Bunk’s Status

Mom is helping in a gentle way to get me back on track with Bunk’s updates! She kindly filled in the past 6 months. Writing that out loud is simply shameful - 6 months and no news on Bunk! Enjoy and I’ll do my best to update everyone on Bunk’s life and times more frequently. Thank you, Mom! Hope to see everyone at Perry’s Pizza Saturday, June 12 from 12:00 - 8:00 p.m.!

We are back with a very belated update on Bunk and his world. Thank you for checking in on him and his progress.

On January 30th Bunk celebrated his 40th birthday, another milestone. The 30th landed on a Saturday and he wanted to go to the Buck’s Rugby game not only to watch his team but of course to join in the post game celebration. I don’t remember if the Buck’s won or not but it didn’t deter the celebration either way. It started with beer and pizza at the usual post game hangout and progressed to the bar next door where Bunk showed off his new wheel chair’s ability to raise the seat to bar height. He was thrilled and quickly added some hard drinks to the celebration. He was pretty cheerful following the bar but he had another bar hop to make to meet up with his “No Bad Days” softball teamates at Marty’s.
By the time we exited Marty’s, Bunk was definitely having difficulty steering his wheelchair in a straight line. He maneuvered onto the lift on the back of the van and weaved his way in to the locking mechanism. Thank goodness he has headlights on his new chair so he could see a little of what he was doing. He had no complaints and by the time we arrived home I could hardly understand his words. I do know they were cheerful ones. He has not been in such a state since before his injury but I was driving and he was definitely enjoying his day. Happy Birthday, Bunk!

Bunk had wanted to have a party for his birthday on Super Bowl Sunday. Gilbert brought over a big screen TV that we hooked up downstairs under his balcony. That along with the TV in the Tipsy provided viewing for the big game. We had a wonderful turnout of family and friends and children to join in the festivities. Several football pools were started and avid fans followed the game all day. What a game, you could hear the roars for blocks. Bunk loved every minute of it. The weather was great and he stayed downstairs under his “Road to Recovery” easy up to watch the game with the crowd.

He wanted to roast a pig as he had done for the rugby parties in the past. Thank you to Linda Brown and Todd Komori for providing the “Pig Box” and the butcher who provided us with the prepared pig. We had a
100# pig that cooked under coals all day. Thank you, Todd for manning the pig box, adding coals, turning the pig, and getting the meat to the table. Thank you to family and friends for helping with the many side dishes. Great food, a beautiful day to be outside, and a terrific celebration for Bunk’s 40th birthday. It couldn’t have been better. Just Bunk’s style of celebration.

Bunk has been operating his new wheel chair since January. It is “Mercedes” silver, the seat raises and lowers, he can also raise and lower his legs, and the best thing is that he can stand in the wheel chair. He requires assistance in the standing process but can operate his other positions through his chin control device. He now stands almost every day for at least 30 minutes. You forget how tall he is until you see him standing again. He likes standing. He watches television and chats. It is good for his spirits as well as getting his body in a more normal physical alignment. Megan, his nurse who helps in the day, has the procedure down pat. I bumble through it but she and Bunk have the system.

The new wheel chair is more like an open chair and not closed in which Bunk finds much less confining. He has been having problems with the shoulder harness that holds his chin drive. It causes a lot of pressure on his shoulder and upper back muscles resulting in pain in his shoulders and neck. We have been working with the wheel chair vendor to develop a more workable option that will free up his shoulders and give him relief.

Bunk has now been in the Tipsy since the end of last August. What a gift it has been for him. Truly, it is a gift given to him by so many who have donated skills, labor, goods, fixtures, money, and good will. I am overwhelmed when I think of the beautiful place he has because of the generosity of so many. Some who did not even know Bunk. As I pray for Bunk each day, I pray for you. He has so much more freedom in the Tipsy. He never has to be plugged into a wall socket. He can move about his abode with freedom and ease, getting over to the computer and operating it with voice commands and an infrared dot on his nose to move the cursor. He checks his email and the web site and of course all the sports. ESPN is his home page. He has even written some email with a keyboard on the screen but it is laborious. He is taking phone calls and initiating calls as well. On warm days, we open the front door onto the balcony and he goes in and out at will to catch some sun. He loves to sit in the sun and listen to music and catch up on a little bit of sleep which he doesn’t get too much of at night. I commented to Bunk that this would be his first Spring in the Tipsy and he said, “Mom, this is my first everything in the Tipsy.”

He is getting more home prepared meals now. Not all by me that is for sure. He always loves it when his sister, Erica, is down as she cooks great meals and Megan makes salads and paninis for Bunk. He is always ready to host a party. Especially when it is centered around a sporting event. Dave Jacobs is a ready coordinator for the “Final Four” gathering during March Madness and the upcoming Poker Party this Saturday, May 22. Poker players are welcome. Such gatherings are Bunk’s life blood. He is at his happiest when entertaining his friends in the Tipsy. Dave Daly comes by to watch ball games and spend the night from time to time. How great for him to be able to open up his home to his friends. He lets us all know who is boss out there. He makes sure all the furniture and décor is in the right place or he has us straightening it up or moving it around for him. He has his dad making frames for pictures to be hung and goes down to the shop in the garage below to work with his dad on the construction. Bunk for sure is great at giving directions!

Sports continues to be his daily mainstay. After Super Bowl Sunday he was at his wits end until March Madness. “Finally, I have 2 weeks of good TV Sports to watch”. He is now watching all the basketball and hockey playoff games and of course baseball has begun. We went to his first day baseball game this past week. It was an afternoon game and what a beautiful warm day and evening. It was just made for Bunk. Ron and Marie Steuber had given us tickets and Kristen Bean joined us for a wonderful day except the
Angels lost. They are doing better. Bunk can be quite a critic when things aren’t going well for the Angels. Dave Daly is working on another “Bunk, Barbecue, and Baseball” event for this summer. Last summer we had over 100 join us for a super fun tailgate and Angel game. More info will be forthcoming.

Bunk’s weekly routine consists of several therapies he has been receiving for several years which continue to help him inch along in regaining strength and well being. Dr. Xi his acupuncturist continues to come regularly thanks to the over the top generosity of the ladies of the Haupert and Carlsberg families and friends who have so generously supported Bunk
through this therapy. Words cannot describe the benefit to Bunk. She keeps him challenged and moving in approaches that we would not be able to do. She has kept him focused on breathing off the vent, working him to pull his torso back and his arms back when she pulls him forward. She never gives up and neither does Bunk.

Bunk continues to work on his breathing. Besides Dr. Xi, he continues to do a daily regimen with the Power Lung that John Daly got for him to do resistance breathing. Originally, Bunk would do the breathing routing while he was on the ventilator but now he does his routine while he is off the vent and breathing on his own. He continues with 30 minute periods of breathing off the ventilator, as well as, as breathing for an hour-plus while on the spontaneous mode on the ventilator. He is working at lowering the pressure support on the ventilator down to 7 which would be like breathing off the ventilator. Bunk is now at 9 and will be going down to 8 this week. He has not given up breathing on his own. The many tacks he takes helps him to strengthen necessary muscles of respiration while he gets stronger in general.

Bunk gets to the Goodwill Health and Wellness Center to work out in the gym mainly with Stephanie his physical therapist. She transfers him to the mat to work on muscle groups that she cannot access in the chair and range joints to keep them from getting tight. Bunk really enjoys the gym and the work out ethic it represents.

Before the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Golf Tournament he told me that after the tournament he wanted to have his gastrostomy tube removed and that he would take all his medications by mouth. We started working on him swallowing pills on a daily basis and by a week after the tournament he was ready to go it alone. The G-tube was removed and he has had no problem with taking meds. His dietary intake has been fine for a while. It is just about totally healed now. His comment was, “One tube down, one to go” (meaning his tracheostomy tube). I am sure that Bunk does not fall into standard models of Spinal Cord Injury recovery but he marches along to his own drum which he can do due to so much support from others and his own tenacity.

Tomorrow Bunk will get his hair cut by Cari Sluder who Al and Stephanie
Amato have arranged to come to the home on a regular basis to keep Bunk looking spiffy. Bunk looks forward to her visits and has become quite particular about how his hair is combed each day.

I have been able to make it to church more regularly on Sundays. The Eucharistic Minister still brings Holy Communion to Bunk here at home and dear Larry Honikel comes on Wednesdays to bring Bunk Communion and a lot of good cheer.

Erica and family were down and all the family were together for Easter and the annual Easter Egg hunt in the yard. I was able to get up to San Francisco for my grandson, Will’s, First Holy Communion. A beautiful day of seeing Erica’s family in their home and many of her friends and their children whom I miss seeing so much. Vivienne and Ava Luthin presented the proceeds from their 4th annual lemonade sale that they hold for Bunk each year in Sebastopol. This week I will be traveling up one more time to see my granddaughter, Evelyn, perform in her ballet performance. I missed it last year. We are all better at managing a few short trips especially during the week when we have more support for Bunk.

St. Patrick’s Day, Bunk’s favorite day of the year, arrived, and with it the 4th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Golf Tournament for Bunk. This was the third year at Coyote Hills Country Club and although there had been a great deal of rain in the weeks leading up to the big day, it turned out to be a gorgeous, warm Southern California day. Bunk’s comment “Mom, it never rains on St. Patrick’s Day!”

