Golf Tournament Results

     Much thanks to all who helped with the recent benefit golf tournament for Walter at Kinderlou: Kim Goolsby, Kinderlou Golf Club, the players, the sponsors, whomever I'm missing. It was a success in every way. We netted about $10,400.00. These funds are very timely. Walter's insurance benefits for therapy are running out, and his doctors and therapists are recommending some aids and equipment that the insurance won't cover. So, thank you! As many of you witnessed, the tournament was an emotional time for Walter, seeing many of his friends for the first time since the stroke. It was also an emotional time for many of you. Thank you for your continuing prayers and encouragement.

 

There is now a new blog to follow Walter's progress: http://www.walterrominejr.blogspot.com. Walter also has a Facebook page. So, from here on I'll use this blog on a selective basis to update things like the golf tournament, other fundraisers, etc.

So, to summarize and update a couple of things:

1. Please send any contributions for Walter's trust account to John Romine at this address:

John Romine

702 Pine Circle

Quitman, GA 31643

 

Much thanks to Elaine Barton and Neal Bradley at Citizens National Bank of Quitman for kindly and patiently helping us get this account set up. Thanks also to those who have contributed so far. The gifts have been timely.

 

2. I understand that planning for the upcoming benefit golf tournament is going well. Here again are the details:

 

Where:            Kinderlou Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia

When:            Saturday, August 22, 2009, beginning at 1:00 PM. Please inform all team members to be at Kinderlou at 11:30 AM to view "Silent Auction" items in the Club House. There will be food available there for everyone.

Format:        4-man scramble, flighted by team handicap

Gifts and

    Prizes:        1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in each flight. We expect there will be 3 or maybe 4 flights with 7 teams in each flight. Gift baggies will be given to all participants. Prizes for "closest to hole" on select par 3's; longest putt on a par 4; and a longest drive                 on #11. Unique flight prizes.

Mulligans:        Available to teams and individuals

Refreshments:        Cold drinks available at locations around the course during play.

Silent Auction:        Begins at 11:30 AM with finger food and will continue immediately following the tournament

Entry Fee:        $400/team

Sponsorships:        There are sponsorship opportunities available:

            -    Tournament Sponsorship - $125

                -    Name/Company printed on tournament sponsor board

            -    Hole Sponsorship -    $150

                -    Name/Company printed on tournament sponsor board

                -    Individual sign at one of the holes on the course

            -    Corporate Sponsorship - $1500

                -    Name/Company printed on tournament sponsor board

                -    Individual sign at one of the holes on the course

                -    1 team of 4 players

            -    Master Sponsorship - $3000

                -    Name/Company printed on tournament sponsor board

                -    Individual sign at one of the holes on the Course.

                -    Logo printed on all materials

                -    1 team of 4 players

            -    Grand Master Sponsorship -- $5,000

                -    Name/Company printed on tournament sponsor board

                -    Individual sign at one of the holes on the course

                -    Logo printed on all material

                -    Opportunity to distribute brochures or materials during registration and after play

                -    2 teams of 4 players each

            -    Team sponsor - $400

            -    Prize Sponsor -- donate to Silent Auction, Golfer's Goodie Bags and Team Awards

You may obtain team entry and sponsorship forms from Kim Goolsby, Holiday Inn, 1805 West Hill Avenue, Valdosta, GA 31601; cell number: 229-292-5710; email address: kgoolsby@hivaldosta.com. Please make all checks payable to Walter Romine Medical Trust.

 

Thanks to all.

 

    
 

 

 

A few strands to update . . .

First, and most importantly, Walter continues a slow but steady progress, with the various therapies increasingly bearing fruit. He pronounces a few more words, or at least syllables. His left leg continues to strengthen. Big news on that front occurred yesterday. Brenda, Jessica's mother, told me this morning that, at therapy yesterday, Walter, with the help of two therapists, "walked" 60 feet with the aid of parallel walking bars. That accomplishment impressed the therapists. One therapist also recently mentioned that she discovered more strength in his left arm than she knew was there. So, the left arm is also improving, although its progress seems to be behind that of his left leg. This lag is not surprising, we've learned. A therapist friend recently informed us that speech and the arm typically recover more slowly. Walter's right side is strong, which enables him to help much more now transporting from one place to another, such as between wheelchair and bed. I understand that he eats and drinks almost all his food and liquids now, so there is optimism that the peg will shortly be removed from his abdomen.

