Back to work!

Hi Folks,

As of this Monday I'm back to work at PayPal on a part time basis. I joined the PayPal strategy team working on PayPal Labs projects.

We're all at our core creatures of habit. Being back to work and having a supportive framework does wonders to my sense of productivity and satisfaction.

On the medical front, there are still some procedures I need to go through in addition to continuing physical therapy. I expect these would continue to be in my life for quite a while, but I am learning to incorporate them into my routine.

I imagine that my updates to this blog would become even less frequent than they have been before. Instead of checking in every once in a while, you can use the RSS feed (in case you know how to use this stuff). It is - http://guyrecovers.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

I want to take a minute and thank all of you who have read, supported, commented and cared. Your attention made all the difference to me and my family in the path that we walked these past months.

Guy

Doing much better

Hello friends,

I think the saying "No news is good news" holds a lot of truth. Things have gotten much better lately for me without the medication. With the drugs out of my system, I am able to once again think clearly, which is a joy. I'm still not a 100% there when it comes to stamina (no 12 hour work days for me anytime soon), but I'm more or less back.

What does the future hold? Well, I'll probably be going back to work in a few weeks on a part time basis. At the same time, I'll be continuing the regime of physical therapy as well as the various doctor's appointments.

A few people have asked to see a picture of me, the one here is from a great trip we just had to the Canadian Rockies. In the picture you can see me and Shira and behind us is the amazing Lake Louise up in Banff National Park.

Take care,
Guy

Still in rehab

Hi All,

Thanks for all the great comments. I have to tell you that I'm still surprised (and maybe I shouldn't be) at how difficut this withdrawal is. I'm not exactly whimpering in a corner as Igor imagined me to be :-), but I have many days where I can barely get away from the sofa. Thinking back, the options I had were to suffer a great deal more with smaller doses of medication, or go through this current yucky stage. Given those two options, I would still opt for the way things were actually handled, things aren't fun, but I would have suffered much more otherwise.

My hope is that I'm going to be getting my stamina back after I'm finished with the medication. I have a suspicion that that would take some time too. Still, today is a good day, and I'll make the most of it!

I'll keep you posted,
Guy

Post Op is fine but what about those drugs?

Hi All,

I eventually had the palate operation the week before last. My mouth did hurt a little and I was able to eat only soft foods, but things gradually improved and I'm hoping to be able to forget about this in a week or so.

Other than that, I've been trying to reduce my medication. It turns out that with the pain that I had, the amount of medication I was prescribed was significant. So much so, that the process I need to undergo is very much like a drug withdrawal that an addict would go through. I'm having trouble with sleep, moods, I'm hot and cold, appetite is gone, etc. We are taking it easy by gradually decreasing the dosage. We're not going to go 'cold turkey' (i.e. we won't cut off all the medication at once); the doctors don't think that I would like sitting in a corner whimpering :-)

So far I reduced 50% of my medication, but I did it a little too quickly, hence a pretty bad reaction that I experienced in the last week and a half. We're hoping that a slower process will cause milder symptoms.


Take care everyone,
Guy

Here we go again

Hello,

OK, let's give it another try. On Monday morning, I'm hoping to go into the OR and have my palate fixed. btw, they were supposed to remove a tooth from my lower jaw, but we ended up deciding to keep it there until we got to a stage where we would start working on the implants.

Otherwise, I'm a little groggy and forgetful, we think it's the medication (hoping). We'll be trying to address this over the next few weeks. As for the shoulders, I'm continuing to make progress with physical therapy.

Have a good weekend!
Guy

Well, it didn't happen

Hi Folks,

During the days leading to and the day of the procedure, I was not feeling well. My pain was increasing substantially and my overall feeling was not good. Consulting with the surgeon, we both decided that it was probably not a good idea to go through with the surgery since it entailed general anasthesia.

I'm on some stronger meds now and working hard with the physical therapist to get my shoulders to where they need to be (hopefully that will reduce the pain). The good news is that this recent week I've been feeling a lot better. So, if you feel the urge to pick up the phone or drive over for a visit, please go ahead, I love you all :-)

Cheers,
-Guy

Another one coming up

Hi there,

Well, I wasn't sure I wanted to have this operation, but it seems the prudent thing to do. I have this little hole in my palate (between the mouth and nose) that bugs me for one but is also posing a risk for infections since food and liquid are going where they don't belong. In order to have it completely closed, I need to get it surgically fixed, so that's what I'm going to do this coming Monday. While I'm under, I'll also have a tooth that's been identified from the beginning pulled.

