This update is for September 24, 2007
Dear family and friends,
Due to some health issues and skirmishes with our internet provider, it's been a while since the last update. Thankfully, the health issues have been mine, not Danny's -- some kind of virus that wiped me out for weeks but is finally on the run.
As for the internet provider, PLEASE NOTE: due to Adelphia's sale to Time-Warner, our old email addresses of "adelphia.net" are phasing out, so now for Lynn, write to lynnswan@roadrunner.com and for me, either manonash@roadrunner.com or jpmaguire7@roadrunner.com. In recent weeks, the transition has resulted in periods when we did not receive any emails and those we sent never arrived, so if you wrote us and were perplexed not to receive a response, that's why. It seems to be fixed now.
On to the important stuff: Danny continues to do very well. Recent visits from Maggie and Penny with their EEG machine have shown that his brainwaves are slowly rebounding from the fall and seizure he suffered back in June. He's got a ways to go before he'll be back to pre-fall levels but his ongoing improvements in other areas keep us encouraged, as do all the love and support from friends and family.
A few Sundays ago, Danny's friend Stacie Steinmeier organized what she called a "Carpe Diem" for Danny. Stacy explained to him that whereas his guests often just sat and caught him up on news, on this day they were going to entertain him and let him know how proud they were of his hard work. With a dozen celebrants on hand, there was an abundance of music, poetry, stories and laughs. As the Irish would say, the craic was good.
For the past couple months, Danny's been playing blackjack (the card game also known as "21") with his friends. He studies his cards, then indicates his moves to the dealer by touching either "HIT" or "STAY" on the dry-erase board. We've structured the game in a way so that the competitors play against each other as well as the dealer and Danny tends to win more often than not.
A few weeks back he was riding a five game winning streak when his band-mates from "Good For Nothing", Sherif, Ediz and Brian, came over to play. The competition got a little heated. One player, who will go unnamed (the bass player), cruised to victory in the first game and then won a nail-biter in the second. As he rubbed his triumphs in the noses of the vanquished, including Danny, I teased him that it was pretty harsh to needle someone in Danny's condition. We all agreed however that it was great that Danny has come so far that he's now a trash-talk-worthy force on the blackjack table. Since these games require him to concentrate for 30 or 40 hands, the fact that he's playing without nodding off means he must be enjoying himself.
These days Danny's got a new winning streak going. So if you're coming to visit and want to play a few hands, bring your checkbook. (Actually, we've yet to play for money.)
Danny continues to do the astounding math problems. I won't bother listing them anymore. Some of the therapy time that he used to spend on math is now devoted to letting his hands meander on a small electronic keyboard to make music. In the beginning the tones were few and far between but have been coming faster of late. And while the notes seem fairly random, he brings great concentration to the process and has surprised us with some interesting combinations.
We've also noticed that his eyes seem to track now and then. Still not following a person or object as it moves across his line of vision but moving slowly to catch up when someone changes position. It's still inconsistent but it's a pronounced improvement.
He continues to slowly spell out heartening messages by slowly touching his left hand down on his alphabet board. Lynn sits at his feet, writing each letter upside down on the dry-erase board so that he can read what he's composing. During Mehera Busfield's visit last week, he spelled "Mehera is very wonderful". (See attached photo)
About a month ago, Lynn's twin sister Teri relocated to Asheville, N.C. (where she has a son, daughter and grandson living). Danny indicated on his board that he'd miss her "A Lot". We all do. She was a constant source of help and love for us, supporting us in countless ways. Her leaving would have been unthinkable a year ago but now we're far enough along that we can manage while waiting for her to visit.
Danny had some fun when his friend Matt Warsaw came by a while back. He spelled out "Matt is rad" on his board, confusing me since I don't think of "rad" as one of his favored superlatives. But then Matt explained that back when they were roommates at C.U. Boulder, Matt had described something as "rad" and Danny had informed him that the adjective was no longer in style. (It has since made a comeback apparently.) For the next several weeks, Danny had teased Matt by applying the word to everything that came along. And now, three years later, Danny was teasing him again.
Several friends have written to suggest we try out various electronic communication devices with Danny, but we don't think he's ready for them since his hand movements are not fine enough to purposefully hit smaller keys. Given the high price of such devices, we'll hold off a while before giving one a try.
Speaking of costs, I have to tell you an interesting story. The drunk hit-and-run driver who struck Danny is now in jail, serving a seven year term. According to the prosecutor, in the immediate aftermath of the accident, the man was surly, pleaded innocent and hired a slick high-priced attorney to help him beat the charge. (He'd had four prior drunk-driving arrests without doing time.) However, after undergoing voluntary rehab, the man returned to court and read an emotional letter of apology in which he took full responsibility and agreed to the prison term. The prosecutor said it was the most remarkable transformation he'd ever seen -- not surprising to me, given all the divine energy that's surrounded this case from the beginning. Thankfully, we've never had to see the man or communicate with him, preferring to avoid any negativity so we could focus positively on Danny's recovery, unfettered by bitterness or anger.
