URGENT- Don Souden Has Had A Stroke

[Robert]

Absolutely Dave, there is a longish list of Ripperologists I will be sending cards to.

[Archaic]

EVERYBODY Is Welcome To Write To Don

Hi everybody.

Thanks for the plea for cards & letters, Dave. Don most definitely remembers who everyone is! (I still laugh over him casually correcting my mispronunciation of "Cogidubnus")

Poor Don is terribly lonely and bored in that facility. As you can imagine, the average patient in there is not up to discussing the finer points of Ripperology. or the latest book they have read.
Don always asks me to thank everyone who has written. He also always tells me to make sure I say that he intends to email his thanks personally as soon as he is able.

It won't make any difference to him if your card arrives after Christmas- it can be New Year's wishes! He's told me it makes him feel good to know he "isn't forgotten".

And as Dave suggest, Don would love it if new members or people who don't participate on the boards but have perhaps read one of his articles (or just wish to be kind and say hello) were to write to him. If anybody has a comment on one of Don's articles or has read his novel (The Same...Only Different, available on Amazon) he would be most happy to hear your impressions.

If you have an idea for an article you want to write someday, Don is already plotting his next magazine.

His mind is quite sharp and his memory is great. His body is still weak but improving; he seems to be most concerned about getting his eyesight corrected so he can use his computer again.

So don't worry about "not using big words" or anything like that; he can certainly handle them! Just please write or type very clearly and in large font if possible, as again, the stroke affected his vision. But he's been working at reading the newspaper & magazines, so his eyesight does seem to be improving.

Don called me last night and said he received the Conference packet from Adam, and is very pleased to be a delegate. He asked me to write to Adam and thank him, which I'll do in a moment. Don also wanted to know if I received my delegate confirmation, because he is so determined he's going to the next conference and so am I!

He offered again to "treat" me to the London trip. I was out in the dark stomping around in a frozen horse paddock when he called. (Low of 8 degrees F, -13.33C!) So I told him that sounds great, but my horses want window seats on the plane too!

Thanks and take care everybody,
Archaic

PS: I hope people will write to my friend Paul Begg too. It looks like Paul will still be in hospital through Christmas. Paul and Don have done so much for Ripperology; we owe them both our sincerest thanks.

Here is Paul's address:

St Joseph's Ward
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
ATTN: Paul Begg
Mandeville Road
Aylesbury, Bucks
HP21 8AL
UK

[belinda]

Thanks for the update Bunny. You can tell him I am still working on my article actually it's turned into a series of them now lol

I'll be sending some warm sunny Christmas wishes his way too

So sad for Paul Begg too. Life just isn't fair

[Archaic]

Great News!

Just talked to Don and read him all your recent posts. He said "People are so kind."

The great news is that the other day Don stood for 15 minutes holding the parallel bars, and stood for 5 min without holding anything!

Then today he took 2 steps with the help of a walker (zimmer frame)!

He said it felt very strange and he felt weak as a baby. Told me the therapist said that with all the nerve damage from the stroke and being bed-ridden for so long, his muscles have "forgotten" how to walk. He has to retrain his muscles as well as his motor circuits. His muscles are so weak now they're very painful, but he promised to keep trying.

I told Don he's making awesome progress and we are all very proud of him.

His sister told me they got him a new wheelchair that will "make him use his back muscles more".

They're also using an Ipad to help Don development hand and eye coordination.

Don's very motivated to get back online, email all his friends, and get back to Ripperology!

Take care,
Archaic

[Cogidubnus]

Don

A bump for Christmas/New Year/Get Well/Any cards, letters etc

All the best

Dave

[Carol]

A bump for Christmas/New Year/Get Well/Any cards, letters etc

All the best

Dave

We sent a Christmas card off to him some days ago and hopefully it will reach him soon.

We're both very encouraged with Don's progress. He's a fighter!

Best wishes,
Carol

[Archaic]

Christmas

I just talked to Don and he says thanks to everybody for kindly sending him Christmas cards. He wishes he could respond to each of you, but hopefully soon.

He was hoping to get to go to his brother's for Christmas dinner, but unfortunately the medical people didn't think he was up to it.

Don said when he gets to England he's going to see if he can talk Neil Bell into driving up to Edwin Brough's place where Barnaby and Burgho were bred. (So heads up, Neil!)

That's funny, I've posted quite a few old articles on Barnaby & Burgho, and it just struck me now that Burgho's weird name is a play on his owner's name, "Brough". Go figure.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody.
Archaic

[Archaic]

Update On Don... Not Good News

Hi everyone. I have an update on Don's condition, and I'm afraid it's not the news we've all been hoping for.

His sister told me that the care facility has moved Don into what they call their "Permanent Resident" wing.

In other words, the care facility no longer expects Don to be discharged at some point. It seems to be because he's had so many infections, from pneumonia to bedsores to UTI's, and continues to get them. He hasn't been out of the facility since August 7, 2013 except to go to the hospital in an ambulance and then go back.

Don's sister and I are deeply saddened by this development. I keep hoping Don doesn't know, but of course he's too smart not to know.

I'm trying to find out if this 'change of status' will entail any difference in his rehab, particularly in his physical therapy to learn to walk again, use a computer, etc. Dear God, I hope not. I'm scared about that.

I'm trying to get hold of Don by phone to see how he's doing, and when we talk I'll do my best to give him a pep talk. I'll remind him he's got a trip to London to make!

If any of you would be so kind as to send Don a card or postcard or letter, I know he would appreciate it very much. He's told me how touched he is when people say they are thinking of him and praying for him. Don has actually memorized bits from cards and letters and recited them back to me on the phone, that's how much it means to him!