We are indebted to so many for this great fund raising event for Bunk. Kevin Traut who undertakes the huge responsibility of coordinating the event, T.J. Eadington’s firm (Archangel Investments) who sponsored the event, Kristen Bean who coordinated the volunteers, Dan Maher who M.C.’s the event, Rana Schirmer who organizes the lunch donated by B. J.’s Restaurants, Mike Schnick who always takes care of the Tee Shirts, all the donators of such terrific raffle prizes, The Noble Ones who provided live music, Fathers Ponterelli and Sera for blessing us and our food, and all the outstanding volunteers who make the day so much fun for everyone on the golf course, help decorate, and man the registration, all those I have omitted in my hurry to write this and all the participants that come year after year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Bunk and hopefully have the time of their life. It is an overwhelming undertaking.
We are deeply grateful. Bunk has the time of his life. He so looks forward to this day to see and greet so many friends and supporters. He holds court in the outdoor pavilion where lunch is served, registration takes place and music happens. It is near the club house between two holes on the course. He gets to chat with everyone but he wishes he had more time to talk to folks especially those he does not see very often and travel from out of town. This year he had a cocktail party the night before especially for out of town travelers, volunteers and anyone who wanted to come over. It carried over to an After Party the day of the Tournament and was great fun for Bunk to get more visiting time in. Dirk Larson traveled from Kansas City and he and Dave Daly set up camp with Bunk in the Tipsy.

The tournament was sold out again this year and we had a wealth of additional people join us for dinner. I was even able to speak a little this year and didn’t cry. So much generous effort and giving raised almost $40,000. What a tremendous gift. It is used to support Bunk’s nursing care. I do not know what we would do without such support. It impacts his quality of life in so many ways.

Once again, Jess and Dawn Bingaman, owner’s of Perry’s Pizza at the Newport Pier are giving the proceeds from their business day from 12 Noon to 8 PM on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Information is posted here on our website (the main page and on the events page) as well as on their webpage at www.facebook.com/perryspizza. Bunk and our entire family will be there. He loves this day to visit with friends and their families. It’s all about people with Bunk. Jess and Dawn have steadfastly supported Bunk each year in this event. God bless them. Parking should be somewhat better as it is before summer and school is not yet out. We hope to see all of you. Bunk will be there as close to 12 noon; we truly hope to see all of you there and have a chance to visit.
As I write this summary, the continuity of everyone’s generosity in the areas that make such a difference for Bunk is beyond my ability to express our awe and gratitude. God has blessed Bunk with your presence in his life.

November 2009
30 days could barely contain all the activity and visitors for Bunk in November. Football reigned supreme, of course, but was made even more exciting with the prospect of his alma mater Servite winning the Pac 5 championship. The planning, pre game partying, attendance and post game partying surrounding these Servite games were a true source of fun and friendship for Bunk, and obviously a major highlight of his month. Visits from friends continue to be a major motivating factor in Bunk’s world, and in November he was fortunate enough to enjoy many of them. With good friend Dave Baxter visiting from Michigan for a few days and crashing on Bunk’s sofa, the pre- and post-football game parties, our cousin Adam’s son’s birthday party, and, of course, Thanksgiving, Bunk was in good company most waking moments of the month.
His daily responsibilities in terms of his therapies are very much the same as always, with breathing exercises, physical therapies, exercises and 2-3 times daily wound care filling up the bulk of his week. His therapies, shower schedule and daily routine have all been sharply affected, however, by the continuing problem of his pressure wounds. Almost equally as affected by his pressure wounds is Mom. Mom’s vigilant care and twice to thrice daily wound care cleaning, packing and dressing changes keep Bunk healthy and give him the most viable path to healing, and also keep Mom on her feet and present. These near constant roadblocks to great health for Bunk seem to be an invariable element of quadriplegia. It has taken us this long to realize that this might be a constant, although at times to a greater or lesser degree, condition for Bunk. The key, then, is as many weight shifts as possible throughout the day, great caution when transferring him to make certain he doesn’t nick or bump anything, and religious care of any wound (thanks Mom).
With the many preparations for Thanksgiving, usually taking most of November, Bunk found himself useful in the instructing / directing department. It’s fortunate that telling people what to do comes so naturally to him. But when your very life often depends on the direction you are able to give caregivers, friends, and family, you’d be hard pressed not to tell everyone exactly what to do. He and Dad made a good team deciding on the work to be done in the yard and house prior to the Thanksgiving weekend inundation, and Dad kept himself busy in his usual fashion every day on one project or another until Thanksgiving arrived. Then I arrived the week before Thanksgiving with plans for him and Eric to build me a kitchen cabinet. Not great timing, unfortunately. Projects for my house took him away from projects on Bunk’s house – we are now in direct competition for Dad’s wonderful skills and generosity, Bunk usually wins.
With about 85 people, 4 large turkeys, 3 ten pound hams, 30 pounds of potatoes, 18 pounds of green beans, the Pierce family’s many delicious homemade pies, the football pool, and, of course the Schilling / Schweizer annual cribbage tournament, this Thanksgiving was another wonderful family gathering worthy of the history books. We are fortunate to be such a close, caring, and fun extended family. Did I mention large? Thanksgiving is something we all look forward to, despite the requisite headaches of preparation, cooking, and travel, every year. Deciding not to let up on the social scene, the night following Thanksgiving Bunk and his Servite friends, along with his nieces and nephews, went to the Servite playoff game. The following day he headed out to friend Terry Ruben’s home for an annual horse shoe tournament and BBQ. No rest for the weary when it comes to spending time with Bunk; we were all exhausted; apparently he wasn’t.
Bunk’s therapies and visits provided a grounded continuum and, as they usually do, give Bunk the framework for improvement of any and all kinds 2. Dr. Xi, Stephanie Djang, Larry Honikel, Carrie Sluder and Mom are the regulars that help to keep the wheels of Bunk’s wellbeing in motion. Bunk’s caregivers: Ruben, Israel, Megan, Alex, and Justin are true blessings. Ruben and Israel have been working with Bunk (and, as necessary, our whole family) for over three years now – almost since Bunk returned home from his year in a variety of hospitals. Megan signed on the following year, and Alex and Justin have been reliable weekend morning and nighttime help for the past year. It is uncommon to have such dedicated, caring help by the same people for such a length of time. We have much to be thankful for in this regard, so it’s an appropriate time of the year to mention it again and thank them.
Many thanks and gratefulness go out to our family and Bunk’s many friends who came by to visit this month: Roger Dana, Kevin Traut, Dave Daly, Dan Copp, Adam and Josie Smith, Mike Killeen, Dave Baxter, Kristen Bean, Al Amato, Dan Maher, Chris Kent, Mr. Kent, Billy Seitz, the No Bad Days Softball team, Phil the CSUF rugby coach, Mr. Honikel, our whole family….. I am often reluctant to list the individual visitors as we thank them in case I miss someone, but Mom seemed to take fairly good notes this month! Thank you all for keeping Bunk in your prayers and thoughts, and for graciously accepting the mantle of guardian and friend.

