"Catastrophe, Rocky Russo" Topic

Very grim news. Let's hope for a good recovery.

Please update us with the news when you can, Doug. Hoping for the best.

best wishes to rocky, and, yes, please keep us updated

Yikes! One of my favourite sparring partners and a very good guy overall. Tell him to get well soon, and keep us updated, please.

That is just awful – best wishes to Rocky, he and his family have my prayers

I saw Rocky tonight. He's got a warm, firm left-handed grip: I know, because I offered my hand in parting and he took it. He's eating solid food and they removed the feeding tube Monday or Tuesday at his request. He said that his kidneys are working fine. I think he'll pull through physically, if he wants to. That's the part I am unsure about: if he will want to live with his arm gone. I know I wouldn't; but given enough time, I might change my mind, at least somewhat. Right now, though, Rocky is just disoriented and very blown away by all of this. My loquacious, even garrulous friend is virtually silenced. Compounded grief, that's what it is. Overkill tribulation, that's what it is. It's too much on top of everything else he's gone through. I am feeling angry again, writing this. But I didn't let it show tonight. I intend to see him again soon. Maybe tomorrow after the slot car races are over. Our friend, Mike Kelly, went up to the hospital with me tonight. He said, "I don't know what to say." And Rocky said, "What? I can't hear you. I have a sinus infection." Mike said it again louder, and Rocky said: "I came that close to dying." He held his thumb and index finger about a half inch apart. We were there less than ten minutes and I saw his eyes start to roll, as he drifted away. It was time to go….

I forgot to mention, that Rocky said his cat attacked him. He didn't get in between two fighting cats. His most mild-mannered cat ("the striped one" – Hawkins), just attacked him for no apparent reason.

So Rocky has been brought within a skosh of Death, by cat. The irony of this is inexpressible.

As long as I have known Rocky (over 42 years), there have always been cats. He is the cat authority in my experience. His stories about cats are too numerous to remember. Most weeks when I have gone over to his house, he has had some cat anecdote to tell; many of them are stories about cats being annoying or aggravating; many of them are stories showing his fondness and respect for cats.

These four cats (Princess, Bolo, Drake, Hawkins), have lived 24/7 inside the house their whole lives with Rocky. Princess and Bolo he picked up at the animal shelter when he and his wife moved into the house about ten years ago. Drake and Hawkins are brothers who arrived maybe three years ago as little kittens. None of the three males are fixed. And they are the most feral inside cats I have ever seen.

I don't know if Hawkins just was in a "bad mood" or got sick or what: but I simply can't picture him "attacking" Rocky.

This whole developing chapter is surreal to me….

Also, Rocky is now in the "Burn Trauma" ICU, fourth floor, room 25, of the University of Utah hospital….

DD@ Thanks for the update. Losing a arm is tough, but not the end of the world. Continuing prayers for Rocky, I'm confident all will be well. Skip

So sorry to hear this news.

We have Rocky, his family and friends in our prayers.

We want to wish him the best and speediest of recoveries. Medical technology is amazing today. Look at everything they have done for the Wounded Warriors. We are having an LPGA tournament at the moment here locally to benefit the Warriors, and some of them are here playing golf, and showing off what they can do. Amazing.

Stay strong Rocky, we're pulling for you. You too Doug.

I visited with Rocky tonight. He is better than he was yesterday. I had a long conversation with him. The first thing I asked was: "Are you glad you didn't die?" He said that he values our friendship too much to assume that he should not be here. "Why would I give that up? God knows what I cannot know. I am here. To question why isn't something I am smart enough to do." (I wish I could remember exactly how he said it, but that's the gist.)

He surprised me by reminiscing a bit about my late father, and how he always admired him. I already knew this, but to have Rocky expressing gratitude for having known my father was a welcome surprise and a blessing to me. The visit was everything that last night's attempt was not.

In short: he's already talking about how he's thinking of his work bench, projects and how he could attach tools he has to it so that he could work. My anger, my grieving, has been greatly diminished by Rocky's positive, proactive attitude. He's a survivor. And an inspiration to me.

He said that the hospital is preparing to move him to a therapy clinic of some sort in the next couple of days….

It might be a bit premature, but maybe he could get in touch with the Perry brothers about adapted kit etc. One of them lost a hand, and it certainly hasnt stopped him being a prolific sculptor.

