Life

Thanksgiving 2018

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I’d like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. This one is a pretty special for me and there are a lot of people to thank.

  • Thank you Chevrolet and Ralph Nader for a truck that let me survive that crash. Every time I see an Avalanche, I think how lucky the people inside are to have it.
  • Thank you to the people who came and spoke to me when I was trapped in the truck and reassured me help was on the way.
  • Thanks to the Denver Police, Denver Fire Department and Denver Health Paramedics for pulling me out of the truck and getting me to the hospital. Especially the paramedic who made me laugh as feathers from my down jacket filled the ambulance as he cut-off my jacket.
  • Thanks to the nurses, doctors, porters and other at the Medical Center of Aurora trauma department who treated me and kept me calm as they assessed my injuries and managed my pain.
  • Thank you Renee for coming to sit with Lisa while I was shuttled back and forth from x-rays to scans and tests.
  • Thanks to the Dr Michaelson and his team for using his nailgun and reattaching my left heel and stretching out my right foot back to the shape of a foot.
  • Thanks to the nurses, doctors, cleaners and porters of Four Central of AuroraMed for treating me, cleaning me, feeding me, and making me feel human and pain free.
  • Thanks to big pharma for some pretty incredible drugs. You get a bad rap but I am grateful to have had your products while I needed them.
  • Thanks to the physical and occupation therapists on Four Central for teaching me the first rules of wheelchair navigation, the sideboard, and taking me for a shower.
  • Thanks to all the friends and family who came to visit and chat while I was in the hospital. I loved the company, the books, the food, and the games you shared.
  • Thank you Dr Myers and team for your jigsaw work and piecing together my right foot. Sorry I was a little too hard on the first set of hardware you installed.
  • Thank you to everyone at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital for getting me ready of my time at home in a wheelchair. You scared the heck out of me on day 1 when you made me climb into the SUV from the wheelchair but I’m glad you did.
  • Thank you to my team and the management at Datasource for letting me to work from home while I recuperated and was wheelchair bound.
  • Thank you to all the friends who came over to the house to visit, hang out and pass the time while I was house bound.
  • Thank you to everyone who brought over food and shared a meal with us to give Lisa a break.
  • Thank you to everyone who came over, picked-up me and my wheelchair, and took me to lunch.
  • Thank you Kathryn for coming over to take care of Zia so she didn’t get stuck in the house too long.
  • Thank you Zia for the encouragement to go and walk every morning. We will be back at it soon.
  • Thank you Markus, and the team at Rocky Mountain Spine and Sport, for all the physical therapy getting me back in shape once I could, barely, stand again. If it handn’t been for you, I’d be back in a wheelchair after the second round of surgery. I think I might have more flexibility in my left ankle than I’ve had in 30 years.
  • Thanks to the Costa Dorado lads for taking the piss and keeping me sane. They better remember they owe me a trip to the States retirement or not.
  • Thank you Danielle, Tristan, and Angel for coming and staying close to home while I recuperated. Your help and love was invaluable.

Lastly, thank you to my wonderful, beautiful wife, Lisa. Thank you for the love, support, and patience. Thank you for the muscles hauling me and the wheelchair (non-featherlike) into and out of the house and car, up and down steps. Thank you for the shuttling back and forth to doctor’s appointments and work locations. Thank you for all the planning, shopping, and house modification so I could survive in the house with the wheelchair. Thank you for the endless loops around Solstice Park especially on the days I really didn’t want to go. Thank you for keeping up on the Caring Bridge web site. Most of all thanks for being the best part of my life for the the last twenty-nine years.

Happy Thanksgiving!