3 Days (includes a medical update)

Its 8:40 am
 
   Never fails....I go away for three days and the world changes on a dime. Where to start,what to say?
First,thank you for reading my last blog about Verily Vereen,I'm going to be pushing that entry a lot...I forwarded it to both Rep Hansen Clarke and to the White House. And based on my little visitor tracker,someone was paying attention. So who knows,maybe one voice can make a little difference...

 Its a snowy day here in SE Michigan here on Valentine's Day. Got iTunes up and on shuffle,blogging to music is one of my favorite ways to write and listening to Kristy MacColl (you are so sorely missed!) while Derek is camped out on the big comfy chair behind me. Once I get some coffee,we'll be ready to turn this mutha out...*s*

First,the big news....
  Yesterday was our re-scheduled appointment in Ann Arbor with Dr. Johnston. She talked and examined Lori and again expressed just how remarkable Lori is doing. She did indeed schedule us for another PET scan but it sounds like she looking a clean scan this time around and while she didn't say the "R" word,she has never sounded more hopeful. Of she did temper it a bit by saying if we needed to continue,they would have a next phase already mapped out.
 But Lori is feeling so much better and stronger,she says this is the best she has felt in two years. A great sign indeed! Of course once again,we turn our eyes to the PET scan and await what the results will be.

But of course the big news is the terrible loss of a major talent that was taken away much too early.  Last weekend author and speaker Jeffrey Zaslow was killed in a car accident while promoting his latest book.
Jeff was a best selling writer who co- wrote "The Last Lecture" w/teacher Randy Pausch who continued to teach while dying of cancer.
  He also wrote about Gabby Giffords and Captain Chesley Sullenberger,both books which are major bestsellers. He traveled everywhere to promote his work and was very well known for staying way past his signing time to talk to his readers and fans. Now while I had heard about the books and subjects above,I didn't know it was Jeffrey who had co-written/written these works. But thinking about it and listening to all the wonderful tributes pouring in on his death,I am not surprised. Thinking how compassionate one would have to be to sit and talk to someone dying,another who almost died and had suffered greatly and a man,who along with his aircrew,brought down a jet safely in a major river with no loss of life...to sit there and gently coax into words what these folks were feeling,thinking and remembering.
  It takes an extremely gifted writer to do that and by accounts,Jeff was such a rare writer who could do this.
 Now while we didn't know Jeff,we do his wife...we watch Sherry Margolis every weeknight on the news on Fox 2 here in Detroit. Sherry is a very good anchorperson who isn't afraid to show her personality when she reports the news. Far too many times,you get anchors who act more like robots then really care about the people and issues they are reporting on. Sherry isn't like that at all and is one of the main reasons we watch Fox 2 on a daily basis.
 
