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Crow
climber
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Dec 28, 2004 - 04:03am PT
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I'm a close friend of James and was climbing with him in J. Tree about 5 days before the accident. Im still stunned by the news and have spoken with the nurses at the hospital and it seems they will take good care of him. John's idea about people going to see him would be great. I just moved back to Missouri so I can't go visit him. If I knew anyone was there just to say hi and bring him some chinese takeout I would feel very releaved. Just email his bro Matt Lucas to coordinate. But I know for sure James is the strongest man I've ever met and all of your love will deff. reach him and help him through this. Lets keep him in our prayers. David
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turbo
Trad climber
santa cruz
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james,
good luck throughout your recovery. let me know if there is anyhting I can do for you up here in santa cruz. hope your nurse is a hottie. stay strong.
Amee
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Melissa
Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
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James is out of ICU and can have visitors and calls. On the one hand he's doing surprisingly well, and on the other, he's still in really rough shape. The hospital is only 30 minutes from Josh, so if he's your friend it would be easy and probably appreciated if you can stop by when in the area. He was complaining that the nurses quit bringing him Odwalla (must be one of the thick ones b/c he can't have thin liquids yet!) if you want to bring a get-well offering.
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Dapper Dan
climber
The OC
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hey mellissa can visitors come by at any reasonable hour to visit? also any recomendations on food or drink to bring him? how about a couple warm cans of snake juice........
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Ammon
Big Wall climber
The Mountains
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Yep, James is a strong motha...... I think most people wouldn't have made it.
I like the story my friend shared when he asked James if he wanted him to bring him anything.
James said: "Yeah, bring me females."
Ok, anyone who has met James knows he didn't say "females".
LOL, I felt obligated to censor that part.
Keep sending it James!!!
Cheers, Ammon
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Melissa
Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
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James is currently enjoying way stronger stuff than whatever snake juice probably is...
He said that he can eat or drink whatever he wants except that water and thin liquids (like soda or juice) are too hard to swallow and he might choke on them. He was eating a burger and fries yesterday, though, so he can have a lot. Seriously, though, he said that they were bringing him (thick) Odwalla and then, even though he asked for more Odwalla, they started bringing him some crappy thickened juice drink in a box. You could probably call him and ask for his favorite flavor. Maybe it's a good idea to make sure the nurses OK it, before you tease him with it though in case they quit bringing it for a medical reason.
They didn't seem to be enforcing any visiting hours. The front desk just called up to make sure that our visit was OK when we showed up pretty late.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Hey, if the next visitor can ask James what he wants, and said visitor can write out a wish list on this thread, I can try and wrangle the sh#t up when I get back into the country on the 6th and drive it out to James soon thereafter.
thanks,
JL
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Claude
climber
where I'll end up
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anyone have a picture of James?
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Crow
climber
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To Largo.. I spoke with James and got the idea of ordering a pizza for him and just having it sent to his room (charging my credit card of course). He said he was deff. more stoked on Pizza than chinese. But I'll call him tomorrow for more details. A package I sent him on 12/31 should be getting their real soon. So I'm sure whatever I forgot he will be craving. More info tomorrow. Thanks.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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how bout a stripper dressed up as a nurse. that'd give him a nice suprise!
well...seriously, ask yourself what you'd want after surviving a 150ft fall and spending a month in the hospital...
(all apologies to James' folks if you are reading this)
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Dragon with Matches
climber
Bamboo Grove
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A hospital visit from one of the greatest climbing storytellers of all time would certainly be near the top of many wish lists...
Largo, man, you rock.
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phil
climber
eastside
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Great hear James is going to be ok. Is this the same James that climbs with rob miller and lived in santa cruz about a year ago? I climbed with him only once, but he's great and I wish him a speedy recovery.
thanks for anyone help on this
Phil
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Melissa
Big Wall climber
oakland, ca
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Yes, it's James from Rob's in Santa Cruz.
