Mikey's Recovery Update Archive: The Greenery 3Mikey passed away early Sunday morning, July 6 2003, at 3:50am. He had been suffering through repeated bouts of pneumonia this winter (and, actually, ever since his stroke) which weakened him and eventually became resistant to antibiotics. While it seemed like he might pull through again, this time Mikey's body could not resist the infection and there was noteing the doctors at Lawrence could really do for him except try and make him comfortable. While Mikey fought harder and braver than anyone could have asked of him, he seemed to have made peace. He died in his sleep. There will be a memorial service soon. Details will be worked out over the next few days. Thank you all for being Mikey's friends, for visiting him, singing for him, reading these messages and caring about him. It meant so much to him and gave him a reason to keep fighting. Please visit the forum on the home page to leave messages and condolences 6.23.03: Mikey's been at Lawrence General Hospital since last week with pneumonia and some sort of intestinal infection. He's doing MUCH better than he had been, but will probably be there the rest of the week. I visited last Friday, and found him in bed, feverish but alert. We had a pleasant visit despite his congestion--how does one person have to struggle so much? How do they keep the fight in them? MIkey continues to amaze. It would give him so much pleasure to see some visitors--the ride's maybe 10 minutes longer than the trip to the Greenery--up 495 North, take exit 44-45 (they're the same one); follow the signs for Marston Street and Hospital. He's on the 5th floor CCU, but you can just stroll right in. Help MIkey keep his spirits up--they're working overtime against his body... Two Postings In One 6.5.03: Found Mikey in the hallway, catching the breeze underneath the fan. His nurse said he had asked to stay up late tonight, apparently he wanted to get in touch with his inner Catholic grandma and play bingo in the rec room. She seemed unsure if he really wanted to do it, so she had me confirm it a few times. Mikey emphatically nodded. He wanted to win some money, he said. We had a mellow visit in his room watching a comedian on Comedy Central and making some adjustments to his wheelchair. I asked him if he wanted to try to come down to the BRO 10th anniversary show, and he got quite excited. So I told him I'd see what I could do, and shortly thereafter, left him to his chips. 6.7.03: Disaster struck when our usual ride was unable to accommodate us. I called the Greenery to tell them that we couldn't go, and the nurses were upset. Mikey had been excited about it all morning, and now would be disappointed. This was unacceptable. I called Eleanor to see what I could do short of tying Dee to the roof rack of my car, and she suggested I try some cab companies. My second call, to Town Taxi, got us a reservation for 8:30, and a driver who took very good care of Mikey. The taxi-van was quite a bit smaller than our usual ride, but with no minor amount of shoving and squeezing, we managed to get Mikey and his bulky chair into the back. I sat facing him, wheelchair wedged between my knees, holding Mikey's head, since he had to be tipped almost straight upright to get the doors to close. I kept asking, "Are you ok?", to which I got a cheery nod and some not-so-discreet attempts to look down the front of my shirt.. Our driver drove swiftly but gently, and all was well down 93 South. Mikey perked up as we cruised through his old stomping grounds, even driving past his old apartment in Inman Square. He was clearly uncomfortable in his position, but never complained or lost his enthusiasm, even when we passed over the interesting texture of the roads in Somerville (thank you, hard-working DPW). Incidentally, if anyone finds any pieces of vertebrae along Prospect Street, could you drop me an email? FINALLY, we were in, and ready to rock. Dee smiled though the whole show, got to share in the glory of the old BRO days, and to see some old friends. I urge you when you see Mikey out, to let us get him situated in a spot where he can see the stage, and then come on over and say hello! Don't be shy; he'll remember you. And frankly, if he doesn't, he'll act like he does. I'll let you in on a Dee secret: He did that long before he ever had a stroke! Once "Bohemian Rhapsody" brought down the house, we reversed the whole circus act and got a very tired and thirsty Dee back to the Greenery. He even smiled when I said, "We're home." I'll bet he slept great last night.
5.30.03: FINALLY got back up to see Mikey today. The last time I drove up 125, there were no leaves on the trees in the Harold Parker State Forest! ItÕs a beautiful drive now. Dee was in bed sans glasses but with tv on (ahem, staff), and perked right up when he saw me. I filled him in on whatÕs kept me away, and he nodded sympathetically. I got down to biz with him, washing his face, plumping pillows, and changing the cds in the changer. Thanks to Scurvy Ann for a great mix. We had some laughs, and I read him the article I wrote about him for Stroke Connection Magazine that appeared this month. As ever, he was quite delighted to see himself in print. He told me I had done a good job. I always had Mikey read my work before I submitted it anywhere, but this was the next best thing. I filled him in on the BRO show news, and heÕs quite interested in attending. So weÕll try to shlep him down there. On the down side, he was a little spasmy, which I havenÕt seen in a year, but I asked the nurses to check his records to see if he needs a refill on his Baclafin pump. I bet he does. He was too tired to spell, but of course, he did try. We put it aside, and agreed to try again next week.