October 2009
Some housekeeping information about the website to share: it looks as someone has hacked into the website again, compromising the guestbook section in particular. It is not possible to leave a message on the guest book at the moment, but Bunk is big on reading his messages these days – on his own – so please don’t let that deter you from sending him a message or a quick note. His email is bunkwurth@hotmail.com. We are in the process of hiring someone to help us revamp the website again, so please stay tuned!
Mom managed some good note taking this month, so – you’ve been warned - I’ll have plenty to say for this month’s update. This was fortuitous since October was an eventful month with Bunk’s continuing therapies, lift issues, baseball playoffs, football season in full swing, Derek’s birthday, Mom’s visit with us in San Francisco to celebrate Evelyn’s birthday, Bunk’s big ND-USC football game party, Servite football games, Halloween and the daily grind of just keeping it all together.
It is always a wistful time of year when we remember Bunk’s homecoming, and all that he endured to finally make his way back. It was three years ago this month that Bunk at long last came home. Toward the end his time on the hospital circuit (nearly a year), when coming home became daily a greater challenge and an ever distant reality, the gift of Ted Lawton securing a safe path home for him will never be forgotten. Thank you Ted and our many cousins, aunts, uncles and great friends for supporting Bunk through those very long days.
Who would have guessed, given the seemingly insurmountable challenges he faced, that Bunk would be where he is today? Despite a nearly complete paralysis of his body and an inability to breathe without a ventilator, Bunk has been infection free for one entire year (huge), challenges himself physically and mentally on a daily basis with his rather forward thinking and positive therapies (thank you Dr. Xi, Ruben, Stephanie Djang, Valerie, and Mr. Honikel), has managed to ferret out his own brand of independence even when opportunity doesn’t present itself, and finds each day as a challenge to be met, grateful to be alive. I would be hard pressed to say the same every day of myself or many people I know. It’s no wonder we all like to spend so much time with him, if you can stand the television.
Early in the month we celebrated Derek’s birthday on October 4th; Mom, Dad and Bunk were looking forward to having Bev, Derek, Jack and Katie over for a barbecue to mark the special occasion. In fact, October has been a good month for visiting with Derek, Bev, and the kids – it seems almost every weekend and a few weekdays they have come by to visit, watch football, stay the night, barbecue, and just make some happy noise. Always plenty of noise. Derek and Dad took the opportunity on one of these occasions to purchase for Bunk his very own barbecue, which now stands guard right out his door on the balcony. Awesome home, sweet ride, possibly new wheelchair coming his way, - a shower - and now a barbecue? I think it is safe to say Bunk has arrived.
The relatively warm weather in October has allowed Bunk to continue to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes: soaking up the sun. If the pressure sores or protein Fatburgers (burger, fried egg, and bacon) don’t get him, the skin cancer will. His chosen place this time of year is usually right out his door on the lovely balcony with a view, or sometimes right smack in the middle of his doorway , where he falls asleep, blocking all access. If he pulls off this new wheelchair coup and gets a smaller, more efficient and capable model (it takes him from sitting to a standing position - there will be no need to transfer him to the standing frame for this therapy anymore), he’ll seem much less formidable as he maneuvers around or plants himself in a doorway. Stay tuned.
Bunk’s weekly schedule remains mostly the same. There has been a bit of waffling on the issue of the shower, since he originally wanted to shower every day, but the reality of the ventilator in the wet environment, the care that is needed for this labor intensive portion of his routine, the time it takes to do it coupled with growing concern over the state of his pressure wound getting wet on a regular basis contributed to their decision to make it an every other day occurrence. It wasn’t long before Bunk switched course again, wanting to shower everyday (“It feels so good to shower and just feel the water on my face”), which is now the happy norm. Monday he heads to St. Jude Rehab center followed by a workout at home with Stephanie Djang, his physical therapist. She has found him at times this month with stiff neck, shoulders, hips; they try to fine tune the session to focus on whatever the malady of the day might be. The Goodwill gym on Tuesdays is for a self directed workout with the help of his aid, Ruben. Going to the gym and working out was such a part of his pre injury routine that it was only a matter of time till he found his way back. The incomparable Dr. Xi comes on Wednesdays, remaining steadfast in her encouragement for him to keep trying to breathe on his own, and everyday to make an effort toward that goal. She has been the single most positive guardian of that belief and continues to push him, especially as she makes him attempt to do it while conducting her usual therapeutic workout, killing two birds with one stone. Larry Honikel also comes by on Wednesdays; his communion and prayer service with our family and whoever else happens to be on hand are always positive and peaceful. On Thursday he heads to the Goodwill gym again, sometimes with Stephanie, other times with Ruben, where he usually does a workout on the mat, which requires a transfer (always a workout in itself for everyone involved). Friday brings Dr. Xi again, and whichever friends might be compelled to stop in for a beer, some sports viewing and a good laugh. Thank goodness for the weekend, but it remains a two day block of very intense work and long, exhausting hours for Mom and Dad, since we are still trying to map out care and balance the costs of weekend nursing.
His busy weeks continued to be filled with visits and all sorts of fun events with his incredible friends and our close family. He had enough fun events this month to carry him through the next month. Derek’s birthday on the 4th with Derek’s family, Billy Seitz and Big Rick made for a great start to a great month for Bunk. When Mom left mid week to visit us up in San Francisco for Evelyn’s 9th birthday on the 15th, I detected only a bit of reluctance as she was leaving Bunk with Dad and they were ironing out the plans to go to the Dodger / Phillies game at Dodger Stadium. Derek got the tickets for them and planned the whole event, only to be gone himself on a last minute business trip. No matter, Dad, Bunk, Beverly, Jack, Katie, Billy, and Gilbert all piled into the van and found their way to the stadium. Bunk had a great time as evidenced by the late night and his lost voice. Thanks for those tickets, Derek! Dad and Bunk managed for the few days that Mom was away, but she must have come home to piles of laundry.
Another smash hit, what I guess would be considered his first real party since living in his new home, was for the Notre Dame vs. USC game on Saturday 10/17. What a day: Bunk, Mom, Dad, Derek, Bev, Jack, Katie, our old neighbors David Vautrin and his family and Alfredo Ybarra, Kevin Traut, Dave Jacobs, Brian Criss, T.J. Edington, Dan Maher, Steve O’Donnell, Billy Seitz, Marty and Priti Franco, Kim and Rob Mangini, Leigh Spalding, Gilbert, Gabriel, Big Rick, and Dave Yaitz were all on hand to bring some colorful life into his new home. He had a great day, and hopefully everyone else did, too.
If this past week was any indication of the average running temperature of the Tipsy, the large group of friends must have felt as if they were in a sweat lodge; hopefully they made frequent use of the lovely balcony and its views to stay cool and find some fresh air. The insulation factor is new to us at Mom and Dad’s, and it certainly keeps things warm. Bunk is especially comfortable in such an environment, as he often felt as if he would freeze to death at Mom and Dad’s (his body’s natural ability to regulate its temperature has been MIA since he sustained his spinal cord injury). So we’re all learning how best to deal with the heat factor of the Tipsy: Dad spends most of the time out on the balcony, Mom and the rest of us dress as if it were a July day at noon. Maybe a few of you, like me, sneak open a window on occasion, only to be asked by Bunk in the other room almost immediately: “Is there a window open somewhere? I feel cold air”. Nice try. In any case, he is at long last comfortable in terms of temperature, which has a rather outsize effect on his general wellbeing.
Sometime mid-month, when the Angels had a home game - a playoff game against the Yankees – his rugby mate Todd Komori (Ito) called with 3 extra tickets to the game for Bunk. He wasted no time tracking down Derek, and off they went. Mom drove that ridiculously big rig and they had a great time with Todd and Linda, Marty and Priti, Billy Seitz, John Steves and John Lewis as well as many other cheerful acquaintances. No doubt increasingly cheerful as the game progressed, culminating in a win for the Angels (unfortunately we know how it eventually panned out). Thank you Todd Komori! It was a great day for Bunk.
With the Servite vs. Mater Dei game up next, the Servite guys pulled off yet another great time with pre party events at the Tipsy, tailgating events at the game, and even managed to get Bunk, his entire entourage and his van down on the field for the duration of the game (thank you T.J. Edington). I wasn’t quite sure how it all worked, that many guys in the van, until I saw it for myself just recently. There are lots of beach chairs and coolers involved. And the fact that Mom is the bus driver and ‘chaperone’ only adds to the hilarious irony of it all. Sounds like the perfect high school football game set up, only the guys are quickly approaching 40. No matter. Many thanks to Dan Navares (Servite Alumni coordinator), Dan Maher, Kevin Traut, T.J. Edington, and anyone else I may be missing! Bunk had a very nice visit with Todd Hart down on the field, and all were sufficiently pleased when Servite defeated Mater Dei for the first time since 1989 - an event worthy of further celebration, so they all headed back to the Tipsy to carry on.
Throughout the month, a reliable stream of visits from our steadfast friends and family continue to bear witness to the goodness that surrounds Bunk and our family. Mr. Honikel, Tom Brand, Brian Criss, Todd Komori and Linda, Dave Jacobs, Al Amato, Derek, Aunts Mary Catherine, Roselind and Kathleen, cousin Adam, Josie and Nicolas, and Mrs. Butler: thank you for taking time out of your busy day to come by the house for regular visits, always with a smile and plenty of positive energy to share.
Bunk has been a busy host this month, having the opportunity to see and visit with many friends and family in a casually comfortable setting for himself and hopefully others. Our good friends Nancy and Thane Brown were visiting from Cincinnati and joined Mom, Dad and Bunk for a nice carne asada dinner – it was a first time dinner for more than the family at the Tipsy and it all seemed to work according to plan. A new friend, Mark Willits, stopped by on a warm Saturday afternoon for a nice visit with Bunk and to check out his new home. Like Bunk, Mark is a quadriplegic on a ventilator. He decided to go back to school, recently graduated from UCLA Law School, passed the California Bar and is now working for a law firm focusing on ADA issues. He is a great source of inspiration and friendship for Bunk. On many a Saturday, Bunk has been lucky enough to be joined by his fellow college football enthusiast and great friend Dave Jacobs. Having a friend to join him in his usual television sports viewing makes the days so much more enjoyable. The baseball playoffs and World Series, college and professional football, golf, hockey and rugby are making for some great sports viewing on the TV this time of year, and his fantasy football teams seem to keep at least part of his brain engaged on a regular basis, too. From what I understand, his teams are doing fairly well. And so is Bunk. Many, many thanks to our many friends and family for helping to keep the entire Bunk system on a perpetual upswing, for keeping Bunk, Mom and Dad in your prayers and thoughts, and to Mom and Dad for all they do every day to help keep Bunk healthy, well, breathing, engaged, safe, and with a clear view to the future.

September 2009

While my documentation efforts continue to fail miserably, Bunk has remained steadfast in his course of action to improve his lot in life, on a daily basis, by even the smallest achievement. The month of September was filled with some nice visits with friends, his usual iteration of rehab appointments, the arrival of college and professional football (a godsend) as well as a few minor glitches, mostly dealing with the new apartment and its trim and tackle. But, the glitches were minor indeed, relative to the newfound mobility, independence and pride Bunk has found with the move into his new place above Mom and Dad’s garage. It is truly a happy home; one that will be made continually happier as visits from friends and family gather steam alongside the football season!

With visits from good friends Jeff and Eric Woertink, our old family friend Alfredo Ybarra, Gilbert Salazar, Laman Brewster, and our brother Derek, Bunk has really begun to enjoy the ability to entertain again, in his own home, like he often did before his accident. Larry Honikel continues to bless Bunk and our family with his Wednesday visits which deliver not only Holy Communion, but thoughtful prayer and friendship as well. With his Saturday college football viewing visits, Dave Jacobs has shared with Bunk a mutual, relatively minor obsession with college football, and some very therapeutic camaraderie.

Pursuant to Bunk’s move, he has gained an incredible amount of ability to navigate his physical surroundings on his own. The front door to his home is constantly left open so he can come and go as he pleases – out into the sun, or back into the house. Mom said that they no longer plug the respirator into the wall – its batteries only these days – since he is constantly on the move in his wheelchair from the moment he is transferred into it from the bed (much easier now with the existence and employment of his ceiling lift). We’ll all rue the day that someone forgets to charge the batteries, and we need to plug his vent into the wall, and we all forget he’s plugged in as he begins to zip around in earnest. Ouch. Naturally, along with his freewheelin’ in the wheelchair, he now moves up to his new desk where the laptop lives openly and constantly, on a very regular basis to check anything from his fantasy football, to shopping for his own clothes again (albeit online) to here, his very own website. He wasn’t much into checking out the website before, but now visits it regularly to check on my status reports (nearly non-existent) and his email messages. If you haven’t emailed him lately, please do at bunkwurth@hotmail.com – these emails make a world of difference in the brightness of his day. The downside to all of this, of course, is that now he can keep an eye on me, what I write about him and the (in)frequency of my updates! Hence, they may become less detailed and flowery, but nonetheless candid and hopeful, much like Bunk himself. He has recently taken to encouraging Mom and me to write and post at least some kind of update because, “I always get messages and visits after an update is posted”. We are all on notice.

