Babalu

[olllllo]

Edit the above post:

While I am fairly certain one could google Jeff and EEE and MA to find this story, I used a link shortener to take his name out of the URL.

Edit: confirmed. The googles will find his name and city.

 

[frankw]

Update: 9/15/2010

Not a whole lot to report, just more small positive things. The neurologist have noticed an increase in his reflexes, he's still opening his eyes with and without stimulation, but he's still not tracking yet. His temperature is good, they haven't seen any seizure activity and his overall condition is fairly stable.

Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming. We need to wake him up.

Paul already posted the link to the story.

If you'd like to make donations:

Checks should be made payable to:
Michelle Fitzgerald FBO Jeffrey Fuller

and they should be sent to:

Eastern Bank
226 Main St.
Wareham, MA 02571


Or donations can be made via PayPal

I will personally match all PayPal donations.

 

[frankw]

Here's a new article about Jeff: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100916/NEWS/9160322

 

[Bedlam]

I'm wondering if the article and donation posts can be made into a separate "sticky" thread so this doesn't get buried?

Just a thought. It'd be nice to get a nice chunk of change going from his fellow brew buddies.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Any donations made would be an incredibly nice gesture. The saying, "Bad things happen to good people" couldn't apply more in this situation.

Even though Jeff's an amazing guy he "married up" and has a young son and younger daughter that no one can believe came from him.

(and yes, I'm writing it that way because I want him to read this and punch me as soon as possible. There are a bunch of us who would do just about anything to take a shot in the arm from Jeff right now)

They are the type of family who REALLY WOULD give their friends the shirts off their backs and there aren't many families that are more fun to be around.

This whole situation has been a complete nightmare for the family (obviously) but also for the huge circle of friends Jeff and his family have. We are all doing everything we can to try to lessen any and all burdens on them but as I was saying at the top of this post, any donations folks want to make to help would be an incredibly nice gesture for folks that couldn't be more deserving of a little help right now.

 

[frankw]

Any donations made would be an incredibly nice gesture. The saying, "Bad things happen to good people" couldn't apply more in this situation.

Even though Jeff's an amazing guy he "married up" and has a young son and younger daughter that no one can believe came from him.

(and yes, I'm writing it that way because I want him to read this and punch me as soon as possible. There are a bunch of us who would do just about anything to take a shot in the arm from Jeff right now)

They are the type of family who REALLY WOULD give their friends the shirts off their backs and there aren't many families that are more fun to be around.

This whole situation has been a complete nightmare for the family (obviously) but also for the huge circle of friends Jeff and his family have. We are all doing everything we can to try to lessen any and all burdens on them but as I was saying at the top of this post, any donations folks want to make to help would be an incredibly nice gesture for folks that couldn't be more deserving of a little help right now.

Well put brother. And, by the way, completely true.

 

[DrawTap88]

It wasn't much, but I hope it helps.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Another news story...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...left_in_coma_by_eee_infection/?p1=Local_Links

 

[frankw]

update 9/17/2010

Made it in to visit Jeff this afternoon with Cape Brewing. A lot of the same things that have been going on. His eyes were moving around most of the time. He was also coughing and yawning and he opened his eyes off and on for about 10 seconds or so when his wife moved his head. We got in his face and yelled at him a bit. He'd open his eyes for a second or two then close them and we'd tell him to wake up, he'd open them again for a second or two. I know they're really looking for him to track objects, etc. But I don't see how he could even focus. Hell, I had to wake up for a conference call this morning at 3:45AM. I'm pretty sure that's what I looked like for a couple minutes.

His temperature is good, he's not receiving any extra oxygen at all and there hasn't been any seizure activity. They've got his anti-seizure meds down to therapeutic levels so they shouldn't be holding him back too much at this point. Aside from him not being awake his health is pretty stable now.

Unless he wakes up over the weekend, they're talking about transferring him to the Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) facility. The goal there will be to wake him up. Once awake, he'll be transferred to Rehab for more aggressive treatment. Insurance only allows for so many days of rehab. You don't want to waste them by sending him there before he's ready.

