Craig Hamrick - prayer request

[johnpeternyc]

Folks I believe in the power of prayer.  Our friend Craig Hamrick is
not doing so well.  Those of us who saw him at the festival a couple
of weeks ago will be shocked I am sure.  Craig of course has kept the
torch alive by writing books and maintaining Dark Shadows online.

Craig is a dear friend who has taught me strength.  He has been there
on so many occasions the last couple of years for Peter and I both
professionally and personally.

Earlier this morning I received this email from Craig's lover and our
friend Joe:

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Salvatore
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 1:57 AM
To: Joe Salvatore
Subject: craig hamrick's condition

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

I wanted to let you know that Craig's health has deteriorated
significantly over the past three days, and this afternoon he
entered
a hospice facility here in NYC.  His mother, stepfather, and brother
arrived today, and the doctor has said that Craig is entering the
final stage of his battle with colon cancer.  No one is sure how
long
the battle will continue.  The doctor was talking in weeks on
Monday,
but Craig's condition got worse pretty quickly on Tuesday.  We will
need to wait and see.

Craig is comfortable, fairly alert, but dealing with confusion and
disorientation.  His liver is failing, and this is causing the
toxins
to build up in his bloodstream.  Hence the confusion.  He is not in
pain at this point, which is helpful.

I'm sorry that this is coming to some of you in an email, but as you
can imagine, the last few days have been overwhelming and a
struggle.  Not sure what to say about visitors.  I will try to get a
sense tomorrow and see what he thinks.

My ability to access email during the day is limited, as I will be
balancing time at the hospice and my work schedule.  I will do my
best to keep you informed.

As always, thank you for all of your support.  It holds us up as we
move through these moments.

With much thanks,

joe

************************************

May we all send a word to the higher power and ask to provide
comfort for both Joe and Craig.

Warmth and friendship to each one of you today.

John

[Nancy]

John,

Thank you for posting that.

Nancy 

[arashi]

My thoughts and prayers go out to Craig and his family.

[David]

This is very upsetting.
Craig's a good guy, who's done a lot for DS and who was also a comfort to Louis Edmonds during Big Lou's illness.

I'm a big believer in Karma & a Creator, but when something like this happens to a good guy like Craig, you have to wonder why.

David
 

[CastleBee]

I will most definately put Craig and his loved ones on my prayer list.  Thank you for letting us know.

[Jackie]

I'm very sad to hear that Craig is doing so poorly. Best wishes to him and his loved ones.  May the blessings be!
 

[Midnite]

Thank you for posting this.  My prayers will go out to Craig and his loved ones.

[ROBINV]

Craig is an exceptional man, and I'm so sorry to hear how ill he is.

I will pray for him and those who love him.




Love, Robin

[CyrusL]

I am very sorry to hear this. We had Craig on our prayer list at our church for several weeks, and he seemed to be so much better at the fest, I told Pastor Dorothy that we could take him off the list, but I will be sure he is added back. We will continue to send prayers, well wishes and hope.

Michael  :- 

[Charles_Ellis]

It's so damn unfair!  I saw him at the Festival and thought things had turned for the better.  He's done so much for Ds fandom with his entertaining books (over the weekend I was going over his guide to DS collectibles) and DS online, among other things.  If he does 'cross over' soon, you can be assured he'll get the ultimate welcoming committe a DS fan can get: just imagine Louis, Joan, Grayson, Michael, Thayer, Donald et al welcoming him at the Pearly Gates!  But I'm still hoping for a last-minute miracle.......

[Maybellique]

I don't think I've ever met him, but I sympathize with those who've gone through cancer. I'll be praying for
him. All my love to his family, as well. I know this is hard for them. ~DJ

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I'm sorry to hear this. Craig is such an exceptional friend to DS and a wonderful person...

[Charles_Ellis]

It's so strange, though- earlier today I found out that a co-worker became a father for the first time last night.  And in the space of one day I have to contemplate the start of one life and the possible end of one.

[Nancy]

I know Craig feels strongly about people educating themselves about being screened for certain types of really sneaky cancer.  My father died of one such sneaky cancer - the type that gets detected only after it has spread unless you specifically request a screening.  Craig has written about this subject on his website and I encourage everyone to read it.

http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/about_site.html

He also has a site for his photography at http://www.craighamrick.com.  If you haven't already, you should check out the websites of this talented man.

He has written about the detection and battle with colon cancer throughout the website. He recently updated the site to include some of his memories of this past festival.

A really interesting essay Craig has on the website is what DS did for him as a child growing up gay in Kansas.  He identified with the characters of Victoria Winters who was searching for her identity and that of Barnabas Collins, who had a secret he wanted to hide.

Do check out the sites for this interesting material.

Nancy

[Annie]

Will Keep Craig and his family in my thoughts and prayers..
I've never met him  but it feels like i have....
                Love Anne