URGENT- Don Souden Has Had A Stroke

[Archaic]

*any Ideas To Help Don Use His Flip-phone?*

Hi Carol. I'll tell Don, I promise.

I didn't talk with him yesterday but got a few texts from his sister late last night. i told her how amazed I was at Don's verbal & memory progress over the course of last week. She is too. I told her I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she has been there with him to help stimulate his mind and encourage him.

He's been on a strict diet for his Diabetes. She said he was allowed to have an Orange Julius yesterday (it's like an orange juice milkshake) and she said Don was so excited he was like a little kid.

I think besides being weak, ill and exhausted Don's probably been bored out of his mind. I know I was when i was hospitalized a long time. There's no natural stimulus, no night or day when you're seriously ill. And of course the medications make it even worse, til you lose track of Time completely. I think Don's sister's visit has helped to wake up his mind and his memory, as has hearing from his friends. I told Don's sister last night that Don sounded so good on Friday that I was amazed. I said "The next thing you know, he'll be sardonic. "

I'm concerned about what will happen when she has to go home tomorrow. She lives 3,000 miles away like I do.

We're trying to figure out if there's some way to put photo icon phone number shortcuts on Don's phone so he can call her, me, and some other friends, but he has a flip-phone so we aren't sure. I suggested using asterisks to put certain names first on his phone, and enabling speed dial. But I don't know if he can recognize names and numbers.

*If anybody has a tech solution or suggestion to make it easier for Don to dial his friends on his flip-phone, i'd appreciate hearing it, particularly today so his sister can implement it on his phone.

It's good you guys are sending cards. They will help cheer him up when his sister goes home. It would be great if people can stock up on cards & postcards so he receives a steady supply of mail.
Don loves History and Baseball, so I'm scouring the shops for cards & postcards with strong visuals that will interest him even if he can't read them yet.

I'll post later if i'm able to talk to him.
Thanks everybody,
Archaic

[Carol]

Hi Bunny,

Thank you so much for keeping us informed about Don's progress. I sent him a card yesterday and hope it will reach him by next weekend.

Tell him not to scare us (me) any more, please, and that I am personally only going to accept a full recovery from him. Anything else is completely unacceptable if he wants to keep me as a friend.

Thank you.

Lots of love,
Carol xxx

[Robert]

Hi Bunny

I've always got on well with Don and I like and respect him. Please tell him to stay positive - easier said than done, I know. But tell him that just because he's in check, doesn't mean it's checkmate. On the other hand, he mustn't push things. So no more bungee jumping for the foreseeable future. And the shark cage fight will have to be called off.

[Archaic]

hi velma, robert and lynn. it's so sad that this time last year linda was terribly ill, and this time it's don.

it's painful to know that a good friend is suffering. don has had an awfully rough year, and his diabetes very nearly killed him. his brother told me that when don was hospitalized last winter his blood sugar was an astronomical 738! the brain starts to shut down as levels near 700, so God only knows how he survived that crisis with his mind intact.

i'm very encouraged that don is regaining his ability to speak, and that his memory is so remarkable.

a full recovery from the hemiparesis, left-side paralysis, a complete healing of the affected right side of his brain, and a return to full independence with all his old speaking, reading and writing abilities intact would be beyond wonderful, but to be honest i'm not expecting that.

my hope is that don will regain some measure of independence through the recovery of his speaking, reading and writing skills, and will be able to resume contact with his friends. reading and writing is his life. if he can get that back- even if the paralysis remains and he is unable to walk again- at least he will be happy.

stroke tends to recur, and diabetic stroke has a high rate of recurrence. i'm praying it won't happen, but i realize that another stroke could hit him at any time. and all of these medical crises will have taken their toll on his heart.

i'm hugely encouraged by his progress on the phone, but i hope that i've been clear enough about the critical medical issues that all of don's friends will realize how dire the situation is.

if you have something you want to say to don, whether you want to tell him you miss him and are praying for him, or you want to thank him for his many years of dedication to the field of ripperology, or if you have any fences to mend -
please understand that THIS is the time to do it.

don't put it off. if you care, i honestly wouldn't put it off by even 1 day. don is at a point right now where he is capable of receiving your message and understanding it. but that could change at any minute.

i am willing to pass a message to don from anyone, and i promise that i will keep it strictly and permanently confidential.

thanks everybody,
archaic

[lynn cates]

good news

Hello (again) Bunny. I fast forwarded and found the good news.

Thanks again.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

get well wish

Hello Bunny. Thanks.

Our prayers are with him.

Cheers.
LC

[Robert]

Great news about Don. Don't worry about losing track of time in hospital - as a cricket fan, Don will be quite used to that.

[curious]

hey, good news!! i was able to speak to don again.

he sounded stronger and more energetic, and his speech was significantly better. it was stronger and clearer, and he made more frequent remarks. his memory is remarkable.


archaic

Good Morning, Archaic,
What encouraging news. Thanks so much for sharing it and the earlier news of his stroke.

Thank you for tracking down what is going on with him.

