Cryptofishist!

[EspressoDude]

This morning I went to the local Wells Fargo branch and spoke with a "private banker" as opposed to a teller, inquiring about setting up a bank account that we could use to make deposits and then fishy's family could draw funds as required....sounds simple.

Well as it turns out, the person that sets up the account has to be the one to disperse funds, deal with IRS, taxes on interest, and is "responsible" for the funds. This is more than I wanted to take on (soon to be doing this for my mom).

It would be nice if one of fishy's sisters could set up the account, post the account name and number, so that we could each make deposits.

Then they could decide how to use the funds as needed. My gut feeling is that it will be a long while before she is able to stay at home and make use of some of the wonderful gifts being discussed on this and other boards.

I did a quick look into medevac flights that have been mentioned. Looks like $15000 - $25000 just to get across the US... Austria to San Fran is about 3 times that far.

Next week I am going to call a business acquaintence whose parent company has offices in Amsterdam and has a learjet....It won't hurt to ask but I expect a negative response. I will also call Evergreen Aviation, a local company that does a lot of "specialized government relocations" in unmarked aircraft.

If these folks can't move fishy, maybe the can provide transport for her mom or sisters.

Tears, love, and hugs!!

[Box Burner]

PL-72 (Maximum platform lifting height 72")
$3295
That's doable.

I'm in too.

Better wait to see if it will be covered by insurance. Do we have anyone checking on that? Probably has to be handled by a family member, I don't know. And now may be too soon for one of them to be trying to handle it. Worth looking into since anything covered by insurance means more of our funds can be used on the house or other things that are needed. for instance; All of the kitchen counters will have to be lowered for ease of use from a wheelchair if Fishy is the one who does the cooking or likes to cook a lot.. And there are modifications to the bathrooms as well. Guess we need to find out what is and is not covered.

[Box Burner]

Worse than I thought.

Come Home Fishy.

[Jewel***]

Anyone ever hear of Alex Zanardi? A friend of mine mentioned him to me the other day. He is a race car driver who lost both legs in a horrible accident. This is just one of many links........

http://www.wholinks2me.com/videos/search/zanardi/

Google him and read an inspiring story of how this man rebuilt his life after his accident.

With the tremendous outpouring of love and hope that the burning man community has shown thus far, Fishy will also be able to rebuild her life. It will take time. It will take support. It will take determination.

[Sensei]

I would like to focus on doing something to get her back on the Playa and making her time there as wonderful as possible

Um, guys? Look, I hate to do this but I truly think you kids are setting yourselves up for a big disappointment. Let's watch those expectations, m'kay? I know you all mean well, but...

I was talking with Blueniteowl the other day and she mentioned that a friend (of a friend) of hers is an amputee. I guess he lost one of his legs (below the knee) when he was 16, and he's 40-something now. She explained to me that this guy has to carefully clean his stump three times a day to keep it from getting infected.

I'll be the bad guy. Ready?

Fishy ain't coming to the desert this year, or probably ever again.

I hope ya'll don't think I'm trying to be cruel here; I'm trying hard to be realistic.

Before we get all weepy, I really think it's worth pointing out here that Fishy was never that crazy about the playa anyway; it was always more Scott's gig. The ONLY reason she even came last year, as I understand it, was to spread Scott's ashes at the Temple. Oh, she loves us just fine, but I got the distinct impression that she really, really disliked the desert heat and dust.

Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

[sputnik]

I'm with Sensei. As I said earlier, let's get her setup with something small to start and see what she needs and wants later.

[Sensei]

Okay, enough with being Mr. Negative already, time for Mr. Positive.

All you kids are amazingly thoughtful and generous, and I know Cryptofishist will be very, very moved. I know I have been.

[EspressoDude]

I think Sensei has a good sense of reality.

The best things we can do for her are psychological support. Many people in lesser situations totally lose the desire to live. We should be focusing on providing support for her family and let them decide what is the best use of our energies. I know we all feel frustrations on not being able to give some "thing". It won't be "things" that help her out in the long run, but people that are willing to be by her side day and night, help her through therapy, get her up and down stairs, be with her when she is crying her heart out thinking "why am I still alive, what is the purpose of all this"; helping her get from wheel chair to toilet, into bed, etc. These folks and her very close friends are the ones that will need our support and can help channel our energies.

chapter 2

does anyone know how to contact her sister Eliza? if so please PM me so we can steer some of this positive energy through her.

[PurpleKoosh]

does anyone know how to contact her sister Eliza?

An earlier post on the blog (the URL for which is in my signature here) mentioned that one of the sisters had set up chukkasupport (at) gmail (dot) com for email.

[PurpleKoosh]

I'll be the bad guy. Ready?

Fishy ain't coming to the desert this year, or probably ever again.

I hope ya'll don't think I'm trying to be cruel here; I'm trying hard to be realistic.