The family has been in contact with the family of the guy from Rhode Island who has EEE. His mother told Jeff's wife that the way Jeff is right now, opening his eyes, etc., is pretty much the same way her son gradually woke up. The RI guys is doing well in rehab, he's walking, talking, and feeding himself. His short term memory isn't great but he's improving. This of course, doesn't mean this is how it will happen for Jeff, but the news is encouraging. Jeff got sick about two weeks after the RI guy did.

After the visit we went around the corner for a beer and a bite to eat. As we sat there I got a text from a friend saying Jeff was going to be on channel 7 in a few minutes. We look across the street and there's the channel 7 news crew doing the piece on Jeff. It was pretty strange.

Here's that news piece: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12002241716034/report-middleboro-man-in-coma-due-to-eee/

As always, please keep up the positive thoughts and prayers.

Frank


Donate to Jeff via Paypal

 

[paulthenurse]

Like Brian said, I'd like nothing better than for Fuller to punch me so hard I can't raise my arm for a week.

Again.

Guy's, this is the real deal. He's one of us. He is a really good guy who got dealt a really bad hand. A f'ing mosquito has layed this guy low. You've seen the pic's of Jeff. He's standing next to 300 pound tuna fish and makes them look like minnows. The guy is an ox, and he's been chop blocked by a f'ing mosquito. Join us in helping him and his family out. He's got an incredibly long road ahead of him and it's an expensive road. Even stupid (but costly) things like parking at MGH add up quick when you are there every day like his wife has been. FrankW has a PayPal account set up for direct donations. We'll be doing other things in the future. Please do what you can. I don't want to get all Jerry Lewis here but think about it. How many times did you get bitten by a mosquito this summer?

PTN

 

[yeager1977]

Aww crap Yoop, if you knew Rick you'd just tell him to STFU, too. He's not as irritating as Yeager but he's in Yeagers rear view mirror.

(JK Rick, you know I wuv you.)

And get real. No-one say's "How bout them Packers?" The Pack sucks, no one except people in East *******, Wisconsin care about the Packers.

I can't/won't comment on Babalu's financial situation, it's not my place to do so but I think one thing that everyone on this board should take away from this situation is that life is precarious. Take whatever steps you need to take to protect your family in case you are not there to protect them yourself. Disability insurance for a year costs about the same as a few batches of beer. Make the right choice.

PTN

Damn it, nice Paul snuck out of the house again.

Ok, So I am annoying but ignoring that, and coming late to this thread (been traveling too much for work though not complaining) but I truly am praying for Babs. I have yet to try his baltic porter and damn well will be pissed if I don't get to....

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

How many times did you get bitten by a mosquito this summer?

I got bit by a mosquito this morning and it scared the **** out of me. I'll be making a donation after I get paid next week. It won't be a lot but I'll give what I can. I'm also putting out a couple feelers for other charitable donations.

 

[yeager1977]

I &%^$'in hate this... a lot. (the situation, not your post Hippie)

I have a theory about there being a huge, massive cosmic ass in the universe... and this situation couldn't possibly suck that ass any more.

Theory? Your kids live this truth every day....

 

[yeager1977]

When Babalu gets off his ass and gets out of bed he will stone cold bust our balls from here to eternity of we get all mushy and googoo. We are all friends here, and insults and ball busting are the currency of our friendships. Even that doofus Rick, we only bust his teeny tiny balls because we like him. Wait till Babalu gets back in the saddle and we start in on him for taking to bed for two weeks cause he got a widdle skeety bite

PTN

Yeah and he couldn't make his baltic porter....

 

[paulthenurse]

Thanks Marc. Whatever anyone does is appreciated. Babalu will probably kick our asses from here to next week for fussing over him when he gets back in the saddle but I'm willing to take that risk and the accompanying black and blues.

PTN

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Paul, check your link in your sig. It doesn't work for me.

 

[frankw]

Paul, check your link in your sig. It doesn't work for me.

Paul use this url https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=78JQVTKPBD7AL

 

[Saccharomyces]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...left_in_coma_by_eee_infection/?p1=Local_Links

The story is signed "[email protected]"... I did a double-take on that.