The last we communicated (and I was shocked to go back and see it was in May, when we promised to stay in better touch), he was really looking forward to getting into his own place again and perhaps, just maybe, being able to write again.

This must be devastating for him. When you talk with him next, please give him my love and best wishes for a full recovery -- so much can be done these days, and the fact that he has his mind and memory gives great hope. Even more hope is contained in the remarkable progress from one conversation to the next.

I hope your "sock" helps you along to a full recovery, Archaic.

I'll try to get a card out to Don within a day or two.

Thanks again for discovering this news and for sharing it.

Velma

[curious]

sorry double post

[Archaic]

I Read Posts To Don

hey, good news!! i was able to speak to don again.

he sounded stronger and more energetic, and his speech was significantly better. it was stronger and clearer, and he made more frequent remarks. his memory is remarkable.

i immediately told him he sounded terrific- in fact, so terrific that i asked "did you call me yourself?" he said "yes, my sister... showed me...." i said "you mean she showed you my number on your phone? and you pushed it yourself?" don replied "yes!" i exclaimed "that's fabulous!! way to go Soupy!"

then he told me they got the blood-clot out of his leg and put a shunt in. i asked if they got it all and he said yes. he asked about my surgery and i told him i'm doing fine. wearing a silly sock. when i said "i get the stitches out next week, on Wednesday" i got the impression that he understood me, and has a much clearer grasp of Time. (as anybody who's ever been hospitalized for a long time knows, maintaining your sense of time in such an artificial and boring environment is quite challenging.)

i told him that his friends are sending him cards, and he can expect them to start arriving in a few days. he sounded VERY happy about that and is definitely looking forward to them. he said "tell them thank you."

i asked if he wanted to hear the messages from his friends. he said yes, so i started reading him all the posts on this thread.

i went slowly and read everybody's name before their message to be sure he understood whose words i was reading. don totally amazed me by actually recognizing casebook user names, and as we went he made remarks like "oh, that's very kind", "thank you'", or "he's a nice person".

when i read carol's post to don, he said to me, "you're a good friend, bunny". i feel humbled that he said that, because he's always been such a kind friend to me.

we got to about the middle of page 2. then don began to feel tired. i asked if he needed to take a break. i didn't get a reply but i heard what sounded like the phone being handled. i asked a couple of times if he was still there, and then the call ended. don may have been tired and pushed the wrong button. but he probably needs a rest now anyway, so i'll just wait for the next call and will pick up where i left off reading this thread to him.

honestly, everyone, today was amazing! better than i could have hoped for. today's call made me feel that don has turned a significant corner in his recovery. i don't know how his paralysis is doing, but his mind is sure waking up!

i'm astounded by the progress he's made since we first spoke last sunday- in just 6 days the difference is like night and day. he went from incoherent mumbling to clear sentences in less than a week. i can't get over it... it borders on the miraculous.

PLEASE EVERYONE, CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR DON AND SEND HIM POSITIVE HEALING ENERGY. YOUR PRAYERS ARE HAVING RESULTS!

what incredible strength of mind don must have to be able to withstand a paralyzing stroke and a host of critical medical issues, yet battle back and steadily regain his powers of speech and memory.

i'm in awe of him. it's like witnessing some one move a mountain.

archaic

[Archaic]

you're welcome, magpie, carol, and cris.

i want to thank dave and others for the good wishes for me with my surgery. my friend just cracked down on me by putting a bright orange sock over that arm and hand, so i will stop forgetting i'm not allowed to use it. looks silly buts it's helping me rest it- it's rather hard to type or reach for anything while wearing a large sock.

i cancelled some wkd plans so that i will be available if don's sister feels it's a good time to call. i promise that i'll read don your posts, emails, etc.

the time between now and monday while his sister is still there is the best chance to speak to don again, so if you want to get a message to him, i urge you to not delay.

don's brother lives in another city, and i don't know how frequently he'll be able to visit, nor do i know if the medical staff will be able to assist don with phone calls. hopefully don will soon progress to the point that he can handle a phone on his own. he's tough.

thanks, archaic

[Magpie]

Thanks for the update, Archaic--please tell Don he's in my thoughts.

[Errata]

I wish like hell this hadn't happened to him. But if it had to happen, thank god it was now and not five years ago (when my grandmother had a stroke). The knowledge we have gained on the treatment and recovery of strokes is leaps and bounds better than it was. I firmly believe that once the crisis has passed, he will be able to recover a great deal of function. Maybe even all. I am rooting for him.

[Cogidubnus]

Don in the short time I've been on here you've been more than just a good mate to me...as a newby I've really valued both your scholarship and friendship...Keep fighting and come back to us soon!

All the best

Dave

[Archaic]

medical update

don's procedure to remove the blood clot in his leg went well. he's in stable condition.

his sister who lives on the west coast is extending her stay with don through weekend, which greatly increases the chance that i'll be able to speak to him again. i told her any time he feels up to it is fine with me.

i'll try to read these posts to him.

i'll also tell him to expect some cards. they will do him good.

thanks everybody, archaic