Best wishes and thanks for the update

Many thanks for the update – he sounds like he will pull through, but he will probably need help. However tough we are, there are times when we just need someone to say that we are not wasting our time and that it is worth keeping on going.

My continuing best wishes to the man.

Daffy, tell him the pinkoliberalsocialist Swede expects him to man up and return to the battlefield, ie TMP as soon as he can. He is missed.

I forgot to tell Rocky what the "pinkoliberalsocialist Swede" said, sorry. Maybe next time.

I saw Rocky last night, at the Federal Heights Rehabilitation Center; where he's been since being moved Sunday night. It's better than the hospital. But he's still (almost irrationally) angsting to come home; and can't get to sleep for more than c. half-hour snippets at a time.

We three (Mike Kelly was there too) made an unfortunate miscalculation. Rocky said: "I haven't been beyond that door yet. Is there anything worth seeing out there?"

And Mike Kelly said: "Do you want to check it out?"

Rocky said: "Sure, why not. Don't have anything better to do."

So Mike Kelly opened the wheelchair, and we held it really close to the bed, while Rocky stood (he had his prosthesis on), turned and sat down heavily in it. Mike pushed him out into the hall, down to the soda machine; we got him a Coke. Then we went back to the diningroom, where we talked for a while, until Rocky was nodding off almost as much as he was staying awake.

Back at his room, we three couldn't get him into bed. We tried both sides, and using the headboard as a grabbing point, all to no avail. Even then, I didn't realize how weak he was, or else I would have called for help from the staff. But I got this "brilliant" idea: I would help pull him out of the chair by his hand and forearm, and once he was standing, he could turn and sit on the bed. It ended badly. His knees did not extend to a standing position, and he ended up first on the edge of the bed, then slipping inexorably to the floor until he was kneeling. He was in GREAT pain. A man and woman from the staff finally arrived.

"So, what's happening here," one of them asked rhetorically.

"I got in over my head, again," Rocky said from the floor, his head bowed and eyes closed.

They put a strap around his chest and hauled him up with difficulty, and GREAT pain, until he was on the bed, finally. Mike and I left them to it, as Rocky required further assistance before he could finally get under the covers and hopefully to sleep.

Crap! If I had only known. Oh well.

His son John and his wife came while Mike and I were talking outside Rocky's door. I said:

"We were talking earlier, and we all agree that Rocky should get to enjoy movie night next Tuesday in front of his own big screen and with his own DVD collection."

(I said that as fulfillment of a promise I had earlier made to Rocky, to pressure his boys into letting him come home as early as possible. He is of the opinion that they are not listening to him; nor do they understand how angry he is, to be kept at the rehab center instead of in his own rooms, etc. To listen to Rocky cogently and unemotionally explain it, he made it all sound reasonable. But after seeing how immobile he currently is, I had doubts.)

John replied: "Well, sure. As soon as he's mobile, he ought to come home. There isn't anything they are doing for him here that they can't do for him there."

So his boys want Dad to get home as soon as possible too. Rocky will realize that soon enough. Next time I see him (probably Friday evening), I will tell him what John said: by way of reinforcement, to encourage him to do all he can to cooperate with his body's need to recover, so that he can get strong enough to walk again without assistance, etc….

Wow that is very sad news.

Thinking about it, Rocky was my first contact with the miniatures world. Back in High School, (in the late 70s) I had bought a copy of Mustangs and Messerschmitts from him via an ad in the back of a miniatures wargame mag (the old back and white one, who's name escapes me right now). I had mailed him some questions on aircraft and the rules, and he responded much to my amazement.

Anyhow, I have never met him in person, but I have played a number of games of M&M over the years. So he has brought me much joy.

As a cat owner, this is very scary news.

I wish Rocky the best and a speedy recovery.

--Tom

I just returned from a very brief visit with Rocky. He is home. His family brought him home on Wednesday. That was fast! The rehab center was "found wanting". So that was the end of that.

Rocky was just finishing up a rewatching of "The Usual Suspects". His friend Gail had not seen it before. So, now I have met the new woman in his life.

All in all, things are looking up about as much as could be hoped for under the circumstances. And now he can sleep. The rehab center was like "the ninth ring of hell" to Rocky (that's a direct quote)….

