Jeff,
Just read the story of your travails!!  Congratulations on your recovery!
Thanks,
Jeff
At 04:06 PM 11/12/2004 -0800, Vance, Jeff H (Cupertino) wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Just a quick update to let you know that I am now able to work
>part-time.  I'll be mostly working from home, but I can also drive now
>(automatic only), so I'll be able to drive in when necessary. I still
>have several doctor appointments each week but that should decrease
>soon.
>
>I am excited to be working with Sriharimohan on the "CI Functions" SIB
>item!  I expect that he and I will put together a list of info which we
>believe can be return via devinfo(), spoolinfo() and volinfo() for your
>review and feedback.  Then it's simply a matter of coding and testing.
>Hopefully, a few of you will be willing to alpha/beta test the patch for
>us.
>
>Which brings up the issue of what MPE releases will receive SIB patches.
>Before my accident*, Ross and I had been discussing this topic and I
>believe it was brought up at HP World.  As we get closer to
>end-of-support I think we need to carefully evaluate a patch
>back-porting strategy.
>
>For now, I'll be focusing on the new *info() CI functions and I will
>gladly accept comments on patching strategies.
>
>regards,
>  Jeff Vance, vCSY
>
>
>
>* Aug. 10 around 2:30pm I was riding my mtn bike at Whistler Mtn in BC,
>Canada (which, btw, is an awesome and inspirational place!) when I
>crashed and injured my spinal cord. I fell such that my entire body
>below my neck landed on a wooden bridge, however my neck and head were
>not supported by the bridge and continued downward.  This resulted in
>severe whiplash and a concussion. I was wearing a heavier, full-face
>helmet at the time, which didn't help.
>
>My riding buddy found me motionless on the bridge with my head hanging
>below.  I couldn't move so he called 911 and within 10-15 minutes the
>mountain rescue team arrived. I was placed on a backboard, carried to a
>4WD truck/ambulance and driven down to the local hospital, which has a
>steady stream of mtn biking patients...
>
>I failed their sensory tests (what hand am I touching, is this sharp or
>dull, is this hot or cold, etc) and thus was helicoptored to Vancouver,
>BC and taken into Emergency as C-5 complete.  Fortunately, I didn't know
>what "C-5 complete" meant (I don't even think I was aware of what was
>being said). I laid around in ER for many hours due to higher priority
>patients, until I was so uncomfortable that I moved my foot and arm a
>few inches. The neurosurgeon saw this and was ecstatic that I wasn't
>quadriplegic.  About 4am the next day, after CT scans and an MRI, I was
>admitted from ER to the Spinal Intensive Care Unit on the 14th floor of
>Vancouver General.
>
>The view from the 14th floor is nothing short of spectacular!  If you've
>never been there, Vancouver is situated in the most scenic setting I can
>imagine for a city. Surrounded by ocean waters, steep mountain sides,
>thick forests, and wide rivers, Vancouver is idyllic -- I just wish I
>was ambulatory during my visit!
>
>I was in full denial and really had no clue what was wrong with me. I
>remember thinking that (it was Wed) I probably wouldn't be able to ride
>Thurs but by Fri I'd do an easier ride. Fri came and went and I was not
>able to lift my head or sit up.  I think on Thurs I called HP to say I
>might not be able to go to HP World the following Monday. On Fri I
>called HP again and said that I WOULD miss HPW and we needed someone to
>fill in for me.
>
>I received tremendous support and help from everyone at HP. They helped
>me, my wife, and allowed me to forget about work for the time being and
>concentrate on recovery.  I spoke to Dave, Ross, Mike, Jennie from the
>hospital and I was the only one bringing up work topics... Speaking of
>the phone, I was not able to hold the phone to my ear (even lying down)
>because neither arm could bend back towards my head. So, Cathy or a
>nurse would dial the number and hold the phone to my ear.
>
>I stayed in Vancouver General 9 days lying down 23.5 hours per day.
>Finally I was accepted into Kaiser's Rehab Center in Vallejo, Calif and
>flown there in a Lear Jet. The ride was probably pretty cool but all I
>saw was the ceiling of the jet.  I did notice that take-off was fast and
>steep and the flight was under 2 hours.
>
>Once I got to Kaiser Vallejo things started to improve. They removed
>several tubes that were still in me and forced my to get upright and
>move around in a wheelchair. I had various therapy classes all morning
>and part of each afternoon. One of my classes was hand therapy and I
>choose to use their computer to write some of you via my Yahoo account.
>
>After 9 days at Kaiser I was discharged in a wheelchair. I managed to
>beat the average discharge time by 10 days. It was so nice to finally
>get home! I used a walker to get around because my house isn't
>wheelchair friendly.  I progressed from walker to cane to nothing in a
>matter of 2-3 weeks. At 4 weeks I rode my bike around the school track
>and it felt great to feel the wind in my face...  My legs were okay but
>my arms, hands, wrists and shoulders didn't tolerate riding well.
>
>I have Central Cord Syndrome, which affects the arms, hand and upper
>body more than the legs and lower body.  I have a mild form and thus a
>close-to-full recovery is expected.  My definition of "full recovery"
>and their definition differs by quite a bit, so time will tell...  In
>fact, time is the key ingredient!
>
>I can live happily if I am never able to do the more extreme riding, or
>even if I decide not to ride at all.  I've been told by every doctor
>I've seen not to fall. My spine can't take it and I don't want another
>concussion (I've had 5 already).
>
>My wife, Cathy, has been incredibly supportive through all of this. She
>drove the kids back to NorCal from Vancouver, and the next day flew back
>up to be with me. She has said whatever I decide to do is okay. In fact,
>I think she said something like, "you never listened to me before about
>your riding, so why would you now..."  But I know what most everyone is
>thinking -- why risk it, why jeopardize being active with your kids, you
>don't want to be paralyzed for the rest of your life.... and so on.
>
>Right now I am far away from having to make this decision. I can barely
>walk beyond a medium gait and I can't even jog on level, flat terrain.
>I am in pain most of the time and I'm taking a cocktail of drugs to try
>to remedy various nerve related ailments.  But, the day will come when I
>do have to make a conscious decision.  I'll let you know.
>
>jv

Jeff Kubler
Kubler Consulting, Inc.
541-745-7457
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www.kublerconsulting.com