Bunk’s therapies continue on a regular basis, with improvements, although minor, seen weekly. Spontaneous breathing is still clearly in his crosshairs, and he can be counted on, along with his loyal therapist Dr. Xi, to make a great effort each session. Please always keep Bunk in your prayers in this regard. Bunk and our family look forward to seeing many of you this football season at the Tipsy! We are also considering an open house for Bunk, perhaps sometime around his birthday (yes – it’s the big 4-0, so sorry Bunk!) in January. Please stay tuned in as we reacquaint ourselves with writing more regular updates on our dear brother. Thank you as ever for your kindness, friendship and support.

Mom wrote an update for the month of August, sorry for the delay in getting these written and posted.

August, 2009 Update

Where has August gone? Thank you for checking in on Bunk. There has been a great deal of activity in August and I apologize for getting all of Bunk’s goings on to you a such a late date.

Saturday, August 8th was Perry’s Pizza’s Annual Fundraiser for Bunk. This is the 4th annual event put on by Jess and Dawn Bingaman, Perry’s owners. Jess and Dawn give their entire proceeds from 12 Noon to 8 PM to Bunk. What a gift. Dawn’s mother, Peggy and sisters Tammy and Lynnette all worked with Dawn and Jess to serve up delicious pizza and drinks. Generosity is in their family genes. There isn’t an adequate word of gratitude to express our thank you. What a wonderfully successful fundraiser it continues to be, every year!

Derek and his family were in Oregon, so Billy Seitz handled the bar, Thank you, Billy. Erica, Eric and the grandkids were there. Erica lent a hand to the crew. The weather was beautiful. Bunk arrived around 1:30 PM. Parking was a challenge all day for everyone. Jess and Peggy worked with Red on parking the van. We are most grateful to all of you who stuck it out to find parking and to those of you who made the attempt without any luck in finding parking.

Bunk set up court in the outdoor patio behind Perry’s and visited with friends, family and visitors until 9 PM. We saw friends and family that we had not seen in many years. He of course loved seeing everyone and enjoyed the entire day.

The proceeds from the day have been critical to meeting the finishing costs for the Tipsy. We are most fortunate to have such loyal support from the Bingamans. Please frequent Perry’s Pizza whenever you are down near the Newport Pier in helping us thank them. We are deeply appreciative of everyone who shared in the day and supported Bunk.

August was D-Day or D-Month for moving into the Tipsy. The end of a two year project that so many generous people donated their time, expertise, labor, goods, and finances for the sake of Bunk having a place of his own. As we worked to get everything ready for Bunk’s
move, I could only think of how this could never have been accomplished by ourselves physically or financially. Truly, we are indebted to so many who have patiently supported the development of Bunk’s place.

I remember at the beginning when Bunk had just returned home from the hospital. We were so involved with his care and making it all work for him to be home and not in the hospital that construction went forward without much involvement from us. We had delays due to the elevator and reconstruction from its removal and acquiring and installing an external lift. And when the project was turned over to us for final completion things slowed down again. I cannot believe how many details go into finishing a building project and setting up a household from scratch.

We could never have done it alone. So many contributed to the project. I will attempt to develop a comprehensive list to post of all those many benefactors who contributed so generously to help Bunk have his own place. The benefit for Bunk has been tremendous in a multitude of ways. To finalize the building part of the project, Paul Van Kammen of Miller Construction and Dave Valentine saw us through to final inspection. Leon Arlt and his loyal crew of Tom Rausch and Larry Honikel returned to finalize the paint job they had started well over a year ago and Brian Trujillo worked with us on all the finishing details of tile, electrical, and carpentry.

The last leg was completed by Bunk’s sister Erica’s arrival with her family for 4 ½ weeks. She was committed to pulling together all the organizational details and furnishings required to move Bunk into the Tipsy and determined to have it done by the time she was scheduled to leave. It could never have been done as successfully and as beautifully without Erica doggedly keeping everyone on a timeline. Bunk had been spending much of each day in the Tipsy watching television and participating in the decision making and planning required. Brian Trujillo was here working on many finishing details along with Dad and Erica getting directions from everyone.

Every day was filled with obtaining a myriad of things necessary to set up a household, I.e., ordering a carpet and bookcases, buying household cleaning supplies, dishes, pots and pans, a vacuum cleaner, iron and ironing board, spices, etc for the kitchen. Erica would go out with her check list in her head and come back with a car load of things and then get me out to address another list of things. I would never have thought of all the details. She found a found a home for everything and put it all artfully all away.

Organizationally, she had ordered the shelves for the closets and bins that she labeled for storage of Bunk’s many supplies. She coerced Bunk and her Dad into building a cupboard for the bedroom that could hold small bins labeled for supplies required in his daily care. It worked out perfectly. The labeling certainly helps caregivers who change throughout the day.

Finally, she worked with Bunk on what artwork he wanted on the walls and had them mounted and framed and stayed up to 2 AM getting them up on the wall. She hung a painting she had done for Bunk over the sofa. She ordered the bamboo shades and made sure that her Dad got them up PDQ. Her husband had worked and reworked the sound and TV systems and was giving it a final once over. She also cooked us several wonderful dinners. As Bunk says, we only get home cooking when Erica is down or his brother comes over for a barbeque.

Alas, as doggedly as Erica worked to get Bunk moved in we were 99% ready by the date she and Eric were scheduled to return to San Francisco. She did leave her Dad with “To Do” list which he was required to check off each day. We still had to move down his bed and daily care items which were waiting upon Red who was working night and day to finish the bedside cupboard. Erica left on Tuesday, August 18th and on Sunday, August 23, 2009 Bunk moved into his new home.

Sunday was a day of a thousand trips from the house to the Tipsy. What seemed to being the finishing details required endless trips
down one set of stairs and up another. The bed could not be readily
Broken down so Red, his cousin Adam, and Marty Franco wheeled the bed from the house down the walk and up the lift. All was pretty much set although I was still taking odds and ends over at midnight.
Adam and his family and Marty and Priti stayed for dinner and we all ate in the Tipsy.

Bunk’s first night in the Tipsy went without incident. The ceiling lift worked well and we figured out how we would position the wheel chair to make it all go smoothly for Bunk. Bunk had no complaints and Israel, his LVN night nurse made things easy. It was a quiet night. Bunk’s comment to me was that I needed to write an update to let everyone know he was finally in his home. Thank you, God.

On the next day, Bunk wheeled around his new place. He can easily get around the kitchen and in and out of the bedroom and even can get into and through the bathroom. He gets up to the area rug in the living room but can’t get over it but does not have much cause to get in there yet. He loves going over to the refrigerator to have a look at what is inside as well as the pantry. There is a kitchen table that can be moved into the center of the kitchen or kept at the edge of the kitchen counter. He now goes over to the table to eat instead of us having to move the over-bed table over to where he is. Frequently, the front door is open along with windows and the breeze is wonderful. The open door allows him to cruise out onto the balcony and get some sun and check out what is going on in the back yard as well as enjoy the views. It is all so great for Bunk. His comment to me on the end of the first day in his home was “This is the first day I have not been in the main house at all!” He has not been back to the house as of yet. His place is too nice and too comfortable.

The first week following the move found the main house to be like a morgue. For almost 3 years it has been the hub of so much activity and now there is none. All the activity was over at Bunk’s place which is like a vacation condominium which, unlike the main house, has air conditioning, fans, great views, and a balcony off the front
door.

After the first week, we have established a comfortable routine of going back and forth to the Tipsy and gotten the main house back into some semblance of a home but tons of work to be done there. The Tipsy still needs some finish painting which we cannot put on the back burner.

As far as Bunk in his place goes, it is clearly his home now. He lets you know up front how he wants things and gives clear directions on where things should be specifically and in general such as closing doors and drawers, turning on and off what lights. He is in charge and we are his arms and legs to get things done and maintained the way he wants them.

During August, Bunk’s social calendar has been active. He has hosted his softball team at the Tipsy before games prior to moving in and after. On August 29th, he hosted the softball teams “Fantasy Football” selection night. Thirty men arrived, all bringing food and drink, their computers, charts, and whatever else is required in such
an event. It went on all evening and well into the night. I just left
Bunk alone out there except to check in once in a while. They called me if they needed anything. It was an evening of camaraderie, good food and of course football. Bunk was in his hey day and it all went flawlessly. The crew cooked and ate and cleaned everything up perfectly. What a great group. A few weeks back, after one of the ball games when they were at Marty’s Bar, they all toasted Bunk with shot glasses. A new experience for me.

The evening before, Bunk had made a road trip to El Segundo to a restaurant to join his brother, Derek, in his Fantasy Football selection. So I got a taste of how it would be. We were able to have dinner with Bev and the grandkids when it was all over. Bunk is now officially has two Fantasy Football teams. Isn’t 80% of the entire male population of the U.S. on a Fantasy Football team? Football season is Bunk’s favorite time especially college football. He will be glued to the tube on every game being played, especially Notre Dame games.

We are off on a new adventure. I know Bunk will be returning to his pre-injury practice of hosting barbeques and the like now that he has in own beautiful place from which to operate. There are many details I have left out but I wanted you to know about Bunk’s move specifically. Hopefully, we can return to a more regular update and not wait a month each time. I think I have said that before.

We are, as always, eternally grateful for all of your prayers and extraordinary support especially at this time in Bunk’s life. God bless you all. You are in our daily prayers.

Hello to all of you from the Wurth household. It has been too long since I have let your know how Bunk and all of us are doing. I am going to summarize the last month for you by means of a few general catagories. We can then be more current in our updates. I think you have heard that before but we keep trying. Thank you for staying with us.

