[meteorite-list] Bessey Specks and aphasia
From: Mark Ferguson <mafer_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:27 2004 Message-ID: <014601c3912e$201cfe40$6701a8c0_at_vs.shawcable.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0143_01C390F3.72DACB20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable HI steve and List Steve, I cannot help but wonder at what you went through. I t truely = must have been a period that you felt very detached from your former = self and being partly inmobil must have compounded the whole thing. But = I did enjoy that story and how you had not lost your ability to ponder = things even if the knowledge you once had was locked away from you. = Thats a plus and it, I'm sure has led you to your current state of = recovery. Well done and I glad your back with us, at least to help educate me. Mark ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Steve Schoner=20 To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:22 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Bessey Specks and aphasia I was looking at my meteorite shelf and found two little specks = in a container. Here is something that amuses me, as these brought back = a lot of memories. For those of you who do not know, I nearly died and was in a = coma in the hospital last January. I was in ICU and rehab for over a = month. I received many, many letters from all of you from all around = the world wishing me the best recovery. (At the initial moment the = doctors were certain that I would not recover at all). Well one package came to me while I was in the Rehab unit = suffering from the aftermath of this very rare condition that overtook = me. It was a package from Dean Bessey up in Toronto. It had a very = nice note, which was read to me as I could not read due to the aphasia = that was affecting me by one of the nurses at the time. . Any demand on me at that time that involved = conceptualizationaton was beyond me. It was very frustrating. Then the nurse said, "Oh, there is a container in this package?" = =20 Low and behold, it was a tiny round plastic container with two = very tiny specks Aphasia is a very odd state of mind to be in. Words mean = nothing in print. A printed page was as unreadable as if it were = written in Russian. And not only that, putting together even the = simplest concepts was way beyond me. It was so bad, if the nurse asked = me what one plus one was I could not give her any meaningful answer. The nurse then held it up to my face and showed me the two tiny = specks, and asked me "What are these?" Well, that question perplexed me as well. I had absolutely no = idea what those two specks were. I didn't even know that they were = meteorites let alone regular earth dust. I mean, I did not even know what Bessey Specs were, and neither = did the nurse. She was just as mystified about what those specs were as = I was in my aphasic state of mind. She left the letter and jet pack on the counter next in my = hospital bed where I could reach them. Many times I reached over with = my left hand, as my right side was completely dead, for that small = plastic container with those two tiny specs. And for hours I tried to = figure out what it was. It make no sense at all. Then my wife came and saw the package and the container. "Oh, = someone sent you something?" I could not talk then, and only = acknowledged with a nod. She then read the letter again, but it gave no = clue as to what the specks were, or why they had been sent. My wife did = not know. Then she looked into the jet pack and found a card that said: "Sayah Al Uhaymir 90 Meteorite from the Planet Mars found in = Oman. TKW 94 grams, but these are likely paired stones." Then it was followed by Bessey's address. Then she said, "Are those two tiny things in there meteorites? = Those are not 94 grams. Maybe there is sample in all of the packing = inside the container." She attempted to open it as I watched, but was = thwarted by the tape on the outside of the container. She could not = open it so put it back. Rehab meetings got our attention and I was put = into a wheel chair for therapy. When I got back to my hospital room later in the day, that = container mystified me again. I picked it up and looked at it for quite = some time. I'd put it down, completely degraded conceptually, and then = later pick it up again, and try to figure it out again.. =20 I remembered Dean Bessey but could not remember that he sold = "specks" even though I had one (two very tiny ones) in my hands.=20 Well, I have said all of this and related this story to say, = that I do have two very, very tiny Bessey Specks" in my collection. And = I remember them, and all of the consternation that they caused me while = I was in the hospital in my aphasic state of mind. It was a weird state to be in, and now those specks reside = proudly displayed on my collection shelf as a memento of the many hours = of long consideration (consternation) and mental challenge that they = caused me as I was in the hospital. It did not occur to me what these were as it was almost till the = day I left the hospital that it came to me, as my aphasia was lifting = that these were the infamous "Bessey Specks" that I hate. But not these two, they are cherished, for they bring back the = memory of those moments, that time I had in the hospital, those weird = moments when nothing made sense to me, not even "Bessey Specks" So, there are just two that I don't hate. Steve Schoner/AMS =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search ------=_NextPart_000_0143_01C390F3.72DACB20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>HI steve and List</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Steve, I cannot help but wonder at what = you went=20 through. I t truely must have been a period that you felt very detached = from=20 your former self and being partly inmobil must have compounded the whole = thing.=20 But I did enjoy that story and how you had not lost your ability to = ponder=20 things even if the knowledge you once had was locked away from you. = Thats a plus=20 and it, I'm sure has led you to your current state of = recovery.