Glad to hear he is continuing to recover. Surely it will be a long road, but he has great friends and family.

Best wishes

 

[frankw]

Update: 9/19/2010


Jeff's latest MRI still showed swelling in his brain. They started him on a fairly heavy dose of steroids on Friday to fight the swelling. Yesterday Jeff's wife said she felt Jeff squeezing her hand and when moving him he opened his eyes again she got in his face an said "I love you" and he nodded his head. She then said "you can hear me can't you?" and he nodded his head again. This time the nurse witnessed this interaction and agreed that he did in fact, nod in reaction to Jeff's wife's questions.

They were adjusting his anti-seizure meds again and he showed some seizure activity, so they're bringing his anti-seizure med levels back up and the will hook him back up to the EEG to monitor it more closely. So let's hope the steroids bring the swelling down and allow him to show increasing signs of alertness.

Keep up the prayers and positive thoughts!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Donate to Jeff via Paypal

 

[frankw]

2nd Update 9/19/2010

Jeff opened his eyes and was blinking today completely on his own for 10 minutes. This time he appeared to be tracking objects. He was also moving his thumb around and appeared to be irritated and was squirming around a bit in bed. Looks like the steroids might be working their magic. Let's hope and pray this is true.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Donate to Jeff via Paypal

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

Babalu! Babalu! Babalu! :rockin:

 

[DrawTap88]

That is great to hear. Thanks, Frank.

If he's irritated, he's probably looking to give a bunch of you guys a nice shot in the arm.

 

[paulthenurse]

Paul use this url https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=78JQVTKPBD7AL

Done. Thanks, Frank.

PTN

 

[paulthenurse]

That is great to hear. Thanks, Frank.

If he's irritated, he's probably looking to give a bunch of you guys a nice shot in the arm.

I volunteer to be the first one to get punched.

Then, after he's had a chance to get his swing back and gain a little strenth I volunteer Rick to take the next dozen.

PTN

 

[stevea1210]

I don't know Jeff, but am truly sorry this is happening, and my thoughts are with him and his family.

PTN, the link in your sig still isn't working, but the one Frank posted worked fine.

 

[paulthenurse]

OK, I'm a moron, but don't let that stop you from making a small donation to help the big guy out.

PTN

 

[Melana]

How about an informal benefit in conjunction with Masstoberfest????
Is there anything else we can gather for the family?

 

[frankw]

Great idea.

I think the best thing at this point would be to donate to the fund which has been set up.

If you're involved or know someone involved in Masstoberfest, you could raise some money at the event, by whatever means you see fit, and pass the contributions on to the fund.


Check should be made payable to:
Michelle Fitzgerald FBO Jeffrey Fuller

and it should be sent to:

Eastern Bank
226 Main St.
Wareham, MA 02571


Or donations can be made via PayPal

 

[motobrewer]

or an auction? I have a few things that could sell.

 

[the_bird]

When is Masstoberfest? Charge an admission, all proceeds going to Babs' family? Auction's a good idea, too. Could clean out a few items I don't use/don't need.

 

[frankw]

Update: 9/20/2010

Jeff had another pretty good day. He opened his eyes and was blinking on his own a number of times since the last update, but not as long as he did yesterday. He's been reacting to his wife's voice and looking in her direction when she talks to him when his eyes are open. He doesn't seem to care much for the doctors' or the nurses' voices, just his wife's. One one time he appeared to be looking all around his room, like he was trying to figure out where the hell he was. While doing that his heart rate and breathing increased quite a bit, as if he figured it out and was nervous about it. His wife called his name and he looked in her direction and seemed to calm down and then close his eyes again. He also seemed to be moving around in his bed at least once.

Not related to the previous incident, but in general, his heart rate is back down to normal. It's been elevated the whole time, which doctors attributed to his brain swelling. So maybe the steroids are actually eliminating the swelling. He'll only be on the steroids for about another two days. So let's hope they do their job and have lasting benefits

The staff said they were pleased with his improvements over the last couple days and now they're talking about moving him straight to rehab, and not the LTAC. This is good news or could be bad news. Insurance will only allow him 60 days of rehab. So Jeff's family is nervous about sending him so soon, in case he's not ready for it. They don't want to waste any days, since nobody knows how long rehab will take.

