Hey my lovely Just read your post tonight. Oh, gosh that must be horrible to dream about your legs but wake up and it not be real. Dani, Sam and I were good friends with a chap called Geoff Holt when we were growing up. When Geoff was 18 he took a year out and being a sailing type, sailed for a year. He was in the Caribbean and one night he dived from his yacht and hit rocks….he broke his back very high up and is paraplegic but with very limited use of his arms as it was such a high break. In the subsequent years he has started a business helping wheelchair kids and adults go to sea and has a boat called ‘wet wheels’. He has an OBE from the queen for his efforts! When you first had your accident I emailed Geoff to try to get a view point as to how you might react. His email is below: Always makes me shudder to think someone else has had a spinal injury. If I could give you 2 lessons I’ve learned. This is really, really, early days – it can take weeks, months, even years to stabilise to a point you know what muscles come back and what feeling will come back. That will take time and only months in hospital in rehab will decide that. Right now, he just needs the love of you all – he won’t care less about the future, he will be focussing on what he has lost. It’s like a bereavement and he needs to know that he is still the same Russell that you all know. Which brings me onto number 2) He won’t want blubbing – do that in private. The thing that really got me through was Fiona, Sarah, Sean, Justin etc. not giving me any pity, just treating me the same. I feel a bit silly saying this – it is all so early. Where is he being treated? Is he back in the UK? It goes without saying that I am happy to help in any way I can but right now he won’t want to even see someone in a wheelchair – he’ll be in denial, and it will take a long time to come to terms. Give Dani a massive hug and say I’m thinking of you all. Geoff So Russ, your dream might be a little bit of a bereavement but it might also be a foresight into your recovery. I know that there is wonderful equipment out there to help you carry on as ‘normal’, from the paraplegic lady who walked the marathon this year with a specially created suit that had electrodes which made her walk to just simple equipment that can enable you to ‘stand’ at a party. You are such a tiny part through your new journey, there is so much out there that can be done with stem cells and science these days. As you know things could be a whole lot worse in the bereavement stakes. We can consul ourselves with the fact that you are the same chap (albeit a bit more articulate 🙂 ) that we love and respect and hugely admire. From day one of your accident I always had this vision of you being the bloody bloke that whilst I was sat on red at the traffic lights in my 4×4 wizzed past in a bionic bike at 30mph! I don’t think that is far off….legs or no legs. Russ we all love you for you which is your brain and spirit foremost and that is what you still have in abundance. xxxx

I think I’ve been remiss and not said anything for a bit..

Looks like I’m on the move today… Either to a different ward here, or maybe even to The Wellington in St John’s Wood, north London , just next to The Oval cricket ground. 

> A Catholic priest, a Baptist preacher, and a rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. >> One day, someone made the comment that preaching to > People isn’t really all that hard. A real challenge would Be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it. >> Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experience. >> Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother Of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and Confirmation.’ > Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, ‘Well, brothers, you know that we don’t sprinkle! I went out and I found me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God’s Holy Word! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took hold of h im and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, up another and down another until we came to a creek. So I quickly dunked him and baptized his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus.’ >> The priest and the reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape. >> The Rabbi looked up and said, ‘Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start.’

Since this blog seems to have reached half of the world (!) I’ve signed up to Adsense, which means Adverts may well start to appear! I’m totally new to this, but bear with me! I want to give any revenue to an, as yet unchosen, charity. So now you’ve got to keep reading or they won’t be interested! 😉 Thanks all, sincerely. Russ