One of the first tasks for Harris what’s to move a 10 meter antenna to a new location. This required a complete disassemble of the parabolic structure. Since I was the new guy on the job, and the oldest, I was not asked to climb onto antenna for either taking it apart or putting it back together. The job did involve climbing several stairs to get into processing vans. I began to notice difficulty when it became necessary to carry equipment and down the stairs. It soon became necessary for me to use hand holds and railings or some assistance in getting up a few stairs to get into vans. Luckily, once the antenna was moved and aligned, the work involved monitoring a data-link and very little lifting or movement.

Walking on flat ground was still fairly easy, navigating stairs became a serious problem. The banister in the stairway to the second floor Marysville house became very useful. Going down the stairs was usually accomplished by backing down while hanging on to the banister. Eventually it became sitting down on the stairs like a child and bouncing down to the bottom, on my bottom, and then standing up. Getting up from a chair without arms became a challenge. In 2002 my daughter-in-law had a cancer operation. I would visit with her during her Chemo treatments at a local UC Davis Cancer center here in Marysville. These visits became very important later.

In 2004 Harris lost the contract back to L3COM. I could have gone to work for the new contractor however it would have required occasional travel to overseas locations. Opting for retirement was easy, so I retired. Thinking that Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, LGMD, was only going to get worse, I would have to cope with it.