Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:22:03 -0600
From: Pete McDonald <bajabudfan@hotmail.com>
Subject: TIME-TO-SEE-75-

TIME-TO-SEE-75

The gathering, although quite large, brought itself to an immediate hush
when the lights dimmed and Dr. Kavanaugh stepped up to the podium in the
spotlight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning and Welcome... I would like to welcome
you all to our Second Stem-Cell Exploration seminar."

The main session of the weekend's seminar on stem-cell harvest and
cultivation for the replacement of aural nerve discontinuity and
dysfunction was taking place in a large auditorium which comfortably
accommodated 8,000, and that included an ample, over-flowing balcony.

As a professionally managed venue, the proscenium was fitted with
disappearing screen for video presentation, remotely controlled lighting
and sound for the panel discussion, and intimate sound stage where the
interview segment that centered on Hugo's personal experience of the
surgical procedure and recovery events would take place.  The various
segments were seamlessly blended by production values that were clearly
state-of-the-art technical support. This was quite a contrast with the
earlier Dublin seminar where the approach was standard university lecture
format.

Dr. Kavanaugh continued, "We are privileged to have with us Dr. Lliam
Watson from the Cambridge Medical Research Center at Cambridge University,
United Kingdom, who is preparing a similar undertaking for optical nerve
replacement, a breath-taking concept.  We humbly offer to Dr. Watson
whatever resources our enterprise might have that could inspire or support
success in his own undertaking...."

Dr. Kavanaugh paused for the applause...

"And also with us is Mr. Hugo Ramirez, the subject of the world's very
first hearing restoration by means of stem-cell re-growth
techniques. Mr. Ramirez will be speaking directly of the experience of
hearing after near-life-long deafness.  Mr. Ramirez..."

And the auditorium pulsed with loud applause, as Hugo stood and nodded
modestly.

"Then without further ado, I would like to begin our seminar with a video
produced by the Dublin University Film Department cooperatively with our
surgical and research teams who prepared for and then eventually went to
the United States a bit over a year ago to undertake the stem-cell
transplant project.  After the video presentation, surgical and research
team leaders will conduct a question and answer period along with a panel
discussion."

"And then, to conclude the day's events, I will conduct an interview with
Mr. Ramirez, to give you the patient's view of the experience."

After Dr. Kavanaugh's brief and succinct welcome, a large screen was
deployed from the top of the proscenium, and a lively video depicting the
team's every effort commenced.

The boys sat speechless in the darkened auditorium. Of course, for Sean,
Murph, and Artie, this was all new and at least a great science fiction
video with their good friend, Hugo, as the star.  Needless to say they sat
totally absorbed in the video, even the sections that were indeed highly
technical in nature, including short sections of the surgery itself.

Nicky and Jilder, naturally, knew the story line, but this presentation was
new even to them; so they were absorbed in the video and as involved as the
other boys.

When Hugo was shown undergoing the surgery Jilder leaned over Nicky to
speak to Sean, Murph, and Artie, reliving the operation while explaining it
in his version of a whisper.

"You See... Nicky and me sat just outside of that big operating room
looking in at Hugo through a really big window. (Hugo was under
anesthesia... You know, he was asleep, and he didn't know what was
happening..) But we could see everything.  And we could hear Dr. Kavanaugh
because he was describing the things he was doing as they happened... It
was really cool..." Jilder exclaimed with obvious pride at being a footnote
in history.

Murph and Sean and Artie all heard Jilder but remained attentive to the
video and didn't allow their attention to stray until the video was
finished.


*****


When the video was concluded, the house lights came up, and Dr. Kavanaugh
announced that there would be a thirty minute pause before the panel
discussion and Q & A began.

With that, all five boys jumped up from their seats and began a sprint to
the rear of the auditorium. Recall: no self-respecting twelve-year old can
pass up a bathroom break.  They're simply too much fun to resist...

Kevin yelled out, "Hey! Jilder. Nicky: WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING?" trying to
apply some kind of parental supervision over the free spirits...

Jilder turned in the direction of Kevin's voice from the aisle but five
rows back and replied somewhat patronizingly what to him was 'the obvious'
at the top of his voice:

"Dad! WE GOTTA GO TO THE BATHROOM!" complete with pained expression to
dramatize the authenticity of his condition... and this was much to the
amusement of everyone within those five rows between Jilder and Kevin.