Walter continues therapies at Pathways, an affiliate of Shepherd Center, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Brenda, Jessica's mom, typically drives him. A team supports Walter at home. Jessica, Brenda (Jessica's mom) and Dad Romine bear the lion's share of the work. Samantha Peterson, a friend of Brenda's, is here this week and was also here earlier for a week to help out. Samantha, among other things, has attended family training at Pathways and helped Brenda in the yard, which, of course, has not been a priority. Mark and Katy Houseman, Jessica's aunt and uncle, have come several weekends to help out. Lyn and Pat, Walter's sisters, visit periodically. Pat recently took Lexi, her daughter, to visit Walter. Lexi helped Walter spell some words and otherwise had a good visit. Josh Romine has visited. John and Nancy Romine are visiting today.

Some have contributed funds to Walter's medical account, for which we are grateful. We anticipate that the first priority for the funds will be the continuation of Walter's therapy, to which he is responding so well. Brenda recently mentioned to me an article in the July 12 edition of the Atlanta Constitution regarding the recovery of Bob Woodruff from severe brain injuries he suffered while reporting from Iraq. He and his wife attribute his strong recovery largely to the therapy he received. I will try to find that article and upload it to this blog. Their story reemphasizes the importance of Walter's continuing therapy. We are hopeful that he will soon be eligible for the next level of therapy, which will be more time every week for only an incremental increase in cost. I recall that insurance coverage for the therapy is only one or two more weeks, so the influx of funds is timely.

As a reminder, any contributions may be mailed to this address:

Walter Romine Medical Fund

Citizens National Bank of Quitman

P. O. BOX 270

QUITMAN, GA 31643

 

Please make checks payable to "Special Needs Trust for Benefit of Benjamin Walter Romine, Jr." Or, just "Walter Romine Special Needs Trust". The documentation for the trust account is now completed so as to avoid gift tax surprises for anyone.

 

Plans for the benefit golf tournament continue. Here again are the details:

As a reminder, here are the current details for the golf tournament:

• When - August 22, 2009, at 1 PM
  
• Where - Kinderlou Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia
  
• Format - 4-man scramble, flighted
  
• Fee - $400 per team; mulligans also available
  
• Prizes - 1^st and 2^nd in each flight; longest putt; closest to hole on part 3's
  

Kim Goolsby, the Catering Sales manager for the Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Valdosta, has arranged for a block of rooms at the hotel at $79 per night for the tournament. Anyone wanting a room should call the hotel at 229-244-1111 and ask for a room in the block for the Walter Romine tournament. Ads have started to run on the local radio stations. I believe that 15 to 20 teams have committed so far. Hopefully the fees from those will shortly come in, and others will sign up. Members of the family are also working on another possible golf event. More on that as it develops.

Quick update in light of some exciting things happening:

THE GOLF TOURNAMENT

As a reminder, here are the current details for the golf tournament:

• When - August 22, 2009, at 1 PM
  
• Where - Kinderlou Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia
  
• Format - 4-man scramble, flighted
  
• Fee - $400 per team; mulligans also available
  
• Prizes - 1^st and 2^nd in each flight; longest putt; closest to hole on part 3's
  

Kim Goolsby, the Catering Sales manager for the Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Valdosta, has arranged for a block of rooms at the hotel at $79 per night for the tournament. Anyone wanting a room should call the hotel at 229-244-1111 and ask for a room in the block for the Walter Romine tournament. Kim also lined up some radio advertising. News/talk radio WVGA 105.9 has started talking up the tournament, and Kim tells me that ads should start running tomorrow on 99.5, 95.7, 108, 105.9, 102.7, 105.3 and 106.9. Kim also reports that the owner of those stations, Black Crow Media, will be giving away two free dinners to Charlie Trippers, four movie tickets and a $1,000.00 gift certificate for radio ads. Don't know the logistics on that yet, but will update as I know. The Citizens National Bank of Quitman plans to sponsor two teams in the tournament.