Not too big of an operation, but still, I can expect some significant amount of discomfort later in the week. What can you do? :-)

Also, depending on how I feel, I will be getting braces next week. They already put some plastic thingies called spacers between my back teeth to open up room for the anchor. Those things are very annoying. With the spacers, operation and braces I will be back to a soft food diet for a couple of weeks. Yuck!

Wish me luck,
-Guy

What's up?

Hi All,

Well, nothing spectacular has happened lately. I'm getting ready to have some more work done on my mouth. We'll be pulling a tooth out (it's broken and there isn't enough bone there to support it) and I'll also be getting braces and some temporary teeth. Yay!

Otherwise things are pretty good. I'm making good progress on physical therapy which allows me to do more and more of what I used to be doing in the past. There's still a long ways to go, but things are encouraging.

Be Well,
-Guy

Well, the operation was successful.

I'm very very tired. Off to bed.

Guy

Short operation this Friday

Hi All,

I'd like to give you a short update on what's going on. I've been undergoing physical therapy for a while now on both my arms. Everything you heard about physical therapy is true, well, at least the part that says that it's painful :-) But it's all for a good cause; I achieved a decent amount of range of motion and I'm hopeful I'll continue to make good progress there.

As for the other front, the face (pun intended), I will have the metal braces on my gums (the ones that were used to shut me up) removed this Friday. The braces are attached with wires through the gums, so this would be a very painful procedure, in order to avoid that discomfort I will be put under anesthesia. This will be a short procedure and I would be returning home afterwards.

Coming up next would be orthodontic work and more recovery.

Best to you All,
Guy

Update and visits

Hey everyone,

I’d like to start by sharing a bit of what I’m going through with you all. I’m back home from the hospital, but still far from recovered; my arms are very limited and I’m still on a fluid diet due to my jaw not being ready for solid foods. While at the hospital, progress was very rapid, changes are now measured in weeks and triumphs are not as frequent as they used to be. However, things are definitely on an upwards trajectory so my loving and never-resting wife and I are ever grateful for that.

One of the things that I greatly enjoy is visits from friends. I've been hearing from quite a few people that it's hard to schedule a visit with us. Well, I have to tell you that we did that on purpose. Jerry had heard of the challenges I had a few weeks back, I got tired very fast and was rather limited in my ability to communicate. Jerry and company had set up a system that would make sure I don't get overwhelmed, thanks Jerry!

Thankfully, I'm doing better now and would like to make life a little easier for prospective visitors. If you'd like to visit, please let us know in advance: if you know you're coming two days or more in advance, send me an email at guy.rom@gmail.com. If you're planning on coming the next day or same day, give us a call at home 408.830.9704.

At any rate, please plan on visiting between the hours of 4pm to 7:30pm including weekends. Our address is: 552 La Conner Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94087.

To our friends in Israel, you're welcome to fly over. Otherwise, we'll have to catch up over the phone. I'm afraid that the morning time is not so good for us because of doctor's appointments and physical therapy, but you can try around 10:30am pacific time which is 8:30pm Israel time.

Well, I think that concludes my time online today, I'm allotted about 30 min a day.

Best to you all,
-Guy

I'm in (Guy)

Hello everyone,

It is with great satisfaction that I'm posting my first entry in this blog. I want to start by telling all of you how wonderful I think this blog is. It has evolved from a notification mechanism to a vibrant and supportive community. During each day at the hospital, I had an hour of joy as my family members read me the notes posted by you from around the world.

As for myself, you all know that a lot has happened in the last 4 weeks. I've gone through surgeries and the way my day to day looks like is a lot different. There have been some great improvements compared to where I was a few weeks back. However, the road ahead is still long; I still need to recover from the surgeries I've had and will most likely need to go through more surgeries. I still don't know when I'll be back to work, it remains to be seen how things go, so I'll keep you posted.

In the meanwhile, please keep posting! I will be posting as well and will try to share some of my experiences with you all.

Again, thank you for being there for me, it means so much to me.

-Guy

Visiting Guy

Guy is making good progress recovering at home and would like some visitors. The guidelines his family has provided are for no more than 2-3 visitors at a time between the hours of 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

For current PayPal and eBay employees please use the twiki page set-up for visiting (http://dev.paypal.com/cgi-bin/twiki/bin/view/General/MPSupportsGuy ).

