I'm just popping into publicly admit I failed in the beer exchange this year. I have been in the hospital due to acute covid pneumonia since December 9th, was put in a medically induced coma for 38 days, followed by a few more days in the surgical icu, two weeks in the respiratory Care facility, and I'm on my final week of inpatient physical rehabilitation learning how to walk again. While I was in a coma, some blood clots came from my lungs and shot up to my brain where I had two moderate and a bunch of minor strokes. I now require a walker and or wheelchair along with supplemental oxygen.
I have contacted my partner in this today to inform him why I disappeared off of the face of the earth. I have offered him to retry doing the exchange this summer when I should be able to drive, walk, and actually shop for the beer. If I am prohibited from participating in the future, so be it... but I would hope that being in a coma during the holiday season is a good enough reason to have failed.