Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Pure Paul Turner: Open, tough, courageous!


Yesterday, 2/5's PJ Paul Turner sent the following email, for which he "waives his HIPPA rights" (his words, of course), and shares with the appellate community:

As many of you know, I have been attempting to secure a liver transplant as a possible cure for the recurring liver cancer I have been experiencing for the past two years. Such a drastic surgery is fraught with substantial risks that I need not detail here. But it was the best option I have.

I am returning this afternoon from Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis where I was undergoing an evaluation for a liver transplant. I am currently on transplant lists in Milwaukee at Froedtert Hospital and at U.C.L.A.

The bottom line though is that due to a spread of the cancer to two lymph nodes, I cannot now get a transplant anywhere due to federal Department of Health and Human Services transplant regulations. And believe me, it would be a bad idea on the merits; a really bad idea.  My U.C.L.A. doctors and I are today proceeding to start Plan B to attack the cancer.

Over the past years, so many of you have been kind with your offers of prayers, thoughts, and best and/or good wishes. The kind gestures of care and encouragement evidenced by smiles, thumbs ups, damp eyes (yes, our eyes give us away sometimes), hugs, pats on the back, touching cards or notes, thoughtful e-mails and the like are the things of life for which there are no words.

Three Things.   First, I look forward to service on our court as long as I can do so in compliance with the legitimate productivity expectations of the good people we serve. With good fortune and the unrelenting fervor of my doctors, that can be many, many years--we will see. Second, feel free to send this e-mail to those who may be interested outside of our court.


Third, there is no reason to e-mail me back right now. I am working full time and will be around and we can talk.  Also, when people start e-mailing back, they mistakenly click on "Return All" and it ends up going all over the court and we spend the day deleting everybody else's e-mails, the e-mail system slows down and I get chewed out by the court administrator.