smarx's quilt, pin basted for quilting
Our friend, Timaeus, is facing a huge surgery on Sept. 4. He needs the support of his friends to steel up for this ordeal. He wrote in a comment to my last diary for him:
This is a surgery to fix a gallbladder operation I had 20 years ago, when I was in good shape. I was scheduled for laparoscopic surgery on a Tuesday, but my gallbladder burst open the previous Friday. They should have immediately prepped me for operation the next day, but they waited until the scheduled gig on Tuesday. At that point I was in septic shock and almost died. Two weeks in ICU. Five weeks in the hospital. Three months before I could work at all. This is the short version! FWIW, I've learned a little bit about intense suffering.
Now I'm facing the aftermath of that: 20 years ago they had to cut me from sternum down to below the belly button, must be 20 inches. It's all broken open, and my intestines and stomach are pressing out obscenely through the abdominal wall against my skin, pressing out in some places more than 12 inches.
This is causing very intense distress every day, and I'm being a hero at doing my best to keep working for my clients despite being almost always in tears from the pain. It's been like that for more than six months.
It's extremely difficult to have a phone consultation with a client or prospective client when one is weeping from pain. But that's what I've been doing for a long time now, because I have to keep the boat afloat, I have to make payroll for my employees and support my family.
20 years later after that earlier operation, I'm in much worse shape, and in great distress. I try to be honest. I'm terrified. I don't really expect to survive. But it's up to God, and everybody's support and prayers help a lot.
We want to get a community quilt to Timaeus in advance of the surgery. That way, he can take our support with him to the hospital, neatly stored in a blanket.
We are $20 short for this quilt.
smarx's quilt top
A community quilt is a form of friendship quilt. It contains messages of love and comfort from you transcribed by me in archival ink on muslin. My sister and I sew these messages into a colorful quilt that warms the heart as well as the body. Timaeus will have tangible proof that people are supporting him in good thought -- and the nurses in the hospital will know it, too.
Serpents Choice's quilt, detail
It takes time and material to make one of these quilts. If you would like to contribute to the cost of Timaeus' quilt, here is a PayPal link -- or message me for an address if you prefer a check. $15/message is suggested -- but some give more to cover for the messages of those who cannot afford to donate. All messages are welcome.
Serpents Choice's quilt
So far, the following people have left messages for Timaeus:
1. JekyllnHyde
2. joedemocrat
3. arizonablue
4. One Pissed Off Liberal
5. Captainlaser
6. 3goldens
7. concernedamerican
8. loggersbrat
9. WisePiper
10. left rev
11. JNEREBEL
13. Youffraita
14. TracieLynn
15. petesmom
16. JoanMar
17. radical simplicity
18. Alain2112
19. Texasmom
20. Yasuragi
21. Lorikeet
22. Sara R
23. scamperdo
24. JosephK74
25. clytemnestra
26. linkage
27. Kitsap River and Charles CurtisStanley
28. asym
29. Purple Priestess
30. llbear
31. glitterscale
32. Avilyn
33. suejazz
34. kj in Missouri
35. Merelda
36. Pam from Calif
commonmass' quilt, detail
Need inspiration? Here are a few of Timaeus' messages so far:
Timaeus: I've been where you will be (though it wasn't supposed to be that way), and Lo, these many years later, I'm still here to send you best wishes assurances that it will be fine! Yasuragi
Timaeus, Consider this quilt our demand letter for a speedy and complete recovery, leading to a sizeable settlement in the form of the end of chronic pain. radical simplicity
Prayers flowing for strength renewed, health restored and pain replaced by joy. Texasmom
As an atheist who's jousted with Timeus on many of occasions over theological issues, I cant give him my prayers. As a friend who admires his politics, I can give him my thoughts. Be well, my friend. JosephK74
Timaeus, you're as ornery as I am. I know you're going to fight your way through this. I will be with you in spirit when you go into surgery. FishOutofWater
"I'm touched by the idea that when we do things that are useful and helpful - collecting these shards of spirituality - that we may be helping to bring about a healing." - Leonard Nimoy Peace and strength to you Timaeus. Looking forward to seeing and hearing from you on the flip side ;-) Clytemnestra
Leaves on the Current's quilt
These are the community quilts that have been completed so far:
1. othniel (cellulitis and ensuing complications, RIP)
2. exmearden (cancer of heart and lung, RIP)
3. MsSpentyouth (brain tumor)
4. Moe99 (lung cancer, RIP)
5. Michelle Caudle (ovarian cancer, RIP)
6. BFSkinner (lupus)
7. Kitsap River (long wait for kidney donor that ended 2/18/11)
8. Frederick Clarkson (blood clots)
9. Dreaming of Better Days (lymphoma)