"WELL, GET BACK HERE BEFORE THE PROGRAM BEGINS... THAT'S IN 20 MINUTES!"
Kevin countered, not to be intimidated by any embarrassment over the public
discussion of the facts of life...

Again, Kevin provoked more than one knowing-smile among the witnessing
attendees.

*****

Max sat up and turned to his right a bit to face Kevin.  "I am most
impressed with all that you and Hugo have gone through together.  Hugo must
be a terrific guy.  I can't imagine living my life in total silence. It's
actually quite frightening to me even to contemplate."

Then Brandy, who was sitting right next to Kevin faced him and said, "How
did you deal with the possibility that the procedure-- for all it's
elaborate research and preparation-- might have failed?  The obvious
possibility of failure would have been more pressure than I could have
handled."

"Oh, Brandy.  You'd be surprised.  When life demands the maximum from you,
the strength and resolve comes from somewhere. I'll admit that I was
stressed out for nearly the whole time.  BUT! Brandy, I WANTED Hugo to try.
He was selected as the only candidate from a wide open field that included
anyone and everyone in the world.  I felt that this was his big opportunity
in life, one that he just couldn't allow to pass without at least trying."

Kevin continued to explain his way of dealing with the awesome stress of
possible failure, "And I for one would have done ANYTHING to see that Hugo
got that opportunity and had every possibility for success.... "

"BUT! You know, Brandy," he went on... "I love Hugo so much, that IF he had
never regained his hearing, I'd have felt we still had all of the blessings
possible in life: wonderful family, a strong love for each other, good
health, otherwise... Yes. I would not have been happy at the failure, but I
would have had Hugo and our love no matter what..."

Kevin paused and thought... "And you know.  It was in this process that I
realized that life is NOT about one's self alone.  HUGO'S LIFE BECAME MORE
IMPORTANT TO ME THAN ANYTHING I COULD THINK OF FOR MYSELF.  I was truly
MORE concerned for Hugo than for myself."

Max shook his head and spoke quietly, "Kevin.  You are the man behind the
success that others except ourselves will never realize.  Thanks for
allowing us to see the experience in the raw."

Kevin smiled, looked from Max to Brandy and then back at Max, "I am only
living the life that God has been gracious enough to give to me."

*****

Several soft chimes could be heard playing over the auditorium sound system
thus signaling that the program would resume in five minutes.

Kevin jerked his head around looking a little anxious that the boys hadn't
yet returned to their seats.  Without saying anything to Max or Brandy,
Kevin rose and began to move down the aisle stumbling over other seated
attendees.  After stumbling over two people, Kevin stopped in his tracks,
his gaze locked on the bold cadre of boys returning to their seats... Down
the main aisle they strode: Jilder in the lead, Sean second in command,
Artie sandwiched in the middle with Murph and Nicky pulling up the rear.

"WE'RE BACK, DAD!" Everyone within ten yards could hear.  "AND THE PROGRAM
HASN'T BEGUN YET..." Jilder announced, wanting to be sure that he got
credit for his perfect timing.

Kevin answered, "YES, BOYS.  THAT'S VERY GOOD.  NOW TAKE YOUR SEATS AND
WAIT QUIETLY FOR THE SEMINAR TO BEGIN..."  And they did indeed do exactly
as they were asked, no resentment, only a pleasant attitude that conveyed
that they did enjoy their excursion to the bathroom... Go Figure? Boys???

And everyone within earshot of Kevin's parental ministrations smiled and
nodded approval of how he had handled his boys... ALL 5 OF THEM!

*****

When Dr. Kavanaugh returned to the podium, five panel members had already
seated themselves on the stage along a table prepared for them.  Name
placards sat before each of them.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.  We will now begin our panel
discussion with key research and surgical personnel from our teams."

Dr. Kavanaugh introduced each person, then when he was finished, he
recognized hands from the audience.

"Will the ushers please provide a microphone to the gentleman standing in
the forward center section?"

Almost at once the gentleman was given a mike.

"Good Morning, Dr. Kavanaugh," the gentleman said.

"First I would like to offer my congratulations to you and all of your team
for this remarkable accomplishment.  I am, however, quite interested in how
you were able to cultivate the stem cells and then implant them so quickly.
It is inconceivable that there would have been sufficient advancement in
the cells in the processing interval your team had between harvesting and
then implantation.  Can you shed more light on the preparation of the cells
and then their assembly into the matrix that you eventually implanted.
This process could not have used more than 30 minutes real time, if that,"
the questioner posed.