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well done and I glad your back with = us, at=20 least to help educate me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mark</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dsteve_schoner_at_yahoo.com = href=3D"mailto:steve_schoner_at_yahoo.com">Steve=20 Schoner</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20 title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 = href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list@meteor= itecentral.com</A>=20 </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 12, 2003 = 4:22=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [meteorite-list] = Bessey Specks=20 and aphasia</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV> <DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D"100%" border=3D0 ?> <TBODY> <TR> <TD> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV>I was looking at my meteorite shelf and found two little = specks in=20 a container. Here is something that amuses me, as these = brought=20 back a lot of memories.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For those of you who do not know, I nearly died and was in = a coma=20 in the hospital last January. I was in ICU and rehab for = over a=20 month.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I received many, many letters from all of you from all = around the=20 world wishing me the best recovery. (At the initial moment = the=20 doctors were certain that I would not recover at all).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well one package came to me while I was in the Rehab unit = suffering=20 from the aftermath of this very rare condition that overtook = me. =20 It was a package from Dean Bessey up in Toronto. It had a = very=20 nice note, which was read to me as I could not read due to the = aphasia=20 that was affecting me by one of the nurses at the = time. .</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any demand on me at that time that involved = conceptualizationaton=20 was beyond me. It was very frustrating.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Then the nurse said, "Oh, there is a container in this=20 package?" </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Low and behold, it was a tiny round plastic container with = two very=20 tiny specks</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Aphasia is a very odd state of mind to be in. Words = mean=20 nothing in print. A printed page was as unreadable as if = it were=20 written in Russian. And not only that, putting together = even the=20 simplest concepts was way beyond me. It was so bad, if the = nurse=20 asked me what one plus one was I could not give her any = meaningful=20 answer.<BR></DIV><BR></DIV> <P>The nurse then held it up to my face and showed me the two = tiny=20 specks, and asked me "What are these?"<BR><BR>Well, that=20 question perplexed me as well. I had absolutely no = idea=20 what those two specks were. I didn't even know that = they were=20 meteorites let alone regular earth dust.<BR>I mean, I did = not even=20 know what Bessey Specs were, and neither did the = nurse. She=20 was just as mystified about what those specs were as I was in=20 my aphasic state of mind.<BR>She left the letter = and jet=20 pack on the counter next in my hospital bed where I could = reach=20 them. Many times I reached over with my left hand, as = my=20 right side was completely dead, for that small plastic = container=20 with those two tiny specs. And for hours I=20 tried to figure out what it was.</P> <P>It make no sense at all.</P> <P>Then my wife came and saw the package and the = container. "Oh,=20 someone sent you something?" I could not talk then, and = only=20 acknowledged with a nod. She then read the letter again, = but it=20 gave no clue as to what the specks were, or why they had been=20 sent. My wife did not know. Then she looked into the = jet=20 pack and found a card that said:</P> <P> "Sayah Al Uhaymir 90 Meteorite from the Planet = Mars=20 found in Oman. TKW 94 grams, but these are likely paired = stones."</P> <P>Then it was followed by Bessey's address.</P> <P>Then she said, "Are those two tiny things in there = meteorites?=20 Those are not 94 grams. Maybe there is sample = in all of=20 the packing inside the container." She attempted to = open it=20 as I watched, but was thwarted by the tape on the outside = of the=20 container. She could not open it so put it = back. =20 Rehab meetings got our attention and I was put into a = wheel=20 chair for therapy.</P> <P>When I got back to my hospital room later in the day,=20 that container mystified me again. I picked it up and = looked=20 at it for quite some time. I'd put it down, = completely=20 degraded conceptually, and then later pick it up = again, and=20 try to figure it out again.. </P> <P>I remembered Dean Bessey but could not remember that he sold=20 "specks" even though I had one (two very tiny ones) in my=20 hands. </P> <P>Well, I have said all of this and related this story to say, = that I=20 do have two very, very tiny Bessey Specks" in my = collection. And I=20 remember them, and all of the consternation that they caused me = while I=20 was in the hospital in my aphasic state of mind.</P> <P>It was a weird state to be in, and now those specks reside = proudly=20 displayed on my collection shelf as a memento of the many hours = of long=20 consideration (consternation) and mental challenge that = they caused=20 me as I was in the hospital.</P> <P>It did not occur to me what these were as it was almost = till the=20 day I left the hospital that it came to me, as my aphasia was = lifting=20 that these were the infamous "Bessey Specks" that I hate.</P> <P>But not these two, they are cherished, for they bring=20 back the memory of those moments, that time I had in = the=20 hospital, those weird moments when nothing made sense to me, not = even=20 "Bessey Specks"</P> <P>So, there are just two that I don't hate.</P> <P>Steve = Schoner/AMS</P></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></DIV> <P> <HR SIZE=3D1> Do you Yahoo!?<BR><A=20 = href=3D"http://shopping.yahoo.com/?__yltc=3Ds%3A150000443%2Cd%3A22708228%= 2Cslk%3Atext%2Csec%3Amail">The=20 New Yahoo! Shopping</A> - with improved product=20 search</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0143_01C390F3.72DACB20-- Received on Sun 12 Oct 2003 10:02:57 PM PDT |
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