For friends outside of the eBay family, please leave a message at 408-410-0405 and a member of the family will get back to you with times for visiting.

Thanks,
Ethan

Guy Back Home

This is from Loyal, and I worked with Guy at PayPal.

I have ventured from Austin to retrieve my cat. I was lucky to visit Guy, who has returned home. He can be around family and friends. There is much to do. He is not talking because he wants his throat to heal. It's Guy, but he is tired. The pain is exhausting and from someone who once took pain killers after surgery I empathize. It takes away the sharp and dull throbbing pain, but it is tough to concentrate. I told him what I am doing. I asked how he is doing. The din of kids comforted us as we spoke.

Guy would like visitors, but Adi "The keeper-of-the-door" asks for you to remember that they are working on establishing a routine with the family. Please call Jerry to schedule a time or the Rom house. Also, please be sure that you are healthy prior to coming.

Shira is happy to have Daddy home. She missed Adi while Adi was tending to Guy. Adi is so busy with everything that she seldom has the time to update the blog. Luckily I was able to offer a little help.

~Loyal

Update

Guy was released from the hospital yesterday (Wednesday the 14th) and allowed to return home.

In preparation for his continued recovery some domestic modifications have been necessary to ensure that he remains comfortable there. Ron Markey, Eddy Gorsuch and Norm Lee have been very helpful over the last couple of days moving furniture, installing air conditioners, and configuring a new flat screen television. Hopefully these new home improvements will lead to a more pleasant recovery for Guy.

While this comes as very welcome news, Thursday has been a bit rocky. This afternoon while at home Guy fainted unexpectedly and was taken to the emergency room. Jerry and I spoke with Adi by phone while she was at the hospital and she indicated that Guy was being well attended to and that she expected him to be released this evening. While it was very unsettling to learn of this incident, it appears that Guy is okay.

Many people continue to ask about scheduling visits. During the next few days Adi has requested that we throttle visits to ensure that Guy settles in well at home first. As soon as he is up for company again we will let everyone know.

- Ethan

A Sunny Day at Stanford........

Guy's mother called with some memorable highlights for Guy today. The doctor said that if Guy could swallow on his own then they would be able to remove the tracheotomy. So yesterday, Adi and his mom were squirting water into his mouth to help him practice swallowing. He mastered the technique and the doctor kept his promise and removed the trach tube today! What a relief and major step forward.

Other notable events:

• His IV was moved from his foot to his hand so he is mobile again
• Doctors are gradually lowering his dosage of pain killers
• He was able to take a walk in the Stanford Hospital garden and sit in the sun
• Physical Therapist gave him excercises to rehabilitate his elbow and arms

He will be able to eat anything that Adi can fit through a straw. Adi's mom made a good old fashioned batch of Chicken Soup and he also had some of a Jamba Juice today. Guy said he was open to just about anything in his Jamba Juice except for Bananas or Strawberries. Ethan and Tim - better bring the juicer quick! The hospital room was quite lively today as the GuyPod was connected to some external speakers so everyone could enjoy the music.

Adi is planning on bringing Shira to the hospital for her first visit with Daddy. Guy should be able to have visitors again after 6:00 pm this evening.

A much needed day of rest and recovery

Following Guy's 3rd major surgery yesterday, he needed a day to rest and gather strength. He was in a lot of pain last night and his family requested a light day of visits. If you are planning on stopping by the hospital tomorrow (Sunday) please check the blog first or contact Jerry Smith (408) 768-6804 to make sure Guy is up for having visitors.

From all accounts from his doctors, the surgery yesterday was successful in repairing his shoulder.

Guy, we all hope you can get a good night's sleep....

Another shoulder surgery

Hi everyone,

Guy went trough another surgery today on his shoulder; he is still in the recovery room, his surgeon came out and let us knows that it went well.
We (his parents and me) are still waiting to see him. It has been another long and stressful wait.

Guy was very happy to see his friends again last night, and I am really sorry that I wasn’t here to see them too, I used this opportunity to go home and spend some time with Shira who’s having a hard time with everything that is going on.

Thank you for your support.
We expect that Guy will be able to see visitors over the weekend.

