Update on Steve

It was a busy couple of days as we got Steve's apartment ready for his return on the 9th. All of the important equipment was shipped safe and sound and we spent those two days setting it all up, getting organized and stocking household goods.

Of course, the plane trip home wasn't without some drama. As the jet rolled out towards the runway, the pilots discovered the front wheel wouldn't steer. Maintenance crews came out, worked on the problem, and pointed the plane back towards the runway. It still didn't steer. Everyone on board was a little more than anxious by then, so another jet was rolled out and off they went. Steve was greeted at his front door by a large crowd of friends and family. A special thanks goes out to Fran Del Santo of the Wanderers Motorcycle Club, who answered the call for a motorcycle escort from the airport.

The insurance company contracted with Firstat, a nursing agency out of San Diego, to provide 24/7 home health care. All of the nurses are well aquainted with caring for a quadraplegic, though most of them needed a quick course in ventilator / respiratory care. We were fortunate to have Jerry, Steve's head nurse, train for three days at Craig Hospital before Steve came home. Jerry learned the 'Craig Way' and helped immensily by getting the other nurses up to speed, making Steve's transition home as familiar as possible. Joining Jerry on the team is Joel, Wylie, Megan, Yvette and Greg. To help familiarize the nursing team with ventilator care, Mike Nassimbene, one of the star Respiratory Therapists at Craig, accompanied Steve home and stayed with him for three days. Mike did a great job training the nurses and gave us all some peace of mind.

Steve spent the last nine days visiting with friends and family and working the kinks out of his daily routine. As expected, there were problems to overcome and some new challenges to face, but it has gone a lot more smoothly than I thought it would. A lot of the credit for the easy transition goes to the staff at Craig, for having the foresight to train Steve how to teach others in providing his care, and to the nurses from Firstat for being receptive to Steve's health care "suggestions".

Today we had an appointment with Dr. Stenehjem, Steve's new spinal cord injury / rehab doc at Sharp Rehabilitation Center in San Diego. Steve will continue his rehab as an outpatient at Sharp and Dr. Stenehjem will be the primary doc in charge of his case. Sharp was our backup option for Steve's initial rehab, and we were impressed by the staff we met today.

Steve is doing well. His nursing team has their act together and is a caring group of folks. Sharp Rehab looks like a first-class facility, even to eyes jaded by my experiences at Craig. They all have a tough act to follow, but from what we've seen so far, I think they'll do fine.

Sunday, February 18, 2001

Time is a little tight today, but I wanted to get the word out regarding an upcoming event for Steve's rehab fund. I'll post an update on Steve's progress over the past month in the next few days. The short take - he's doing well.

A Rock 'n Roll concert to benefit Steve's rehab fund has been organized by bass guitarist Rich "The Man of Funk" Bastien. Steve's been playing the drums and been involved in the southern California music scene for years. Rich and his friends have worked hard to put together a night of great music for a great cause. The bands Sherwill, Hydroplane and Hart & Soul will be appearing at the concert to be held on Saturday, March 3rd from 6:00pm to Midnight at the Brengle Terrace Park Recreation Center in Vista, California. Admission is $10.

Directions: Find the city Escondido on the map and:
West on I-78 to Escondido Avenue
North (right turn) on Escondido Ave to East Vista Way
East (right turn) on East Vista Way to Vale Terrace
South (right turn) on Vale Terrace to the Brengle Rec Center
Address: 1200 Vale Terrace

The concert is sponsored by San Diego Drums & Percussion, Band Central Station, Redsand Inc., Photomorphix, the City of Vista, J&M's Silk Screen, Pen Art Graphics, and Kinko's of Redlands. A special thanks goes out to Sheri Guzik for her efforts in putting together the flyers and benefit t-shirts.

Sunday, March 11, 2001

OK, OK, I'm a week late posting the update regarding Steve's Benefit Concert .......... but here it is. Steve's buddy and bass guitarist Rich Bastien worked his butt off to put the show together and it was an unqualified success, raising over $1200! It was a night of music, including the bands of Sherwill, Hydroplane and Hart & Soul. Steve has played with many members of these bands in the past and it was terrific having them there. It was a night of family, and of friends both old and new, including a group from the Craig Hospital in Denver who took time out of their busy lives to hang out with their favorite pain-in-the-ass ..... I mean patient. I should have some pictures of the event coming in soon, so stay tuned for those.

Part of the monetary success of the evening was due to the efforts of our cousin Sheri Guzik and the great job she did putting together custom t-shirts commemorating the event. We still have a few left in medium, large and extra large. Anyone interested in picking one up should contact Steve directly at 760-728-7589. The shirts are $10 each, including shipping. He can accept all major credit cards and checks.

Steve has a property in escrow for his new digs. With any luck, it should be his inside of four weeks, and a house should be up by the time summer rolls around. Steve's apartment isn't too bad, but the walls get a little closer every day. He's looking forward to moving into a larger place.

Steve's new van is being built as I write this and should be delivered soon. The one-ton Ford diesel, raised roof, jacuzzied, lowered floor, 18-inch extended body van that's on order now will be like a limo compared to the one he's renting now. OK, there's no jacuzzi in it, I was just seeing if anyone is paying attention.

On the health side, Steve is doing well. He hasn't encountered any major problems so common in vent-dependent quadraplegics (knock on wood). I attribute a lot of that to the nurses that Firstat provides to take care of him. They're pretty good at catching the little things before they turn into big issues.

On the attitude side, the visits of friends and family help him keep his sunny disposition .......... well, they make it better, anyways. His spirits got a big boost today when the 2001 Maier Manufacturing catalog showed up with an action shot of Steve on the cover and a one-third page spread on the inside. Damn nice!

Friday, March 16, 2001

WoW! It's been a long time in coming for an update on the condition of old Stevie. Here it goes.Steve now is awaiting to move into his new house after waiting about a year and some change. He should be moving in within the next week or so. He has spent the last year or so in a one room little dungeon of an apartment which grows increasingly smaller everyday. He's really looking forward to moving into the three bedroom home sitting on just over a half an acre, the front of the house is facibrightng west for the most incredible sunsets. His house warming party will be something you won't want to miss, with all of the musicians he knows it will end up turning into a full blown block party. Updates on the move in / house warming party will be upcoming soon.

How to Contact Steve
emaiandl:	sel@aramel.com
phone:	760-728-7589
fax:	760-728-5719
snail-mail:	Steve Laszko 459 ALI way Fallbrook, CA.92028 P.O. Box 2828, 92088
donations for Steve's Rehab Fund:	Steve Laszko Fund c/o Community National Bank 130 W Fallbrook St. Fallbrook, CA 92028

Updates on Steve's condition after his crash at Sears Point on 05/06/00
(updated 06/12/02)

Thursday, January 18, 2001

Sunday, February 18, 2001

Sunday, March 11, 2001

Friday, March 16, 2001

Updates on Steve's condition after his crash at Sears Point on 05/06/00 (updated 06/12/02)

Thursday, January 18, 2001

Sunday, February 18, 2001

Sunday, March 11, 2001

Friday, March 16, 2001

Updates on Steve's condition after his crash at Sears Point on 05/06/00
(updated 06/12/02)