Dr. Kavanaugh turned to the panel and asked, "Is there anyone who would
like to address the questioner's concern?"

A hand went up among the panel members. Dr. Kavanaugh said,
"Yes. Dr. Sedley, Head of the Research arm of our organization, would like
to begin..."

"This was the primary obstacle that had to be overcome before we could even
consider candidates who would provide us with the maximum possibility of
success," Dr. Sedley began...

"The seminal work that eventually led to the nerve augmentation that we
were able to undertake, began ten years ago when Dr. Kavanaugh addressed
this very question to each of us in stem-cell studies at the university.
It was a very time-consuming process of learning the biochemical life
processes of these cells, and then, after the basic research into their
propagation, what ensued was a laborious process of trial and error to find
means of hastening the earliest stages of their specialization, and just
how the early-stage stem-cells could be aggregated and layered in such a
way as to make them practically manageable.  In a few words, we had to prep
them and then manage them in such a way as to guide their development along
the patient's own nerve bed.  Only after some 5 years of basic research
were we able to discover the needed nerve growth-stimulating enzymes that
would signal the cells to begin their specialization, which had to be
clearly manifest within 30 minutes of harvest.  This was no small
undertaking, but when we had solved this basic problem, then the remaining
anatomy of the program could be sorted out logically-- if quite slowly as
well..."

"Thank You," the gentleman replied. "Would documentation of that basic
research be available to interested research programs?  My work has been
underway in the Ontario, Canada, University for some years, and we would be
most grateful if we could review your path to accelerating stem-cell
activation and propagation."

"Most assuredly, Sir." Dr. Sedley replied.  "Please see me at the close of
our program today, and I'll coordinate the media form that would be most
suitable for your needs."

"Thank you, Dr. Sedley," the gentleman replied.

Dr. Kavanaugh recognized several other questioners who sought answers to
questions from the panel.  Each one was treated with maximum courtesy and
cooperative spirit.  If ever Hugo or Kevin wondered whether the arduous
trip across the continents and the ocean to contribute to these medical
seminars was worth the effort, they were convinced it was, after witnessing
the wide-spread interest displayed by those in attendance to learn
Dr. Kavanaugh's processes and procedures.

The boys began to tire somewhat as the questioning persisted and the
inquiries and replies became more technical.  They did manage to sit
relatively quiet, knowing that Hugo would be interviewed next.

The question and answer section ran perhaps just short of an hour, truly
testing the capacity of the boys to remain in one place.  At that point
Dr. Kavanaugh invited everyone to return for the interview of Hugo, after a
second intermission, to explore the entire process through the eyes of the
patient.

*****

With everyone seated after the second intermission, the house lights
dimmed.

Hugo sat with Dr. Kavanaugh in a small sound stage modeled on the common
style of the late night television talk show hosts.  Dr. Kavanaugh sat at a
desk, which was in front of a window that opened onto a huge and colorful
depiction of the galaxy.  Hugo sat on a bright orange, over-stuffed modern
sofa just to Dr. Kavanaugh's right.

Dr. Kavanaugh addressed the audience. "Good afternoon, ladies and
gentlemen, and welcome back to our Second Stem-Cell Exploration Seminar.
In this final segment, we will be speaking with Mr. Hugo Ramirez who was
the recipient of the world's first hearing restoration by means of
transplant of his own stem cells.  We will hear first hand what the whole
experience was like from the patient's perspective..."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ramirez," Dr. Kavanaugh said, looking over and smiling
at Hugo.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Kavanaugh.... I wonder whether I might ask a favor of
you?" Hugo said.

Although Hugo's question was not on Dr. Kavanaugh's agenda for the opening
of the conversation, he answered looking quite pleasant and accommodating,
"Of course, what did you have in mind?"

"I am used to your calling me by my first name, Hugo.  Would you mind using
Hugo this afternoon?"

A broad smile played across Dr. Kavanaugh's face, belying how pleased he
was to be regarded in such a personal way by Hugo.  "Of course, my boy, I
must admit that it felt a little formal, using Mr. Ramirez, given our long
and important relationship."

"Thank you, Sir." Hugo replied, also with a smile on his face.  A pleasant
chuckle and a murmur could be heard running through the audience.

"Let's begin with the selection process that we used to find potential
transplant candidates.  If I recall correctly, Hugo, we were first notified
of your potential suitability by your employer's physician?"

"Yes, Sir. I had worked for the San Diego Memorial Hospital in the United
States for almost five years by that time. First I worked in the kitchen,
and then I took on general orderly duties." Hugo replied.

