From Alex Pournelle, Dr. Pournelle’s son:
“Jerry had a small stroke. He is recovering well at a local hospital. Prognosis is good, though they’re running more tests and he’s expected to stay at least another day or two.
“He felt well enough to call Mom [Mrs. Pournelle] from the hospital.
“Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. More updates when we have them.”
Note that Dr. Pournelle cannot respond to emails at this time, although he and his family are grateful for your concern and well-wishes. If you wish to express your thoughts, we are allowing comments on this post only. All comments are moderated, so will not immediately appear. (To view comments, or add your own, use the link on the right of the byline under the title. Scroll to the bottom to enter your comments.)
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UPDATE – 19 December 2014
“Update: Jerry continues to make much progress. Even in the last day the differences are marked. He has moved yet again to a long-term acute rehab assignment for speech/throat and physical therapy, where he will stay at least through the holidays.
“In a twist of fate far too strange to put into fiction, Jerry ended up in the exact same room as did Harlan Ellison a month earlier, after his own stroke. Harlan related this in a call today to get an update on Jerry. Harlan, by the way, sounds completely recovered on the phone—another good sign.
“We expect Jerry to start updates on the website presently, but they will be short at first. He’s re-learning to type, now just with one finger ‘and a claw’, so patience is appreciated.
“He called after the transfer, to say it was 17 minutes by car from the one facility to the next. Not the sign of someone out of touch with his surroundings or the passage of time.
“His cognition appears little affected. He keeps answering the many ‘do you know where you are?’ questions straight, but he’s sorely tempted to start embroidering the truth…”
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My thoughts and prayers go out for a speedy recovery.
Best Wishes for s Speedy Recovery Sir!
as I remember, Dr. Pournelle often
quoted this stanza at Christmas time:
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.
Merry Christmas, Dr. Pournelle,
and many more to come.
Blessings and prayers for a complete and speedy recovery, Dr. Pournelle. Looking forward to seeing you back in action!
David Fugazzotto
Get well soon, Jerry!
I pray for a full recovery and that you get back to being the bastion of rational conservative thought in the USA.
I’m also praying for Roberta, your children, their spouses, and grandchildren.
If possible, have a merry Christmas and New Year.
2015 will be a great year!
Best wishes & a prayer for a speedy recovery.
And a Merry Christmas!
Get well soon Dr. Pournelle, you’re such an inspiration to me.
David from Portugal
I cannot express my relief that Dr. Pournelle is making progress. I first encountered him (though I didn’t know it at the time) when I read A Spaceship for King David in Analog back in the ’70s, then reading Chaos Manor in Byte. I was with him and Roberta in Moscow in 1990 (or ’91; I forget which). Indeed, it was I who made sure they were on the invite list. My son Colin (Machinist’s Mate Second Class, USN) is also a great fan and sends his best wishes, as does his brother Owen, who is just out of the Navy, having been a reactor operator. Both have read Fallen Angels, at least.
Godspeed and Merry Christmas.
If I may be so impertinent: “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!”
Best wishes on a speedy recovery, sir.
Besides, we cannot spare a man so audacious as to suggest that America spend it’s treasure on energy independence & tell the Arabs to drink their oil.
Best wishes from a long time admirer and reader and sending my hopes for a rapid recovery. A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (AT HOME!) to you and your family.
Be well Jerry. Looking forward to you experiencing a full recovery. The brain is an amazing organ and I am sure it will find ways to rewire around the damage and bring you back in full form to us.
“This Room Reserved for SFFWA members.” 🙂
Hang tough!
Semper Fi,
Couv
Good news conveyed in your blog Tues. concerning your situation, prognosis, and progress received with thanks to the Almighty. Praying for prompt and full recovery as before.
Be of good cheer and keep a steady course. Thanks for all your good work, look forward to your next three books and resumption of chaos manor soon.
Best wishes to your lovely wife and brilliant family.
vr/Matt Hayball.
Dear Dr. Pournelle,
I’ve only recently discovered your site after hunting down one of your books that I greatly enjoyed in my youth (A Step Further Out). I am sorry to hear of your recent health issue and send you my hope for a speedy and full recovery. Thank you for all you have done.
Wishes of excellent recovery, Jerry Pournelle. Sincerely : JFB
Dr. Pournelle,
Since I first read A Step Farther Out, I have seen from you a clarity of thought on the world’s problems, great and small, that I have never seen from anywhere else. Your common sense, run the numbers approach helped me make sense of the world, and gave me hope for the future. In the last few years, your reminder that despair is a sin, along with all your other sensical words, showed me all is not lost.
Feel better, sir. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Jerry, I will be praying for you. Music and possibly SSRIs may help reroute neuronal connections. Get better, soon, and a Merry Christmas!
Steve Schaper
Dr Pournelle, I hope you’re doing well!
I’d like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.
Get well soon Jerry!