Love
Adi

Visiting Schedule with Guy

Hi everyone -

Yesterday many PayPal people had and opportunity to visit Guy. Thanks to everyone for stopping by! I spoke to Guy's mother this afternoon and he very much appreciated seeing everyone. However, the crush of eager well wishers was also very draining for him. We are requesting that all future visits by PayPal folks be coordinated through Jerry Smith so that we can schedule visits in such as way as to not overly tire Guy out.

His surgery for today has been postponed until tomorrow so he will be able to receive some more visits this afternoon. If you are interested please contact Jerry so that we can schedule you.

Thanks,
Ethan

Guy, we're thinking of you at the push!

Push night is upon us, and we're here in the War Room reading the blog and thinking of you. We'd say we wish you were here, but what kind of thing is that to wish upon someone?!

We do wish that Ethan was here. ;-)

Best wishes: The PayPal 45.0 Push team.

Visit with Guy, Wednesday

My name is Ethan Cary. I am a friend of Guy's and for several years have worked with him at PayPal - well, okay, actually now I work for him, as I am sure he would remind me :)

I visited Guy briefly this afternoon, and I also had the pleasure of meeting his mother and brother who were at his side when I arrived. Guy was very curious to hear how the PayPal team has been doing and I tried to catch him up as best I could on recent events. It was great to see him and see how well he is doing. I was shocked to see how easily he was able to swing his legs out of bed and stand up! Two especially remarkable moments occured during my visit:

1) The poster with all the PayPal well-wishes is posted on the wall across from his bed. At one point Guy pointed slowly and deliberately at the poster, looked me very squarely in the eyes, and then moved his hand over his heart. He has clearly been very moved by the support of the team. The impact of this silent communciation on me was much more profound than anything he could have said at that moment.

2) He wanted to know if I was okay because he had heard I was badly shaken on the day of the accident (I was one of a handful of folks who witnessed the fall). As I struggled to explain my feelings on that day he offered me advice about how to cope with the trauma. He was turning the tables on my visit and trying to make me feel better...he possesses a brand of strength and courage that I am sure I do not. Rock.

Guy received surgery yesterday on his left shoulder and tomorrow will have additional surgery on his right shoulder. In the interim he is hoping to receive visits from additional friends and co-workers this afternoon and evening.

Also, I picked up the GuyPod on my way out of the hospital and we will be refreshing it with new movies and other goodies today.

Keep the posts coming everyone!

- Ethan

Guy is heading for surgeries

Hi everyone,
Guy is ready to meet friends. So please coordinate your visits ahead with Jerry.
I just want to remind everyone that Guy’s condition is not stable, he has good and bad days and he is also getting strong pain medication regularly, so we might ask people to step out of his room if the need arises.
Also, Guy is going to have surgeries in the coming future so we have to plan your visits accordingly.

Sincerely yours,
Adi

A visit with Guy Rom

I had the pleasure of seeing Guy last night. I met his mother who was staying by his bedside and helping him.

Guy looks very good compared to the first day that I saw him. His eyes are bright and he has a smile. He also has his mouth wired shut. I had his mother laughing hysterically as I tried to find the doctor to bribe to keep his mouth wired shut for the 4th week as well. I figured we could raise enough money to go for 4 or 5 weeks. Upon this suggestion, Guy scrawled some very colorful language on his whiteboard. :-)

Guy's mother was glowing and was very optimistic about Guy's recovery. It looks like it'll only be another two surgeries, a few days of recovery and Guy will be allowed to go home to heal.

Visitors will be welcome once more after Guy's shoulder surgery. I'm sure he'll let people know the time in which they can come by. I really do encourage everyone who can to make the time to see him. It's a real pleasure for the visitor and Guy. Although, when I went by, he informed me that the TV was more entertaining than I was. :-)

The comments are still very appreciated by Guy. Keep them coming!

Cheers,
Matthew

Going into my surgery

on my shoulders this morning. Wish me luck (this one shouldn't be as heinous as my facial surgery)!

- Guy Rom (Matthew typing what Guy wrote on his whiteboard)

An update

Yesterday was a very difficult day for Guy physically and emotionally.
We are by his bed side all the time therefore it will be very hard to keep updating the blog as before.
Your comments are welcome in order to lift his spirits.

Update from Saturday night (Adi)

Hello everyone,

It has been a really long day but I am glad to say that it was a good one.

Guy was moved to a private room where we (his mother and me) can stay with him after visiting hours, which is great.

Guy walked today a short distance.

We where able to take him on a weal chair for a ride which lifted his spirits.