To learn more about Jeffrey and his career:
http://www.jeffzaslow.com/

 Saturday saw us taking a trip to Westland to get our taxes done. We had planned for a 10 am appointment but we had to go in later because we had to get our medical receipts in order....another fun fact of having a serious illness,you must be track of every slip of paper so you can claim it.
 We headed to the tax place,it was so bitterly cold. We passed several little malls and some of the businesses have people dressed up and holding a sign promoting their businesses. The local ordinance says you can't place a stationary sign on the sidewalk,so if you want a sign,it has to stay in motion. Hence why the folks are out there moving,sometimes in goofy costumes. But Good Lord,it was so cold last weekend...you felt like doing one of two things....buying the sign holder a hot drink and/or driving to the shop,ask to see the owner and punching him in the throat for making these guys stand out there in the cold.
  Traffic was pretty thick and we eased our way to the tax office. While we were there,different workers were calling folks to say that the IRS was saying return checks would be late. Seems like a whole lot of fraud and ID theft was in place this year and combined with a new IRS computer program,its been hell for some folks.
 And of course you know Detroit had to get in the mix....seems like some tax workers at a local office decided to steal and cash some of the folks they were paid to help. The owner suspended 4 of his workers for the thefts,seems to me,he should be seeking to have them arrested and refund the victims not only their returns but the fee they were charged as well.
  We ended the day with some grocery shopping and headed home.
But in watching the news,we found out why our traffic was so heavy,a woman was killed on I-275 by the Michigan Ave. overpass. She had hit a patch of ice,spun her car,hit a barrier and then was t-boned by a Jeep. This caused a massive traffic backup and thus the above average traffic. The roads are icy because of last weeks snow. Add in today's snow PLUS we're expecting rain on Thursday and accidents will be plentiful if folks aren't careful.
  Sunday saw us heading to Taylor to one of our favorite little places,the Christmas Tree Shop. This is a deep discount store owned by Bed,Bath and Beyond. It really is more of a old fashioned General Store then anything else. You name it,this store has it. We picked up some pantry items,new kitchen gadgets,some tablecloths,a beautiful pasta cookbook and I even found a fun looking Blu-Ray movie for only 5 bucks.
Now we had a coupon that saved us 10 bucks on 50 spent. We thought we had 30 bucks in goods but when we had 40...we decided to get a few more items to take advantage of our coupon. We had a good laugh at that because that is how we are now.
   Came home and cooked a roast and baked a cake. And then we did something we hadn't done in years...we watched the Grammy Awards. Normally I avoid this show like the plague but Lori and I wanted to watch Adele collect her 6 trophies and sing live.
  We set up our little coffee table up and had dinner in there while the show was on. While the awards were predictable (they are based on SoundScan sales),the live performances were pretty good....enjoyed Bruno Mars channeling a little Morris Day and Taylor Swift is pretty spunky as well. One can't get the feeling that little Taylor carries a mean streak in her when she gets crossed. The Foo Fighters tore it up as well and of course Adele was amazing. I really hope she takes care of that voice,it really quite lovely.
 But there was bad moments as well....like Katy Perry,wow,did that suck...and just when I was thinking of getting into Nicki Minaj,she gave us that mess? Coldplay? More like Snoreplay....
And I guess Whitney Houston finally cashed in her chips....I used to have her on my Celebrity Dead Pool list 4 or 5 years running. I know she was supposed to be making a comeback but drugs and a heavy smoking habit had robbed her voice YEARS ago. I don't think people are mourning her today as much as they are mourning what she USED to be years ago.

    Monday saw us in Ann Arbor and then we came home. Had a great lunch and did more bill paying and other exciting stuff like that. While Lori took a nap,I downloaded enough songs to get me past 1,000 on the iPod. We ran more errands and finished our day by watching the rest of Season 2 of the Mary Tyler Moore show.
   I stayed up to catch Kevin Dietz's report on Channel 4 on how people talk about Detroit via hidden cameras. It was interesting but pretty flawed when they had a local shrink try and say anyone putting down Detroit is the one who has problems. Really? So I guess the 9 people that shot in a 24 hour period are only to considered a source for a "Pure Michigan" ad? (4 people,including a 17 year old died,5 were wounded).
But look at the report yourself and decide.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/investigations/Detroit-residents-either-love-hate-the-Motor-City/-/1719314/8771370/-/ujt7n8/-/index.html


And on that note.....I'm outta here for now. I have a class to get ready for today. Thank you for reading and take a second to to become a Follower or drop a comment!

Happy Valentine's day to everyone...



John/Dayle - Thank you for reading
Paul G - I agree and I will do just that-thanks for following me here.

24 May 2011

Its 9:06 am

   Its a cold overcast morning,looks like the Queen of Snow really must have been dancing hard last night because it sure LOOKS like snow. We are still on track to get a inch or less starting around 4 pm-ish.
I see another of the original IC has followed me here....I thank you a lot for that,Paul. Sort of cool to check in and see another reader has joined up. We're up to 5 now....and very thankful you are all here.

