The Double Dinner Debacle

The Jerkface Army invaded GF Strong at 1700 hours this eve.

(Roll Call: Rob, Ian, Jason and myself)

Ricky looked the best he has since this whole fiasco began, some 6 weeks ago.

When we arrived, he wheeled down the hall top speed to greet us. He had just finished dinner.

Right on our heels, his friend Brook (a chef, and all-around solid dude) made his daily visit, with Ricky's 2nd dinner in hand.

At least we know his appetite has returned to normal.

(Normal is a word I don't think I've ever associated with Ricky before..)

His short-term memory issues did not rear their head during our visit.

Ricky was ranting and raving about the staff of GF Strong.

No raving, but there was some ranting about VGH.

He was concerned about his financial situation.

His sick leave runs out in late December, and there will most likely be a gap between that and any sort of disability compensation.

(Very) rough guesstimate of when he will be mobile enough to function normally (twice in one post!) is anywhere from Spring-Summer.

I was hoping it would eventually be a surprise, but I wanted to put his mind at ease, so I told him that there were a few Ricky funds in circulation at VPL, on Level 4, and told him about the amazing fundraising abilities of the Bike Brigade.

He was so overwhelmed and moved he began to tear up a little.

After we made fun of him for being a crybaby, we assured him that all he had to do for his part, was to focus on getting back to 100% health, and to let us worry about the less important stuff.

Between the bikers and the rest of his co-workers we have raised quite a bit. There is still the TEAM RICKY haircut/bake sale/garage sale/fundraiser on the horizon next year.

If anyone else wants to contribute to our Jerkface fund, post a comment below, and we will arrange something.

Also, for those that have not had a chance to see him, your excuses have run out.

He's coming to you.

He has gotten the OK to attend the VPL Winter Ball..

That's all for now, kids.

Your pal and mine,

Nuv

Ricky Blair Fundraiser Postponed

UPDATE:
Just spoke to Charles. Due to issues with the venue, and co-ordinating schedules with all of the people orchestrating this event, Nov.30th no longer works. After that, there is no one weekend for the rest of the year that works for all parties involved.

The idea was raised to do this in the new year on Ricky's birthday (Feb 1). This will also give Charles a chance to promote this more on his end.

Charles mentioned that the people with donations for the garage sale portion can still contact him to arrange dropping it off.

More details about Fundraiser Redux will come closer to the date.

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The fundraiser this Sunday for Ricky has been postponed.
Details to come on this page and the Facebook group.
(As soon as I know them!)

UPDATED: Movin' On Up..

UPDATE:
Ricky is in Room 329 at GF Strong
4255 Laurel Street
(604) 734-1313‎

Here is a link to GF Strong FAQ
(directions, visiting hours, things to consider when visiting, blah, blah, etc)

http://www.vch.ca/gfstrong/quick/faq.htm

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I just heard Ricky has already moved to GF Strong (see post below for address).

If anyone knows any details (about this or anything else that takes place during your visits) please post them in the comments section.

I, unfortunately, can't be there every day. Any help in keeping this as current as possible is appreciated.

I will update this post as soon as I confirm this. Keep your eyes peeled.

Month 1: Done

Jason (aka Big Jerkface), Rob (aka Jerkface #8) & Myself (Vice-Jerkface, acting as Jerkface President in Ricky's absence) saw Ricky yesterday. It was probably the best visit yet, in terms of how much progress he has made.  

His hip has been replaced, and his knee was also operated on. He was in excruciating pain last week, but he says it's much better. He is still sore, but not in agony. The amount of meds he had to take daily has been (roughly) halved. He is moving around (indoors) on a walker, and only uses the wheelchair when going outside. He even seems to have gotten a little color back. He is no longer 'burning hot and itchy', as that was, apparently, a reaction to an anti-seizure med he is no longer taking.  He even seems altogether more coherent (for Ricky). He is aware of his memory issues, and seemed to retain more than all of my previous visits. 

Ricky has made a nemesis. There is a nurse in his ward whom he has dubbed 'Nurse Ratched'.

The good news is, he will not have to deal with her tyranny for long, because..

