Gene Duffey, ex-Houston Post

Latest from a friend in Houston:

Gene has improved since Monday night. Yesterday the doctors inserted a chest tube and drained some blood and fluid out of his lungs, which has improved both his breathing and his blood pressure. He is still unconscious, which is intentional as his body recovers.

This morning the doctors have started the process of warming him up from the 92 degrees back to normal body temperature. This process takes 24 hours.

Today his blood pressure is better and the doctors have started a form of dialysis to help remove fluid from the body.

The next 24 hours are extremely important, as we will know a lot more after his body is brought back to normal temperature.

 

Man that is just heartbreaking.

 

Update from late last night:

As of Wednesday night, Gene remains in critical condition at St. Luke’s Cardiac Care Unit. The doctors started the warming process this morning and it will take approximately 24 hours to get his body temperature back to normal. He is on dialysis, which is not unusual for someone in his current condition. His blood pressure is OK.

Once the warming process is completed, the doctors will begin weaning him off the medications that have kept him in the drug-induced coma state. Once this is complete they will be able to asses his condition more fully, including neurological functions. According to the nurse, some people wake in four hours while others can take a few days. We hope to know more about his condition tomorrow afternoon.

Many people have asked what they can do to help. If you’re in Houston and are so inclined, you can go to St. Luke’s Hospital to donate blood in Gene’s name. You do not need to have the same blood type as his. The good folks at St. Luke’s can assist you with this.

I will let everyone know when he can receive visitors.

Please continue to keep Gene in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks.

 

Friday afternoon update from Houston:

As of 3 p.m. CDT on Friday, Gene has yet to wake up from the induced coma. As mentioned previously, it’s not unusual for patients to take a couple of days to wake up, but we all want it to be sooner than later. Also, his brain function is weaker today than it was on Wednesday.


We have asked the doctors and nurses to have nothing but sports on the TV in his room. The speaker for the TV is by his ear, and we hope that hearing games will trigger him to wake up.

Please keep Gene in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.

 

Just received this:

We went to St. Luke’s this afternoon to see Gene. I so wish I had better news to report, but we think it’s important that his friends know how things stand.

Gene is still in critical condition. He has not awakened from the induced coma, even though the doctors are not giving him the meds that induced the coma. The doctors also have removed the sensors that were attached to his head, presumably because there’s been no improvement with his brain activity. He is breathing with the assistance of a respirator. In other words, there is really no change, or improvement, since Friday afternoon.

As you know, Gene loves college football. Today we read to him the results of the Top 25, including the Houston Cougars’ upset of Oklahoma State (Gene covered the Cougars during his days with the Houston Post and has lots of Cougar friends) along with the results of the Syracuse-Penn State contest, which unfortunately was a loss for Gene’s alma mater at the hands of the Nittany Lions.

We want to let his friends know that visitors can visit him if you’d like. Visiting hours at St. Luke’s are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and again from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. He’s still in 6 Cooley A, Bed 8. Two visitors are allowed at a time, and no flowers or live plants can be in his area.

If you choose to come to the hospital to see Gene, please understand that he’s in critical condition. Because he is still on dialysis and the respirator, there are a number of machines in the room and tubes attached to him.

Please be assured that Gene is getting absolutely the best medical care possible. We just hope and pray that he wakes up and rallies from his current condition.

 

Damn, was hoping for better news. Thanks for the updates, though, and please keep them coming. I understand Duff has remained a close friend to retired Chron sportswriter Jerry Wizig. Do you happen to know how Jerry's doing and if he's had a chance to get up to visit Gene? Thanks.

 

Sounds like a great guy. He's in my thoughts and prayers. Here's hoping he pulls through.

 

Great guy. One of the best hearts in our business ... God Speed, Duff ...

 

I received this update earlier tonight:

Today was a better day for Gene. Twice he opened his eyes when his nurse asked him to do so, only to close them again. He did respond to some touching of his body, but it is not consistent. However, these responses were encouraging to his doctors.

There is no update on his neurological condition.

 

I just came across this thread. Gene is a terrific guy, a kindhearted man with a wonderful demeanor. He is a sportswriter's sportswriter. I worked in Texas for a number of years and came across Gene a lot, and he was always such a nice, outgoing person who really seemed to enjoy people, always with a smile and a ton of humility.

God bless you, my friend.

 

Gene Duffey is a terrific guy and friend. I just saw this and had no idea what had happened. Two months ago during a Mets visit to Houston, Gene invited me to drive over from Dallas, crash at his apartment and go to dinner with him and our buddy Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. That's the kind of guy he is, always wanting to visit, always loving the company. Gene proudly showed off Houston on a half-day tour of the city and he feels enormous pride for the city he's adopted as his own through the years. He's originally from Rochester, N.Y., and he worked in Syracuse before going to Houston, then Huntsville, Ala. When he retired, he went back to Houston, where he's been freelancing a lot. I joked with him that his friends around Houston, including many with the Astros and Texans and Rockets, see him more since he "retired" than when he wasn't. ... Pull through, Gene, you are a loyal, compassionate guy who makes a point of staying in touch with friends and letting them know you appreciate them. Here is letting you know that I, like many, appreciate you, too, my friend. God bless you.

 

Any updates on Gene since Monday?

The previous one was a bit more upbeat,