Mike cannot have unthickened liquids of any kind. No soda, juice, etc. Milkshakes and smoothies are ok. I’m posting this because several times unthickened liquids have been left in his room by visitors. Visits and kindness are appreciated, but the unthickened liquids are a choking hazard. Thanks, and please keep up your support for Mike, Sarah, and Ian.
-Margaret
10/3/2009
This is Margaret. I went to visit Mike this Sunday. It was his son Ian’s 2nd birthday. Mike had a Spiderman baseball hat to give Ian. It seemed like Mike liked the hat more than Ian, but both looked cute wearing it. Sarah and Ian and Suzanna were there too. We had a good visit. Mike is cracking more jokes these days. I think he is funnier than he used to be. That said, I can tell he is depressed by his situation and needs personal encouragement to work hard on his physical therapy so he can get the heck out of rehab. Mike was very talkative and alert. His motor skills and coordination are getting better very slowly, but surely. He seemed very happy to have visitors, so please go see him. If you are wondering what you can do to help, go visit Mike and ask him to keep working on his PT and not give up. He likes strawberry milkshakes, so bring him one of those if you can. See the contact page for information about the facility in St. Pete.
New user registration had been turned off. Not sure how or why. Anyway, it is back up. Go to http://mikeformato.info/wp-login.php?action=register.
Mike,
This is your cousin Tony Formato (Jack’s son) in Greensboro NC. I am so sorry to hear about your accident. I was researching Formato’s on the internet and ran across this page to my great suprise. It has been 7 or 8 years since we all met at Denny’s in Tampa. I know that as one of the Formato men you will come back strong so you hang in there and I will keep track of your progress. From what I have read here you are surrounded by a strong loving family and many good friends.
Tony
Andy, Joe and myself went out to see Mike at his new place Tuesday evening. It was my first time visiting Mike so I wasn’t sure what to expect, even though I had been checking updates on his recovery. I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised to see how much Mike has progressed. He’s looking more like his old self (from the waist up) and greatly appreciates Andy trimming him up to bring his handsome back! His focus and speech are improving, but more visitors would only help him practice more. The new facility seems more than adequate for his needs at this time. The staff appear attentive and caring and his roommate keeps an eye out for him. Mike said to tell everyone that he says hi and sends his love. All in all the best part of the visit was seeing Mike smile and laugh out loud!
-Jill
If you do visit Mike, PLEASE post something. Mike still has many friends all over the place who check this site for updates.
Thanks,
Andy
I went to see Mike in his new location today, it is really close (at least compared to Orlando.) It took only 25 minutes door to door from my apartment in S. Tampa. The facility is MUCH nicer than the last one. The staff was actually receptive and smiling which a is a huge change from the previous staff which couldn’t be bothered to pick up a pen that was sitting right in front of them when I asked to borrow one. I got to speak with the Director of Activities, Pam, and she showed me to the area where they store balls and other things to help with his coordination. She not only welcomed me to go get anything I wanted but encouraged me to get Mike active and into his chair to take him out to the garden area and have him get more activity out of his bed. Apparently Mike got a little argumentative with staff earlier when they took him out into the social area. He didn’t want to leave his bed… His room mate, Tom, said that Mike would just lay in bed 100% of the time if he had his way so I’m going to try and get him out of bed as often as I can.
When I got there he was in a really good mood. His speech was greatly improved and like Andy mentioned in his last post, Mike was very talkative. It was great to be able to understand what he was saying and I only had to have him repeat himself a few times. This has to be a relief for Mike too. He really enjoyed hearing messages from his friends as I passed them along and he specifically wanted me to tell Bob and Marie Miller hello and let them know how much he likes them. As of now there is no rehab, per se, but only some activities. Today he played “volleyball” with other residents using a balloon.
Mike has some difficulty with remembering and associating when recent events had occurred. For instance he insisted that the operation he had last week just took place yesterday and he was sure that Sarah had just been there before I arrived although Sarah had already told me that she hasn’t yet been there this weekend. I think that after all of this time with no schedule and months of not having to know what day it is I’d be confused too. Apart from that,he is REALLY perceptive to things… like psychically perceptive. I’ll not go too deep into this, but it is a follow up to his mentioning something that Sarah and I had discussed in the jeep on our last trip to Orlando when he had no way of knowing.
