Julie R Fricke

Hello Friends,

Well I feel as though I am welcoming myself back from the Rat Race. School last term was the very definition of rat race--that is--too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Then Summer started. It was back to the rat race. That was pretty busy--and then my youngest brother was rear -ended on Hwy 5 in the middle of the day. A woman came speeding up behind him and clipped him, sending his car careening into the other traffic. Fortunately, no one else was injured. My brother, however, sustained massive injuries, as did his wife, when their minivan rolled twice according to witnesses. The woman was arrested and handcuffed on the scene and carted off to jail for DUI.The other good news is that the insurance is falling nicely into place. The woman claimed it was my brother's fault, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't. Her insurance (thank goodness she had it!) will pay for everything. (Hallelujah. Jim had been stressing about the bills. It appears that the insurance will cover everything and then some.)

Jim (my brother) was medivacced away from the accident scene and taken to Fresno. Their car had been crushed. He sustained a head injury which required a shunt in his skull to relieve pressure. Two of his vertebrae were cracked in multiple places. For that he was immobilized in a thoracic brace as well as a neck brace. (Those should come off in about 12 weeks.) He broke his arm and he broke some ribs. He received a tracheotomy when he had a seizure in the MRI machine and was aspirating the contents of his stomach. He was put in a medically induced coma for about 2 weeks. Then the sedatives they put him on were really effective. Too effective, in fact. One effect of all that is that Jim was confabulating, which means that he imagined some rather bizarre events, like that he and my dad had been to the moon!

His wife had a double compound fracture in her arm, some broken ribs and a deflated lung. She also broke some bones in her foot.

Their 13 year old daughter suffered several cuts to her leg.

No one in the family is keen on driving now.

The doctors don't want Jim or anyone else in the family to worry about bills. Note, this doesn't mean that they aren't charging! But they still consider his injuries at this point to be brain related.

The bottom line in all this is that Jim's optimistic attitude has really fueled his recovery. He has blown through every milestone for occupational, physical, and cognitive testing they have given him. He even said, "This accident was really a good thing." Incredulous, I asked him what he meant. "Well look how it has brought the family together," he replied.

I must say that we are a close family, but I'm glad that he sees how we are pulling together as a good thing. Ironically, my brother Ben had retired from his career the day before the accident. He has seamlessly stepped right in to manage Jim's care. Another brother(who is still working) spent his weekend with Jim. I couldn't get away from my summer job, but flew up there the next morning after my summer session finished. A lot of his friends and co-workers have come by to visit, even the new pastor of their church.

I have about 2 weeks before I have to be back at work. I'm hoping to visit him again. I want to give Ben a chance to breathe a little.

Maybe when the Jewish holidays come in I can visit again. I want to post a photo but I better put this up before I lose it!

I've been mulling over the signs of impending old age lately. It's not a pretty sight. You know, when you're under 21, you look forward to growing older. In your twenties you fool yourself into thinking you're in a perpetual time out of time machine. You're 28 but you still feel pretty much like you're 22. Suddenly you hit thirty and realise it's the end of life as you know it. About 5 months later you begin to realise it ISN'T the end of life as you know it, but you begin to feel that nagging concern that age happens.

After you get over that you convince yourself that age really doesn't matter. Yay! But after a while, things creep up on you. That first grey hair. (No worries, an anomaly!) The second (wow, another anomaly!)

You get a little forgetful, but as experts have stated, it's really simply because, the older you get, the more there is for you to remember!!! Yay!

One day I was coming out of the grocery store and I saw the ancient lady from across the street ambling slowly through the parking lot with the Ralph's employee solicitously following her, searching futilely for her car. I felt so bad for her. Such a tragedy. That lady now has a caretaker and has certifiably lost it. Her dear husband is ancient in his own right but seems the more coherent of the two. The three of them, Mr. and Mrs. and Ms Caretaker, make quite a twosome as they go everywhere together.

I am now in a holiday period from school. I have little I must do and I am enjoying the freedom. Unfortunately I am finding that freedom from thinking about work is translating into freedom from thinking. I have been to the store and forgotten to pick up the very thing I went there for. Yes, I know, this happens to everybody, all the time. But sheesh, it's getting a little too frequent for my peace of mind!

My brother, who is a mere 1 year younger than I am posted this a few weeks ago about a recent camping trip, "I forgot to bring silverware of any sort, a lantern, toilet paper (yeah napkins), non water shoes, lost my glasses, and brought mismatched ends from two different fishing poles."

Somehow this seems like confirmation that I too am going down that long slippery slope to senility. (PS he's not senile!)(Well, no more than me.)

Last week I was peering at my feet searching for fleas (yuch, yes, we presently have been invaded.) What do I find but a really strange lump on my toe joint. (GAK, bone lumps!)

Then today it happened.

I walked out of the grocery store and--couldn't find my car. I had absolutely no idea where I had put it. I hasten to add that it was 97 degrees outside, but, nevertheless, where the heck was the dang car.

I wonder if that lady's caretaker could fit in one more. PS I eventually found the car--without the aid of the grocery employee. Yay!

And Ben, maybe we can get a group discount!! (Yay!)