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
On Friday, February 23, 2007, Guy Rom was injured in a fall. In this blog, we will track Guy's track to recovery and will be a place where Guy can communicate with his friends and family around the world and a place where those concerned about Guy can express their well-wishes.
Guy Rom
Guy Rom: Friend, Family, Husband, and Father
6 comments:
Guy Dear,
We need your strong hands back, who will do the best massage to us?
who will sing to us Rocky's song so similar to the original.
Bekitzor, we miss you, and wish you a quick recovery.
Mazi
Theatre Haemek.
Adi, my love
I hug you heart to heart and know you can find the strengthto go through this trying time. There is too little I can do from so far away, but I want you toknow I am thinking about you all the time, and if there is anything you can think of that I can do, you or Michal let me know.
As for you Guy my dearest, you've done it again! For long periods of time you are a quiet and loving family man, and once every few years, when we are all calm and trusting - you have to smack us all with dropping a bomb on top of us. And you always choose something very thorough, because it is against your nature Le'chafef... Please darling, if not for you, for Adi, for Shira and for your future kids, do it for me. No more bomb surprises like this one.
I'm not surprised but it makes me proud once more, to see that you have so many loving friends. And I know you will pull out of this shtut as beautiful and as strong as ever. Just know that all the extra white hairs on your loving family's heads, is on your head (after surgery...)
I love you and hold all me fingers and toes crossed for you that you don't suffer too much pain.
By the way, if you wanted plastic surgery, assure you there is an easier and less painfull way to get it...
Love you, hug you and kiss you (eventhough it is not your official Bday), Noa :-)
Guy, my dear brother
I am in awe in light of how many people gathered around you to show their deepest sympathies. Thank all those who rushed to you in this dire hour, those who stand by you and attend to your needs. First and foremost your adorable wife, Adi. One cannot say enough to describe such commitment, dedication and admiration. Next, our mother, Michal, and our sister in law's mother, Malka, who flew in from Israel as soon as they got notice of your fall and the severity of your wounds. They are making all arrangements for you to have a smooth sail in the O.R. I want to thank Sam, Matthew, and Erin for being there for Guy and making him laugh (albeit in a slightly twisted manner). Those who know Guy also know he has a shrewd sense of humor and a special affinity for dark sarcastic Monty Python type jokes. I can only imagine Guy smiling between his broken teeth when he hears the words: “Bring me a bucket, NOW!”
I also wanted to thank all of paypal's community. Your boss, Brad, the one responsible for making this time so much easier for us as he allowed Guy's family to become a part of paypal's family. To all your coworkers and team who made constant attempts to establish contact with Guy and let him know they are there for him.
I wanted to take this space and let you know about what Matthew had alluded to in his blog, namely the part Guy referred to “other injuries that prepared me for this”. A decade ago or so Guy was injured in a motorcycle accident (please, excuse me if I omit pieces of this story as I look back and reconstruct this episode). Ironically enough, this day was the first Guy mounted his own recently purchased bike and ventured out of our residential area in Kochav Yair where he cautiously practiced riding to the nearest freeway. A dangerous curve (one that many did not survive) took the best of his yet-to-improve riding skills and he ended up on the metal safety bars bordering the lanes on the outside of the road. In a freakishly coincidental way I was riding in our dad’s car about ten minutes behind him. As I approached the curve, I saw something. A few cars pulled over to help yet another victim of this horrible curve. I continued by and watched the scene in my rear view mirror. Since I did not see Guy’s bike I could not recognize that it was actually his, but what I did recognize was his black and grey helmet which he did happen to show me before he left. At that point I got a phone call from our dad letting me know what had happened. I made a quick U-turn and arrived at the scene where I saw someone severely bruised on the side of the road.
I don’t know if Guy even remembers this, but out of all the people who approached him and made the emergency calls, out of all of us family members who gathered up as soon as we heard, out of all the paramedics and EMS personnel, Guy was the calmest and most composed of us all. Those who spend time with him now know this is true. Guy has this unbelievable ability to rise above himself, take a peripheral look at what’s happening and take command of the situation. He is a true leader in this respect as he is able to observe situations in an almost unbiased manner while enduring extreme levels of pain. As I approached Guy who was there lying on the road I was filled with fear, anger, and frustration. I was clearly afraid of what I was about to see. My fears quickly dissipated as I saw Guy, his body lying in an awkward position, telling people around him exactly what to do and how to act. He was making sure calls were placed to our parents, to the rest of our family and to the Naval Academy and his mother ship. He was telling people where to put his side arm. He was doing all this while experiencing excruciating pain. Nonetheless, he was doing this with ultimate precision and intent. At the hospital, Guy almost ignored his pain so he could convey to his doctors the details of what happened. He showed amazing courtesy and ultimate respect to the nursing staff, which bought him frequent smiles and sympathy. In short, if there’s an ultimate patient, one doctors can only dream of having day in day out, Guy is the man. I love you brother and will come by soon to be with you. Asaph.
Guy -
You are the first former-TLPer to take such a nose dive at work. I know I've had some bad presentations, and there are a couple of emails I really wish I could take back. But this - THIS - my friend - is impossible to beat.
And as Brett notes, "I knew you were destined to make a big impression, I just didn't realize it would be on the ground..."
You know we love you, miss you, and are rooting for the new and improved version of Guy.
Get well soon.
Lisa and Brett
Hi Guy:
Just a quick note to encourage you to take care of yourself first for a change while family and friends surround you and PayPal colleagues nurture the business you master with such calm.
"Le grand désir d'un coeur inquiet est de posséder interminablement l'être qu'il aime et de pouvoir plonger cet être, quand le temps de l'absence est venu, dans un sommeil sans rêves qui ne puisse prendre fin qu'au jour de la réunion."
Nick G.
Great news on the surgery!
Though I hear the real reason for the extended duration is that it's just so darn hard to look as good as Guy!
Nick.
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