"Did you ask to be considered, Hugo?"

"No Sir. I didn't.  It just never seemed like it would ever be possible to
hear again..." Hugo answered.

"But you were willing to submit to examination and interview by our
selection team, when we requested time with you, some two years ago
now. Correct?" Dr. Kavanaugh asked, not to refresh his own memory, but to
allow the process to unfold for the listeners.

"Yes, Sir.  I really didn't think too much about it.  I'd been totally deaf
since I was six years old.  I pretty much thought that I'd never be able to
hear again.  I was just going along with the hospital doctor, because they
were always so good to me as an employer, I just wanted to do it for them,"
Hugo answered.

"The physical parameters of your hearing deficit made you a prime candidate
for our work, because we were looking for the best possible chance to be
successful.  As I recall, some time passed before you responded to our
offer to place you at the head of the list, as the first patient to receive
the stem-cell transplant.  "

"Yes, Sir." Hugo replied. This time he didn't elaborate.

"May I ask why you allowed so much time to pass before you made a decision
to accept our offer-- it was 6-7 months between our issuing the offer and
your response, as I recall?" Dr. Kavanaugh spoke with his voice modulating
to a lower level, displaying genuine interest.

"Well, Sir.  At that time, my life wasn't going so well.  I didn't do much
more than work all the time; so I could take care of my little brother,
Jilder.  Jilder turned out to have a serious medical condition that would
require the insertion of a steel bar inside his chest; just so he could
breath.  I didn't have the money for Jilder's operation.  I hardly made
enough money to pay the rent and buy our food," Hugo explained.

"And what made it possible for you to accept our offer eventually?"
Dr. Kavanaugh inquired.

There was a very long gap of silence before Hugo spoke again.

"I met Kevin Kramer." Hugo replied quietly.

Speaking gently, Dr. Kavanaugh continued: "Mr. Kramer... I should say,
Kevin, took the financial pressure off of you, and that made it possible
for you to respond?" Dr. Kavenaugh queried.

"Uh....." Hugo took another very long pause..." Uh... no." Hugo said.

"What was it then that Kevin did which made it possible for you to respond
to our offer?" Dr. Kavanaugh asked somewhat perplexed.

"He saw me, and he loved me...." Hugo said looking down at the floor of the
stage.

Dr. Kavanaugh did not step into the silence after Hugo spoke.

Eventually Hugo went on..."It was just that life was very difficult, and
from time to time, I even ran out of money before I got paid, and I didn't
have anything to eat.... I didn't tell Jilder..."

Hugo was reliving as much as telling his life story at that time.

"I hadn't eaten all day this one day," Hugo said. "And I went into a
burrito shop and went begging for some change; so I could buy something to
eat.... It was so humiliating..." Hugo's voice trailed off into silence
while he continued to look down.

Dr. Kavanaugh remained silent, giving Hugo time to return to the thread of
his narrative...

"Kevin gave me a $20 bill." Hugo whispered as he put his hands to his
forehead, covering his eyes and dissolving quietly into tears.

Dr. Kavanaugh thought for a moment that perhaps he should rescue Hugo by
questioning him again, but his sense of Hugo allowed him to remain silent a
bit longer.

Hugo recovered quickly and continued: "Later that day, when I was at work,
I went into one of the hospital rooms doing my duties, and found that
Kevin-- the same man who earlier that day had given me money for food-- was
in a coma, and the doctors didn't know what was wrong with him. He came in
as an emergency and was in critical condition." Hugo said.

Max and Brandy looked over at Kevin who was fixated on Hugo up on the
stage.  Kevin's eyes glistened, and he swallowed, choking back his
feelings.

"I wrote a prayer on the wall; so God would save Kevin." Hugo said.

"A prayer?" Dr. Kavanaugh asked, clearly NEVER having heard this story
before.

"Yes, Sir."  Hugo replied.  "I wanted to do something to help Kevin because
he fed me when I was hungry.  But I couldn't really DO ANYTHING.  I didn't
understand medicine.  But I COULD ask God to help," Hugo explained...

"And you did!" Dr. Kavanaugh reiterated.

"Yes, Sir."

Dr. Kavanaugh had to bring this information together with the selection
process, but he wasn't sure how to do it...

"I still don't understand how Kevin's illness made it possible for you to
join our stem-cell transplant program." Dr. Kavanaugh confessed somewhat
perplexed.

