Posted 6:52 AM by Paul
Five Weeks to Five Months

That's what they gave him. Five weeks to five months.

We last saw Chris in Pamplona this year, confined to a wheel chair and stricken with cancer but still in pretty good spirits. At first, I couldn't make up my mind if this was a good idea at all. Going to a fiesta in the last weeks of your life. Perhaps, I was inwardly objecting to being confronted with my own mortality. But after talking to Chris and doing my share of wheeling him around town and fetching his coffee I changed my mind. It was good to see him smiling as the bands marched past and looking animated as talk turned to that afternoon's bullfight. Good to see the smile on old friends' faces as they saw that he had made it for one last fiesta.

As Heather said, " In the same position, with your kids grown up and enough money you would do exactly the same".

Too true. All of the above and good contacts in the airline industry. I am sure that normally someone in his condition would not be allowed to fly.

So, we said our very last goodbyes to Chris when we took him back to his room at a nice city centre hotel. My close friend Mark, who I have been going down to fiesta with since 1976, [ Historical note; Madonna was still at high school in Detroit in this epoch) was particularly upset. He had been close to Chris for years and had spend many happy days with him at fiesta in Logrono and out on the town in San Sebastian. Mark helped when Chris was incoherent with alcohol* and sat with him drinking coffee when he went on the wagon, took the 12 steps and admitted he was an alcoholic. That night we went out until dawn raising a glass or two to Chris and dancing to banal Mexican pop music. We had said our last good bye to Chris as we knew he would not make it beyond late summer.

In September some of Chris's old friends held a "roast" in his honour and there were doubts that he would make it. Five days to five weeks seemed to be the prognosis.

Last night I heard the news from Noel in Madrid.

" Oh Chris? Well, he is just preparing to fly out to the fiesta in Quito next week. His girlfriend is going with him and they are hoping to pay a student to help wheel him to the bullfight."

Chris is an American.

* Chris would not mind this fact being known on a public website as he has been dry for over 10 years and totally aware of his alcoholism. So, much so that he often chairs meetings of AA in the middle of the fiesta in Pamplona. You couldn't make that kind of thing up