At the Mansion today, I was very pleased to meet Suzanne, Bill’s daughter, and her husband Jim. They come every weekend to see Bill, and he says his daughter is his best friend in the world.

They came to take him out to dinner at the Bog, he loves to have a drink now and then, and he is reveling in the mail and gifts he is receiving from people in gay communities around the country.

He is looking forward to eye surgery in the next week or so, a big step towards reading. But we are still struggling to get him to read or listen to audio tapes, he says he says he just can’t focus on stories or narratives right now.

The doctors said that because of the severity of his stroke, it might take a long time for him to read again.

It was good to see Bill, I hadn’t seen him since the Open House, too much going on. I told him I’m getting him some audio tapes of books by author  Armistead Maupin, the chronicler of gay life in San Francisco for many years.

And he very much appreciates the letters and messages he is getting from GTBD people, the staff or me reads them to  him, and they matter.

Suzanne and I are in touch, we communicate regularly, and she is devoted to Bill and determined to support him in every possible way. I told her that is rare, and so important. He is lucky to have her, and I was happy to meet her.

I almost never get the chance to take family photos at the Mansion. It felt good.

Bill says his greatest pain comes from loneliness and a sense of disconnection. He misses his community, he misses being a part of the gay world. He would love to hear from members of his community, you can write him c/o The Mansion,  11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.