"Kevin's illness didn't." Hugo clarified.  "But weeks later, after Kevin
recovered, it was clear to us that we both wanted to live along with each
other, together, as partners. And we started life over together.  I kept on
working while Kevin recovered.  Then when Jilder had to have his operation,
the two of us together made it possible, and then we even found a wonderful
new addition to our family, Nicky.  Nicky needed the same operation that
Jilder did, and he needed a family too; so we wanted to keep both
boys... And God made that possible..." Hugo said.  "And we had a wonderful
family then..."

"What a remarkable story, Hugo!" Dr. Kavanaugh said.  "I never knew the
full story until today."

"Yes, Sir." Hugo replied now completely composed.

And Hugo continued, "My life was so good at that point, with Kevin and the
boys, but I was still afraid of trying your stem-cell treatment.  What if
it failed? I thought..." Hugo paused yet again... "What would I do if I
tried and the treatment failed? I wasn't strong enough to risk it by
myself..." Hugo admitted.

Then he said, "THAT'S where Kevin came in! If Kevin hadn't told me that he
would be with me no matter whether your operation was a success or a
failure, I couldn't have done it.  Knowing that Kevin would be with me all
the time... and hearing the boys tell me that they would not let me be
alone through any of my operation....it was then that I decided I could
try; and so I wrote to you.... Kevin encouraged me to try,
Dr. Kavanaugh... I wouldn't have been able to do it alone on my own.  It
was just too scary..." Hugo admitted.

Dr. Kavanaugh then began thinking out loud: "It is now abundantly clear
that a potential cell-transplant recipient cannot undertake the process
casually.  It's a powerful life-changing force that the patient regards
with profound respect, a measure of fear, and a deep sense of awe."

"Yes, Sir," Hugo replied.

"After we received your acceptance, I recall that there was a flurry of
correspondence between our Project and you, Hugo, where we listed the
variety of very specific compliances we would have to ask the patient to
consent to perform: from details of the pre-op examination to the rules of
behavior during recovery. As it turned out we realize that there are places
that we can relax our rules in order to make the life of the patient much
more pleasant." Dr. Kavanaugh explained.

"Yes, Sir." Hugo replied.  "I really didn't mind doing any of the things
you required.  They all seemed very reasonable to me.  I was amused at how
visitors to the clean-and-quiet room after the implant had to wear those
space suits.  They were actually under more stress than I was, because I
only had to wear the huge earmuffs to protect the incisions, and all of my
visitors, including medical personnel, had to put on those bulky hoods and
breathing filters. Looking back it looked pretty silly, but I understand
how deadly serious it actually was."

"Indeed, my boy," Dr. Kavanaugh emphasized. "We were so concerned for your
condition following the implant that we even considered total isolation at
one point in our planning."

"Well, actually, Sir. I'm glad you took the precautions.  Who knows whether
the precautions might have prevented my becoming infected and defeating the
entire transplant effort."

"Well, of course, you're right, my boy," Dr. Kavanaugh agreed.

*****

"Hugo, can you describe to everyone the details of what acquiring hearing
was actually like for you?"  Dr. Kavanaugh asked.

"Yes, Sir..." Hugo replied. Then he paused to think for a moment.

"I counted the days after surgery.  I didn't really expect anything to
happen for the first day or two, but after that, I really started to worry
as each additional day passed and nothing was different for me," Hugo
confessed.

And he continued: "Kevin and I knew that around the 7th or 8th day
something was supposed to happen.  Just nobody knew what that was."

Hugo shifted around on the sofa and pulled his leg up on the cushion next
to him... "I remember that it was Christmas, and the boys had brought in
decorations, and Kevin and I and the boys decorated a tree right in my
hospital room-- well, it was a really big room..."

"That seventh evening I started getting clicking things in my head.  I
didn't call them sounds, because I didn't know what sounds were, and I
didn't know whether I was hearing or not; so I got Kevin to call you on
your cell phone," Hugo said looking Dr. Kavanaugh in the eye.

"Yes, Hugo." and Dr. Kavanaugh picked up the narrative.  "We were very
excited when we heard that something was occurring for you that was
different from the silence you were used to living with, but we didn't
understand what was happening either; so we just had to accept your reports
and then try to make sense of them. Our hasty analysis concluded that the
axons of the newly-implanted cells were forcing their way into the nerve
bed of the existing aural nerve channel, and that these clicks were
connections that were taking place.  The brain would not have known how to
interpret these electrical nerve signals that were beginning to arrive.
Everyone was in unknown territory, Hugo..."

