My name is Bob Young, I'm a friend of Bruce and live in Bellingham WA
It was 2 years ago on Super Bowl Sunday when I got a call from Bruce and he sounded a bit funny. I was at friend's watching the game and asked him to go to my house and watch the game and I would be home after.
Bruce had spent some time with me and helped me out with work around my property in the months previous. I thought that he had left town the week or two previous but apparently he had stayed in town longer to work for a disabled woman with a large and maintenance deficient house.
When I got home and sat down to talk with him, within 30 seconds I knew he had had a stroke and Off we went to the hospital. He had aphasia and could not get anything out that made sense. There were no physical indications and other than the aphasia he was healthy as a h orse.
I spent a few hours in the hospital Bruce and his nephew Carl going through his phone and calling his relatives. The next day he was still not making much sense but seemed to be getting better at pushing his thoughts past the damage. The second day I brought him a notepad and asked him to start writing in it. As we all know Bruce has a lot to say and I was afraid he might get backed up. His first day writing was total gibberish, the next words started showing and within a week of me haranguing him daily about it, he started writing and speaking normally. Well, nearly so.
Bruce was doing pretty well in just a few weeks and was on the road again soon thereafter. His goal was to write a book about his adventures and if you have started reading this blog from the beginning you know it could be a good one.
He was gone from Bellingham for a few months and I can't recount what he was up to but he had to come back when he found out that his doctor had had his drivers license suspended. After doctor visits and retesting at the DMV Bruce had his license back in hand and once again prepared to travel. I know that he cleared out and gave up his storage locker and was getting ready to go to his eye doctor on the east coast.
As the readers may have noticed, he never really was able to fully recover his writing skills. He struggled getting logged in and writing but did amazingly well considering where he was when he had the stroke.
This brings us up to around super Bowl last when Carl called and told me that Bruce had had another stroke. This one was much more serious, one side of his body, as I understand it, is permanently paralyzed and as before he has aphasia, which I hear is improving to the point that he can communicate fairly well.
He now lives in assisted living near his son Ron.
I think that Bruce would love to hear from his friends. Please send him a postcard to the following address. Do not reply to his blog. I am also going to remove his donate button.
Thanks to all of you that helped Bruce realize some of his dreams.
Life Care Center of Federal Way
1045 S. 308th St., Federal Way, WA 98003
Thank you,
Bob
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