However, as part of the settlement in the case, the driver deeded over his West Los Angeles condominium to us. We hoped to sell it right away and use the proceeds for Danny's care. But less than a week after we took possession back in February, the condo's management company announced that massive improvements were required to waterproof the building, and each unit would be assessed a huge amount (which has still not been finalized). The buyers we had lined up pulled out and over the next seven months, due to the assessment and the collapsing housing market, we were forced to drop the asking price way down. Finally, at the beginning of this month, the sale was completed. But after paying the mortgage, taxes and fees for seven months, we actually took a substantial loss. (Providentially, we're doing all right and could absorb the blow.)
On the day of closing, the escrow company notified me I had to wire money to them to tie up all the loose ends. This put me over the edge. For the first time in this 26 month adventure, I became really, truly angry. When I got home from the bank, I was angry to such an extent that Lynn and I almost didn't get Danny up on the therapy table, for fear that I'd poison the day's work. I was still feeling enraged when we set his alphabet board on his lap and asked him if he wanted to write a message. He painstakingly touched one letter after another, until he had written, "MEHER SAYS GOD IS LOVE". My anger lifted, burned off by the love and gratitude that have been the hallmarks of our journey with Danny.
And a few days later, when the guy who lives behind us came over to curtly complain about the pigeons who line the phone wires between our houses and swoop down to dine on the seeds the sparrows and finches shake loose from our bird feeders, I smiled cordially. I told him I'd be happy to discourage the pigeons, and chatted about how caring for Danny has helped us to not get so worked up about inconsequential things. I don't think he got the passive-aggressive irony, making it all the more amusing.
So we continue to continue, with Danny leading the way. Thanks, as always, for all the love and prayers and good wishes. These days we're offering our own prayers to several friends and family members who've been contending with cancer, among them Doug Jayne, Akiil Afaq and my cousin Kristi. Please take a moment to hold them in your thoughts. And take another moment if you and yours are doing well. Give thanks, and never take if for granted.
Much love, Jeff
Attached are photos of:
1) Sherif, Danny, Ediz and Brian playing blackjack.
2) Danny and Mehera Busfield.
3) Danny and our friend Sheri Hein who comes every Tuesday morning to do Reiki healing with him.
"Forever at the door I gave my heart and soul. My fortune, too. I've no flock anymore, no other work in view. My occupation: love. It's all I do." St. John of the Cross
"Meher says God is love." - Danny Maguire
to write to Jeff: manonash@roadrunner.com to write to Lynn: lynnswan@roadrunner.com for mailing list issues (Mitchell Rose): dannymagnews@gmail.com to view previous updates: groups-beta.google.com/group/dannynews to automatically unsubscribe, send email to dannynews-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
Dear family and friends,
Due to some health issues and skirmishes with our internet provider, it's been a while since the last update. Thankfully, the health issues have been mine, not Danny's -- some kind of virus that wiped me out for weeks but is finally on the run.
As for the internet provider, PLEASE NOTE: due to Adelphia's sale to Time-Warner, our old email addresses of "adelphia.net" are phasing out, so now for Lynn, write to lynnswan@roadrunner.com and for me, either manonash@roadrunner.com or jpmaguire7@roadrunner.com. In recent weeks, the transition has resulted in periods when we did not receive any emails and those we sent never arrived, so if you wrote us and were perplexed not to receive a response, that's why. It seems to be fixed now.
On to the important stuff: Danny continues to do very well. Recent visits from Maggie and Penny with their EEG machine have shown that his brainwaves are slowly rebounding from the fall and seizure he suffered back in June. He's got a ways to go before he'll be back to pre-fall levels but his ongoing improvements in other areas keep us encouraged, as do all the love and support from friends and family.
A few Sundays ago, Danny's friend Stacie Steinmeier organized what she called a "Carpe Diem" for Danny. Stacy explained to him that whereas his guests often just sat and caught him up on news, on this day they were going to entertain him and let him know how proud they were of his hard work. With a dozen celebrants on hand, there was an abundance of music, poetry, stories and laughs. As the Irish would say, the craic was good.
For the past couple months, Danny's been playing blackjack (the card game also known as "21") with his friends. He studies his cards, then indicates his moves to the dealer by touching either "HIT" or "STAY" on the dry-erase board. We've structured the game in a way so that the competitors play against each other as well as the dealer and Danny tends to win more often than not.
A few weeks back he was riding a five game winning streak when his band-mates from "Good For Nothing", Sherif, Ediz and Brian, came over to play. The competition got a little heated. One player, who will go unnamed (the bass player), cruised to victory in the first game and then won a nail-biter in the second. As he rubbed his triumphs in the noses of the vanquished, including Danny, I teased him that it was pretty harsh to needle someone in Danny's condition. We all agreed however that it was great that Danny has come so far that he's now a trash-talk-worthy force on the blackjack table. Since these games require him to concentrate for 30 or 40 hands, the fact that he's playing without nodding off means he must be enjoying himself.
These days Danny's got a new winning streak going. So if you're coming to visit and want to play a few hands, bring your checkbook. (Actually, we've yet to play for money.)