"Yes, Sir.  I understood that.  And, at first, I thought that maybe I was
making things up because I wanted something to happen-- ANYTHING -- so bad,
that maybe I was inventing these clicks.  But I quickly dismissed that
possibility because they really did keep happening... They got more and
more annoying, and... I guess I could say ... LOUDER, but speaking about
the attributes of sound was not something that I knew how to do at that
point... I just realized that SOMETHING was happening that was NOT just my
usual silence," Hugo said.

"The boys had come to spend that night, Christmas night, in my hospital
room along with Kevin.  Kevin and I were sleeping in my bed, and the boys
were using sleeping bags on the floor.  Nicky had brought his X-box
computer gaming system, but he'd loaded Christmas Carols in it, since it
was Christmas night."

"We were all asleep. Then I woke up for no reason, except I thought I HEARD
something... I realized I DID! I DID HEAR SOMETHING!...  And I listened not
moving a muscle, and I heard a lovely sound that I came to understand was
music.  The first sounds I heard and understood as sound was the Christmas
Carol, Silent Night..."  And Hugo paused once again, recollecting that
moment on that Christmas Night.

Brandy reached over and took Kevin's hand and squeezed it. "The Holy Child
was visiting Hugo.  You and the boys were truly having a holy night..."

Kevin turned and looked at Brandy through his tears.  He smiled and nodded
and turned back to look at Hugo up on the stage.

Hugo went on speaking, "That's when I telephoned you, Dr. Kavanaugh, and I
could tell you that I was hearing..."

"Yes. My boy.  I remember coming to your room and resting there with you
until we were sure that hearing had been re-established."

"Dr. Kavanaugh" Hugo said.

"Yes, Hugo?"

"Would you mind if I invited Kevin and the boys to join me here on the sofa
right now?" Hugo asked.  "That night was not just MY night to start
hearing. It was NOT JUST my time to begin my new life.  It was OUR new life
that began; I'd like Kevin and the boys here with me."

"Indeed, my boy." Dr. Kavanaugh said.

Then he turned to the audience and indicated that the house lights should
be brought up.

Dr. Kavanaugh then rose and spoke: "Kevin, Jilder, Nicky, would the three
of you please join Hugo and me here on the stage?"

Max and Brandy looked over at Kevin and smiled.  Max rose and offered his
hand to Kevin to help him from his seat.  Kevin looked back at the rows
behind him until he made eye contact with Jilder and Nicky.  Kevin
indicated to the boys to follow him, and the three joined one another in
the asyle and then walked together up to the sound stage where Hugo's
interview was taking place.  Hugo stood and held out both arms into which
he took all three of them and hugged them all at once.  He bent down and
kissed Nicky on the forehead and then Jilder the same, and then he gave
Kevin a brief kiss on the mouth.

"Please, gentlemen, be seated.  Make yourselves comfortable on the sofa
with Hugo," Dr. Kavanaugh invited them with his arms stretched out.

The audience responded with applause that was warm and supportive rather
than laudatory.

The house lights went back down and Dr. Kavanaugh and the others took their
seats.

Dr. Kavanaugh began, "I realize that it is only fitting to recognize that
while the medical events that took place to recreate hearing were performed
by a team, it is equally true that the reception of these medical events
was also formed by a family team that culminated in success for us all."

Hugo stood up and reached behind the sofa to retrieve a guitar.  "And,
Dr. Kavanaugh, my hearing has made possible the most wonderful life of
sound and music for me, and I'd like to share just a few moments of this
music with everyone."

The audience applauded to express their encouragement.

A spotlight pinned Hugo in his seat, as the remaining set lights faded and
Dr. Kavanaugh and the others were in shadows.

Hugo struck his guitar with the dramatic chords that gave introduction to
the Malaguena.  And with inspiration and motivation that had never formed
in Hugo's breast, he poured out his soul to the most marvelous rendition
ever of his favorite piece.  Through the rousing rhythmical flounces and
intricate fret work, Hugo's consciousness narrowed to include only the
wonderful music he was making.  And when this particular rendition came to
its conclusion, Hugo silenced the instrument in his signature dramatic
smothering of the strings.

And the audience broke into exciting, exhilarating applause to return to
Hugo the love that he shared with them by his unstinting honesty about how
he came to acquire and accept his hearing, and now for everyone it was time
to see what God and Hugo had done.


*****