Hi everyone. I collapsed from a pulmonary embolism on Saturday afternoon. In the street. I very likely would have died except that a neighbor found me and my friends were able to help me and call an ambulance in time. I’m recovering in the hospital, and will probably be here for the rest of the week. Once I’m home it’ll probably be a few days before I’ll be able to do any real work, so unfortunately Modest Medusa will be on hiatus for the next week or so. This is absolutely the worst time for a break, both because I know you’re all waiting for the next chapter and because we’re so close to wrapping this story line up.
I originally thought Season 3 would be finished early this year, but it kept stretching on and on. At this point I’ve been working on Season 3 longer than I worked on Seasons 1 and 2. All year it’s seemed like I was so close to finishing the story, so to have this happen right at the end if frustrating.
Anyway, once I’m home I’ll be posting some updates and guest strips. So you’ll have some cool stuff to look at. Hopefully Β we’ll be back in time for Christmas.
Jaymz did this drawing the day before I collapsed because I said I was feeling sick. She offered to take me to the hospital too.I should have listened.
– Jake
Oh Snap! Just try to take care of yourself and get better! We are all here for you man.
My God, man, don’t worry about the strip; there will be no strip without you and the you is the most important thing of all. Get all the rest and recuperation you need and return at your time, not ours. I’ve never had that happen to me, but the closest things I can relate to are the series of grand mal seizures I had up to my mid twenties and sometimes being found under similar circumstances. You are blessed, Jake, but don’t push it for our sake. Get better, my friend.
Wow Jake, does everyone I have an affiliation with hate doctors and are willing to push themselves this hard?
I’m so glad you’re not dead and were found. My lord… Take care, we’re with you, man.
I’m with the bulk of the people here. Thank goodness for friends and neighbors and just get better. It’ll make the anticipation of the ending that much more awesome when we get the update. It means story is back on and the author is well. We can work with that.
Jake, please take care of yourself and give the comic a rest…unless it’s stress free therapy for you. I know I’d go bonkers if I was bed ridden and couldn’t write. Anyway, Modest Medusa is one of my granddaughters favorites and is a standard bedtime story. You will be in both of our prayers. Get well and have a merry Christmas.
I feel for ya, I’ve had one of those myself, only mine came from Deep Vein Thrombosis in my leg, a piece of the clot there broke out and made it’s way to my lung, spent a week in the hospital and another 6 months or so on Warfarin/Coumadin. Take care of yourself, the comic can wait for your health to improve! I’m sure we’ll all be waiting for you when you get back to the comic. Happy Holidays!
How is it even psosible to get a lung embolism? The entire point of lungs is putting air into your blood, surely they could handle it without putting dangerous bubbles in there. Gah, stupid lungs. Do your job!
Oh well get better. Don’t let your body push you around!
Blood has to flow into the lungs in order to collect the oxygen that our bodies need to function. The vessels bringing blood into the lungs are shaped sort of like trees, in that they’re widest when the blood first enters and then branch out and get narrower as the blood goes deeper in. This allows any loose chunk of bloodclot to enter relatively easily and then get stuck further in, obstructing bloodflow into the lung. You can still BREATHE, but your blood cannot take the oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body.
Also, in medical lingo and embolism doesn’t have to be a bubble. An embolism is anything that floats around in the body and then gets stuck somewhere (often causing problems in the process). Specifically, what Jake had was a pulmonary thrombo-embolism.
Correct!
you’re specifically thinking of an air embolism. that’s the bubble in the blood. scary stuff, but nowhere near as common as when the embolism is caused by a clot. an air embolism usually involves needles and carelessness.
Huggles jake. Get well soon. We are all pulling for you. Meanwhile I’ll be giving chocodilles to our favorite medusa. Lol
I just found this comic about two weeks ago, and I hadn’t really said much because I didn’t have much to say. But dude, don’t worry about the comic until you’re better. You should be dead right now. Something like 90-95% of people who get a pulmonary embolism die from it. You have truly beaten the odds. Don’t push your body any harder than you have to while you recover.
I am so glad there were people around to help you. Get well soon.
Wow. Idunno what to say. You’ve got people praying for you. Take it easy for a while, and do whatever it takes to get feeling better.
Oh God. Hope you get well soon.
That’s a bummer, alright. Who’s been blowing bubbles in your bloodstream?