I'm happy that he's made a relatively speedy recovery.

Please pass on my regards and best wishes.

Doug, I'm so sorry to hear about all this. I just found out about Rocky's misfortune from a comment on the Conventions Board. I hope Rocky makes a speedy recovery, both physically and emotionally. I can't possibly imagine what he is going through.

I always seemed to be arguing with Rocky here on TMP. We even seem to scrap when we are on the same side of an argument! Tell him I truly miss that. Hopefully, I'll be sparring with him again in the near future, when he feels up to it. Better yet, have him drop by the Science Board and just say "Hi".

I must add that Rocky is a very lucky man, and I'm not talking about his medical situation. Doug, Rocky is truly lucky to have you as his friend. You are a good man that anyone would want in their corner. Best wishes to you both, and I hope to "talk" to you both soon.

Ralph

Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully, Rocky will be reading the expressions of friendly concern on this thread soon.

But I have to add: Rocky is still "not out of the woods yet." Last night he was very lucid but also did not look as good as he did to me last Tuesday. I think all this moving from place to place has been very hard on him.

Hopefully, now that he's home, with family staying at his house 24/7 (because he's not mobile yet), he will recover his health completely without additional "adventures" from any relapses….

Yesterday afternoon, after the slot car races, I went up to Rocky's house to check on him. He was resting ("not really awake") in his bedroom. I talked to his oldest son, John, and his wife; they were acting positive and gave me encouraging answers to my questions about how Rocky is doing. He's starting to eat more, and he's getting lots of rest. Right now, the only thing I am concerned about is some sort of relapse or languishing state, where he doesn't improve or seems to get worse, etc. But the news last night was counter to that….

DD Thank you very much for updates. Skip

Yeah, please keep us updated. Rocky may not know who all of us are but we're pulling for him!

Thanks,

John

Yes Doug, thanks for the news. My very best to Rocky and to you too.

None of the three males are fixed.

That's the cause of the problem there. Too little space too much testosterone.

As to the rest, glad to hear he's doing well give me my best.

That's hard, that's cruel hard. I just found out, and I'll pray for Rocky and the family.

I wrote above that on the 23rd, Rocky did not look as good to me as he had on the 20th. I've just seen him again, for c. an hour, and he looks and sounds markedly worse than ever.

I have to be candid: at this point, my heart tells me that he is not going to make it. He appears to have pneumonia (I asked about that, and his son John said, "We're not sure about that."); his chest is rising and falling like a bellows; he coughs with great effort; his mouth sags open and he can hardly draw breath to talk, or speak clearly. I think he looks and sounds like my dad did the week before he died (after smacking his head and suffering cranial bleeding): judging by appearances, you'd say Rocky looks like a stroke victim and it has affected his speech.

He is all "there", however. We were watching Law and Order (Ptui!), and at one point he rasped/mumbled, "BS"; and earlier, I think he meant to say, "We've never heard that before." So his sarcasm is in full career. If only his body would cooperate and keep up with his brain!

Then he nodded off, and I got up saying, "That's my cue, you're nodding off, time to rest. I'm going now. Get better."

I shook his hand (grip good and firm still) and patted him on the head.

"Okay", he breathed….

I'm sad.

The only reason I post this is because the medium reflects the value of my emotion…ie: it doesn't matter squat.

A good man is in pain/trouble, and there isn't bupkiss we can do…other than to keep him in our minds fondly, which I will continue to do as I always have.

DD, tell him we're thinking of him next time you see him. ANd thank you for keeping us updated.

Dear God! Indeed a catastrophe.

Please let him know we are all behind him and want him to heal quickly.

Dan

I just checked on Rocky. His son John said he was sleeping, so I didn't see him.

"Miraculously" (John's word), the pneumonia symptoms went away Thursday. And he started asking for real food. Last night he watched a couple of movies with Gail, then talked with his youngest son David till c. four o'clock in the morning.

So my heart was wrong. But I don't expect miracles when I want them. I ask, of course. Who doesn't? But you don't expect them. When they occur it is rather breath-taking.

Hopefully this is not a temporary rally. (See how pessimistic I am?) It looks as though Rocky is truly on the mend….

I sure there will be ups and downs, but I'm praying for willing more ups.

