To all the posters who wished me well:
Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughts. It is actions like yours that makes it somehow bearable. My wife and I have been blessed to have wonderful friends, neighbors, and family to help us through. I paused a few times before posting my story, but I did want to answer the OP question, and to let you all think of your family and close friends - appreciate all of them every day. To those of you with teenage kids, please educate yourself and your kids about the dangers of "the choking game". There are a number of good educational web sites on this terrible activity, which is how I lost my son.