pat could use some of the friendship he so often and willingly showed us. You can email Pat at: lugnut50@msn.com. You can also mail cards, letters ... or whatever. You may email me for Pat's mailing address. My email is: pfrumkin1@comcast.net.

I hope to spend a few days with Pat in Idaho or Nebraska (from which he hails) soon. Between this news, my legal work, getting ready for family arriving for the holidays, Audio Intelligent, and trying to make plans to visit Pat, my head is spinning. If you email me and I don't respond, please understand that I am not ignoring you, but rather simply do not have time to reply.

Pat may or may not have time to respond to posts here, to emails, or to cards mailed to him. But he has asked me to convey to each and every one of you that he has cherished your friendship, your comradery, and sharing our common hobby on this great website.

As we prepare for our holiday season celebrations, and look forward to -- as we should -- enjoying this time of year, I ask that you keep Pat and his family in mind ... and softly offer up, in quiet moments in the still of night and early morning, prayers for Pat and his family. God bless.

Warmest regards to all,
Paul Frumkin
paul_frumkin
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xactaudio
156 posts
 
Hi Everyone. Just got back from visiting Pat in the hospital. Aside from looking like yesterday's corn and having more tubes coming out of him than a Rockport turn table with an air bearing tone arm, Pat is doing very well. The nurses have Pat walking the halls and Friday he is going to start vacuuming the carpets because there might be an extra sponge bath in it for him.
Pat's attitude is great. His sense of humor is as strong as ever. Pat is concerned over the lack of quality in the wiring going to his heart beat sensors. No audiophile grade wiring here. One wire has non shielded cable and every time he moves and the wire gets too close to the metal rails of his bed, the alarm goes off. He does want me to bring in some 39 cent outlets and have me swap out all the hospital grade Hubbells in his room. After all, they should be well burned in.
Seriously, Pat has the right attitude and it will carry him far. He won't let the long term problems stop him from enjoying day to day life. Pat should be out of the hospital in a week.

Take care, Steve
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
THAT is an inspiring post, Steve, especially when any of us should think to pity ourselves over some trivial turn of the day. Best of luck to Pat. That Irish spirit and wit is his best bet for seeing him through this ordeal.
paul_frumkin OP
130 posts
 
Pssssst! Steve! Shhhhhh. Go for the outlets in the rooms with the imaging equipment. And grab some of that ultra-polished, teflon-encapsulated silver wire out of an MRI machine. It makes great tonearm wire. It's what I'm using in my tonearm.

Guess when I talk with Pat I'll have to ask: "Think there's any gold wire around here?" That'll get him going!

Best regards to all,
Paul
slipknot1
1,423 posts
 
Paul and Steve,
Thank you for keeping us all up to date on Pat's progress. I am glad to hear that his spirit is in the right place. The mind has a very strong healing component. (no pun intended) His attitude, heart, and spirit should hold him in good stead. My family and I keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.
paul_frumkin OP
130 posts
 
I spoke with Pat tonight. Poor guy has a dozen different tubes sticking out of him ... draining this, putting in that. They are giving him some nourishment via a feeding tube into his intestines, but the intestines have not yet "awakened" from the surgery and responded. So he's being sustained on a glucose IV. He did not complain, but he also said that he's not real interested in listening to music right now ... so clearly he's not well and not ready to leave the hospital yet.

Can you believe that, two days after this drastic surgery, he was solicited -- in the hospital and apparently with the hospital's approval -- to buy a car from certain selected Boise auto dealers? Pat was livid about that. I would be, too.

All in all, Pat's spirits are good, and that, as well all know, is so important to recovery. I'll continue to keep you posted, and I'm sure Steve (Vetterone) will too once he returns from the Las Vegas CES.
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