BK Blogger - Sunday's Visit

Hey. Ben Kamm again.

I visited Brian Saturday prior to the big Mexicali fundraiser and have some interesting details to pass along. So, in the spirit of Mexicali, and the Spanish language in general, I'd like to greet you all with a hearty "Sacre Bleu!!! Oui-Oui, huh huh!!!!" Oh wait....that's French. Never mind.

As Aunt Marcy said, I took notes and asked questions in order to record what I heard and relay info back to all of you. I felt like some 2-bit hack reporter working on a puff piece for the News of the World, but hopefully this blog doesn't come across that way.

This might be a long one, so go ahead and print this one out, sit back, relax, and read this one on the crapper (Zo), or couch (most normal people, albeit not me, as I enjoy a good reading on the aforementioned crapper as well), or wherever you do your reading.

First and foremost, as Kell and Marcy have previously mentioned, Brian's condition is greatly improved. But you all know that.

So I guess we'll make this blog about me. Well, my favorite color is blue, I HATE cheese, and I enjoy long walks on the beach. Oh wait, none of you care about that. Back to the visit.

Secondly, I, like everyone else, was shocked by his conversational ability, and how it differed from the last time I spoke with him.

I asked Marcy when the turning point was, or what precisely happened to trigger this "light bulb" effect. One day, Brian was hardly speaking or moving, and the next he is chatting like Robin Williams on speed, and moving around with the grace of Mickael Bareesh-Mackov. Alright, maybe not to those extremes but you get the picture.

Marcy said they're pretty sure it was Dr. Horn. He likes to tinker with medications, and they decided to up the ante with one specific med. This, combined with the Great Physician's touch (God), has resulted in what seems like continued healing, and this new and improved Brian.

Now, for some things we talked about:

When I walked in, he said right off the bat, "Hey Benjamin." I figured that was a good sign. Due to my blase nature, most people don't remember me, and if they do, they soon wish they could forget they ever met me.

We talked about how Grandma and Grandpa were in Florida. He said "Did I drive them away?" (joking of course). He guessed that "they peeled out of the parking lot, burning rubber, anxious to get outta here as quick as possible."* We both laughed.

*editor's note: Jokingly, I told Brian that the REAL reason Grandma had to get to Florida was because she had a Colony Cove shuffleboard league game to get to against their fierce rivals, the Boca Breeze shuffleboard squad. She was itching to get her game on down in the Florida sun.

The conversation turned towards talk of Grandma as we imagined her in baggy mesh shorts, a headband and a Colony Cove Basketball jersey, talking trash to next-door-neighbor Ethel as she shuffles a puck, or whatever those things are, closest to the circle. We were both laughing pretty hard at that thought.

Just kidding Grams and Gramps you know I love ya's!

I asked him how his vision was. He said good. Marcy prompted him, "how about your left eye?" He closed his right eye and said "I see moving shapes and colors." He didn't seem all that concerned about it, seeing as it was only his left eye, and overall problems with the left side of his body (arm, leg, etc.) seem to persist. He attributed that to something the Doctor told him: he has 'left side neglect.' That got him singing "N-E-G-L-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me" to the tune of RESPECT by Aretha Franklin. Man, he's a regular Hennie Youngman over here!

We discussed the March Madness tournament. I told him State went out in the 2nd round. A game was actually on the television in Brian's room while I was there - Florida vs. Oregon. He remembers Joakim Noah (that "guy" that plays on Florida - you know, the "guy" with a huge ponytail who looks like a cross between Juwanna Mann, the Predator, and a Chia Pet). He asked right as I was leaving about an hour later, "Did State win?" That gives you an idea of where his short-term memory currently is at.

But like everyone said, interestingly enough, his long term memory is on point. Marcy was talking about St. John's and something the kids had to do in "3rd or 4th grade" (maybe Greenfield Village?) and Brian piped in with "3rd Grade." He said it definitively...I was convinced anyway.

He couldn't believe that A.) Aunt Marcy was "blogging" and that B.) people were actually reading it. Well Aunt Marcy, welcome to like, the 20th century, and stuff. But he couldn't believe people wanted to read about HIM.

I asked him where he was at, and he said "RIM." I said "yeah, and the next stop is home." He said, "I'm going HOME???" I said in a couple weeks, but the smile on his face at the mention of home was unmistakeable.

The conversation turned to art, and Kelsey's amazing achievements. For those who don't know, she is a regular Vincent Van Picasso (you know, that great artist that painted soup cans and stuff), and Marcy was talking about how all the accomplishments and awards she is winning will only help get into an art school.

Somehow, we began talking about how much money ar-teests make (because it costs like 3 trillion dollars a year to go to a good art school, or something like that), and Brian says "if they made money, they'd be called Well Fed Artists, not Starving Artists." I giggled like a school girl and high fived him.

Um, Kelsey: ignore the above paragraph - this was just two idiots (me and Brian) trying to be funny. You can make TONS of money as an artist if you're good, and you sir, are good.

I mentioned the Mexicali fundraiser at Trinity-Utica. Brian responds NOT with "awesome," or "sounds fun," or "cool." He actually says, "hmmm, our mortal enemy." I guess Trinity-Utica is a big rival to St. John's in Rochester (the Beckett's church). I could relate to that, if they were having the fund raiser at Pewamo Westphalia, arch rivals to Our Savior Lutheran, I wouldn't go. Or maybe I would, but I would most likely complain the whole time. And Sarah would be annoyed at me. But that's neither here nor there.

I told him what has been going on with him, from his coma to where he is now. He was honestly surprised about it all. I mentioned how obvious it has been that God has been with him every step of the way because he continues to surprise us with his healing process. He said "that's good" which made me laugh for some reason.

And that's about it.

One other thing: My mom, Kelly, and myself have been tossing around the idea of setting up a Bowl-a-Thon (Brian's favorite sport, next to underwater basket-weaving)as a fundraiser for Marcy, Brian, and medical expenses incurred. Nothing is concrete yet, we are still just talking. HOWEVER, the wheels may be in motion, and be on the lookout for further updates. I am shooting for late April, early May...anything later than that, and everybody will most likely be gone every weekend because it's summer.

This is just a alert to be on the lookout for further info. And a prayer request that if this Bowl-a-Thon does go down, it goes down BIG TIME.

Alright, that's officially it.

BK...out.