He is apparently due to move to a new facility that will concentrate more on the physical rehab sometime next week. 

GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre

4255 Laurel Street

(604) 734-1313‎

(Check the blog next week for an update on that, especially on days you plan to visit)

The VPL Bike Brigade is planning to do a 'Ricky Blair Bikeride' to try to raise funds for him.

Details are on the Facebook 'Team Ricky' page under events (bottom right)

or (for those that are not on Facebook) at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=49559985790

Contact Kay Cahill for any further details.

For Ricky's Co-workers:

Level 4 had taken up a collection to get Ricky cable for a month, and stave off the boredom.

He has cable paid through the weekend, and now that he is moving, we will wait until the move to get it.

If you would like to donate to the 'Don't-Make-Ricky-Watch-Paint-Dry' fund, you can leave money with Myself, Maria or Anne Olsen.

One last thing:

Now that he's not critical, we can't think he's completely fine, and stop visiting him. He's doing his part, we have to do ours, so he does not get too bored/depressed/discouraged.

..I think that's it.

Peace out.

State of Ricky Address

As I spend more time with Ricky, the specifics of the damage done are becoming more apparent to me. Last night Rob & I spent a few hours with him, and I watched him basically reset. His head is like a sieve, and new memories are fleeting. (Although he somehow knows an insane amount of current hockey stats) Because of this, he is kind of constantly having to inquire about what happened to him, what is going on with his apartment, etc. This, as you can imagine, is very frustrating for him. I've noticed he is quicker to become agitated when discussing these things. I've had to tell him various times that his family came to see him, and he always seems taken aback, because in his mind, he has not seen them in years. He also seemed to feel he was going to be up and out of there a lot sooner than he actually is. He is trying to make a lot of big decisions from a muddled state of mind. Part of this, I'm sure, is because he has very little control over a great deal of the current situation. What few things he feels he can control, he's going to hold onto for dear life.

Because of his sense of panic, I think he is causing some other people to get concerned for him and these matters, some of those people are taking this out in accusatory ways, and there is a lot of finger pointing and mistrust and general confusion going on right now. I think this is a matter of too many cooks being in the kitchen.

This has to stop. Although everyone is coming from a place of caring about Ricky and his well-being, it will not help him one bit if we are not all on the same page. Criticizing the people who have thus far stepped up the most for Ricky, and made solid committments to him is not at all productive.

The first thing we have to understand is that Ricky may get fired up about things that have been dealt with and not remember.

The second thing is, I have been assured that no one other than Ricky or his family can access his bank accounts, give away his apartment, or take advantage of him in any way. Nor does anyone want to. Rest assured, the right people are aware of all of these issues. That said, if you are really concerned about something, you can message Charles or myself.

Some people have taken issue with 'not being kept up to date'. It would be a full time job to personally message every person as to his status every single day. That is why the blog is here,
and if anything major does happen, good or bad, I will post it here.

All Ricky needs you guys to do at the moment is continue supporting him, sending out your love and good will, and keep the visits coming. Those are his one shining light in a dark time for him.

Well, the visits and the Whoppers...

I Heard Through The Grapevine (a/k/a Jessica)

Ricky has a surgery Tuesday, Nov. 4 on his hip.
(Not sure what time)

It appears he will remain in the hospital for the next 3 months, and there will be 2 or 3 surgeries that will take place during this time, including reconstructive surgery on his face (nose, eye socket), as well as his knee. He seems to be having trouble retaining short-term memories, (such as details of the accident)although this comes and goes.

(any/all of this could change, as Ricky's healing factor is as unpredictable and zany as he is)

Sidebar: I saw him on Saturday, and he was in good spirits, even though he was wearing the Buffalo Sabres Jersey with the logo that looks like Barney Rubble's haircut.
He seems to be alternating, one good day, one bad day. Non-visiting hours are rough for him,
as he can't go anywhere by himself, and is therefore trying to avoid going the route of Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.
He is overwhelmed with the amount of people that care about him, and all the gifts/cards he received.
(Keep 'em coming. He's in there for a while.)

That's all for now. As you were..