FUSsa-talk Mailing List: Re: Fw: Ideas and Resources for Tim Barger--and an update

[Carol Koepp (carolkoepp]

I'll let you all know what is discussed at the staff mtg. on Wed. about 
collection and other ideas.  The address for Jewel is at FUS.  I'll get it 
and send it out to you all later.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <jojane [at] juno.com>
To: <carolkoepp [at] comcast.net>
Cc: <fussa-talk [at] muusja.org>
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 9:19 AM
Subject: Re: [sa-talk] Fw: Ideas and Resources for Tim Barger--and an update


> I just wrote to Wendy about this - saw Ruth Agar yesterday, she told me
> about the situation -  what an awful series of events, so glad he was
> with Jewel and got to a good hospital (except the ER - what a
> disaster....) -  LOVE your idea, Carol  -  Jane & I want to pitch toward
> a collection for Tim, whenever it happens...  is there an address where
> we can send a card? - Jo
>
>
>
> On Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:56:46 -0500 "Carol Koepp" <carolkoepp [at] comcast.net>
> writes:
> > This is from Wendy Andberg.  She has my suggestion a little wrong,
> > but close.  I suggested the collection nest week could go to Tim,
> > not the social justice collection.  Bill Weir's list of resources
> > really sound good.
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: Wendy Andberg
> > To: minister [at] firstunitariansociety.org
> > Cc: 'Wendy Andberg'
> > Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 12:21 AM
> > Subject: Ideas and Resources for Tim Barger--and an update
> >
> >
> >
> > Other very important message:  Fred Olson's mother just died; he has
> > been with her in Iowa for two weeks, and today Becca Brackett,
> > Andrew, and some other relatives drove down.
> >
> >
> >
> > Hello, everyone.
> >
> >
> >
> > I am writing to people at FUS who asked what they could do for Tim,
> > and who said they would talk about the situation in their group
> > meetings.  I do not have e-mail addresses for everyone I'd like to
> > send this to, and trust that each of you will forward this to anyone
> > else at FUS that you believe should have the information, including
> > your own committees, board, and staff.  Updates:
> >
> >
> >
> >   a.. Jewel, Tim Barger's girlfriend, called me, at his request,
> > yesterday (Saturday), followed by an update call this morning
> > (Sunday).  When I tried to reach Jewel about 5:00 p.m. today, she
> > handed the phone to Tim, so I have another update.  I talked to him,
> > and said that, when he is ready, we have some resources for him,
> > when the medical bills come.  He said, "I will declare that I am
> > indigent, which I really am, anyway."  Also, "I need a good personal
> > injury lawyer" to deal with what happened to me in the ER."
> > Finally, he said, "I'm not dealing with this until the big bill
> > comes."  Of course-he has so much to focus on now.
> >
> >
> >   a.. The other updates are that:
> >
> >
> > (a) Bill Weir sat down with me at the FUS after-the-service social
> > hour and provided the list of resources that is attached.
> >
> >
> >
> > (b) Sue Tincher told me at an afternoon activity that Jim was
> > planning to canvas FUS people to raise some money for Tim and his
> >
> >      expenses.
> >
> >
> >
> > (c) Carol Koepp also suggested the possibility of diverting to Tim
> > the Social Action Committee collection at next week's service.
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's the background and the rest of the update:
> >
> >
> >
> > If you missed the Adele Hanson's announcement in the FUS service
> > today, here's a quick summary:
> >
> >
> >
> > Jewel Dijohn, Tim Barger's girlfriend, called me yesterday
> > (Saturday) afternoon to tell me that Tim was undergoing emergency
> > surgery, to remove a tumor from his spine, and to graft bone from
> > his hip to his spine.  This apparently came on suddenly.  I had not
> > known that he had back problems in August.  Tim went to Philadelphia
> > to visit Jewel on Thursday, and then they planned to travel together
> > to NYC to participate in his final session (of nine, over three
> > years) and to graduate from The Humanist Institute (THI) in NYC.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thursday, the day he arrived, his "back went out." He slept on
> > the floor at her house Thursday night.  Then Friday, they were going
> > someplace (perhaps the THI-I'm not sure), he tried to step up onto
> > the train and felt excruciating, shooting pain in his left leg and
> > part of his right leg.  Jewel called an ambulance, which took him to
> > her choice of hospital.
> >
> >
> >
> > The doctor he saw in the ER saw nothing on an MRI, and told him to
> > go home.  Jewel protested that she could not take care of him, being
> > disabled herself, and, by then, he could not even walk-nor could he
> > feel his left leg or part of his right leg.  She told the doctor,
> > "Then I'll let you take him out and put him on the sidewalk.  We are
> > staying in the hospital." Tim and Jewel put their heads together,
> > and asked for a specialist.  I don't know all the details here; I
> > assume it was a neurologist.  That doctor took another MRI and told
> > Tim he had to have surgery immediately, if he didn't want to be
> > paralyzed for life.
> >
> >
> >
> > He is in the right hospital, with the right doctor; it is a
> > "neuroscience" hospital.  Tim is very lucky he was in Philadelphia
> > when this happened-because of the doctor and hospital, as well as
> > the fact that he is with Jewel and she can take care of him.
> > Coincidentally, and strangely, really, Jewel had a nearly identical
> > surgery two years ago:  She, too, had a tumor on her spine, growing
> > out of a nerve.  (She did not have a bone graft, however.)  The
> > tumor was removed in this hospital; because she did not have help at
> > home, she went to a rehabilitation hospital before going home.  She
> > plans to take care of Tim at her home after he is released from this
