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!!