Please go ahead and suggest cities, museums and other interesting sites for Don to put on his "travel list". Planning his future travels keeps him motivated and gives him some relief from the crushing boredom of the place he's in and it also helps keep his mind off the pain.

Tell him some scuttlebutt, news about your reading & research, the history of the place you live, recommend local food specialties, pubs, restaurants and hotels... anything, really. It helps Don emotionally to know that his friends haven't forgotten him and are still rooting for him to recover and get back online and in touch with everyone.

Here's Don's address again:

Fairview of Fairfield
930 Mill Hill Terrace
ATTN: Donald Souden
Southport, CT
06890
USA

I'll post again after I speak to him.
Thanks everyone,
Archaic

[Archaic]

Bad News About Don's Rehab

Everything is different on this new "permanent resident" wing. I can't get through to Don on his cell phone, so as usual I called the facility and asked to speak to his ward nurse. I explained I was calling him but his voicemail is full and he might have the tv turned up too loud to hear the phone. She said "he doesn't have a phone in his room". I replied, "I'm calling his cell phone." I asked her to please just stick her head in his room and tell him I'm trying to call him. She told me she can't, because I'm "not on the list of authorized people." I told her I talk to him all the time, and have been helped by his ward nurse many times. She apologized and said it's a privacy law.

They actually told his sister she couldn't talk to him because she wasn't on the list of authorized people either!! She and her brother are getting it sorted out.

But why would there be any more of a privacy law now than there was before? Why would they deliberately cut him off from his friends? His sister siad it must be because they don't "lnow Don from before the stroke" in this new ward, nor so they know his family and friends. But it will only make it all worse for him, harder on him.

Oh, and his new room-mate is 103 years old and CAN WALK...poor Don. I hope he at least he has a good memory and can tell Don some great history stories.

I found out about Don's Rehab from his sister. I'm afraid it's very bad news. Apparently Don has reached his "cap" for Therapy. That means he has hit the maximum dollar amount his insurance company will pay for him to receive any rehab related to his stroke in August.

Oh my God, this is so awful! It means Don will get no more physical therapy to learn to walk, no more help regaining hand/eye coordination, nothing.

He will only be eligible for future therapy if he is put in the hospital for 45 days straight, and is then returned to the care facility!

His sister and i are devastated by this.

Please everybody, keep Don in your thoughts and prayers.

And please be so kind as to write to him. He needs to know that his friends haven't forgotten him, that we all believe in him and still look forward to the day when he can get back online, get back in contact with all his friends, and get back to the books and research that he loves.

If I win the lottery Don is getting his cherished trip to London, no matter what it takes.

Archaic

[Robert]

I will certainly write to him, Bunny . Let's hope his mail doesn't need an authorised rating.

[Archaic]

Hi Robert.

I just asked Don's sister for permission to send him contraband... his favorite Scotch Shortbread cookies.

Let 'em bring on the sniffer dogs, I don't care!!

I'm starting to plan how to bust him out of that place. Anybody with me??

First stop, a nice little Italian deli for a hot meatball sub with extra Mozzarella. Next stop, a London pub!

Archaic

[lynn cates]

get well wish

Hello Bunny. Thanks for the update. Not good news.

Please assure Don he is in our prayers and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Cheers.
LC

[Archaic]

Talked to Don

Hi Lynn, I just talked to Don and told him all his friends are pulling for him.
I'm afraid he's having a rough time. He told me, "It's terrible to lose your independence and be dependent on other people for everything." It is terrible.

I asked if maybe his 103 yr old room-mate has any exciting Whitechapel family connections, parents who remember Jack the Ripper, great history tales, etc. No dice there. But Don said the old guy keeps trying to escape, which keeps things lively. I don't blame him one bit for trying to escape; I would too.

I told Don there was massive flooding in England and he said he hopes everybody is OK.

Then I talked to his brother and asked if he could please bring Don the Italian Meatball sub he's been craving and I'd pay for it, but he said Don can't open his mouth & chew something that big...has to do with the neurological damage from the stroke. His chewing and swallowing coordination is affected. So I asked if maybe he could just get Don some meatballs & sauce from an Italian deli or cafe without any breadroll, and he said he would try.

Don's brother also told me to send any packages I want Don to get, like the shortbread, to him at his home rather than to Don at the facility. Regular mail gets through to Don fine, but pkgs get opened & stuff might go missing. He said it's different from the old ward where everyone knew Don & his friends and family. His brother is going to call me this evening with more of an update on Don's medical status, rather than discuss it in front of Don.

Then Don got back on the phone and sounded upbeat, Thank God. He told me he got a wonderful card form Eduardo in Nairobi, and now he is considering adding Nairobi to his travel itinerary... I told him that sounded like a really cool idea.

Asked me "if maybe Adam Wood is planning on visiting Nairobi next summer" and suggested they "go together". Don said much of the fun in traveling is in the people you travel with, which is certainly true. I promised to pass the word to Adam.

I told Don I bet he could travel around the world visiting friends. All across the US, UK, Canada, Scandinavia, and now Nairobi... he likes the idea very much. If anybody wants to send a postcard inviting him to visit you wherever you happen to live, it will do a lot to help cheer him up.

It's vital that Don keeps the mindset that he will get out of there someday and get back to his independent life.

We could only talk for a few minutes as he's in pain and the nurse came in. I promised Don I would say hello to all his friends for him.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Robert]

Hi Bunny

Could you either put Don's brother's address up here or email it to me?

I think maybe if we all called Don Number Six it might cheer him up a bit.

[Archaic]

Hi Robert. I'll email you.

Thanks,
Bunny