Scooter Relief Fund

Dave Walker and I went out to see Mike again. I’ve been working the last 3 weeks with only one day off so it has been a while and this was the first time I’ve seen him in his new digs.

When we got there they were just pushing him down the hall and he saw us from 20 yards away “DAVE AND SCOTT!” It was a very good sign.

Mike was very talkative, although a lot of it is super hard to understand because he is trying to talk faster than his motor skills will allow. Trying to get him to slow down is tough… he has so much to say that he tends to stream out what comes across and only catching a word or two in each sentence comes through as randomness but I know Mike knows what he is trying to say.

Mike made a few jokes, in typical Formato fashion, and when Dave and I caught the jokes and laughed Mike’s eyes lit up with the same brightness we all remember him having. For me, that was the best part of the day… it was like being in his garage while he was working on someone’s scooter and catching Mike making a funny. Then that look in his eyes…we could tell that it really made him happy to have made us laugh. Laughing with Mike… Good times!

He talked a lot about scooters… and how he is going to have to drive a car or a truck for a while (I let him know that I don’t think Sarah’s gonna let him get on a scooter for a long time to come) and spouted something about the “Ace of Clubs” which may mean something in Scooter Lingo that I’m not privy too.

All in all, Mike’s back is really hurting him… he said that they are keeping him “high as a kite” but being in a chair was extremely painful for him.

Mike also talked about the barber not doing a proper job, and his hair and side burns were pretty wacked out. Sarah is taking some good razors to try and tackle some of that Italian beard of his.

The rehab provides the bare basics for him, but Sarah is still bringing him fresh clothing, toiletries and other stuff and she is being a trooper, going to see Mke 3 times a week. I don’t know how she is doing it, financially or mentally. Hang in there, kiddo, and don’t be too shy to ask for more help! Mike has a lot of friends and we all know that this is not a short haul for Mike or you (or Ian.)

Now that Mike is up and around and much more active I went to Vision Works and bought him some new glasses so he can see again. I dropped them off over at his house yesterday afternoon so he will have them soon.

The staff at this rehab place isn’t one I place much faith in. They are extremely lazy…and even asking for a pen from the girls at the nurses desk elicited nothing more than blank stares from all three of them. It took 5 minutes to get any of them to even recognize that I was really speaking English and another 3 minutes before any of them raised enough energy to hand me one. Thankfully the woman who was watching Mike in his room, Mary, was very sweet and helpful. She is from an outside agency, the employees were completely useless offering no more than shuffling bodies to fill up space and performing no obvious tasks.
Mary said that Mike is a wonderful patient to work with. He is not aggro like many people in his situation and lets people help him rather than fighting and fending people off and trying to do more than he can.

That said, hopefully Mike can come home soon… he REALLY WANTS to have more company. If anyone can make it out to see him PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do. Again, this is no short haul… Mike has a long way to go and it is going to take all of the people who love him to reach down deep into whatever they have to help him out emotionally, by visiting him, and financially by trying to help Sarah out with her traveling and household expenses. I don’t know what Sarah’s jeep gets in gas mileage, but I know my truck takes $50 for one round trip so those costs to Sarah are truly extraordinary…

I’m going to see about working out a time with her to change her oil next week if she has some time off.

More news next week and more power to Mike!

-Scott

Finally got to see Mike again! My friend Spirit rode along w/ me to help support Mike.
Mike seemed surprised to see us when we came in, but was quite conversant right away. He spoke easily, with good articulation early, but had some difficulties communicating as we stayed later. He said he was feeling better & more comfortable, but still weak.
Mike’s ankle no longer has a cast on it, and showed minimal scarring from stitches & injury. He is still very skinny, but his face is looking more healthy & like himself.
Sarah arrived @ 10 minutes after we did, bringing Mike new boxers & socks, toothpaste, some homemade linguine pasta from sister Suzanna, and a smoothie to help soothe his healing throat.
Mike is still trying to get his bearings. His physical therapy is concentrating on fine motor functions & personal care, but he does not remember using the wheelchair in his room. His coordination is getting more dialed in- he is feeding himself nicely, but with some effort in manipulating objects to his mouth.
Conversation varied in subject and ability, I was trying to get Mike to recall different times in his life, as well as present. Mike recalled right away his first car- 1971 240 Z- and other stories with maybe a name or scenario to jog his memory. He also became frustrated at times trying to speak, saying once that his throat felt hairy, and later that he was tired of trying to talk.
At one point, after me asking repeatedly for him to speak clearly so I could understand him, Mike quietly & calmly stated that he could understand everything we were saying, but his he was having trouble with language. When I asked him whether he thought that was due to his medication or his head trauma, he replied “A little of both”.

Mike has got a lot of healing to do yet, but he is more of the man we remember every day!
-Andy

Margaret here. I am happy to report we (Sarah, Suzanna, Andy, and Margaret) had a great visit with Mike on Sunday. He is now in a rehab facility called Metro West on WestGate in Orlando. Metro West Nursing & Rehab Center. 5900 Westgate Drive. Orlando, FL 32825. He is allowed visitors, and would love to see friends, but just get in touch with me (Margaret) first so I can let Sarah know you want to visit, as a courtesy. You can send me an email at margareteldridge@yahoo.com or text me at 8139197242 and I will get back to you promptly. I can also give you directions at that point. The facility is pretty easy to get to. At any rate, Mike is becoming more like himself all the time. He is talking up a storm, though it is difficult to understand what he is saying. He is also eating voraciously, though the food at the place doesn’t look very tasty. If you visit, some yummy vegetarian food would probably be welcomed–nothing too spicy though. We brought Mike a large strawberry milkshake, and he couldn’t suck it down fast enough. Sarah was trying to slow him down to save him from a frosty beverage brain freeze, but he was basically like just let me have the damn shake. We played ball, and Mike is getting pretty good at both throwing and catching. The cast is off his leg, all the tubes are out, and he is getting physical therapy. He is still very weak, and aware of that fact, which is frustrating for him. Also, he was pandering for cigarettes while we were there. That was the first time Mike mentioned smoking since he woke up. Obviously, smoking cigarettes is not conducive to healing or to his general health, so if you visit, please don’t give Mike any cigarettes. I don’t know where he got the idea, but he hasn’t smoked in over 3 months now, and it would be nice if he could take this opportunity to make a break from it. That, of course, is just my humble opinion. Anyhow, keep checking back on this site, and if you visit, make a post. It won’t appear immediately if it is your first time posting because I have to approve new posts/posters, but I check regularly and will get it published for you. Thanks to everyone for the awesome support and turnout over the weekend at the VFW event and the show at New World. Both were a great success and Sarah is extremely grateful! There is another event planned that Erin mentioned to me, and I will post it on the Events and Fundraisers page as soon as I have more details.