5-17-03.... A beautiful day found Mikey in the courtyard with Naama and Joey. Nothing like getting a massage in the sun by Naama while being updated on the happenings in the media world by Joey. Mikey looked great (its been a while since he has - pneumonia really knocked him for a loop).. He was basking in the warm weather, laughing, trying to move his left hand and fingers. It was a big relief to see him this way. When it got chillier later on in the afternoon, Mikey refused to go in... just wanted to stay out in the air.. hanging out.. We finally had to just take him to his room and get him set up watching the comedy channel (his new favorite... where's Dave Attell (contender for the mikey dee look alike award)-- when you need em huh?).. Now if Mikey could only get better so he could get back to the yard sales and eating a dozen from the Magnificient Muffin... I wish..... Tina Bugara <tbugara@earthlink.net> wherever, MA USA - Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 10:24:07 (MDT) 4.23.03: I hadn't seen Mikey in a dog's age, so I shot up there this afternoon. Spring is just beginning to reach the northern provinces up there; I canÕt wait until we can take Mikey outside again. He was already in bed when I got there, and watching tv. His eyes widened as he saw me, and he let out a big sigh, which I interpreted to mean, "where the hell have you been?" I filled him in on what's kept me away, and he nodded intently as I talked. I then asked him if he wanted to try a haircut, and he agreed. He was looking quite shaggy. After wrapping him in a sheet, I propped him up with a few stuffed animals and proceeded to give him the fastest haircut ever. He was a real trouper, and we took several breaks, and never once did he complain of being uncomfortable. I used some tape all over his pillow (and his neck/ears) to get rid of the little hairs -- can you imagine being locked in and not being able to scratch an itch? That's always my fear when I cut his hair. But it went pretty well, except I couldn't get a spot in the very back, so when you see him, please don't think weasels have gotten into his room and chewed on the back of his head. We watched his Smithereens dvd afterwards, since his dvd player, while very nice, is too complicated for the average staffer to work. IÕve found that if he wants to watch a dvd, you have to stay with him so he's not left watching the menu screen for two hours when its over. But we had a good time rocking out and smirking at Pat DiNizio's attempts to hide his pate, first with the comb-foward and then a jaunty array of hats. Dee sez: No comb forward for me!
Just got back from seeing Mikey. Poor guy was totally wiped out from his back-and-forth to Lawrence Hospital. The nurses, who are being very sweet and attentive to him, said he has some kind of virus (if Mikey were still reading the newspaper, he'd be CONVINCED it was the Hong Kong virus, knowing him). He has some congestion low in his chest that he is having a hard time coughing out, and his face is quite red and a bit blotchy, even up on his forehead. He almost looks like he has a bad sunburn, which of course, he doesn't. He said he wasn't in pain, but does feel crappy, so we had a quiet visit with me sitting next to him petting his arm and him dozing in and out. I put a fresh batch of very mellow cds in the cd player for him to snooze to, and tucked him in with headphones on. Nighty-night, rabbit.
3.12.03: I found Mikey in bed this afternoon, raptly watching an animal show with his headphones. He was surprised to see me, which I take as proof that he is aware of the passing daysÑnormally, I visit on Thursdays, so I was a day early. I brought him the latest issue of Stroke Connection magazine, from which I read when he got tired from spelling. I asked him to rate in order of importance, his needs for a new home. He spelled ÒtalkingÓ as his first priorityÑhe wants a place that will give him speech therapy. Currently, I believe he receives none, save our untutored attempts at breathwork and articulation. He then spelled Òeating,Ó since heÕs tired of getting his meals from a tube. Lastly, he spelled Òfingers,Ó and indicated that he wants to be able to use his hands, partially so he can use a computer. He nodded big at the idea of moving closer to Boston or to public transportation, so that his friends will be able to visit. He also indicated to me that he was less concerned about being in a facility with young patientsÑwhich was good, since it is the rare facility that is not mostly populated by the elderly.. So weÕre in the process of looking for a place on public transportation that offers aggressive speech therapy as well as PT/OT. If you have any leads, please let us know. Mikey was looking wellÑgood color, clear responses, etc. He had a small patch of dry skin over his right eye, but that was remedied by some moisturizer. 2.27.03: Mikey was in bed when I got there; he said he was quite tired today. I got out the alphabet board and we did some spelling. He is able to communicate much more complex thoughts with this tool, but there are still the occasional tics: he occasionally gets stuck on a word and answers every question by spelling the word. It's frustrating for both of us. But other than that, we did well. Me: What do you want out of this situation? Mikey: A happy ending.(After confirming that he was not, in fact, requesting an illicit massage, he clarified): I want to go home. Me: I know, but that's not an option right now. Is there something else? Mikey: I want to be sure Michelle remembers. For those of you not familiar with the Spaulding days, Michelle was Mikey's #1 favorite nurse. He adored her, and was very sad when she took a new job at Beth Israel. He would like to see her again, so I said weÕd try to find her. On the off chance anyone from Spaulding (or Michelle herself) is reading this, please contact me. We took a break, as this exhausted him, and I tucked him in and cleaned his glasses. Then we resumed: Me: Is there anything else that youÕre worried about, that you need? Mikey: More visitors. 'Nuff said.
We had a nice singalong with Mikey on Sunday. Mondo and Pete Sutton kept him entertained with songs and gossip for a while, and then we were joined by Mikey's pals Stephen, Judy, Nicole, their kids and the fabulous Lucky (our mascot!). Damn Dirty Apes Stan and Moon also stopped by. Thanks all. We'll be having more get-togethers this spring, always a nice low key way to hang with Dee. Mikey was looking good and breathing well. Unfortunately he was still in the uncomfortable loaner wheelchair. We hope he gets his own one back soon. He's still using his new alphabet board and it's allowing him to participate more in conversations. This has been a positive development in an otherwise tough winter. eleanor Mikey's site moved to its own full service domain this week. During the next few weeks we'll be adding some new features and fixing any bugs or broken links that crop up in the new environment. Reminder: This Sunday we'll be having a singalong for Mikey! Hope to see some of you then! |