> > hospital; during the course of her recovery, she had her bathroom
> > retrofitted, so it is accessible by a disabled person.  Also, by the
> > way, she is still on Social Security disability and unable to
> > work-after two years-because she is having so much follow-up work
> > and experiences chronic pain.  Not a good prognosis.  I told Jewel,
> > "Tim needs you," and she said, "I need him." She said he is so
> > worried about money that she said "I'll clean toilets for the rest
> > of my life to help him with this."  She takes care of her parents,
> > who live with her, and still has children at home.
> >
> >
> >
> > In any case, the surgery went well, and, in her call to me this
> > morning, before I went to FUS, Jewel said they were taking tubes out
> > and he was being moved from ICU to the next lower-care unit.  What
> > she didn't know yet, however, because they hadn't seen a doctor, is
> > whether he was able to move his legs or "wiggle his toes."  When I
> > called this afternoon to check on that, she handed the phone to Tim.
> >  I verified that he had the tumor removed and the bone graft, and he
> > said, "You know more than I know then." He said he can just barely
> > wiggle toes, but that's it; he took that as a good sign.  He expects
> > to see the doctor tomorrow and hopes to know more about whether
> > he'll be able to walk.  Of course, we still have to wait for the
> > results of the biopsy on the tumor.
> >
> >
> >
> > Tim also said today that he has no idea if or when he can come back
> > to FUS or how long any recovery and healing will take. He has no
> > idea when he can be anywhere; just taking one day at a time, and
> > there is no other choice, of course.  I told Tim that Adele made an
> > announcement about his situation, and I told him everything she said
> > to the congregation; also, I said, people gasped and groaned to hear
> > the news, and some were crying (me).  Further, I said, many, many
> > people asked what they could do to help him.  While he was talking
> > to me, he said he is always the one taking care of other people, and
> > he had absolutely no idea how many people loved and supported him,
> > and he started crying.  My hope is that we can all inundate him with
> > cards and flowers and notes of good wishes.
> >
> >
> >
> > >From the bad news to more bad news:  Tim has told me that he has
> > huge student loans, coming due in May (next month), and that he has
> > no medical insurance. Also, as you would know, because he did not
> > "pass" his interview with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee,
> > about which he told the congregation recently, his plan to become a
> > settled minister has been delayed at least another year-another
> > delay in earning a full-time income, which was already more than a
> > year off, given the timing of the applications and candidacy.  Also,
> > he has more work to do-another internship or hospital chaplaincy or
> > something.
> >
> >
> >
> > Kendyl and his ministerial internship committee (Kendrick Davies,
> > Scott Eller, Mibs Pearson, and Jerry Edwards, and I as chair) know,
> > perhaps better than anyone, except Jewel, just how much work and
> > studying he packed in this year, during his internship.  He is
> > supposed to graduate from Meadville-Lombard Seminar (in Chicago) in
> > May and did the three-year fast-track program there during his
> > three-year enrollment in The Humanist Institute; on top of that, he
> > was reading, studying, and doing a number of activities to prepare
> > for the Ministerial Fellowship Committee interview and decision this
> > month.  Also, as you may recall, his mother died this year, and he
> > "presided" at her funeral with his five siblings.
> >
> >
> >
> > I feel comfortable sharing all this with FUS people because I have
> > told him everything, except people's suggestions for how we can
> > raise money, and he doesn't need to know that now.  Jewel is
> > contacting one person in each group, e.g., FUS, family, to spread
> > the word on updates about Tim.  She talked to Kendyl and then called
> > me, presumably because I am the chair of his internship committee,
> > and he and I are friends from my first year in The Humanist
> > Institute.  I am happy to be able to help in some way, even if it's
> > just serving as a communicator.  A few weeks ago when our daughter
> > Brie lost her condo she owns in a fire, Tim was there in an instant
> > and spent the evening with us; when people were telling Brie all the
> > things she had to do, Tim took out a piece of paper and wrote it all
> > down for her.  He is a good man, a wonderful friend, a fine
> > minister, and I adore him, and can't stop thinking about him.  My
> > only regret with Tim this year is that I would loved to have spent
> > more time with him, showed him around the Twin Cities, etc., but he
> > was always studying, preparing a sermon, reading for his interview,
> > writing a paper, etc. I wouldn't wish what happened to him on
> > anyone, but the teeny consolation is he has time off to reflect and
> > restore himself.
> >
> >
> >
> > Anyone with other ideas about what we can do to help, including
> > raising money, let's go for it!  I'm happy to be a communications
> > conduit, unless it makes more sense for this to happen in a
> > committee or the board or somewhere else.  It seems a good role for
> > a ministerial internship committee. I recommend, however, that we
> > all continue to communicate and coordinate efforts.  As I wrote
> > earlier, please pass this on to others; for some reason, I can't
> > find my FUS directory, and I know I am missing people.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you and love to you all,
> >
> >
> >
> > Wendy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Wendy Andberg
> > (763) 757-0161 Home
> > (763) 244-3334 Office
> > (763) 322-0351 Fax
> > wendya [at] perftours.com
> > www.perftours.com
> >
> > Carpe diem.
> ____________________________________________________________
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