Posted on 12/19/2007 1:34:00 PM PST by Wuli
I have been away for 16 days.
Were it not for the actions of one man, it may have been much longer before I could be here, writing this, and maybe this writing may not have been possible.
On December 3rd I was mugged by a falling tree, at least that is what the eyewitnesses say. My memory of the events begins only much later, when I here the voice of Rabbi Yehoshua Kaganoff telling me not to move, that everything is O.K., that the EMT crew is on the way - as sat holding me, with one arm around me and one hand on my head. I learned later that his hand on top of my head was holding back severe bleeding from a gash there.
The news reports (urls in the comment below) do not do justice to the Rabbis actions or to the severity of my injuries.
While reducing some the loss of blood, the more critical action the Rabbi took was keeping me from being moved until the EMT crew arrived and got a collar on my neck and a board strapped to my back. In addition to the wounds mentioned in the news articles, I also received fractures to two discs in my neck. Without the Rabbis actions, I may have been moved prematurely and suffered spinal cord injuries as well.
So far, tests and my progress indicate that is not the case - I can walk and I am typing this, though both are done with some difficulty and continuing pain.
I have had two surgeries. An initial surgery the night of the incident, to replace the two fractured disks with two artificial ones, and some metal pins added for their support. That surgery went in through the front of my neck and was not extensively traumatic, in terms of pain, in its results. A week later I had a second surgery which has built a metal scaffold of rods and screws going from good disc above the fractures to good discs below them. This was deemed necessary for the long term, because the first surgery had found most of the tissue around the fractured discs had been sheared away and was not helpful in reconstruction there.
In addition to the recovery of dislocated shoulder (reset under anesthesia in the emergency room) the full recovery of my injured neck will be many months away. I still walk with a walker, will wear a neck brace for a long time and have hands that are working hard to retain full manual dexterity. Those are all small items compared to what could have been. I am blessed.
In spite of some items reported about the events, I have no memory at all of what happened, until Rabbi Kaggan spoke to me.
I write this to acknowledge God's deliverance of Rabbi Kaggan to my side. I have no doubt he has made a major impact on what will be the rest of my life.
I write this also for Sherone Pearlman, who also called 911 and brought a blanket to cover me - as the news reports say.
May God blessings always be upon them both.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1OCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzIyOTY5OCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
http://passaicnews.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/passaic-man-injured-by-falling-tree/
good hear, your back. :)
Wuli,
I recognize your screenname from a recent discussion we had on another thread. I just checked, and it continued up to the day before your accident. I had no idea you were injured.
I’m glad to hear you’re OK! Take good care of yourself. I’ll post a link to this thread on FR’s NJ forum.
OMG!
Thank God you are alright!
You have a guardian angel!
Thank you Rabbi and God Bless!
Rabbi Yehoshua is a guardian angel and helped to save our NJ Freeper Wuli!
I’m so sorry that this has happened to you, Wuli. May God Bless you and help you in your recovery.
Correction: Up to the day OF the accident.
BUMP
I am so sorry to hear you were hurt. Prayers you recover fully & thanks to those who have helped you. ~Pandora~
May God continue to bless you Wuli.
It’s hard to believe that was you.
Hope you are feeling better, and I hope you can laugh about the event, cause I’m gonna tell you that News 12 NJ had a 30 second video clip on your event, and your blood is now famous. If it bleeds it leads.
Here’s to a happy and healthy New Years for you.
When Jim Robinson started this website, he wanted to affect the national news cycles, but he didn’t expect to do so with tree attacks man stories.
On the bright side, you aren’t Freeper kanawa...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670661/posts
I’m glad the Rabbi was there to help you.
A falling tree is considered an act of God and then you have a man of God there helping you.
I will keep you in my prayers and pray for a speedy and complete recovery and for a Happy, Healthy
and Safe New Year.
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