Hello, Hollywood

I haven’t been around for a while and I am sure this update will explain. 

I have returned home to SoCal!  Got here in the middle of May and spent time with friends and hanging out at some of my favorite places like the Huntington Beach pier and O’Neil Park and the rolling hills behind Lake Forrest.  But all of them are in Orange County and an hour drive (if traffic is good) from Hollywood, Studio City, Burbank, etc.  So as much as I wanted to find a place to live in OC I was determined to live closer to the action (no pun intended!) and be able to network at the many events and functions.  So, after almost 4 weeks living in the OC (thanks John for letting me stay on your couch) I found a place only minutes away.  4 days before moving in I went camping at O’Neil Park for 2 days.  They have a wonderful wheelchair acceptable facility.  But on the second night I was enjoying my camp fire and the star filled sky and set my foot on the fire pit’s concrete ring which was next to my hot dog buns.  So I know the temperature was safe.  Muscle spasms was the reason I stretched my leg out and set my foot on the concrete ring.  The muscle spasms continued and my foot fell off and so did my shoe.  I set my shoe up there and my bare foot on top of that.  No biggie, right?  Well there was a steel plate that bordered the inside of the concrete ring.  It went 10 to 12 inches above the ring and my foot leaned against it.  It was there for about 4 minutes and when the spasms didn’t cease I moved my leg and set my foot up on my other leg so I could do some range of motion on the foot.  When I touched the part that was leaning on the steel plate, I found that I had burned it – real bad!!! 

The local ER doctor patched it up and gave me silverdine cream and bandages to treat it until I could see my primary doctor, which I don’t have at this point!  No use in looking for one in OC when I would be moving to LA in a couple of days! 

During the same time, I was also feeling a pressure sore directly on my tail bone.  And, same thing, just wait till I got to LA to find a primary doctor.  The day of the move I didn’t feel that good, in fact, I didn’t move much out of my van except for the neccessities for the night.  The next morning I woke with a terrible fever and feeling really bad.  So, although I am finally here in LA county, I still didn’t have a doctor to call so I went to the local doctor.  I figured they would patch me up, give me some meds and maybe help me find a primary doctor and I would be on my way!  After all, the LA Film Festival was getting started the next day and although the host, Film Independence, rejected my application for the “Fast Track” program because as Josh Charles said “I was currently a 1 man show.”  I thought that was what the “Fast Track” program was to help fix I still was going to network at the LA FIlm Festival. 

But it was worst than I thought and I was admitted to the hospital with 3rd degree burns and a serious pressure sore.  They did a skin graff on my foot and treated it with special foam bandages that have medicine in it and changed the bandage on the pressure sore daily.  I was on a specially designed air mattress and had to turn from side to side to stay off of it to heal.  In mid July, a month later, I was transferred to a rehab and skilled nursing facility to continue daily treatment, air mattress to lay on my side to stay off of it. 

I am still here in this facility located in Conoga Park, still only minutes away from Hollywood and Studio City but cannot do much.  I am away from my computer because it is a desktop and I don’t have a laptop.  In fact, this blog entry is being dictated to my brother who is good enough to type this up for me (thanks Jason!) 

So, although I am extremly glad to be back in SoCal where I grew up, the circumstances have become another big challange as I can’t really do the work I so want to do in raising awareness and eventually the finance and distribution deals to end the discrimination and break the stereotypes with those with a disability.  I am hand writing some letters and doing all that I can to do whatever I can from this damn hospital bed!  I just found out I should be ready to go home around the end of September.  So, please be patient with updates as I will get to them when I can.  Do not worry I will never give up on this cause and my pationate work.