NeuroTalk Support Groups - Passing of "Hey Taxi"

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- Parkinson's Disease (https://www.neurotalk.org/parkinson-s-disease/)

- - Passing of "Hey Taxi" (https://www.neurotalk.org/parkinson-s-disease/27173-passing-hey-taxi.html)

Judith,

Thank-you for posting. I am so very sorry. He was a very good man and his heart was always ready to help others.

kathy

Thanks Judith for the news about Fred..I didnt know Fred that well, but I was talking with Chasmo on the phone about Fred a few months ago, back in March..and Charlie had mentioned that Fred hadnt posted in quite a while, so Charlie gave me Fred's phone number, and asked me to call him..So I did..We only talked a few minutes, and his ability to speak had been so affected by pd, that I had an extremely hard time understanding what he was saying, and he apologized repeatedly for not being able to talk..but I assured him that it was ok..What I did understand was that he was going to the V.A., that one of his kids was looking in on him, he still had the cat, and that he wasnt posting because he couldnt type anymore, but that he was reading..He was happy that I called him, and appreciated that all of us at NT and BT were concerened about him, and to say hello to everyone for him

Here is the thread I posted

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ad.php?t=15055

When I hung up the phone, I felt very sad, but not as sad as I feel right now..I am still at the beginning of this journey..and I knew that Fred was near the end of his when I talked to him..I couldnt help feeling terrible about him living all alone in the condition he was in, and how hard it must have been to accomplish the simple everyday tasks that I still take for granted..I felt like getting in my truck and driving out there..I wished that he didnt live so far away, so that I could have helped him

When I read his obituary, I got to know a little bit about Fred's life..He accomplished alot in his lifetime, and unfortunately, pd has its way of stripping it all away..The only thing it cant take is the sum of who and what we are

Fred's battle with pd is over, and he is in God's hands now..Fred..You are in my thoughts and prayers..Thank You for what you have given us..and for the memories you have left us with!..:)

Thanks everyone,

Your memories of Fred are much like mine. Many of us considered him our friend and saw him as a kind and gentle man with a quick wit.

I exchanged emails with Fred for several years and one particular email from him stands out for me. He and I discussed it at length because it was particularly meaningful to both of us. It contained an excerpt from a 1996 commencement address by Carl Sagan in which Sagan commented on a photo of earth taken from space where the earth appears as a tiny pale blue dot. Sagan said,

Quote:

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you know, everyone you love, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines. Every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish this pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

Fred was moved by Sagan's words. He certainly was a kind and compassionate person and our lives are richer for having known him. Let us honor his memory with kindness and compassion and caring for this pale blue dot.

Judith
========
To view a short film "We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot," narrated by Carl Sagan:
http://palebluefilms.com

When people "disappear"

I remember Hey Taxi from the old BT forum. I, myself, was not a member, but my pwp was, and I often read the posts there...Hey Tax always posting something of interest and value for all. As Carey said, it is so easy to let someone slip away...that we tend to forget those who once were among us (or, at least seem not to pursue their absence). I have seen this on every forum, both the caregivers and PD forums...and I've wondered...WHY IS THIS? Is it that we feel that people don't want to be pursued...that they no longer feel connected...that they want their privacy?I guess I am attempting to say (albeit, not too well) how wonderful it would be for us not only to remember, but also to pursue those who have "passed away" from this forum. This is the reason that I posted here very recently about my attempt to find and connect with Scott and Cera (from BT)...remembering them and wanting so badly to be in touch...not to allow them to "slip away".
Thank you, Judith...not only for posting about Hey Taxi's passing, but also, for reminding us to remember.

Therese

As Neil stated above..."one of the 'must reads'" He always had a wonderful way with words. The deep thinker.

Quote:

Fred's email...The extent of life on planet Earth..."The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines. Every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

Thank you Judith, for the information about Hey-Taxi's passing. I have missed him very much since he stopped writing.
In the old forum I never missed a single post he wrote. His opinions and his thoughts were always interesting. He was a fine and good and clever man, and his contribution was very much a part of why the forum was so loved by us all.

I wish he had not suffered so much.
I wish the VA hospital was a better, kinder place, and that the VA administration showed more real compassion for old soldiers.

birte

Steve, I'm so glad you and Fred got that one talk together. You're a good man too.

Thanks for posting this

I'm sitting at work with tears running down my face --- when I first discovered the old site right after being diagnosed with Parkinson's, totally terrified, I used to sign on about 12 times a day to see if anyone had found the cure yet - that was all I was interested in. "Taxi" was the first person to somehow emerge from the fog and take on the dimensions of a real and very special human being who was suffering with this disease...I never communicated with him - guess I felt I had nothing to offer this person - but I was saddened as his posts progressively told of his problems increasing and his concerns about his cat. I wondered what had happened when he stopped showing up, fearing the worst. What an exceptional indivividual.

Yes, I think it's not altogether bad to pursue an active community member who stops posting. If they just want to be left along, they can say so. I'm really glad Steve made that call.

I remember Fred & had also wondered where he was. He was always someone I looked forward to "reading". I am glad he's no longer suffering. Thanks Judith for passing on this info...

There is still after all of these years a need for a committee to be set up who will keep in touch with the members who for the lack of a computer or the skills left to use one don't get pushed to the wayside as Fred was. I talked to him many times on the phone and towards his having to leave the trailer I didn't understand a word he said most times but enough to know he was deadly lonely and unhappy. So when his phone was disconnected I left him too.

So why the H didn't I write him the man could read.

Greg once said there was a group who were thinking of opening a respite of some sort for those unable to live on their own anymore. What hapened to it?

I failed Fred and for that I will never forget him nor forgive me.

Sorry Fred

was the typecast for "end stage PD". If you look in the mirror , you will see Fred. WE are never born alone , but many of us die alone, not because we are rich or poor, loved or unloved, but because of fate.
Fate grips us in its hand and one never knows where it will throw us to. I think it will be better when life is over. A slow, painful, lonely, death is not a reflection of the dignity that life should have. However, all too often that's the end for many of us. So i say to Fred; Fred your suffering here is done, you are better off where you are, i just hope that you enjoyed the journey through life; that there were sunny days and humor to lift your spirit; that some days were really good, and you got your chance to think "life is great". So your summer of life was short,and the winter long and cruel. Yours was but one human experience in the great experiment of life in this universe. Now, spread your star sails and enjoy eternity. WE'll all be with you sooner or later. cs