Guy is making wonderful progress and his swelling is coming down rapidly.

We are very happy about it since he needs to be strong and prepared for another big surgery next week.

Last night was very difficult for me since he was moved from a private ICU room to the ENT patient department and I was worried that he wont get the right treatment
I insisted dramatically to stay with him, Guy’s mom practiced her rational attitude so between the two of us and Marry Kay( from Special patient Services), we were able to negotiate to let me stay by his side for the night.

I had to know that I can trust the nurses before I could leave him there.

Eventually I left for home after Guy reassured me he can sleep and feel comfortable.

Thank to Wayman who picked me up in the middle of the night.

Shira our daughter knows that dad is sick and she keeps calling him from her toy cell phone.

She puts on her hat, grabs her bag, waves for goodbye and pretends to be on her way to visit dad. She misses him a lot. I am so thankful that my mom is here to take care of her.

So again thanks everyone for thinking, helping, praying and being there for all of us.

I am thanking god for keeping him alive

Tonight is exactly a week since we were able to move him to Stanford Hospital; I want to thank everyone that helped us do that!
Good night and please keep writing to Guy he loves to hear us reading him the blog.

Adi

Guy Walks Again!!!

Adi called me this afternoon to give me an update.

Great news: Guy took 3 steps today. He moved to his chair. This is absolutely fantastic recovery. Testament to the special nature of this injury is one of the very experienced doctors at Stanford said that they've never seen such an injury of this magnitude which did not have serious brain or spinal damage.

Adi described her life these days. It is still very difficult for her and she goes in and out of being strong and being very worried. In her worried moment last night, she insisted on staying with Guy. She politely informed the hospital agents that they could call the police if they wanted to get her to leave his side. At 3am, Guy woke up and insisted on Adi going home. For the first time, Adi was able to sleep for a full 4 straight hours. A special thanks to Wayman for offering to pick Adi up in the middle of the night and drive her home for the much needed rest.

Some people make an extra special difference in Guy's recover and Adi would like me to call two of them out. These are the two mothers. Hers and Guy's. They have been incredibly strong for Guy and Adi and have taken care of Shira during this stressful time.

Guy continues to read the blog comments and entries and appreciates all of them. Tim Ranson was able to bring the banner card to Adi that everyone signed from work. It is now hanging on the ceiling above Guy's bed. Guy likes to read the well wishes.

Both Guy and Adi are very excited about the "Guypod." Adi wants every one to know how much they appreciate all of the things that are being done for her and Guy.

So, again, we have a lot to be thankful for and should continue to keep Guy and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Keep the comments and support coming!

Matthew

Moving out of the Intensive Care Unit

We just received news from Adi that Guy will be moved out of the ICU and into a normal hospital room at Stanford. Guy was able to whisper his first words today, "Hello Adi!"

Noteworthy progress:

• He was able to sit in a chair for a few minutes
• Adi said he is less swollen today
• Guy is thinking about food for the first time in a week - he reminded the hospital, "no fish, no cheese and no pepper!"

Guy really likes hearing Adi read the blog comments. Please keep them coming and a special thanks to Grandpa Haim for posting his first comment.

GuyPod.....

Tim Ranson who works closely with Guy is setting up a video iPod for Guy with songs, comedy routines and pictures to keep Guy entertained while he recovers. If you have suggestions for content you want added to the "GuyPod," please send ideas or pictures to Wayman Lew at wlew@paypal.com and Tim Ranson at transon@paypal.com.

Virtual Visits:

North Campus - Wayman will also be setting up a video camera on Monday in the Peter, Paul and Mary conference room (11.3.044) for folks to record a message to Guy. We will add the video messages to the GuyPod daily until he is ready to start seeing visitors in person.

South Campus - Sergio Gonzale has offered his services to take video/pictures for anyone located on the eBay South Campus. Serge's contact information is as follows - sgonzale@ebay.com and (408) 376-6457. Thank you very much Serge


Banner Card:

We have a banner card in front of the Grateful Dead conference room (11.3.043) that anyone who is at eBay North can stop by and sign.

Complications with the Surgery: An Adi update

Guy surgery was very complicated, much more than originally anticipated and he is now in ICU where sterilization is very critical. Therefore, please no visits to make sure no possible contamination is introduced.

