Here's what happened, he and "his Nicole" were out walking the dogs, when apparently he lost consciousness, fell over backwards and hit his head on the pavement.
But it wouldn't be John if it had been that simple.
As the doctor later told him, he managed to have - all at the same time - a trifecta of:
- a serious heart attack,
- a stroke and
- a concussion (yes, well, that's what you get when you hit your head on the pavement)
No slurring of his speech, no sign at all of any of the above conditions, any one of which could have done him in.
Well, most probably would have done in a normal person.
But our John just is in a class of his own:
- he looks the same (though in my opinion he could do with some fattening up. Yes, I know he is very proud of his svelte silhouette, but a few pounds more wouldn't be amiss, especially when being faced with having to live off smuggled in food, like he is now) and
- he sounds the same, bantering and playfully changing between languages (English with me, German with the nurse bringing dinner, French with another nurse and he speaks Spanish with his daughter).
It was actually dinner time at the hospital, they have it at an unconscionably early time, at half past five.
And there John was talking in German, refusing the hospital food (which is actually a good idea, German hospital food is that bad,
it's a running gag) and just asking the nurse for a cup of tea.
No idea how the tea is in Hamburg, it may be stronger than here in the south, but it very probably won't have been a proper British cuppa.
Foodwise, his Nicole will smuggle in something edible later on.
He is stuck in the hospital until they put in a pacemaker, which they say may happen as early as Friday, which would mean that he would be sprung on Sunday.
You know what his association about the word pacemaker was?
A Liverpudlian band from the 1960ies called "Gerry and the Pacemakers", a band he listened to in his youth.
Told me that one of their songs is sung by fans of the football club Borussia Dortmund (yup, true, googled it): https://www.bvb.de/Aktionen/Liederbuch
I had to admit to having no idea about football, just that Bayern München always ends up Meister.
Dear me, did I put my foot in there!
John immediately informed me that Bayern just lost (despite Harry Kane doing his best and having scored over 30 goals for them) against Bayer Leverkusen, and that they will end up Meister this year.
Back to the pacemaker, I have my own theory why they didn't put in that pacemaker right away:
They are studying him to find out how someone can survive these 3 conditions, actually be dead in between and still wake up the very same person, as if nothing had happened
Though being in a German hospital for over a week should come with its own health warning.
But at least he's had enough experience with them to know to refuse the food and instead have Nicole smuggle in real, fresh food, i.e. food that actually contains vitamins!
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To stave off the boredom from being stuck in that hospital, John would welcome people skyping him at john.gunn3
He has his iPhone with him and after the Hamburg doctors worked their magic on the eye that the doctors in Crete had given up on, he can actually see and use that iPhone, so there is no impediment to video calls, he's a pro at them!
I asked him when people should call, and he said that between 9am and 11am and again in the afternoon between 2pm and 4pm would be ideal.
So call him and view the medical miracle of John yourself!
And share a laugh with him.
He is just as entertaining as always
