Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
December 03, 2006
Bell's Recovery

Bill Reiter talks with Buddy Bell about his recovery from throat cancer surgery:

Bell told the doctor he wanted the feeding tube removed. Today. Now. He didn't want his grandkids to see him that way, didn't want them to worry. The doctor told Buddy that patients kept feeding tubes in for weeks, sometimes longer.

The next day, a deal was struck. Get food down your throat, his doctor said, and the tube can come out.

"Eating just didn't work," Bell said. It was painful beyond description. It was like forcing sandpaper over a wound. "So I had to just force it down."

For weeks, Bell ate his way back to normalcy, chewing through the pain along with the pudding and grits that became his diet. But he hadn't willed himself all the way back. He wanted cheeseburgers, too.

"He got a cheeseburger, and it hurt to eat," said Bell's wife, Gloria, shaking her head. "I said, 'Then don't eat it.' "

She paused, still incredulous, and looked over at Buddy as they sat in leather chairs in their den on a crisp weekday morning.

"He said, 'No, I want man food.' "

He's doing well, and will be attending the winter meeting this week. That's good news, and I hope his recovery continues.


Posted by David Pinto at 09:52 AM | Illnesses | TrackBack (0)
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