From our pal Dean Barnett:

Dear Hugh,

I’ve been really touched by all the letters I’ve received from my former blogging home inquiring about my welfare. If you don’t mind, please let everyone know I’m on the mend and almost back to normal. I’ve even been blogging away like crazy on the Weekly Standard’s blog the past several days.

Part of the deal with having Cystic Fibrosis is that occasionally there will be exacerbations. Colds can turn into pneumonia, and when you’re starting with a relatively low level of lung functions, pneumonia means you can’t make it from the kitchen to the den without feeling like you’ve run a quarter mile sprint.

I had a real lucky streak the last few years-this is the first time I’ve been laid really low since late 2004. It’s not instinctive to count blessings like that when you’re flat on your back and in constant discomfort like I was a couple of weeks ago, but now that I’m feeling so much better, this seems like a good time for some perspective.

Sometimes when you’re really ill, it becomes difficult to imagine feeling well again. The trip back to decent health that I’ve made the last few weeks is one I’ve made before in years past, but the miracle of it never ceases to amaze me. The drug companies, the doctors, even the people at Blue Cross/Blue Shield who will revisit previously denied benefits if you cajole them just right-they make such journeys possible. Without getting into gooey details, so many little medical miracles have to happen for someone like me to get well. It’s a measure of how comfortable we’ve become in our age or wonders that we often take these things for granted. My doctor never doubted he would fix me up. Neither did I.

Anyway, enough corny polemics. I just want everyone at HH.com to know I’ve received their letters, and I appreciate their kindness more than I can convey. With a small measure of luck, I’ll be back in the Florida warmth next week and on a golf course probably roughly ten minutes after my flight lands. If all goes as planned, and the Generalissimo will forgive me for leaving him in the lurch for a whole week worth of shows, hopefully I’ll be back on the air next time you take a mental health day.

Once again, thanks to everyone again at the HH.com community. Talk to you soon.

DB