With all of the people coming in and out of the rehab ward at Stanford, many of them touching and massaging Molly’s body, it opened up a new world of sensation. It also opened up a new world of no sensation, because Molly didn’t have any from the neck down. Let me re-phrase that. Molly… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #9: Chop Wood … Carry Water
There was a steady stream of people coming into rehab every day and night to see Molly now. The nurses were used to patients getting visitors, but only for a short time, and then there would normally be a big drop off in visitors. But with Molly, there was no drop off, just a steady… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #8: Slightly Shell-Shocked!
The first week in rehab … someone tried to move Molly by grabbing her halo and using it as a handle. It was painful when the halo was moved like that. It was attached to Molly’s head by those 4 pointed screws, so if the halo moved at those points, it really hurt … and… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #7: See the Smile … and the Glint?
In the telling of this story … it is now 2 weeks since Molly crashed her car. Remembering those days … and all of the unusual events, experiences and emotions … I can’t imagine anything that could possibly happen, that could shock my system more than what I went through back then. Wait … I… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #6: This is Survival Of The Non-Fittest
It’s the second week after Molly’s car crash. She fell asleep driving her car. Bad timing for a siesta … I’ll tell you that. One time I fell asleep driving a VW Bug on the highway, in the wide open spaces between San Antonio, Texas and the border of Mexico. I fell asleep … and… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #5: Put On A Happy Face!
When Molly was moved to Stanford Hospital, one week after her accident, she was put into an intermediate intensive care ward where she lived for one more week. Not quite intensive care, but not regular care either. Molly was out of danger, but she still required a higher level of monitoring and care than what… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #4: Hell Week Is Over!
Ok, we are almost at the Stanford Rehab ward now. But before we get there, I just have to tell you one more story about the first place we landed in. After Molly’s two surgeries and while she was recovering from those in intensive care, the doctor’s discovered a break on Molly’s xrays that she… [read more]
Woman With Balls
Back in 1990, there was a film released entitled “Dancing with Wolves”. The title refers to the Native American name given to Lt. John Dunbar by a tribe of Sioux after they observed him playing with a young wolf. In 1996, I was bestowed the name of “Woman with Balls” by a Jesuit priest, Father… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #3: No Nice Comfy Life Back!
Those early days during the first week after Molly crashed her car were filled with people telling me my life would never be the same, and that it was very, very serious. I was desperate to find a ray of sunshine, some glimmer of hope, something to smile about in the middle of all of… [read more]
Survival Of The Non-Fittest #2: Nowhere To Run … Nowhere To Hide
I feel like I need to give a little background before I go further into this, especially for those who have never met me, or Molly my wife, or who have never seen Moment By Moment, the film documentary about us. If you haven’t ever seen the film, you can watch it here: Moment By Moment… [read more]