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