Breathing
Bunk has continued to work in three areas of increasing his ability to breathe on his own.
GPB or glossopharyngeal breathing is a technique for gulping air into the lungs. He works every Monday and Thursday at St. Jude’s outpatient Rehab with Val his physical therapist. He is gradually getting more of a handle on the technique. It has not been an easy task for Bunk to grasp the technique.

Resistance breathing while off the vent.
He does this at least twice a week for 10 to 15 minutes. Dr. Xi always includes it in her session with Bunk. Bunk is totally off the vent as well as breathing through a mouth piece that creates resistance when Bunk is taking a breath. 10 to 15 minutes is the amount of time it is supposed to take to do this exercise.

Spontaneous breathing mode on the ventilator.
In this mode, Bunk initiates his own breaths and gets some ventilator support on the breath. He started out with support of 15 and is now down to 10. He has been working with Ted Lawton his doctor on this regimen. Ted feels as he gets used to initiating his own breaths and stronger breathing at a pressure support of 10 it will closely approximate normal breathing off the vent. Bunk is doing about 3 hours each day on spontaneous mode with pressure support of 10. He gets tired but maintains good volumes. The goal is to do 4 hours per day. He is getting there and is getting less tired as he progresses in this new regimen. He can talk during the session but it is a very low voice. He has begun going on spontaneous when he is in bed. Next we’ll see what happens if he falls asleep while on spontaneous. Bunk would then be breathing without thinking about it.

Wounds
His heels are just about all healed. There is no scab on the left heel and the right one is finally all scabbed over. We are on the home stretch. His wound on his back side is improving slowly but surely. Wounds as all things in spinal cord injury take an inordinate amount of time to heal. Patience, diligence and faith are what it takes.

Acupuncture and home physical therapy
Dr. Xi continues to give Bunk his hardest workouts. She starts with initiating a new movement and incorporates it into his regular workout routine. She is now focusing on a pushing motion with his right arm. Also she places his right arm in his lap and gets him to focus on pulling it up and pushing it down. You can really see Bunk concentrate and his fingers twitch. At first, all you could see was twitching. Now Bunk can initiate movement. She always takes him off the vent for a while and works on resistance breathing. He is wiped out at the end of her sessions. Good for Bunk, no pain no gain! We are so grateful for the gift of Dr. Xi and the ladies of the acupuncture club who provide Bunk with her service.
Stephanie Djang is his physical therapist who works with Bunk on the standing frame and on the mat at the gym. She has been off for the past 3 weeks. Both the standing frame, workouts at the gym and on the mat are so important and Bunk looks forward to the activity and the fact that the activity does not take place in the parlor.
Bunk is desiring a wheel chair that can change positions. We saw one at the Abilities Expo and they have come out to the house to demonstrate the chair. It can go up and down, move his legs out and back, tilt him back, recline him, lay him flat and stand him up. We will be looking at options to obtain the chair.

The Tipsy
Derek reminded me the other day that he gave the name “the Tipsy” to the loft over the garage that has now become Bunk’s apartment. It has changed a great deal since those early days thanks to the goodness and generosity of so many people. We are closing in on D Day or should I say M Day for move in day.
We had final inspection. Miller Construction and Dave Valentine were there on the first final inspection and stayed with it until the final, final inspection to make sure everything went right. Paul Von Kamman of Miller who has supervised much of Miller’s activities and of course Dave Valentine (our dear family friend) who got the project off the ground stayed with us till the end. We are most grateful to all who donated materials and labor. We could never have realized such a wonderful place for Bunk without them.
There are still many finishing tasks that need to be completed. Red has been working diligently and Brian Trujillo, a Servite friend, has been helping with getting all the loose ends and finishing details realized.
The painting has been completed. Leon Arlt with his supporters of Tom Rausch and Larry Honikel have been loyally donating the painting of the Tipsy for the past 2 years. I don’t think they thought it would ever get done but they were out here taping everything off and giving the inside its final finish coats during some of the hottest days of the year. They painted the outside a year ago along with the preliminary coats of paint. Leon, Tom, and Larry are fellow parishoners of St. Norbert’s whose children went to school with Derek, Erica, and Bunk.
Erica and her children are down for a three weeks. She is moving everthing over, setting up the household, organizing the living space for Bunk as well as planning out medical supply ’system’ for his very many and necessary medical supplies. She has supplied and organized the closet space, all the kitchen cupboards and pantry, carpets, bookshelves, cupboards, artwork, lighting, furniture, databases and personal address books on Outlook and all the living supplies. It would have taken me such an investment in energy and I could never have done it in such a quality and well organized and detailed fashion. Believe me, she leaves no detail unattended. Everything will have a place and look beautiful in its place. She has been tireless in her endeavors to transition Bunk to the Tipsy smoothly and safely. It is an overriding goal for each of us and our labors to make certain Bunk’s life, at least through the infrastructure of his home, is as independant as possible.
Bunk has been spending more and more of his day and sometimes evenings in the Tipsy. He has been entertaining his friends out there, as well. For one thing it is air conditioned and helps him stay cool. Second, he has his 47″ TV out there. Third, it is his place and his space that he can get around in and be more involved in the many decisions that have to be made. Bunk has taken over as the final say on most things that are involved in the Tipsy.

Activities
Bunk’s level of activity has increased significantly with him getting out and about to places and activities on a regular basis.
We continue to be blessed with Sunday Eucharistic Ministers and Larry Honikel on Wednesdays bringing Bunk Holy Communion. I get to Mass about once a month. I keep trying to get there more often but it hasn’t worked out yet. Bunk has been thinking about which Mass might be the most accessible for him. That would be a big leap.
Bunk went to the City of Orange’s City Council meeting to support Jay Ware in his bid for the waste disposal contract of the city. Jay and Carrie Ware have been so generous to Bunk. He leapt at the chance to do whatever he could to help. To me it showed how ready Bunk is to get out into venues that he does not know how he will get in and out. He has much more confidence in being out and about in the “real world”.
Bunk went to Tim Mullahey’s on the 4th of July and later we joined his brother, Derek and family, over at our family friend’s the Steuber’s.
Bunk went to the beach for the first time since his accident. Gilbert Salazar parked a large motor home at Bolsa Chica State Beach right next to the sand and welcomed all for the day. Bunk had a great time. We parked not far from Gilbert and Bunk was able to get around in the parking lot and parked his wheel chair right near the curb and the sand. I enjoyed the day as well. I sat in a beach chair and enjoyed the sun and breeze as I know Bunk did but of course socializing with many friends was his real delight. We got back for a second day at the beach this past Saturday.

Tom McGee was out from Boston and spent the day with Bunk in the Tipsy. We hadn’t seen Tom in a while. What a tonic he is.
Bunk’s softball team “No Bad Days” has been over for pregame visits. Bunk has hosted them in the Tipsy. He has gotten to several games and of course over to Marty’s (the bar) afterwards. We have become somewhat regulars. One lady customer at Marty’s even saved the handicapped parking space for Bunk one day. They give me free diet Cokes (probably to ensure that Bunk gets home safely) and the team always toasts Bunk at the bar. No wonder he loves it. The guys on the team are so helpful. When no one is with us, I need help getting Bunk in and out of the van. There is always a group of about 3 of them accompanying Bunk to the van to help get him in.
Bunk got to an afternoon Angel Game. He was given Diamond Club tickets from Mike Moore and Art Archeleta. What a gift. I had never been in the Diamond Club. What a terrific view of the ball game in beautiful surroundings. We met up with No Bad Days players, Priti Franco, and Monty and Jello at different places in the ballpark. Typical of Bunk, when we entered the Diamond Club he ran into Servite friends, had Rick from No Bad Days join him to celebrate his (Rick’s) birthday, and Priti joined us to keep us to keep us company. You can really see how much more comfortable Bunk is out in a crowd as he wheeled himself from the Diamond Club around the stadium through the Knot Hole Club to get over to the Budweiser Pavilion area all the while meeting up with his friends. It was a beautiful sunny day, a great ball game, and filled with many friends.
Bunk has followed sports as religiously as ever. His day starts with finding out what time the ball games are on. Golf and Wimbledon took front and center from time to time. I just cannot believe what a follower of sports I have become. I cannot ask too many questions because it shows my stupidity and Bunk gets tired of reexplaining the basics to me. He is in command of a wealth of sports trivia. Football is quickly approaching. Bunk’s very favorite season is college football. He is hosting a Fantasy Football Draft Night over at his new place at the end of the month.
Dave Daly gets over to watch ball games with Bunk and sometimes stays the night. He christened Bunk’s new shower.
Marty and Priti Franco have been over to join us for BBQ and watch ball games up in the Tipsy. Bunk joined them and the Bucks (his rugby team) at a Rugby Sevens Tournament in Costa Mesa where he was able to meet up with many old rugby mates. I am getting quite adept at packing coolers with beer for Bunk’s outings and tailgating. Of course I am the perennial designated van driver.
Marty’s is not the only bar Bunk goes to. Table 10 in Fullerton was the site of a Bunk visit about a week ago. The lure was a group of fellow Servite Alums (Jim Faly, John Hawkins, Matt Stensby to name a few) who were singing and playing there for entertainment with occasional songs by Ted Lawton, Bunk’s doctor. It was too good to pass up and needless to say it was more than fun for Bunk.
Over the past few weeks, I have been out to bars with Bunk at least 4 times. I would say he is getting somewhat back into a more normal social mode for him.
Fundraisers Priti Franco’s Marmalade Cafe in Tustin hosted a fund raiser night in June and we are looking forward to the Annual Perry’s Pizza (thank you Jess and Dawn Bingaman) this Saturday, August 8th from 12 noon to 8 PM down on the boardwalk near the Newport Pier. Bunk plans to get there around 1 PM and stay the day in the hopes of greeting many friends. We are most grateful for all fundraising efforts and appreciate everyone who work hard on the event and all of you who participate. We are forever in everyone’s debt. It is difficult to find a way to adequately thank each of you. God bless. Keep Bunk in your prayers as I keep you in mine.

