[DeTomaso] Great to hear from Bobby Byars

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

HI guys,

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when my cell phone rang this morning 
and Bobby Byars was on the line. I'd been talking to his brother Don and asking 
about him over the past few weeks, and he told Bobby about it, so he decided 
to call and say hello.

He sounded fantastic, given what he's been through.   He said that his 
condition has been improving measurably every day, but he still faces incredible 
challenges ahead.   The brain is an incredibly complicated thing that we all take 
for granted, until it all goes wrong.

He said that he still has very specific types of memory problems.   He 
remembers who people are, and when somebody he knows walks into the room, he can 
tell their whole life story--but for the life of him, he can't remember their 
name!   Once reminded, he says that he will normally remember it for the rest of 
the day, until they leave, at which point it becomes forgotten again.   He 
then confessed that even at that moment, he had forgotten my name as we were 
talking.   Yet he knew exactly who I was, subsequently asked how my girlfriend was 
doing etc.

He can look at pictures and know exactly what he's looking at, and tell you 
all about it, but can't necessarily conjure up the name of the thing in the 
picture.   And he can't read at all yet.

He told me that Don had written down my name and telephone number for him, 
and told him who "Mike Drew" was, which is how he was able to call me.   
Apparently he can look at a phone number, and make the connection between each digit 
and the corresponding number on the telephone keypad, which is 
progress--something he wouldn't necessarily have been able to do even a week ago.

He is going to have to undergo rather specialized therapy in order to 
re-train his brain to work properly.   With injuries such as these, over time the 
brain can repair itself, by painstakingly re-mapping itself.   His doctor says 
that he has to stay home, and away from work for the next 17 weeks, at which 
point he'll be evaluated and hopefully get cleared to return to work.   However, 
he'll probably spend his initial time in the office rather than driving all 
over the southland chasing after parts from various suppliers etc.

He said that the whole time he was in the hospital, he had no idea that he 
had come so perilously close to death; he said that he was just told of this a 
few days ago, and it surprised him.   He's had surgery done on his legs and 
will have to undergo some physical therapy as well before he'll be able to walk 
normally.

I can't tell you how happy I was to hear from him.   He sounds cheerful, 
upbeat, and he says that he is getting measurably better day after day, although 
he's incredibly frustrated at the holes in his cognitive abilities, as you 
might imagine.   He also expressed appreciation for all the concern that so many 
people have expressed for him, and asked me to pass on his thanks for all your 
well wishes.

I plan to pay him a visit at home in a couple of weeks, and I'm looking 
forward to it!

Mike 


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