A thank you to the community
 

Thursday night at midnight the telephone rang, and for me that can be only one of three things.

1) There is a family problem
2) I volunteer for the Red Cross, so there is a fire someplace
3) It's one of my friends on the west coast who tend to forget which way the time difference goes after a few drinks

It's almost always the second choice, so it's no big deal.

For the first time it was the first one, and not going into long details about it, my 34 year old brother in law, who was in excellent health, suffered a fairly bad heart attack that evening and was in Cornary ICU at a local hospital.

We are in the North East, he is in Atlanta, other members of the family are in Florida.

The wife and her sister needed to get there on one of the first flights the next day. Rent a car, directions to the hospital from the airport, minimum hassles through the entire process, etc.

They were at the hospital less then 10 hours from the first telephone call. I don't think it would have been all that easy to arrange without the years of advice and assistance from the people here. A few clicks here, print a few things there, took minutes to make all the arrangements.

We all know we play a huge game here, what is the easiest and least expensive way to book tickets for a flight in five hours, how to avoid standing in airport lines, how to purchase tickets so not to draw the attention of security, what to say at the counter to get you on the earlier flight you really want and not the one you ticketed on, etc. There have been a million bits of advice taken in over the years of this board and at the get togethers, and for the first time I was actually able to apply them to something that mattered. OK, upgrades to London matter, but not as much as this did.

When I wear my boat shoes I have to tie the laces like a hundred times a day. It took minutes to get all this done. So in this case, getting my wife and her sister down to Atlanta in time for the first visiting hours was easier for me then tying my shoes :rolleyes: . And I'll say it again, it wouldn't have been possible with out the thousands of posts everybody here makes every day.

And because we are a community of friends, which is what really sets this board apart from all the others out there, I know some of you are concerned as to how he's doing.

The current feeling was that he threw a blood clot from someplace else during his 15 mile bike ride that evening and it floated around until it set up shop in one of the cornary arteries. They were to remove the catheters (bet that's not spelled right) this afternoon, so he should be able to be sitting up tonight. They got the medication right so the thinning agents were not lowering his blood pressure too much anymore, and the outlook is way better today then it was yesterday, but it's still way too early to tell. The extent of the damage done by this won't be known for a while, and the road to recovery will not be a short one, but there is a great network of family and friends to support him.

And again, I have to say, the family would not have gotten there as fast as they did without the people here.

For that I owe everybody here a huge thanks, it really made a difference.

And they were able to get miles on an airline they can actually use them on ^

I hope all is well with your family!

William

Best wishes to all and I hope the recovery goes well. My husband and I both bicycle and we've heard entirely too many of these kinds of stories lately. Let him know there are other cyclists out there pulling for him.

On a lighter note, if we ever meet I can show you how to tie your boat shoes (Sperry Topsiders?) so they never come untied.

My best wishes to you.
It's nice to see that in addition to all the fun we have at FT and the things we learn here which seem oh-so-important in the everyday (and holiday) travels we do, when it comes down to crunch time with the things that really are important in our lives, what we learn here can also be applied to benefit as well.

Best wishes to you and yours, and thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts into words in a most excellent post. ^

Best wishes to all involved and hopes for a speedy and full recovery.

What a great post! Hope your brother-in-law makes a full recovery.

Please keep us updated on your brother-in-law's progress.
All best wishes
O2K

Best wishes to you and your family, and for a full recovery for your brother-in-law.

What a shock that must have been! Best wishes to your brother-in-law for a speedy and complete recovery. ^ And best wishes to you and all the rest of your family.

It must have made for kind of a crummy birthday for you. :( Happy belated birthday, by the way. :-:

cordelli did a fab job (as usual) of posting WHY we all belong to this Community & what a wonderful community it is, even when we disagree, moan, groan, snipe, b*tch at each other. In there also is love, caring, sharing, warm thoughts & total support, and learning. cordelli, supportive thoughts & healing wishes to you & your family dear.

Cheers. Sharon

The power of FlyerTalk and the generosity of its members never cease to amaze me.

I wish your brother-in-law a full and speedy recovery, cordelli.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

cordelli:


Best wishes for your brother in-law's full and speedy recovery.

I hope to meet you at dinner on the 9th in NYC.


Mark

Good Luck!
 

I am home if you need something in CT. I am sure you dont need your lawn watered :D .
If you need something seriously you are only down the road.
Jon

cordelli: Sorry to hear about your family misfortune :( , glad to hear that things are working out ^ Let me know if you make the "Catman Do" as I probably will be in NYC on the 9th, take care

Parvaze