GREG'S LETTER TO THE WMB!!Hi All,Many people have asked to be kept informed of my progress. This update is for those who are interested in how things are going with me.Firstly, to those people who sent their messages of support and goodwill via the message board, a very big thank you. It has been a huge job trying to respond to all the mail that I received, and to those who did not receive a personal thank you via the mail because they posted their messages here on the board, I just want to let you know that your messages are no less valuable than those I received via the postal system. THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY.In terms of an update, two specialists are treating my condition now, (a cardiologist and a neurologist). After months of determining the best way to treat my condition, they ultimately decided that it was not going to be treated through pure management of my daily routines, or changes to my diet. Whilst these things have been important, they alone have not shown sufficient improvement.I am now trialling various medications, and there has been some improvement but it is very much a day by day process – some days better than others.The good news is there has been a definite improvement in my overall condition. I still have symptoms such as light-headedness, ataxia (problems with balance and coordination), chest pains, shortness of breath and general fatigue, to name a few. However, these do not occur anywhere near as often as they did, and I am very grateful for that. It is still very unpredictable as to when it will hit and as to how severe it will hit. However, days when I am more active are generally followed by days where the symptoms are more severe.Advice from one doctor is that it will be at least 2- 4 years before I am back to feeling anywhere near as well as I did before this hit me so hard.On a personal note, I want you all to know that I am very comfortable with my decision to leave The Wiggles. It was a very tough decision to make, and one that I never dreamt I would have to make yet. It is not easy when faced with having to decide whether or not your health may detract from the success that you and your friends have built together.However, upon reflection, I can safely say that whilst I miss the children in the audience so much, and miss being on stage performing for them, I know that I made the correct decision as I am unable to continue the physical rigours of touring. I would not wish this situation upon anyone – be it friend or foe. I can only thank God that my situation is nowhere near as grave as that faced by some others, and I do still have the ability to walk, move, talk and breathe - just not quite like I used to. For that I am grateful.I am trying to personally answer all the mail received when my illness became publicised and I needed to stop performing with The Wiggles. There was a mountain of it, so it is a pretty big task.To me, it is important to let people know that I appreciate the effort they made in sending their good wishes. In some cases though, there is no return address (or I might misread it, or the sender may have moved, and my reply is returned to me).It is sad to think that many young children (and other people), may not get a reply. So I have tried hard to track down addresses wherever I can, but where that fails I hope they might see this message and understand that their effort is much appreciated.I’m getting close to finishing the replies, but I’m sure you will all understand that continuing individual correspondence beyond this stage will quite difficult. Be asured that I will post updates on the Message Board whenever I can.Thanks again to everybody for their support through this continued, difficult time.Keep wiggling,Greg -----------------------------------------------------------