Thank you for tuning in to these highlights. Please excuse any misspelling and grammatical errors as I just want this to get to you quickly. As I have said before I hope to be more regular. Erica is after me to get info more readily to her so she can begin writing the updates again on a regular basis and get the word out!

So late, so sorry! Bunk is still alive and is looking forward to seeing each of you this Saturday at Perry’s Pizza in Newport Beach! Thanks for looking in on Bunk.

Update June 8 - 14, 2009

This week was the prep week for the June 13th Bunk-Barbeque-Baseball night at Angel stadium that Dave Daly and Bunk thought up for a fun activity. Bunk has been excited about the event having lots of input and opinions. He and Dave have held lengthy phone discussions regarding the event.

Monday, June 8 - St. Jude’s Rehab with Val (St. Jude’s Physical Therapist). He worked on breathing with an inspiratory spirometer recommended by Dr. Lawton. We purchased it so Bunk can work with it at home. This Monday, Stephanie (private home visiting physical therapist) worked on the knots that build up in Bunk’s shoulders, back, and neck. Some weeks his shoulders and neck are tighter than others. That and pain on the back of his head are the two main causes of pain and discomfort for Bunk.

Tuesday, June 9 - Baseball tickets are getting in short supply for the Saturday night game of the Angels vs the Padres. We had purchased a block of 100 tickets and we were down to the last dozen or so. Many tickets were sold on paypal while others were picked up here at home. Doug Buerlein, Rick Radan, and Mike Schnick all stopped by to pick up tickets which put us down to just a few left. Bunk loved the visitors. He always has something to talk about.

Beverly took me to a restaurant food supply to purchase the hamburgers and hot dogs, buns, fruit, salads, fixings and condiments, etc that would be needed for barbequing and feeding the tailgate crowd on Saturday. The selections were great and cost saving. Thanks, Bev. It got me going on getting things together for the tailgate.

Chuck Ney, Bunk’s wheel chair vendor rep, came by in the afternoon to work with Bunk on a new mount for his chin drive. Bunk is trying to find a less cumbersome and more comfortable chin drive. He’ll try this out and see if it is any better.

The day ended with the Laker game.

Wednesday, June 10 - A busy morning. The wound care nurse came. I changed Buallnk’s trach. There was large amount of mucus at the end of the trach tube. Bunk is capable of being off the vent with the trach tube out for changing and cleaning the trach site. He breathes on his own while I am changing the tube and removing any mucus in the trach opening. This is far cry from when I was practicing changing his trach and we hurried through everything. Things keep moving along.

Dr. Xi comes around 1 - 1:30. Today, Bunk had 2 episodes of low blood pressure with a drop in oxygen levels. Dr. Xi did her magic at getting his blood pressure up both times. Bunk had a real tight right shoulder. She was able to work the knots out of his shoulder and he was feeling better by the end of the session. Today he did not do breathing off the vent as he usually does during his acupuncture sessions.

I went out to dinner with friends Carol Woodman and Joanie Dornbach. We were missing our dear friend Sally Debevec who had taken a fall. We were going out to celebrate our May and June birthdays. We pray for Sally’s speedy recovery.
=0 A

Thursday, June 11 - Today was my birthday. My sisters came out to go to lunch and help me with the remaining shopping for the Angel baseball tailgate on Saturday. As of today, I think I have everything I need just some prep work. It took most of the afternoon and it was great to have the support of my sisters in helping me feel comfortable with having gotten everything I would need for Saturday.

Tonight was another “No Bad Days” softball game. They opted to come over and join Bunk to watch the Laker game. Scott Zeimer’s wife had prepared a terrific spread of food for the guys. I didn’t do anything but lay it all out in a buffet for everyone to enjoy. She made the best macaroon cookies. I ate 4 right off the bat. Red loves them too so I did save a couple for him. You would have thought our parlor was a sports bar with all the roars and oohs and ahhs. You knew just when the Laker’s scored and when they didn’t. It was great fun and couldn’t have been better for Bunk who loves to have friends join him to watch sporting events. Especially the basketball playoffs and the Lakers winning a close game.

It was a good birthday.

Friday, June 12, 2009 - Today was a prep day for the tailgate at tomorrow’s Angel game, getting all the hamburgers, hotdogs, fixings, and side dishes ready and stored for transport. Bunk had been involved in all the planning from the get go. All week long he would let us know how he thought things should go and joined in all the discussions and logistical planning. By today, I was really worried that we would not have enough tickets. I went through all the tickets several times, putting them in groups as ordered and then going back to make sure the seats were in order as far as I could understand. Finally, I was at peace with that part of the organization. All one hundred tickets were accounted for. I was nervous about how it would all work. Bunk of course was not.

Saturday, June 13, 2009 - Bunk-Barbeque-Baseball at Angel Stadium. A busy morning as you could imagine. A nurse case manager came out in the morning to evaluate Bunk. Thank goodness Kate Daly and her friends came to help me get everything loaded and ready to go. Thank you girls, great work. Derek came bringing his barbeque to load up in the truck with ours. All the coolers and the www.bunkwurth.org easy up with the shamrock were loaded on the truck and finally the 2 kegs of beer were loaded in the van with Bunk . We had the truck, the Trooper, and the Van all loaded and were off to Angel Stadium by 3 PM.

We pulled up to our usual place a little northeast of the Big A and unloaded. Derek and Monty started cooking hamburgers and hot dogs as we set up. As people arrived they parked in the parallel rows near the van which were away from the main traffic flow and didn’t require drive through traffic, allowing for everyone to set up their beach chairs in the middle of the isle. Children could safely run around and Bunk could get around to everyone in his wheelchair. He was mainly on his own, loving every minute of it, visiting with his friends and meeting new friends, as well. The beer was well camouflaged in the van and need I say it was all gone by the end of the game. In all there were 130 adults and children tailgaiting. It was well past the 3rd inning before people starting going into the game and Bunk never made it into the game. He and a faithful contingent guarded the kegs and enjoyed the game from the parking lot.

I went into the stadium with my grandkids and were the seats ever high up there. I thank everyone for tolerating the level of the seats. Bunk would not have been able to be near the group seating due to his wheel chair. He hopes to do this again but will start earli er so he can get tickets in the right field pavilion area where they would be situated directly below the wheel chair seating. Everyone could be together and the seats are much better. The whole event was terrific and Bunk was in heaven.

Thank you Dave Daly for thinking it up and getting Bunk to help with the planning. From the beginning this was just to be a “fun raiser”, for enjoyment only, and it filled the bill 100%. Thank you everyone who joined in the fun. Write Bunk a message in his guestbook and let him know if you would like to do it again next year and make any suggestions that would make it better. Bunk is already planning. I had a lot of helping cleaning up and everything was loaded and ready to go soon enough after the end of the game. Oh did it mention, the Angels beat the Padres.

That brings to a close the first annual Bunk-Barbeque-Baseball Event.

When we arrived home Bunk’s sister was arriving with her family from San Francisco. The didn’t make it to the game but were glad to see them and all the cousins spent the night together. Derek slept in the Tipsy on the sofa. Sunday the Eucharistic Minister had a crowd in Bunk’s room for the readings and Holy Communion. All Bunk’s nieces and ne phews joined him. It is always special when they are here on Sundays. Bunk spent the day out in the Tipsy on the balcony. His brother-in-law Eric was working the wiring for the TV and the sound system. Has he ever done a terrific job! You can listen to music or TV out on the balcony. He has all the wiring in for Bunk’s computer. I don’t know what is all done, I just know that every time he is down with Erica and the kids he is working on the sound and wiring system for the Tipsy. Thank you Eric, it is a real gift to Bunk.

Billy Seitz and his dog Walter came by in the afternoon. Walter is a beagle and did some good howling off the balcony. Dave Daly and Tom Brand stopped in at the Tipsy, too, of course the baseball game was on. You could even hear the game on the balcony. Erica and the family will stay for a few days which will allow for family time. Erica always takes care of tastefully pulling together many loose ends that need to get done as we near the completion of the Tipsy. It is a thankless job but there is so much Red and I don’t know or consider that is necessary to having everything work and look great too. Thank you, Erica.

An eventful week for which we are most grateful. Thank you, God. Bunk is alive and well and active as ever.

Mom’s update:

Breathing exercises are part of every day now. We start the week with St. Jude’s Rehab working on glossopharyngeal breathing exercises. During acupuncture, Dr. Xi has Bunk go off the ventilator after her workout with Bunk and sometimes during his exercises. His doctor, Ted Lawton, has him on a daily regimen of breathing on the spontaneous mode on the ventilator. He changes some of the vent settings and gives him a length of time he wants him on spontaneous each day. Spontaneous mode allows for Bunk to initiate his own breaths overcoming some resistance to take his breath. The ventilator gives him an added push of air called pressure support. The regimen consists of increasing his resistance, increasing the length of time, and lowering the pressure support as Dr. Lawton directs. I have to report in to Ted each week and he gives me new settings and times for the week. Bunk has embraced this regimen and has maintained his oxygen levels and volumes during his time on spontaneous.

Bunk has had some episodes of very low blood pressure along with low oxygen saturations. It has most notably happened during his acupuncture treatments. He can tell when his blood pressure has dropped. His vision gets impaired and he experiences pain behind his eyes. We check his blood pressure and sure enough it is really low and his oxygen has dropped as well. What always surprises me is that he is still talking and explaining what is going on even while his lips are looking a little blue. Dr. Xi has a couple of techniques that bring his blood pressure back up pretty quickly. One is pushing in on the tip of his nose with your thumbnail. Another is rubbing the crown of his head with your knuckles. These work each time.