So once again my friends, I'm asking for another blast of positive energy and prayers. Let's help Jeff to improve exponentially and be able to take advantage of the early rehab. Maybe with our help and the skill of his medical staff he won't come close to needing 60 days for rehab.

For those of you who have generously donated to the fund that Jeff's family has set up, I thank you, Jeff's family thanks you and Jeff's wife thanks you form the bottom of their hearts. For those of you who haven't donated, for whatever reason, please reconsider. The medical bills are mounting, Jeff's wife's out of work and Jeff will soon be only collecting a percentage of his salary from disability insurance.

Take care, thank you and keep praying.

------------------------------------------
Donate to Jeff via PayPal

 

[paulthenurse]

If you're involved or know someone involved in Masstoberfest, you could raise some money at the event, by whatever means you see fit, and pass the contributions on to the fund.

Uhh, Masstoberfest would be me. It's a party that I've hosted for HBT people for the past 3 or 4 years. I honestly hadn't given it much thought this year, it just never came over the horizon of my conciousness. This endless summer has me still in summer mode, I haven't made the mental switch to fall. But I think that doing it again, especially in conjunction with helping out Jeff is a MARVELOUS idea. I'll talk with Alice in the morning and pick a day and get back to everyone.

It hasn't been a fundraising event in the past, just a big BBQ with a bunch of homebrewers hanging out, drinking, eating and brewing. But "it's my pahtay and I can change it if I wanna." I've got no idea what to propose as a way to make it a fundraiser. It's always been just a group of friends getting together at my place and hanging out.

After some thought I think that that is exactly what will make it a successful fundraiser. We don't need to come up with some silly idea like a brew competition where every beer you enter has an associated cost. That's stupid. I know these folks. They've been coming to my house for years, not just for Masstoberfests but for other get togethers. I've gone to their gatherings. The guys and girls of this area are all good people, and I know that they will all gladly join us to help a fellow New England brewer out, eat some BBQ and drink some brews.

This is gonna be great!

PTN

 

[frankw]

Sorry about that Paul. I probably should have googled it.

 

[paulthenurse]

If my Masstoberfest party is Google-able then the Appocalypse is surely upon us.

I got to see Alice for about 20 seconds in the driveway this morning, I was pulling in as she was leaving. I didn't waste that 20 seconds talking about Masstoberfest. That said, looking at my schedule October 16 tentatively looks do-able.

What say ye?

PTN

 

[frankw]

If my Masstoberfest party is Google-able then the Appocalypse is surely upon us.

Prepare for the Apocalypse: Masstoberfest Results

Big Bother is alive and well.

 

[paulthenurse]

Great Googaly Moogaly, Batman! Google truely does know everything!

OK, well I would surely have gone into fall mode today. I woke up around noon freezing my arse off. There was only a light blanket on the bed and all the windows were open and I was practically shivering. Man, what happened? I was sweating my arse off painting the porch posts on Sunday.

Here is a pic Jeff posted on the Masstoberfest thread from last year.

Paul, can you fit this on your grill?

Fuller is the big, ugly, smelly one.

I should probably further quantify that. He's the big, ugly, smelly one on the far left.

PTN

 

[homebeerbrewer]

...

Fuller is the big, ugly, smelly one.

I should probably further quantify that. He's the big, ugly, smelly one on the far left.

PTN

How do you know that, scratch and sniff?

 

[paulthenurse]

OK, talked to the boss this morning and she is 100% on board with holding the 2010 Annual Masstoberfest on October 16 and doing what we can to raise funds for the Fuller family. I've already heard rumors of Patriots tickets being donated for a raffle. I'll burrow around in my wine cellar and dig out a few bottles of vintage port and some vintage wines and beers for auction/raffle. I will start another thread devoted to the Masstoberfest party so we don't clog up FW's thread on Babalu and link back to it here. But the game is on.

PTN

 

[DrawTap88]

Dang. Wish I lived in Boston still...

 

[paulthenurse]

We'll find a crash pad for you somewhere if you make it.

PTN