Please help out our amazing friend!
Donation protected
Friends and Members /Applicants of Local 52
Please help John “Bongo” Catlin!
On May 26, 2018, Bongo suffered a hemorrhagic stroke which required emergency brain surgery. The bleed was on the left side, so it has affected his right arm and leg, as well as his speech. He spent 19 days in the Neuro ICU at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, and 28 days at Burke Rehab in White Plains. He will now be moving to a subacute rehab in New Rochelle, presumably for another month or so, to continue his physical, occupational and speech therapy.
He has been making great progress (they say that the most progress post-stroke is seen in the first six months) with therapy at Burke, and, not surprisingly, has become like the mayor there, shaking his left hand with patients and staff every time he passes them, every single one saying, “Hi John”! They are really going to miss him; his personality has really come back and he makes everyone laugh every day.
This is not to say that he doesn’t have a hard time, though. He is extremely frustrated that he can’t communicate when he talks, especially since his cognition is very good. He has aphasia and apraxia, which means that only occasionally does the correct word come out. This also affects writing and typing. These are all things that can be corrected with therapy and practice, but it is going to take a long time.
Bongo has a long road ahead of him and will not be back to work for many months, if at all. I am hoping that we can all band together and at least help to alleviate some of the ramifications of his lost income and increasing expenses, as Bongo and Linda are now living on one income.
We all know what an amazing guy Bongo is - he would give the shirt off his back for any of us. He created an opportunity for people to study for the Local 52 test, and unselfishly has done that for years; he always offers to buy lunch when you go out; he constantly works hard with the best attitude; and he’s quick to tell a story that makes us laugh.
Keeping all of this in mind, please consider giving whatever you can to help Linda and Bongo get over this hurdle and their uncertain future.
Please help John “Bongo” Catlin!
On May 26, 2018, Bongo suffered a hemorrhagic stroke which required emergency brain surgery. The bleed was on the left side, so it has affected his right arm and leg, as well as his speech. He spent 19 days in the Neuro ICU at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, and 28 days at Burke Rehab in White Plains. He will now be moving to a subacute rehab in New Rochelle, presumably for another month or so, to continue his physical, occupational and speech therapy.
He has been making great progress (they say that the most progress post-stroke is seen in the first six months) with therapy at Burke, and, not surprisingly, has become like the mayor there, shaking his left hand with patients and staff every time he passes them, every single one saying, “Hi John”! They are really going to miss him; his personality has really come back and he makes everyone laugh every day.
This is not to say that he doesn’t have a hard time, though. He is extremely frustrated that he can’t communicate when he talks, especially since his cognition is very good. He has aphasia and apraxia, which means that only occasionally does the correct word come out. This also affects writing and typing. These are all things that can be corrected with therapy and practice, but it is going to take a long time.
Bongo has a long road ahead of him and will not be back to work for many months, if at all. I am hoping that we can all band together and at least help to alleviate some of the ramifications of his lost income and increasing expenses, as Bongo and Linda are now living on one income.
We all know what an amazing guy Bongo is - he would give the shirt off his back for any of us. He created an opportunity for people to study for the Local 52 test, and unselfishly has done that for years; he always offers to buy lunch when you go out; he constantly works hard with the best attitude; and he’s quick to tell a story that makes us laugh.
Keeping all of this in mind, please consider giving whatever you can to help Linda and Bongo get over this hurdle and their uncertain future.
Organizer and beneficiary
John Woody Glaser
Organizer
Ringwood, NJ
Linda Catlin
Beneficiary
