On December 2nd, Alan, a proficient runner, finished a run along the Hudson River and collapsed. He went into ventricular fibrillation where pumping action ceases and part of the heart quivers. The EMS arrived and performed their remarkable skills. Alan lived and thus, begins the next chapter in his story.

Before that day, Alan was an integral part of the Strand Theater, both as a performer and technician. To his delight, his music from the 1970s has been reissued by a major label called The Numero Group. He owns and operates Lylac Studios where he records and mixes musicians and bands. Also, with Hudson Waves he began video work with performers.

At Glens Falls Hospital, with the help of his friends, Alan quickly responded to music. The music showed great promise in helping him reconnect his memories, which were knocked asunder by the trauma of a lack of oxygen. Once stable, Alan was moved to Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center in Schenectady. Visits from friends, music and an intense schedule of PT, OT and Speech therapy helped him start his recovery and progress quickly.

Two weeks later, Liz had to quickly decide whether Alan would come home, which was a complete unknown and which knowledgeable people warned against, or go to The Northeast Center for Rehabilitation and Brain Injury near Kingston. Although he continued to receive PT, OT and speech therapy, the new place left him alone most of the day and without visitors most of the week. His progress seemed thwarted, so, with trepidation, Liz took leave from her job and Alan came home. Turns out, his return was the perfect therapy. He is able to visit with friends, go to familiar places, and continue living life as best as he remembers it while trying to form new memories.

That said, he is not working, and will not be able to work for quite some time. He is still participating in outpatient OT and speech therapy, and also going to cardio rehab three times per week. Liz has left her job temporarily, so the “One Voice” team is distracted and running on fumes.

The Strand is hosting a benefit concert on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at 2pm which will feature Rich Ortiz, Across The Pond, The Stony Creek Band and of course, the Strand House Band. The funds will go 100% to Alan.

In the space of a month the creative community of the region has coalesced into a no-nonsense force. This “Alan’s Fan Club” is an active, working community that makes one take pause to appreciate the love among us that is often not evident.

USE OF FUNDS

If you wish to contribute, here, the funds will go directly into professional care, medicine, and basics such as food and household expenses.

The fan club and others have come a long way from preparing for the worst . The great fear of a month ago has withdrawn and is replaced with a reasonable hope, which in a great part flows from the undiluted communal love.