Dude…. You need to worry about your HEALTH first. We are loyal fans. We WILL wait for a month or three if you need it to recover.
I had a heart attack at 18 so I have an idea what your going through and its not fun, but you can help yourself out a LOT by taking the time needed to relax and make a full recovery. If you end up killing yourself working so hard on this comic it will make many of us sad and at least make me cry. Your webcomic art is wonderful and I love this series. It got me through the ugly part of my divorce by making me smile when I needed it most, so you take the time you need to get better.
Modest Medusa Post:
OH MY GODDESS!!! O.O
That is scary!
Please take all the time you need to recover. I would rather have a late story page than one of the GREATEST comic book artist I know die on me! >~<
Hey! Maybe I can making you some fillers. Would that help? =)
That would be amazing!
Finished one filler, will have it too you by tomorrow! π
If you need more fillers I’d be up for making one too!
Please!
Sent you first filler, but still got some more to finish. Rest, Please! π
Got it! Thanks! I’ll post it tomorrow.
Do whatever it takes to get well soon!
Leave it to Jake to not tell us that he also had a pulmonary embolism in 2006 {it’s on your wordpress Jake} How many times do you have to punch the reaper in his balls before he leaves you alone?
That’s true. I have a condition that makes me prone to this.Also, if you look you’ll see that around strip 65 or so I reported that I had a healthscare. It turned out to be nothing, but I thought I was suffering from symptoms that I was told would lead to an embolism, and I spent all night in the ER because of it.
Scary get well. Take better care of yourself we will be here when ya get back.
Hokey smokes, Bullwinkle! Get well soon, my friend. Try not to take your health for granted. Take your time getting back on the horse. We’re not going anywhere.
I popped in for my weekly dose of MM to find this news. Glad you were rushed to the hospital, Jake, and hope for a speedy recovery <3
Oh man. Hell of an excuse, sir! I’m very glad you’re okay, though! Been a fan of yours for a couple of years now and I know a lot of people would be upset if we lost you (and Modern :). Time to apply some of your stubbornness to your recovery I think π we will all be here when you get back to it.
DD’s fiancΓ© had a double pulmonary embolism about three months before the wedding (they have a three year old now and have been married six years) – those are nothing to trifle with!
Take care of yourself – I want to see what happens NEXT!
Jake! I am not going to nag you as after this I feel you will return to the comic when you are ready. Like all the others here, I hope you are recovered soon and can enjoy Christmas. I would like to thank you for an amazingly good and witty comic that is probably my favourite of the 30 or so I regularly read.
Jake, please take care of yourself! We all love your comic and all, but your health is way way way more important! I’ve had an embolism myself, and it is no picnic.
yikes. thank goodness you were able to get help. hope you get better soon.
=P Now, as much as I enjoy this comic, I don’t want to see any more pages from you until after New Years. any comics before that and I think you’re pushing it!
Well, I have a backlog of filler stuff I can post without much effort. But I doubt I’ll be drawing anything knew for at least a week.
eesh… hope you rest well, and feel better!
Hope you are doing better and healing up fast!
My husband had a PI several years ago and now is on coumadin permanently.
Sounds like he and I are in the same boat.
Way to keep the cliffhanger hanging!
Really, that was too close for comfort, Jake. First Chocodiles are gone, then you? Not good.
Yikes. Get better soon. I’d make filler too, but I couldn’t draw a straight line if I had a ruler.
I just noticed that in the title graphic, one of Modest’s snakes is biting the title!
Isn’t that cool?I didn’t notice it at first either.
Get better Jake!
Oh, so this explains why we didn’t see you at Comic Con! So sorry to hear you had this scare. It is good to see you are back. We are really looking forward to your latest hard copy book. BTW… I found a typo in Modest Medusa season 1… I may only be 10 but I think I am headed for a life of comic book editing.
You only found 1 typo? Anyway, sorry I missed you.
Oh, now you have issued a challenge!
Found another typo, even is not spelled een, also, black and white should not be blacka nd white. I’m open for editing your next book. π
I’ll send you the files for the new book before they go to press.
your not teasing me, right?
Your not teasing me, right?
OMG! I meant You’re not teasing me, right? I guess I was so excited I made my OWN grammatical mistake.
No, I’m not.
I know its late but I hope it wasn’t to bad.
I survived, thanks
It’s good that they called the ambulance.