Today was my last day onsite at PennDOT for the HPMS project, which I have worked on mostly fulltime for the past 5 months. I was very emotional about leaving this afternoon and almost in tears, and I had a difficult time keeping my composure. I have noticed a change in my emotional state over the past few weeks, not sure if it is just a progression of the disease or if I was anticipating today. The next few weeks should tell.
I left today knowing that PennDOT is in a good place for next year's HPMS submittal. I worked very hard this year and had a very short amount of time to rewrite the programs. I did make some mistakes and didn't have all the information I needed to do the job properly and PennDOT had to do some rework as a result, which I felt bad about. However, I think we worked out all of the remaining issues in the past month, and I wrote a lot of helpful documentation which will help the persons who have to support the project next year. I know in my heart that there are very few people who could have done what I accomplished for them in the past few months, and I feel good about my contribution.
I have always loved working onsite at PennDOT, and I will miss my extended family on the 6th floor and my friends on the 8th floor of the CKB. It was very helpful to have a challenging project to focus on when I was diagnosed with ALS on May 8th, and my PennDOT friends and family showed great compassion to me and buoyed me up. My friend Stuard ministered to me and helped me back to a closer relationship with God through the most difficult days. Thanks to all of you for your kindness, friendship, and prayers. I will miss seeing you on a daily basis, and I hope to be back again to help out on some other projects in the future.
Kim and I also met with our financial planner from Northwestern Mutual this afternoon, Paul T. When he called last week to check in, he was speechless when I told him about my diagnosis. We prayed together tonight and he was very helpful this afternoon in explaining to us the excellent plans we put together over the past 15 years. We received excellent advice from NMFN over the years and layered long term disability, life insurance, long term care, and a great retirement plan into a cohesive and comprehensive portfolio.
Kim and I have always paid ourselves first and NMFN made sure we had great products and plans, coverage, and a safety net in case the worst happened. Those plans make what comes next for Kim and me a little easier and a little less worrisome. It was a difficult discussion to have and very emotional, and all three of us cried this afternoon because it is scary to think about what will happen over the next few years. Paul contacted one of his other clients whose husband died from ALS and provided Kim and I with her contact information. She also had wonderful things to say about the Hershey ALS Clinic, doctors, and staff.
I have lots of work waiting for me back at the Baker office, and will enjoy seeing more of my Baker friends and family over the next few months. I still plan to get downtown on a regular basis and have lunch with my friends, and I have promised lots of visits to people that I need to fulfill now that I will have a little more freedom. I look forward to the transition and catching up with my friends!
I had to call the Computershare Investor Centre help line tonight for the second time this month. They didn't fix my problem the first time I called two weeks ago, hhich got me a little steamed. I have been unable to see my stock portfolio balances since my last successful login on June 30. Unfortunately, the person on the other end of the phone couldn't understand my speech, so I got frustrated and passed the phone over to Kim. Kim didn't get any farther with the person on the phone, so maybe it wasn't just me... After 30 minutes on the phone, she finally told us to call back tomorrow. That is NOT good customer service!
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