Hardly porn, but since it's a family hospital and all, we brought him a poster of Lisa Rands from the folks at Nomad. We grabbed him a Cosmopolitan from the lobby for chick gazing, but when we told him, he thought we brought him a cocktail (he didn't have his glasses yet and couldn't see what we had) so he was disappointed.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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James update:
Got up this morning and drove, or rather, swam (torrential rain here in So Cal) down to Palm Springs and visited our boy James. Probably because I know the stretch of rock over which James plunged, I expected to see him trussed up with cables and pulleys but instead found a surprisingly alert and mobile (flat on his back, but moving his limbs well), albeit busted up mountain climber that, given his 110 foot airball decker, really and truly has no business being alive.
They moved him out of ICU late last week and come Tuesday he'll be transported to the Bay Area to be closer to home and his twin bro. Luckily, his insurance will cover the astronomical medical bills, but not the transport, which will touch James for 1,800 bones. I offered to drive him up myself for a G-note, but James explained a "medical transport" requires an ambulance, a Gurney and all the fixings, an attending nurse and so forth, so my Jeep wouldn't do no how. His mom (very sweet woman) and stepdad are in from Vermont, and will hang with our boy till he bolts on Tue.
In short, James is expected to fully recover but with some disabilities, the extent of which cannot be determined till he starts serious rehab once his spine heals enough for him so start the grueling exercises. His concussion has passed and his mind seems clear. But given the various meds and the fact that he had the living daylights knocked out of him, his affect is quiet. Compounding this are breathing problems (he cannot yet fully inflate his lungs), so he can't get enough wind to talk with gusto. He's got some mobility in his powdered left elbow, which seems to be healing nicely. His ankle was pretty worked, and he'll being hiking a long trail to get good mobility back in both elbow and ankle. He broke several vertebra (C3 and C4, and others down lower I believe) and those have been stabilized with titanium rods–his main source of pain. His spine was bruised so sensation is only slowly returning to his feet, a condition that could come into play once he relearns how to walk.
In other words, James has some grievous injuries that will likely take several years to rehab, but my gut feeling is that given time, he'll be up and about with a few hopefully minor hitches in his get-e-up. His mental attitude seems positive, his determination to recover, absolute, and these alone should insure that no matter how his physical process plays out, he'll make good on the life he has left to live.
Though I had never before met James, the fall seems to have knocked the fluff off the boy, and at times he talked with insight and sensitivity about his life, including the flummery of the flaming he once did on this and other sites. It has not been lost on him that his fall has provided a chance to reassess his life and what means something in the end. Should we all have that chance . . . Unlikely sages are born on hospital beds, and James seems to have these leanings.
I swam back to LA feeling good about his possibilities.
JL
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WBraun
climber
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I second that, that was very nice, plus the excellent report. Those kind of things [visit and support] will do wonders for for a "downed" soul.
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Ammon
Big Wall climber
The Mountains
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Jan 10, 2005 - 01:07am PT
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Hey John,
WOW!! I knew you were a nice guy but that's got to be one of the nicest gestures I've seen in a looooong time (no pun intended).
Thanks for the report and all the entertaining writing.
We've actually met before at the tradeshow they had in Anaheim (when the Olympics took over SL). You told me I didn't "need" the basic rockclimbing book that you were giving away. You'll be happy to hear that my son, Austin is now reading it.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers, Ammon
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maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
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Jan 10, 2005 - 01:30am PT
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Great news. I'm glad he's in good spirits. Quite a miracle story all in all, eh?
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Matt
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Jan 10, 2005 - 01:47am PT
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I offered to drive him up myself for a G-note
rock climbers are rock climbers are rock climbers
(given the chance i would have undercut you by 15 bucks)
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Crow
climber
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Jan 10, 2005 - 11:53pm PT
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Hey you guys want to hear somethin funny?.... I sent James a package with all sorts of food, snacks, and some mags. Included in the mags was a Playboy and some Vixen mag with some really hot naked chick on the cover. Since James couldn't really cut through the tape, James' mom opened it and right on top was this month's issue of Vixen and Playboy. I talked to James and he said his mom was rather shocked and James just laughed. I laughed too.
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bigwalling
climber
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Jan 11, 2005 - 12:08am PT
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HA, that is the funniest sh#t I have heard on this fourm in a few days!
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