I’m really excited to be able to go see Mike a few days a week now. Even short visits make his day. I know that tomorrow Dave, Sarah and I think Mike’s mom are all going to go see him.
-Scott
Best news yet for Mike! He has occupied a bed to suit his needs close to home!
Monday Mike was moved to Pinellas Point Rehab Center. It is just off of the 54th St. S. exit on 275. The room is a bit smaller, and there is a patient in the 2nd bed, but the facilities seem nice, and Sarah is impressed w/ the bustle of the employees- as if they are getting things done!
I arrived late afternoon for a short visit, really just to return Mike’s personal effects, so I did not have much time to check out the place. Mike was served a nice plate of catfish while I was there, so I have high hopes for the food.
Mike was in a good mood and pretty chatty, even though he said he was sleepy. He must have been exhausted by the move & adjusting to the new place. He looked good and clean and was clearly glad to be closer to home.
Now friends & family can visit more often. It no longer requires most of a day to travel & visit. Most of us can now see Mike before or after work. There are no restrictions on visiting hours, but reasonable hours should be respected.
Mike is still gaining weight so if you would like to bring him something, try a strawberry shake/smoothie or vegetarian snack!
-Andy
Joe Cannata & I got to see Mike today, stopping at ABC Pizza in Plant City for lunch and Meal for Mike. A special eggplant grinder was prepared for him in lieu of a vegetable lasagne. When we arrived at Mike’s room, he was very excited to see Joe- it had regrettably been a while since Joe has been able to visit.
While Mike and Joe were catching up, Mike’s sit-in Nurse took me outside to tell me that an ambulance was on the way to take Mike to the hospital. Apparantly, Formato had a CT scan in mid July, and the determination had been made to drain some excess fluid from Mike’s brain. This condition may have been the reason for Mike’s frequent complaints of dizziness & nausea.
Joe and I contnued our visit with Mike, and he was very interested in the food we had brought for him even though he had already had his dinner. Mike’s conversation is getting clearer and more focused all the time, having to repeat himself less often, even though he still gets lazy with his articulation sometimes.
He wanted another trim for his hair, so we filled time waiting for ambulance with haircut and more chat. Mike was in wheelchair when we got there, and we saw him make a great, coordinated move to his bed with much attention- but little or no assistance.
After the transport took Mike away, Joe and I gathered up Mike’s personal belongings so they wouldn’t get lost. Wherever Mike needs them next, his things will be available.
We will see what improvement Mike wiil make once this fluid situation is resolved, let’s hope for a smooth procedure, quick recovery, and a speedier healing process when it’s done!
-Andy
Sarah and I went out to see Mike again today and brought IAN! (Man that kid is HUGE!)
This was the first time Mike had seen Ian since the accident and he was very excited. He got pretty choked up…and with a tear in his eye he said “It isn’t fair.”
Mike was very tired today and his conversation suffered because of it. A lot of what he said was completely without context as far as Sarah and I could figure out. Something about a maiden voyage, something about thumbs… Speaking of which, one thing stood out like a sore thumb.
On the drive out to see him Sarah and I were talking about hummus and I said that I had a jones for some so I am gonna make some as soon as I get home. After about two hours of talking with Mike he suddenly said, “What Scott likes.” Sarah and I asked him what he meant and Mike said, “Hummus, Scott likes hummus.”
Wh-wh-what?! No kidding, neither of us had mentioned it since we got to the rehab center, and I don’t think Mike and I EVER talked about it. That was really really really weird. Our eyes got HUGE and we were amazed. Out of the blue, how the hell did Mike come up with that?
Not much more to relate about the visit, like I said, Mike was really tired. He is getting more frustrated with his condition and is not seeing progress with his rehab/therapy. He is pretty depressed. I hope some people can go out to see him and cheer him up.
I’m going to hit a Toys-R-Us and pick up some toys for him to practice his motor skills before I see him again.
That is all for today’s report! Keep Mike in your prayers, he needs all of them he can get.
-Scott