Guy's jaw is wired shut, so he can't speak. He is breathing through a hole punctured in his neck. His face is very swollen and he is in a lot of pain and is constantly sedated. He is trying to distract himself from his condition by asking me (Adi) to read him stories and the latest news. He wanted to know what people commented in the blog, so please keep writing. We will keep updating through the blog, so no need to call.

- Adi

Post Surgery Update

Guy is recovering from yesterday's surgery in his own room in the ICU. His family was able to visit him at 8 am this morning and they will be spending the day with him. He is understandably tired from yesterday's prolonged procedures but he remains mentally alert and sharp as always. He is communicating by writing his responses out on paper because his jaw is wired shut and his fingers are too swollen to use a keyboard.

Adi will be providing further updates on his condition later this afternoon or early evening.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and thoughtful comments. Keep them coming!!

The Surgery has finished....

Guy's doctor completed the surgery around 9:00-9:15 pm (Pacific Time) so it went a little longer than orginally planned.

Some of the reasons why his doctor extended surgery:

• needed to spend extra time on Guy's jaw area
• the eye sockets were damanged more severely and his doctor wanted to add extra plating and spend more time on the reconstruction.

Overall, the doctor is quite pleased with the outcome as he was able to achieve the major facial framework reconstruction and remains positive about Guy's full recovery. There may be a few nips and tucks needed in the future but they may be minor procedures that can be accomplished through outpatient surgery.

We will publish more information as it becomes available tomorrow.

Guy is officially on the road to recovery!!!!!!

Surgery update: Difficulties

Guy has been in the operation room for over 11 hours now and surgery will continue for a couple more hours. The surgeon says they had to change their operating plan since the jaw and other parts of the face were not stable enough. They had to start from the forehead and work their way down. They have found that the eye sockets are broken like "an egg shell" and some of the pieces are out of place, while some are completely missing. So the work is a complicated jig-saw puzzle with hundreds of pieces that they need to put together. It is a very slow and tedious process.

The doctor says the vital signs are stable for now. Both Adi and Guy's moms expect to be here all night long. We will try to update in the morning or when we can.

Quick Surgey Update

We received a call from the surgeon at about 12:25 p.m., saying that the surgery is going as well as expected but they have a long way to go. We expect another 3.5 hours of surgery.

A message from Sam McKee

I'm Sam McKee, Guy's neighbor, friend, pastor/rabbi, and arch-enemy in video games. Guy was transferred out of ICU yesterday and was able to spend the night in a private room. It was a difficult night with aches and pains, but Adi was by his side, caring for him through the night. Guy's mother and I arrived at the hospital at about 6 a.m. this morning.

I went in to see him before surgery, hoping to give Guy some inspiration since Adi told the Security Guard at Regional Medical Center that I was their "pastor" last Friday, so she could get me into the ER.

So this morning, I tried going pastoral on Guy by saying: "Guy, my friend Dr. Hooper, a VP for Palo Alto Medical Foundation, has helped us with a lot of medical advice this weekend. And he always says it's beneficial for a patient to go into surgery with a positive mental picture in mind." Guy didn't miss a beat, and quickly said, "So... ah, why are YOU here then?" He smirked.

I couldn't believe it. The guy falls 25 feet onto his head and he's still smarter than me! : )

I smiled and said, "Alright buddy, you won this one, but I'm going to have the last word for the next few weeks while your jaw is wired shut."

I figured winning that mental duel would be plenty of inspiration, but I also had a Scripture to share with him. I said, "The Hebrew Prophet Isaiah wrote a verse of poetry that is perfect for a time like this. He wrote, 'Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will rise up with wings as eagles."

"Eagles are very unique in the way that they deal with storms. Instead of avoiding a storm, they fly right into the eye of it, and harness it's power to rise above it. They angle their wings and instead of falling to the ground, the strong winds bounce them up to a higher elevation above the storm. This storm you are facing will only make you a stronger and better person and leader. You will rise above it. God has preserved your life and now the blessing that I pray for you is that He will give you a perfect surgery--that He will give your great surgeon wisdom and skill so you can return to health and strength very soon." That's what all of us are hoping and praying for today.

Guy went in for what is expected to be an 8-hour surgery at 7:30 a.m. this morning, and we expect to receive an update around 12:30 p.m.

Getting a rested before surgery....

Today, Guy was able to have a few more visitors because the ICU nurses conveniently looked the other way when more than just immediate family members found their way to his room. He also recieved word from his doctors that his surgery would commence at 7:30 am on Wednesday (Pacific Time). In order to get a full night's rest, he was moved out of the ICU and into a normal hospital room. The hospital is trying to arrange for an extra bed in the room so Adi can spend the night with Guy.