10. one bite at a time (lost house and belongings to fire)
11. Timroff (cellulitis)
12. Sol Fed Joe (multiple cancers and health problems)
13. Brubs (AIDS, immune reconstitution syndrome)
14. rserven (gall bladder infection with dangerous complications)
15. grndrush (brain tumor, RIP)
16. ImpeachKingBushII (needs liver transplant)
17. andsarahtoo (lupus)
18. Frank Cocozzelli (muscular dystrophy)
19. luvsathoroughbred (breast cancer)
20. Predictor (stroke and HIV)
21. Austex54 (caretaker to othniel)
22. Theodore Olbermann, RIP
23. cskendrick (antibiotic resistant infection)
24. Keith Olbermann (caregiver to father)
25. Juan (cancer)
26. Ana (a young horse belonging to Juan, hit by truck)
27. MA Liberal’s mother (Alzheimer’s)
28. Charles CurtisStanley (caretaker to Kitsap River)
29. Lorikeet (cervical cancer)
30. Dr. Lori (metastatic cancer)
31. ulookarmless (cancer, heart condition, stroke, RIP)
32. riverlover (caregiver to husband suffering from liver failure, now widowed)
33. Melody Townsel (caregiver to dying father, now deceased)
34. dadanation (AIDS)
35. Dr. William F. Harrison (leukemia, RIP)
36. Larry Bailey (sudden loss of partner to heart attack)
37. ramara (adopted son with fetal alcohol syndrome)
38. Noor B (herniated disk from car accident)
39. Louisiana 1976 (fibromyalgia, severe arthritis, depression)
40. stumpy (MS, stroke, RIP)
41. bleeding heart's niece (cancer, RIP)
42. escapee (failure of corneal surgery)
43. SarahLee (lymphoma, Lyme Disease)
44. Bustergirl (ovarian cancer)
45. mimi's niece (cancer, RIP)
46. ZenTrainer (breast cancer)
47. Miss Blue (severe injury to shoulder, anxiety over coverage for surgery)
48. Granny Doc (bladder cancer, RIP)
49. mango (heart attack)
50. nudger (ovarian cancer, RIP)
51. DaNang65 (heart condition)
52. Lt. Choi (exhaustion)
53. Nurse Kelley (spinal stenosis)
54. Ben Masel (lung cancer, RIP)
55. Otterary Scribe (caregiver, grieving grandfather, grieving widower)
56. Aji (autoimmune diseases incl. fibromyalgia, inflammatory arthritis, & Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome)
57. JaxDem (suddenly widowed)
58. DavidW (AIDS and other undiagnosed illness)
59. Jester the Marine (facing amputation of leg)
60. peregrine kate (endometrial cancer)
61. mimi (grief due to family illnesses)
62. alliedoc (endometrial cancer, RIP)
63. labwitchy (diffuse scleroderma)
64. Daily Kos (celebrating community)
65. belinda ridgewood (sudden loss of her mother)
66. princesspat (blood clots, deep vein thrombosis)
67. Scott Olsen (severe head injury)
68. SensibleShoes (caring for sister with brain cancer)
69. Joanna (cancer)
70. cany (grieving caretaker of mother with dementia)
71. Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (breast cancer)
72. Scottie Thomaston (intense chronic pain from spine, kidney stones)
73. paradise50 (throat cancer)
74. woodtick (caregiver to mother with Alzheimer's)
75. BeninSC (mulitple fractures from bicycle accident)
76. Adrian (colon cancer)
77. Smoh (breast cancer, stroke, depression)
78. slksfca (sudden onset of arthritis requiring hip replacement)
79. arizonablue (grief and exhaustion)
80. Lorikeet (grieving widow - this quilt was a gift from the Rescue Rangers)
81. remembrance (breast cancer) and Glen the Plumber (her caregiver)
82. MassHarry (colon cancer)
83. Regina in a Sears Kit House (severe immune problems from Lyme Disease)
84. nannyboz (grief for father, crippling back pain requiring surgery)
85. raina (grief)
86. earicicle (breast cancer)
87. AntKat (cancers of the throat, RIP)
88. Alma (breast cancer)
89. DarkHawk98 (lung cancer)
90. llbear (brittle diabetic)
91. michelewin (grief and trauma)
92. Dave in Northridge (grieving widower)
93. racheltracks (complications from knee surgery)
94. Ebby (grief and stress)
95. Leaves on the Current (cancer)
96. Carol in San Antonio (cancer)
97. commonmass (grieving widower)
98. Clytemnestra (DES daughter, debilitating abdominal pain and bleeding)
99. Oke (survived life threatening pulmonary infection, COPD, depression)
100. shanikka (diverticulitis, intestinal abscess and life threatening infection)
101. Serpents Choice (grief)
See also these three posts about the community quilt project:
KosAbility: A Virtual Quilt for Sara and Ann, from Community Quilt recipients
We Have Something to Say to YOU, Sara R and winglion!
Community Quilt FlashMob Brightens up NN13
Goldie inspects Serpents Choice's quilt
We're working on smarx's quilt -- it will be done shortly and then we will begin FloridaSNMOM's quilt. We are still collecting messages for paradox.
shanikka's quilt
These quilts are planned:
UnaSpensor (Lyme disease)
MA Liberal (caretaker to her mother who has dementia)
Ellinorianne (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia)
MsGrin (life long heart problems requiring multiple surgeries)
LorelieHI (PTSD, reversals of fortune, depression)
michelewin's quilt
PAYPAL LINK FOR TIMAEUS' QUILT - THANK YOU!
Boots says, "Thank you for supporting community quilts!"
Namaste.