  24 May 2011

   Last year on that day here in Detroit,a fight broke out on a neighborhood street. Yelling,screaming..who knows what the beef was but in typical American style,someone had enough and went to get a problem solver.
   You all know what which kind of problem solver that was grabbed. So now here is a young woman brandishing a gun and pretty soon the bullets start flying.
 26 year old Verily Vereen,a mother of two is on her front porch minding her own business with her family. Street beefs are nothing new in  neighborhoods,they happen and most are settled quickly and peacefully.
But Detroit is different,far too many times people in Detroit hear someone yell "I'm getting my gun" and in this city,it isn't a empty threat,its a promise.
  And so it was that day and Verily Vereen started shooing in her family into the house,out of harm's way. Except that she was just a heartbeat too late to save herself. As she turned away and got the several small children into the relatively safety of her home,Fate came calling in a form of a wildly shot bullet.
 Again,Verily,had no part in this fight,she was just a innocent by-stander here. But when people pick up a gun and fire it,it doesn't give a shit if you're innocent,guilty,red,black,white or brown. It only knows what it was designed for...to shatter lives. And in this case,it achieved it goal ever so well...
  One second Verily is a strong loving mother of two...the next,she is bleeding from being shot in the neck. She falls on her porch,her first thoughts must have been..."please,don't let any of my kids or cousins be shot" because that is how a mother's brain works. No,it was just Verily lying there,blood pouring out.
Calls go to 911...a neighbor,Sonja Bennett rushes over and applies pressure to help stop the bleeding.
People gathering around,shocked at what happened. Waiting for the help to come to help Verily.....waiting.....still waiting,more calls to 911. Where IS that ambulance????
  The people of Detroit know how bad the EMS system is,they live with it every day. Half of the 24 rigs are out of service most days,they are under-equipped and stressed to the max. I blogged already how the new Fire Commissioner said he was ordering brand new ambulances but the city is so poor,it can't afford them and its credit is bad,no one will loan the money.
  But even for Detroit's hardened citizen's,this response time is beyond bad....more waiting as Verily blood seeps into Sonja's hands. Kids are crying for their momma....people wondering where the ambulance is at.
 Someone says "Lets take her ourselves! She'll die here if she doesn't get help!" But Verily can't be moved,she has no feelings in her arms or legs. If they and move her,no matter how well the intention is,they'll finish what that gun has started.
  After 30 hellish minutes a Detroit EMS unit arrives on scene and after stabilizing Verily,transport her to the ER.
  The police also come and they arrest the woman who fired the gun. Whose anger and mindset had conditioned her to solve her issues not with a brain but with steel,American style.
 But in the ER,a bitter irony unfolds...because IF you are going to be shot,being shot in the D isn't such a bad thing. Why? Let's put it this way kids,you know the US is involved in two wars and many of troops got shot to shit or blown up by IEDs. You hear about how our troops survival rate is so much improved because doctors are able to treat them so much better now. Well that is because the trauma doctors get their training by working the inner cities shootings in Detroit,Philly,Chicago and Baltimore. They see so many combat type bullet wounds that they are able to practice new techniques in the operating rooms!
 So when you are shot with a gun here,you have a much better chance of making it out alive! Provided you get a ambulance to get to you in 30 minutes or less.
 Verily is operated on...and on....and on. The bullet has left its terrible mark on her,she has gone from a strong woman to becoming a quadriplegic.
 All over something stupid.....
But Verily is a fighter and so is her sister,Denita. Denita throws her considerable might into the fray,taking care of Verily and her kids. Bathing,dressing and encouraging Verily. She is responding well,she has some movement in her hands,she can somewhat hold her kids. Denita quits her job to help her sister,she can't afford to hire a 24-7 nurse for her. The problems they face are incredible. The house they have (I don't know if its owned or rented by the sisters) isn't equipped for a handicapped person. The daily washing of Verily is extremely hard and sad. Because Denita was caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of taking care of her sister and working and leaving her job,the insurance is about to run out and then what?
  One small bullet.
The average cost of treating a gunshot victim like Verily can cost a million dollars over the victim's lifetime.
A million dollars. Not all cases,a lot of quadriplegics don't live a long life,their bodies are so broken in so many places that a mere cold can kill them if it develops in pneumonia.
  Fox 2 Detroit ran an update on the sisters last night and I'll post the link to the report in a minute.
I don't know the Vereens but in a sense I do. Because once gun violence touches you,be it the shooter or the victim,it really changes everything. The woman who shot Verily was arrested,charged and convicted for her crime. She is in jail,locked up. But you tell me,who really is the prisoner here? And to top it off,she shows no remorse to the lives she altered so sadly on 24 May 2011.
  If you like to help.....please repost this story to your friends and neighbors.

If you feel like donating anything....

WJBK FOX 2 
P.O. Box 2000
16550 West 9 Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48037-2000


Attn: Andrea Isom- Verily Vereen




This will link you to Andrea's report.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/stray-bullet-changes-the-lives-of-2-sisters-20120210

Thanks for reading.