Tell Rocky we need him back, Doug. Just the other day, someone asked for the ranges of 17th century firearms. Of course none of us regularly practices with a matchlock, so I think the question went without an answer.

I saw Rocky last night for the first time in a full week. He looked and sounded much, much better than last Tuesday. He did not seem to be dying, for one thing. But he is very wasted. He makes me look buff, and I am one skinny guy. He said, "Thanks guys for coming over and doing this with me. It helps me feel like I am really here." We were watching movies till c. eleven o'clock, and he ate most of a cheese burger, all his fries and a large diet Dr Pepper….

Good news – keep up the good work!

Good to hear. Tell him we miss him and will keep doing so until he comes back.

Thanks for the updates, Doug.

I don't now him at all…but what I can appreciate is the situation, live long enough and we all see something like this…and I more so appreciate the connection that he has with people.

Most gamers in my experience have at least some measure of restrictive social connections beyond the guys to game with…which can at times be fleeting associations at best.

But it seems Rocky has made lasting connections and they are there for him in this worst of times.

Heartwarming to be sure.

In all the bickering and whimpering we can see on TMP on any given day it is a welcome moment to read about one of our own having people around him…those contacts have as much value as rest and food IMO.

So beyond the casual get well and speedy recovery I celebrate that he has friends and family to support him through this.

Get well and speedy recovery…surely there are more games to be played and miniatures to be painted…the workbench awaits.

Good words, 28mmMan.

On Tuesday, Rocky was very tired, having had a "bad day" that started with a coughing fit so violent that it caused him to fall out of bed, etc. He was only good for one movie (we watched "The Sting", 'cause his friend Sterling had never seen it before). But aside from weariness, his general appearance is haggard and aged. To me, he looks at least ten years older, and it isn't the whiskers. I hope that when he is up and about that he regains his vitality, such that he won't look so knocked down by all of this: right now, he looks like the Wraith got a hold of him for a few seconds and drained more than ten years off! But his voice is coming back, both strength and normal tone. All in all, compared to Tuesday last week, he has made apparent improvement.

(note: my update is late, because I have purchased a laptop – while we were offline most of this week, switching over phone/Internet service to ACN – and have been too busy hassling with 'puter adjustment and peripheral hardware issues to spend much time at all on the Net till now….)

Last night, we watched Royal Flash (not Richard Lester at his best) and Sink the Bismarck (always worth watching). Rocky almost had his normal voice back, he hardly coughed at all. He said, "The more I get better, the more fidgety I feel." He was definitely fidgety in his chair. If this continues, I am hopeful that in two weeks, Sterling might actually get to take him to the airplane modelers club meeting….

Fidgety is good progress. See if you can provoke some crankiness. Make him watch Three Amigos.

Put this on. If the TV is not broken within 15 seconds, he really is sick.
imdb.com/title/tt0892255

And tell him the Swedish chapter of the Commiepinkoliberal World Revolution told him to get better soon.

Wow… Just found this thread ( I normally have TMP Talk turned off). My prayers and best wishes to Rocky and his family and friends!

I checked in on Rocky Saturday. He said that earlier that day he had managed to walk around the house for c. five minutes. He looked and sounded better than on Tuesday….

Thanks for keeping us posted, Doug. Tell Rocky that we miss him and his knowledge here at TuhMip.

That first adventurous walk is always the hardest, things just get better from then on in.

He told me that the second walk was out to the van on Sunday, for a drive around town for a while. Then back to the house for a full family dinner. Then he went to sleep for a day and a half. He was rather dozy last night, but stayed up till we had finished two movies: "A Big Hand for the Little Lady" (never seen it before, it's great) and "Hammett" (second time for me, I liked it better). It was pushing midnight by then. More normalcy was attained….

routine is the best thing, Skip

Saturday, I was shocked to hear Rocky say that he expected it will be three months before he would be getting down and up his stairs again….

Having gone through therapy for an ACL replacement it can be tough. And the older one gets it doesn't make it any easier. Best advice I can give anyone is do your exercises, to build up your stamina and strength. I am not a athlete by any stretch but I am in very good working shape and being down for a few weeks after surgery it took a long time to get back where I was.

I'll second that advice.

Two months ago I came out of surgery having lost a few ounces of flesh off my ankle and a few grams of bones.

.

Still having huff and puff on a 1.5km walk, but I figure each puff is one step towards full function again.