Are you getting your phone turned on soon? Perhaps someone could lend you one? I'd like to talk to you while I still can, and little things like phone bills shouldn't prevent that from occurring. I need to know how well you're doing; if you're holding out well, I'll just fly down a week or before Christmas as usual, but if your health is deteriorating I'll come down immediately.
I just wrote a long e-mail to you explaining the role that you've played in my life and in the way I understand things, but I've deleted it. Suffice to say that you've been more than an uncle to me and that you've helped to fill a role that my father should have filled. At any rate, spend this time how you'd like, but remember that I'm not just going through some perfunctory my-uncle-is-dying-so-I-must-attend-to-him ritual, and would really appreciate it if you could spend more time talking to me if you want to.