Joe Haldeman, credit: Mikko Aarnio

The health of award-winning science fiction author Joe Haldeman is holding stable after he was hospitalised last week for a twisted bowel and severe pancreatitis, according to updates posted online by his wife.

Haldeman subsequently had to go through urgent surgery and is currently recovering. The update posted by Gay Haldeman on the SFF.net forums reads:

“Joe still has a high fever, though not as high as yesterday. He’s off the cold bed again. Still in ICU, still on the ventilator. I hope to talk to some doctors today. All other signs seem to be holding stable. He is responding to the nurses commands–”Squeeze my hand. Open your eyes.” I think they bring him up to almost consciousness, then let him go back down.”

Best wishes for the ill author continue to pour in from fans on the forums and on other sites.

Haldeman is 66 years old and is best known for his 1976 novel The Forever War, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, although he has published many more books since, including Forever Peace, which although not a direct sequel, has some similarities to The Forever War, and also won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards. His most recent book is 2008′s Marsbound, which Keeping the Door reviewed here.

Joe Haldeman, credit: Mikko Aarnio

Award-winning science fiction author Joe Haldeman was hospitalised this week for a twisted bowel and has severe pancreatitis, his wife has revealed.

Posting on the SFF.net forums, Gay Haldeman first revealed the bad news several days ago on 22 September, saying the author had had “pretty extensive surgery” in Cincinnati in the US after having bad abdominal pains. Haldeman was in the intensive care unit (ICU), his wife revealed, “doing well, but not yet out of the woods”.

Yesterday, on 23 September, Gay Haldeman posted her husband was still in the ICU unit and “critically stable”. Further details:

“The surgeon just told me that Joe’s blood count was coming down and the pancreatic enzymes were better than yesterday. Lab stuff looks better. He’s still running a fever of about 102 that doesn’t want to come down. He’ll probably be on the respirator for a few more days to rest and recover. His bowel has begun working, one of the serious hurdles for this kind of surgery. He’s getting IV nutrition and they’re keeping him sedated (yay).”

Further details are available on the SFF.net forum thread created for discussing Haldeman’s health. Some fellow authors, such as Vonda N. Macintyre, have posted wishing Haldeman and his wife the best.

Haldeman is 66 years old and is best known for his 1976 novel The Forever War, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, although he has published many more books since, including Forever Peace, which although not a direct sequel, has some similarities to The Forever War, and also won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards. His most recent book is 2008′s Marsbound, which Keeping the Door reviewed here.

Commentary
This sort of event is never pleasant in anybody’s life, and I wishes to pass on my best wishes to Haldeman and his family. I hope they realise how many lives Haldeman’s work has affected and how many fans are wishing him well.