Danny continues to do the astounding math problems. I won't bother listing them anymore. Some of the therapy time that he used to spend on math is now devoted to letting his hands meander on a small electronic keyboard to make music. In the beginning the tones were few and far between but have been coming faster of late. And while the notes seem fairly random, he brings great concentration to the process and has surprised us with some interesting combinations.
We've also noticed that his eyes seem to track now and then. Still not following a person or object as it moves across his line of vision but moving slowly to catch up when someone changes position. It's still inconsistent but it's a pronounced improvement.
He continues to slowly spell out heartening messages by slowly touching his left hand down on his alphabet board. Lynn sits at his feet, writing each letter upside down on the dry-erase board so that he can read what he's composing. During Mehera Busfield's visit last week, he spelled "Mehera is very wonderful". (See attached photo)
About a month ago, Lynn's twin sister Teri relocated to Asheville, N.C. (where she has a son, daughter and grandson living). Danny indicated on his board that he'd miss her "A Lot". We all do. She was a constant source of help and love for us, supporting us in countless ways. Her leaving would have been unthinkable a year ago but now we're far enough along that we can manage while waiting for her to visit.
Danny had some fun when his friend Matt Warsaw came by a while back. He spelled out "Matt is rad" on his board, confusing me since I don't think of "rad" as one of his favored superlatives. But then Matt explained that back when they were roommates at C.U. Boulder, Matt had described something as "rad" and Danny had informed him that the adjective was no longer in style. (It has since made a comeback apparently.) For the next several weeks, Danny had teased Matt by applying the word to everything that came along. And now, three years later, Danny was teasing him again.
Several friends have written to suggest we try out various electronic communication devices with Danny, but we don't think he's ready for them since his hand movements are not fine enough to purposefully hit smaller keys. Given the high price of such devices, we'll hold off a while before giving one a try.
Speaking of costs, I have to tell you an interesting story. The drunk hit-and-run driver who struck Danny is now in jail, serving a seven year term. According to the prosecutor, in the immediate aftermath of the accident, the man was surly, pleaded innocent and hired a slick high-priced attorney to help him beat the charge. (He'd had four prior drunk-driving arrests without doing time.) However, after undergoing voluntary rehab, the man returned to court and read an emotional letter of apology in which he took full responsibility and agreed to the prison term. The prosecutor said it was the most remarkable transformation he'd ever seen -- not surprising to me, given all the divine energy that's surrounded this case from the beginning. Thankfully, we've never had to see the man or communicate with him, preferring to avoid any negativity so we could focus positively on Danny's recovery, unfettered by bitterness or anger.
However, as part of the settlement in the case, the driver deeded over his West Los Angeles condominium to us. We hoped to sell it right away and use the proceeds for Danny's care. But less than a week after we took possession back in February, the condo's management company announced that massive improvements were required to waterproof the building, and each unit would be assessed a huge amount (which has still not been finalized). The buyers we had lined up pulled out and over the next seven months, due to the assessment and the collapsing housing market, we were forced to drop the asking price way down. Finally, at the beginning of this month, the sale was completed. But after paying the mortgage, taxes and fees for seven months, we actually took a substantial loss. (Providentially, we're doing all right and could absorb the blow.)
On the day of closing, the escrow company notified me I had to wire money to them to tie up all the loose ends. This put me over the edge. For the first time in this 26 month adventure, I became really, truly angry. When I got home from the bank, I was angry to such an extent that Lynn and I almost didn't get Danny up on the therapy table, for fear that I'd poison the day's work. I was still feeling enraged when we set his alphabet board on his lap and asked him if he wanted to write a message. He painstakingly touched one letter after another, until he had written, "MEHER SAYS GOD IS LOVE". My anger lifted, burned off by the love and gratitude that have been the hallmarks of our journey with Danny.
And a few days later, when the guy who lives behind us came over to curtly complain about the pigeons who line the phone wires between our houses and swoop down to dine on the seeds the sparrows and finches shake loose from our bird feeders, I smiled cordially. I told him I'd be happy to discourage the pigeons, and chatted about how caring for Danny has helped us to not get so worked up about inconsequential things. I don't think he got the passive-aggressive irony, making it all the more amusing.
So we continue to continue, with Danny leading the way. Thanks, as always, for all the love and prayers and good wishes. These days we're offering our own prayers to several friends and family members who've been contending with cancer, among them Doug Jayne, Akiil Afaq and my cousin Kristi. Please take a moment to hold them in your thoughts. And take another moment if you and yours are doing well. Give thanks, and never take if for granted.
Much love, Jeff
Attached are photos of:
1) Sherif, Danny, Ediz and Brian playing blackjack.
2) Danny and Mehera Busfield.
3) Danny and our friend Sheri Hein who comes every Tuesday morning to do Reiki healing with him.
"Forever at the door I gave my heart and soul. My fortune, too. I've no flock anymore, no other work in view. My occupation: love. It's all I do." St. John of the Cross
"Meher says God is love." - Danny Maguire
to write to Jeff: manonash@roadrunner.com to write to Lynn: lynnswan@roadrunner.com for mailing list issues (Mitchell Rose): dannymagnews@gmail.com to view previous updates: groups-beta.google.com/group/dannynews to automatically unsubscribe, send email to dannynews-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