On Mondays he gets up on the standing frame with the help of Stephanie Djang his physical therapist. On Wednesdays we meet her at the Goodwill Wellness Center for Bunk’s workout on the mat. Both exercises require manipulation of his trach tubes and ventilator and getting him out of the wheel chair and back. We are now disconnecting from the ventilator when he is going up in the standing frame and when he is transferring from his wheel chair to the mat and back. He certainly has the strength to do more.

One of Bunk’s goals is to get a wheel chair that has the capability to stand. We had met a vendor at the Abilities Expo the previous week and Bunk wanted to get to see more chairs that would allow him to stand. “That’s something to look forward to.” On Friday the vendor with a chair rep came to the house with a standing wheel chair. Stephanie joined us as a consultant. Bunk did not get into the chair but a rep did. There were a few things that immediately presented themselves. One was what happens to the ventilator and the tubing when the chair is going up and down. The other was the amount of trunk and arm support that would allow Bunk to get into and stay in position. The vendor and rep had some homework to do and get back with us. The cost of the chair was $38,000.00. Unbelievable. Bunk will be seeing a few more standing wheel chairs. If one appears to be feasible for Bunk,we can further evaluate the ability to obtain one. Stay tuned.

Red and Bunk’s friend, Brian Trujillo, worked on the Tipsy during the week. Red was finishing the sliding pocket door from the living room to Bunk’s bedroom. Red had two doors with frosted glass lites put together to make one door that would fit the door opening. The doors were out of mahogany and Red stained them to match the floor and he and Brian hung the door. It fit perfectly, works great and Bunk was thrilled with it.

On Saturday, Cami Avila stopped for a visit and brought her terrific chili along with corn bread and honey butter. Her son was playing in a volleyball tournament in Anaheim and she came by in between games. We had the chili that day and it hit the spot. Cami and Bunk were grammar school classmates and she is fun filled supporter of Bunk’s Golf Tournament each year. Later in the day, we headed out to Mike Schnick’s parent’s house to celebrate his son Madden’s first birthday. Bunk managed accessing the back yard easily. It was a nice outing for Bunk, Red and me. We started the day with chili and ended with birthday cake. I had two pieces. When we got home Bunk asked for a Reeses Peanut Butter cup that were in the freezer. There were none left. I had eaten the last one. Did I ever hear it from Bunk. His sweet tooth doesn’t compare with mine and unfortunately I can get to the sweets easier than Bunk.

Rana Schirmer who organized the fundraiser at BJs Restaurants forwarded two checks for the Special Needs Trust. One was the amount raised the night of the fundraiser which was $1,102.68. The second was a matching check from BJs Restaurants Foundation for $1,200. Thank you Rana, thank you BJs, and thank you all of your who participated. It was a great fun night for Bunk which was a great benefit as well. We are most grateful for Rana’s efforts and the generosity of BJs and all of you. To top it off, Kendra Cotuli brought by a donation from the food delivery service, Restaurant’s on the Run, Inc, who had delivered lunch from BJ’s to Kendra’s work place on the day of the fundraiser. They donated their delivery fee back to Bunk. We continually are humbled by people’s generosity. It helps so much. There are so many thank you’s waiting to be written that must get done. A side note on the fundraiser, Rana said the highest attendance was at the Brea BJs and the second highest was the La Mesa BJs in San Diego. Bunk was at the Brea restaurant, who was at La Mesa? Let us know.

On Sunday, the Eucharistic Minister came but I was also able to get to Mass. The gospel contained Jesus’s quote “I am with you always”. One that brings great peace and must be recalled frequently. When I got home from church, Bunk asked me if the Mass was crowded. For the 12 noon Mass that is usually pretty full, it was crowded. Bunk said ” I thought it would be, the Laker g ame is at 5 PM and all the evening Mass goers were getting there early”

Sports wise this was a week of College Baseball, Angel games, Tennis and of course the Lakers. Oh, I forgot golf. We didn’t miss a thing. I say we, because I am in there watching it all with Bunk. I can’t get too conversant on any one sport or I get put in my place, just when I think I’m getting a handle on a sport knowledge wise. I’m forever learning to keep my mouth shut.

God Bless and may the Lord be with you always.

Mom’s update:

The week started with the Memorial Day holiday. God Bless all those who have given their lives for our country. We are all humbled by their sacrifice, pray for them and honor their memory. Bunk watched lacrosse championships and baseball.

Bunk has had some long telephone conversations with Dave Daly talking about the June 13th baseball night amongst o ther things. We have been planning the tailgate menu for the Bunk-Baseball-BBQ. The game tickets include a tailgate meal. We will be barbequing hamburger and hotdogs with potato salad, chips, fruit, cookies, and beer, soft drinks, water, children’s drinks. That’s where it stands now. We will be tailgating near the Big A in the parking lot. We will have the green and white easy up with the shamrock and www.bunkwurth.org on it. We will be hauling barbeques, tables, coolers and all the goods over to the stadium. The parking lot opens 2 1/2 hours before the game and we will be setting up as soon as we can get into the lot. Bunk is looking forward to spending the day with many friends and families.

There was a great deal of finish work going on=2 0in the Tipsy this week. The plumber spent several days working on turning on the gas, turning on the water, activating the sewer and the water heater. I had a lot of gofer duty. I was ready to go and get anything to keep things moving. He put in the toilets and sinks and on Friday the bathrooms were useable. WOW! We have running water, working bathrooms, a plugged in refrigerator, and a television. We are getting close. Brian Trujillo has been working with Red to finish trim and tie up other details. We need to finish off the electrical and th en we are heading toward final inspection.

Bunk has been working steadily on his spontaneous breathing generally going for 4 hours a day. It has become increasingly routine for Bunk to go on spontaneous mode on the ventilator. He can talk, although more softly. He has been on the vibrating vest while on spontaneous and tolerated it well. I sometimes forget he is on this breathing mode because of the length of time. He does not get distressed, is able to maintain his oxygen levels and good volumes of air. This is just the beginning of a process that will allow Bunk more independence in his breathing. I will keep you closely apprised of his progress. Thank you for your prayers.

We had a nice NetFlix night watching “Marley and Me”. The highlight of the film was the discussion Bunk had wit h his Dad and me about our dogs, Curley and Spud. Bunk and Derek do not forget many details of their childhood especially when came to the dogs. Bunk would love to get a dog now but I know who would be taking care of it just like when he was younger.

My sister Mary Catherine came out on Thursday to help me with filing. Remember when she and Roselind would come out every week or two to help me with the mail, the bills, deposits and the organizing and handling of my many piles and files of paperwork? Things are certainly better now but I am forever in need of help with organizing paperwork. I have a 2 year plan to organize my files. Of course the plan includes the assistance of my sisters who are naturals at keeping things in order. I was the black sheep in that regard amongst our family.

Friday was the busiest of days. Brian Wolf and his son, McKinney (Bunk’s God Son), stopped by in the morning for a brief visit. Shortly after Bunk was up, Red and I took off to the Abilities Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center to do a cursory run of the exhibits before we take Bunk on Saturday. We spotted a few items for Bunk to see and returned home. Dr. Xi had worked with Bunk and he was totally off the ventilator for 24 minutes. Good news there. She has also been working with Bunk to move his20hand forward. He gets some movement with assistance and by mainly using his shoulder muscles.

Leon Arlt with his son Jason stopped for Jason to visit with Bunk. Jason had been a student of Bunk’s and it is always nice for Bunk to see how they are getting along. Leon is volunteering, very patiently, to do the painting. He was checking on progress as we are getting closer to the final paint job. Leon and Tom Rausch worked20diligently with help from Larry Honikel early in the building of the Tipsy. I think they had given up on the possibility of it getting to the point of completion. I thank them for their generosity and patience.

When Leon and Jason were leaving, I spotted a man from the Gas Company walking around the house. He said they had had a call from someone who smelled gas when they were walking by the house. We all went on a hunt sniffing around the outside of the house. We could smell nothing inside and at first we couldn’t smell any gas outside either. Leon noted the smell of gas on the north side of the house outside of Bunk’s room. I had gone under the house to where the heater is and couldn’t smell anything. After further investigation, it appears that the plumber had turned off the gas and did not relight the pilot lights on the water heater and the forced air heater at the main house. The heate r had a broken valve that didn’t turn off the gas when the pilot light was out and gas was coming out. Thank goodness it was identified. I thank that walker who called the gas company and the diligence of everyone who worked to figure out what was going on. We turned the heater off and put it on our list to call CCcc Heating and Air Conditioning who are our neighbors and have them check it out. We hadn’t used the heater in a while but today was cooler and I bet=2 0Bunk would have asked to turn the heater on for a while this evening. Risky business. God is watching out for Bunk.

The excitement didn’t end there. Earlier in the week a member of the Audobon Society who lives on our hill had stopped by to let us know that a Cooper’s Hawk had nested in one of our Eucalyptus trees and chicks had hatched and were in the nest. He had asked us if they could come back to climb the tree and band the chicks. Well today was the day. There was a crew of 3. One climbed the tree and put the chicks in a duffle bag and lowered them to the ground where they were retrieved and banded. He wore a football helmut with a mask for protection. The mother hawk was having fits, flying into the tree and sitting up on the telephone pole across the street and making all kinds of noise. She was in such distress as any mother could imagine. My heart went out to her.
Bunk had come out onto the front porch along with Red and I and his nurse plus several neighbors. The crew brought the chicks over to the porch to band them and collect data. We all got to pet them and see their downy little (not so little) bodies. They stayed very calm and everything went nicely. Then it was back up the tree in the duffle bag and back to their nest. I felt relieved for the mother hawk. The father ha wk was around but stayed at a greater distance. It was quite an experience as well as an education. Red had been watching the hawk all week since we knew there was a nest in our tree and will continue to do so. One of these days I’ll tell you the story about the time we had a hawk in our dining room. The fellow from the Audobon Society said that that hawk was probably a Cooper’s Hawk, as well, since they prey on small birds and Bunk’s cockateil, Big Hummer, was sitting in a cage in the window and of course we don’t have screens. My sister, Roselind, who is a bird watcher would be proud of our birds of prey adventure.