Please send your thoughts, prayers and best wishes to Guy for his upcoming surgery.

Goodnight........

Updates from Adi

I want to thank everyone for caring and calling to check on us.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to make any calls back since I need to help Guy and talk to so many doctors and specialist about his condition.

I am not sure what you know about Guy’s accident and I can’t say I know all the details yet. All I can say for now is that he fell from 25-30 feet.

He is now being at Intensive care to make sure he will be able to breath.

He will undergo a 10-12 hours (more or less) complicated head surgery, since his facial bones broke in so many places.

I will try to update the blog after the surgery and let you know how it went.

It has been a long long day and is seems like it started weeks ago.

I also need to give some attention to Shira our 2.5 years old daughter which misses him (and me) very much.

I will appreciate your comments and regards at the blog instead of calling for the time being, because I’m overloaded with everything, and can’t handle that too.
Guy can’t see people for the next week at least, but I know and he also told me a few times that he misses the company of you guys, and will love to hear all you have to say about him :-)

I promise you that I will read it to Guy whenever I can

Please pray for us.

Adi

Quick Update for Monday

On Saturday evening Guy was transferred from San Jose Regional Medical Center to Stanford Hospital. He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as an extra precaution to provide the best monitoring of his condition. The ICU has strict rules on patient visits and they are asking to limit it to only immediate family for now.

Guy's mother and Adi's mother flew in from Israel on Sunday to provide family support for Guy, Adi and Shira.

Facial surgery will likely occur on Wednesday as the doctors need a 10 hour window to perform their magic. They will be making the necessary preparations which include ordering many different sizes of titanium plates and bolts. Guy will not only be handsome when they are finished but also bionic.

The hospital gave Guy a computer today and once he found out that he wasn't going to have surgery until Wednesday, he immediately started trying to communicate with the outside world with two broken arms. Typing is still a challenge and Matthew is working on getting Guy a split keyboard to facilitate Guy's addition.

Adi, Matthew, Erin and I will be adding more information to keep family, friends and co-workers updated. Please feel free to add comments as Adi will be reading them to him daily.

Welcome

Many people will contribute to this blog. It is a privilege to be the first one to be able to do so. My name is Matthew Mengerink. I am a friend of Guy's who met Guy at work. Many people are worried about Guy and his condition. I hope to confirm, but also allay those concerns.

I met with Guy on Saturday in the hospital with many of his friends surrounding him. Adi, his wonderful wife, was standing strongly by his side tendering to him. She invited me in to his bedside. While injured, this is the Guy I know. I walked up to him and greeted him. I told him he did not need to say anything. He smiled. He told me he was alright. His first question to me was, "Matthew, how is my team?" I had chills go down my spine. In this moment where Guy lay in the emergency room, his first thought was of others and how they were feeling about this incident. Words can hardly capture the meaning of such a giving question.

Guy and I spoke for half an hour. During this time, nurses and doctors came and went. He wanted me to let everyone know that he was alright and that he has had other injuries in the past "that prepared me for this." I took great hope in his laughter and his ability to see the beauty in the situation. He felt blessed that so many friends are concerned about him and have done so much for him and his wife.

During our conversation we laughed quite a lot. When Guy breathes, he has a rasp in his throat. He said, "Matthew, I sound like Predator. You know... the Schwarzenegger movie." To me, I felt like it was more like the raptors from Jurassic Park.

Guy's neighbor, Sam, was there with us. We discussed video games. Apparently, Guy thrashes Sam during every game they play. He suggested that Guy's two broken arms may just even up the odds. Guy seemed quite confident that wouldn't help Sam. We're planning to play when Guy is recovering at home.

I am sharing these light stories as it shows the side of Guy that he wants everyone to see. He feels strong despite the severity of his injuries and wants everyone to feel ok. For who know Guy well, this fits in his character.

So, it is with this first post that I want to address all of you and let you know a few things. The first is that Guy is severely injured. The second is he and the doctors have great confidence that he will be alright in time. The last is that this will be a difficult recovery and that the help and hopes of all of his friends and family will be critical to his graceful and quick recovery.

Please look to more updates here from Adi, Guy, Brad Peterson, Erin Earle, and hopefully many more and let's look to Guy's speedy recovery!

Matthew Mengerink