Before we get all weepy, I really think it's worth pointing out here that Fishy was never that crazy about the playa anyway; it was always more Scott's gig. The ONLY reason she even came last year, as I understand it, was to spread Scott's ashes at the Temple. Oh, she loves us just fine, but I got the distinct impression that she really, really disliked the desert heat and dust.

Thanks for being willing to step up with this, Sensei.

Fishy had a very difficult time on-playa last year (she was my ride there and back, so I talked with her about this more than most). She didn't even go out to watch the Temple Burn. I stayed behind as well, for my own reasons; I tried to reach out to her once or twice, but couldn't break through. She spent the bulk of the evening curled up with Star and crying.

Yes, we love her; yes, she loves us. But love alone wasn't going to be enough to get her to come back out even with two good legs.

[lothos 1162]

Folks,fellow burners,wetrags,homewreckers....etc.,We need to have a party/fundraiser for her,me I have no ideae were to start,any suggestions.We can do do this.Lothos(still going ape shit over this)

[stargeezer]

Having gone through a couple of similar events in the past, hold off on the planning for the big fundraisers for a little while.

Fundraisers are not real successful if you just claim to be helping somebody. You need a specific goal that people can visualize, which also justifies your request for money. Once the family knows what they will need, then you can address some of these issues and understand the costs, and most importantly, be able to post the cost and describe exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

[spectabillis]

Fishy ain't coming to the desert this year, or probably ever again.

nope, which is my personal focus on mentioning things like the laptop. when i think of fishy, i think of her comments and posts... how she sometimes has this sharp and fun wit about her when she's around like minded people online. i guess that kinda waned when she lost scott but she also seemed to bounce back a bit. but yeah, that desert can be a harsh bitch to be put into.

I hope ya'll don't think I'm trying to be cruel here;

i dont and think most probably appreciate the comment.

[Jewel***]

yes, totally appreciated....

[regynalonglank]

i just don't know what to say. i am in shock...i am so glad Sensei called me and told me what happend to our Fishy friend, and i have been reading about it, and i'm trying to grok this, but at this point it has not yet sunk in. i just know i love the Fishist with all my heart, and if there is anything i can do. i just. man. i only met her mom once, but i would be happy to call or whatever, i have her number i think, or maybe its a cell, i'm not sure. crap. and thank you to all of you for wanting to help, you are good people. keep swimming my Fishy foo, fins are more important than a tail anyways!

[thisisthatwhichis]

Sensei.... wise words.....But......

One must not presume things,....... as maybe we have all been doing to much of, in our concern...

It's very difficult for everyone.... Me included... But i would not even try to pretend to know what Fishy thinks or will think...... Now, or in the future.....



And so.... I wait to hear from her.... My heart flows love, warmth, and caring for her and her family every day.......

[Zulegoona]

Sensei.... wise words.....But......

One must not presume things,....... as maybe we have all been doing to much of, in our concern...

It's very difficult for everyone.... Me included... But i would not even try to pretend to know what Fishy thinks or will think...... Now, or in the future.....



And so.... I wait to hear from her.... My heart flows love, warmth, and caring for her and her family every day.......

yes this has to be one of the biggest life changing events anyone would ever have to go threw, but I consider Koosh’s reinforcement of Sensei’s observation, both reflect my expectations as well, we might all be wrong but I doubt it . Crypto is still an important part of our community and our lives but the desert really wasn’t her thing, and I can’t imagine it will be any easier for her to go there now.

[Sensei]

One must not presume things,..

Okay, I'm presuming. But I'm also trying to keep it real.

[Sensei]

Okay, that sounded kinda snarky.

Fishy'll decide, and we'll act accordingly. I repeat, watch those expectations.

[BigCock]

I think there's a consensus to wait for Fishy and her family to tell us what she needs. It seems like we risk loosing momentum or urgency, but most of the people posting here have been around for a long time and likely will continue to be. Anyway, getting it wrong could do more harm than good, even if well intentioned.

So we wait.

Sorry if this crosses the line with anyone's spirituality, but I thought it lovely and appropriate:

Rabbi Hiyya fell ill. Rabbi Yohanan went to visit him. Rabbi Yohanan asked: 'Do you want to be sick? Is your suffering important to you?' When Rabbi Hiyya answered: 'No,' Rabbi Yohanan placed his hands on him and healed him.

Then this same Rabbi Yohanan fell ill. Rabbi Hanina went to visit him and asked: 'Is your suffering important to you?' Rabbi Yohanan said: 'No,' and Rabbi Hanina placed his hands upon him and healed him.

If Rabbi Yahanan could heal Rabbi Hiyya, why, then, when Rabbi Yohanan got sick, could he not heal himself?

Prisoners cannot release themselves from their own confinement.

[Sensei]

It seems like we risk loosing momentum or urgency, but most of the people posting here have been around for a long time and likely will continue to be.