What an action packed day!

Saturday we were back to the Expo. Red went early to hear our friend Mark Willits, a fellow quadriplegic on a ventilator, speak on ADA. He has recently graduated from UCLA Law school, passed the BAR, and is now practicing law in a firm that deals mainly with ADA issues. Red returned home and after Bunk watched the Dodgers and the Cubs and Orlando and Cleveland games we went back to the Expo. Bunk had a few areas he wanted to check out. He met up with Mark for a visit, visited with Nancy Quarles from the Goodwill, checked out wheel chairs that could accommodate standing while in the chair, and looked over several vans that he could access through a ramp in the rear of the van. Bunk20would love to downsize his wheel chair and the van making it easier and more comfortable for him to get around. His height and the height of his chair are a factor but he is most interested in checking everything out. He talked with vendors and clearly articulated what he was looking for and tried things out as much as he could in that environment.

Following the Expo, we went across the street to the Anaheim Marriott to meet up with Mark at a reception hosted by the Reeve Foundation. Bunk and his Dad had a beer in the bar on the way up and another up at the reception. In fact I think beer was his dinner that night. There were a great number of people in wheel chairs all mingling with each other and there friends and families. A great group of people, all willing to help in any way they can. Bunk and I had a discussion regarding how he doesn’t identify as one of a group of disabled. He sees himself. as he always has, as one of family and friends only20now he just can’t get around quite like he used to. I can see that sense of himself everyday, especially in his interactions with friends and family. The Expo was a positive outing. Maneuvering around is always a challenge but Bunk and all of us are getting much better at it. Patience is the key to everything, I’ve learned.

Sunday. Dan Maher and his two beautiful and articulate daughters stopped for a visit. Bunk showed Dan the Tipsy and they visited outside while the girls played. Dan is marketing specialty tee shirts and took a picture of one of Bunk’s paintings of the American flag to possibly reproduce on a tee shirt if I got the gist of it right. I cleaned the bathrooms in the Tipsy a little so they could be used. I had to get toilet paper out and think about soap, etc. I am becoming more acutely aware of the necessary fact that everything in the Tipsy will need cleaning soon and then over and over again. I’m tired thinking about it. The day ended with a great pull from behind victory by the Angels in the 9th inning, a perfect ending to a never a dull moment week.

Thank you for joining us for the update. Bunk mentioned to me that he can always tell when an update has been posted because he will get more messages in the guestbook which he checks regularly. I used to check it for him but he is now does his own maneuvering aro und the computer.

We are most grateful for your continuing prayers and support. I am praying for you.

Mom’s Update, May 18 through May 24, 2009

We didn’t make it to St. Jude’s therapy this Monday. It generally takes two of us to work with Bunk and his wheel chair to get him backed up out of the van and lowered down on the lift. His chin drive is too touchy for him to maneuver backwards out of the van. His wheel chair with him in it weighs about 650 pounds and when moving under power is almost impossible to control. Red was working on the Tipsy today and we did not have any afternoon nursing support Monday and Tuesday so we opted to stay home since we would be going it alone and couldn’t readily access assistance at the center to get him out of the van.

Stephanie Djang his therapist did come in the afternoon and Bunk got up in the standing frame and stood for almost an hour. Standing has become a much more doable task for Bunk although it still takes 2 of us to get him into the standing frame and get him up. It takes 2 people to just about manage all of Bunk’s activities that require moving him bodily, i.e., getting him up from bed into the wheelchair and from the wheelchair back to bed, getting him out of the van, getting him into the standing frame and standing, and getting him onto the mat at the gym for a workout. Bunk tolerates these transfers much better now and seems to have better control. We often disconnect him from the ventilator to make it easier and less complicated.

Bunk continues on his daily breathing regimen established by Ted Lawton which has him breathing on the spontaneous mode on the ventilator for an hour twice a day. He can talk and drink liquids while on the spontaneous mode although his voice is less vigorous. On Tuesday I reported in to Ted on how he was doing while on spontaneous and how large his volumes were and what level of oxygen he is able to maintain.

This week, Bunk is to breathe on spontaneous for 2 hours twice a day although today he was on spontaneous off and on all day due to the fact that the wheelchair vendor was out to the house. When I inquired about the length of time per session at the end of the day, he responded that he had been on spontaneous for as long as I was on the phone with his Aunt Kath “and you know how long that is!” He was right. It is never a short conversation with Aunt Kath.

The wheel chair vendor came with his technician to take care of a long planned for correction of the basket that holds his ventilator on the back of his wheelchair. We had to transfer Bunk from his power chair to his manual chair using a lift. Bunk hung in there while Red and I got the job done. It was a good run at getting used to the manual wheel chair which is a back up for the power chair. Bunk of course prefers the power chair because he can be more independent and get himself around.

The adjustment to the chair was a great improvement, shortening the length of the chair and making it a much better fit lengthwise in the lift. Before, he was wall to wall in the lift and I was always worried that his vent tubing would get caught and disconnected as the lift took him up or down from the Tipsy. He now has about 6 more inches of room and Bunk can power himself into the lift and not have to inch around making sure there is clearance in front and in back of the chair.

This repair has been in the works for over 6 months. Everything takes forever when it comes to wheelchair repair and modifications. I could give an hour lecture on the frustrations of the construction and maintenance of wheel chairs. Bunk could go on for longer I am sure. My frustration is well outweighed by his.

This week, Bunk, returned to the Goodwill Fitness Center to do a workout on the mat with Stephanie. It had been 2 months since we had been there due to wound vac on his pressure wound. It was good to be back. I even get exercise on the treadmill while Bunk is getting his workout.

Prior to the gym, Bunk had a session with Dr. Xi, the acupuncturist with time breathing completely off the ventilator. That was followed by Larry Honikel bringing Holy Communion and then off to the gym. Wednesday afternoons are busy but we get it all in. Each activity is vital to Bunk’s improvement and well being for which we are most grateful.

Friday we had made arrangements with Israel, Bunk’s night nurse, to stay on in the morning so Red and I could leave around 9:30 to go to our dear friend Rojo’s funeral. The funeral Mass was at St. Anthony’s Church in Long Beach. We all went to St. Anthony’s High School and had been in the church many times throughout our years there. It was a high school reunion again having just seen so many at Red’s 50th high school reunion in April. God Bless Rojo.

We celebrated Rojo on our return home by stopping off at Joe Jost’s for lunch with Mary Catherine and Ron, Paul and Bonnie McGregor, and Lynda Roberts and Coke Baker (maiden name). We had a nice walk down memory lane. Joe’s Specials always cure what ails you. Bunk will attest to that.

Kevin Daugherty from ATEC of the Goodwill was out in the afternoon to work with Bunk on his Mac Dictate for speech recognition and using an on screen keyboard to write. Kevin is most patient and knowledgeable regarding working with Bunk on accessibility to his lap top computer. It has been several years in getting to where we are today. The wonderful thing is that it is now all between Kevin and Bunk. I do not feel the responsibility of having to understand every little thing which of course I never did. The speech recognition and writing capabilities are a little better with each visit. Thank goodness for ATEC. The television, the computer, and listening to music in the sun are activities that fill his day.

Saturday was the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend. Bunk watched “Band of Brothers” with his Dad, very fitting. Bunk had a visit from Marty and Priti Franco, Sylvia Avila, and Jim Arabia. Bunk entertained them out in the Tipsy and they watched the Laker game. Marty and Priti brought dinner, spicy sausage dogs which Red barbequed. Bunk had more of an opportunity to have a few beers. Priti is good about seeing that he drinks his liquids.

Priti and Marty have recently moved back to Orange County from San Diego and she is now working at the Marmalade Cafe in Tustin. After the success of BJ’s Restaurants fundraiser for Bunk, she asked her boss if they could host a fundraiser night at their restaurant. It is hard to say no to Priti and her boss concurred and Monday, June 22, 2009 will be a fundraiser at the Marmalade Cafe in Tustin. A flyer needs to be presented to have a percentage of the meal’s proceeds go to Bunk. Look for it on the website. Thank you, Priti. Bunk looks at the event as a chance to get together with friends. Come and visit Bunk. He plans to be at the cafe about 6 PM.

Sunday started with the Indianapolis 500. Bunk watched it throughout the morning except when the Eucharistic Minister came. We always turn the TV off during that time. When asked how he was doing, Bunk’s response was “I’m doing well.” He is always positive.

It was of course a day of sporting events. After the Indy 500 and all its spectacular crashes, Bunk got up and watched the Angels and the Dodgers play baseball followed by Cleveland and Orlando play basketball.

It has been difficult this week to get the two 2 hours breathing sessions in with regularity. On Sunday he went on spontaneous breathing mode at 4 PM and went until 8:20 PM. He drank a malt during the that time and watched the clock. He knew exactly how long he had been on his spontaneous mode. “My throat dries out” during the sessions because he is taking longer breaths through his nose. He is comfortable and in no distress when he is breathing in this mode. His oxygen saturation is good as is his volume of air that he is able to take in. Since starting at 1/2 hour and progressing now to 4 hours, he has maintained the same quality of comfort.

I again ask for your prayers in support of Bunk’s efforts to breathe on his own. You have been most faithful in this regard. He is in general stronger now and we must keep working toward this goal.

I keep trying to get caught up with the updates but always find myself a week behind. If I can get one more week completed we will be to this week and hopefully we can then once again be more current in reporting to you dear and loyal friends and family.

God Bless.