I agree completely, BC. We ain't going nowhere.

[Box Burner]

Understood.

[spectabillis]

i was just thinking about her upcomming downtime and wondered if anyone happens to know what she likes to read? she once recommended me The Gold Coast by Kim Stanley Robinson which i liked, and she said she also liked his mars trilogy. beyond that i dont know.

[PurpleKoosh]

In her last blog post on Tribe, she mentioned reading Justinian by H. N. Turtletaub, which is one of Harry Turtledove's multiple pennames.

Perhaps a selection of the Baen Books CDs for reading on the laptop once we get it to her? It's not the same as actually holding a book in your hands, no...but as she relearns to use her body, it might be less tiring.

...I got nuthin'.

[spectabillis]

guess its something else to keep in mind. dunno about the cd things, never tried those or audio books.. i dont even own an ipod or cell phone. i am so behind the times, such a bad little capitalist consumer.

[Box Burner]

guess its something else to keep in mind. dunno about the cd things, never tried those or audio books.. i dont even own an ipod or cell phone. i am so behind the times, such a bad little capitalist consumer.

Ex wife likes audio books. But they vary a lot. Some are direct readings. Some are dramatizations much like the old radio shows. Some are abridged or even rewritten. Generally you either like them or you don't.

What's an ipod? I do own a cell phone. I am not such a good little capatalist consumer either. Out of the many computers that I have owned only one was new.

[dragonfly Jafe]

....a possible project to put forth money and effort towards, that WILL get used (one way or another) would be to create a system to stream video/audio 2-way to BRC (or anywhere else, ideally using a SAT phone). A Fishy booth or kart could be made where BRC Citizens walk up to it, and interact with someone on the other end. Ideally this would be our beloved Fishy, but even if she chose not to use it, someone would. If it was mobile, it could even be taken out nightly.

Fishy could then chose to participate, or not. And it would be useful at other time too (if it was small enough, like a suitcase, her family could use it to "take her" to family events Fishy cannot otherwise travel to).

[PurpleKoosh]

It's easier for me to cut-and-paste than to try and explain the contents of the CD-Rs myself, so here:

[quote="Jim Baen, in the Orientation file on the first CD-ROM,"]You are about to start playing with a CD-ROM that has fairly extraordinary content. As of this writing it includes twenty-two UNENCRYPTED novels in several formats, the ten Honor Harrington Novels, 3 Honor Harrington Anthologies and 9 novels by friends of Honor, and by the time of distribution it may well contain more. (More than twenty novels for free—and with no stupid codes to work around. Think of that.) The reason for the plethora of formats is to try to please the people who want to read the novels on their Palm Pilots or other text-specialized palm-sized devices. There are also Rich Text Format versions of all the novels, which can be read by several applications — including Wordpad, MS Word and most word processors — and .doc files, which are MS Word specific. (For RTF, in Microsoft Word: use the Open command, then log onto your “Honorverseâ€

[Teo del Fuego]

Fishy was never that crazy about the playa anyway; it was always more Scott's gig.

You weren't the bad guy at all. I don't know Crypto, never met her, and I just assumed she was a long time resident of the Playa given the massive number of posts here. I think that maybe we should cool our jets a bit, and wait for some word from those closest to Crypto so whatever we do, it will fit her needs best.

Im not a doctor--but I play one a lot-- and I dont think the lifeless alkaline dust on the Playa presents a huge risk of infection, or at least I hope not. I cant think of a better way to get ones mind off tragedy than to see Life's rich pagent pass by on the Playa. But that's me. Cant speak for anyone else.

[MoisturePup]

I wrote to a paraplegic friend in the bay area regarding home modifications and she wrote me back with this info:

How unfortunate for your friend. As far as accessibility, I do not really have the name of a specific person. However, the search for a person would occur in the design aspect, not the building aspect. So, while most carpenters or contractors would be familiar with the slope to rise ratio needed for a wheelchair ramp, they are not necessarily the best person to decide how that is implemented. You would need a design person for that. There are people who do this, but they can be pretty expensive. I have always done my own design. It is usually a very specific thing based on the physical limitations of the person and the current architecture they are working with. However, there are guidelines you can follow that are used by commercial builders for general public access for the disabled. Your friend could start with these and decide to follow them exactly or adopt them as she needs. As an example, doorways are recommended to be 36 inches wide. This will accommodate even a fairly large person in an electric wheelchair. What she has to do is to determine what she needs. There are all kinds of resources out there. If her home is too difficult to make accessible and she is considering another living place, she may decide to use portable ramps or other temporary modifications. Does she just need access to an entry or does she need extensive bathroom or kitchen remodeling? It really is a very personalized service.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4889_make-simpl ... chair.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000101-d0 ... 00138.html

http://family-friendly-fun.com/accessib ... /index.htm