CONTRIBUTIONS

We are close to formalizing the arrangements and structure for the "Walter Romine Medical Trust" to, among other things, allow donors to qualify their gifts for the annual gift tax exclusion. We anticipate that the paperwork will be complete this next week. Anyone wishing to make contributions before all that is final, please make all checks payable to "Trustees of the 2009 Special Needs Trust for the Primary Benefit of Benjamin Walter Romine, Jr., U/A dated July __, 2009" AND LEAVE THE CHECKS UNDATED. Once the paperwork is finished, we'll date the checks as of that date. I'll update this blog once the paperwork is done and all the final dates are in place.

For the time being, please send all checks to one of the following addresses:

John Romine

702 Pine Circle

Quitman, GA 31643

Or

John Taylor

728 North River Forest Court

Marietta, GA 30068.

Once the final paperwork is done, I anticipate that checks may be sent directly to the bank; will confirm.

WALTER

Of course, this is the most important part: Walter's rehab. Pathways, the rehab center, has cleared him to ride in an automobile, so transportation expense is greatly reduced, which is a blessing. I am told that, with his eating and drinking more and more on his own, the doctors believe that they may remove the peg (i.e., line into his stomach through the abdomen wall) within the next couple of weeks. That will be another milestone.

More later as becomes available.

Happy 4^th to all.

Walter is heading to therapy at Pathways this afternoon. He has therapy Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. I'm not sure of the times, but I think it's something like 2 to 5:30. One of the issues has been transportation to and from therapy. Jessica lined up a company that provides a wheelchair-enabled van. That works but it is expensive. Hopefully Walter is only a couple of weeks away (may be longer, though) from being approved to ride in an automobile. Pathways is working with him to learn to transfer to and from a car. The Presbyterian Home in Quitman has offered up a wheelchair-friendly van to use in the interim. Much gratitude for that.

Jim Wahl from Tifton, Walter's partner in NameDroppers, sent a chair for Walter in which he can be in any position from lying down, to sitting up to being raised to a near-standing position. It is great now, but it will be even more so as Walter progresses to standing and walking. Jim also sent a seat for Walter to use in the shower, and Bill Dodd ingeniously assembled a shower for Walter on the back patio. I haven't seen it yet, but I hear that Bill connected a hose to the sink in the upstairs bathroom using valves that allow someone to get the right temperature and direct the water to the showerhead down on the patio. Walter now has an accessible shower, which is huge.

Brenda, Jessica's mother, has been here the past week or so, and is here again this week. She is of invaluable help. She and Dad are with Walter during the weekdays while Jessica is working, and Jessica takes over from Dad the other times. A routine seems slowly to be developing, which is helpful.

Here are the facts for the benefit golf tournament as we currently know them:

• When        -    August 22, 2009, at 1 PM
  
• Where         -    Kinderlou Golf Club
  
• Format        -    4-man scramble, flighted
  
• Fee        -    $400 per team; mulligans also available
  
• Prizes        -    1^st and 2^nd in each flight; longest putt; closest to hole on part 3's
  

More details may follow as the tournament plans solidify. For example, we've received a possible offer of special room rates for those coming out of town and some giveaways.

Anyone wishing to put a team in the tournament: Please send the name of the team captain plus handicaps for all 4 team members, together with the $400 check made payable to the Walter Romine Medical Trust, to either John Romine, 702 Pine Circle, Quitman, GA 31643, or John Taylor, 728 North River Forest Court, Marietta, GA 30068.

Thanks to all for your continuing prayers and support.

    

Going Home

Walter is home. He travelled by ambulance this past Wednesday. The next chapter of his recovery now begins and the transition, not unexpectedly, has had its bumps. His bed was not ready when he arrived at the townhouse, and the technician had a difficult time putting it together. Walter, as you might expect, was much fatigued by this point. We finally just helped him stretch out on the sofa, and he slept pretty well for a while. The bed was finally ready for him to go to sleep that night.

We are structuring a schedule for the various caretakers. Working out the bugs in that will likely take a little while. Brenda, Jessica's mother, is staying with Jessica and Walter this week. Huge help and blessing!

Walter's recovery continues, although incrementally. His speech is further improving. He moves his left leg some, which is encouraging. He eats well. His right side is strong. Today, he starts rehab at Pathways, an outpatient rehab facility affiliated with The Shepherd Center. Shepherd Center has not cleared Walter for travel by personal auto, so Jessica has been working to arrange third-party transportation. It is not cheap. We are finding out that nothing is. He is scheduled for three days of rehab per week; not sure for how long—driven by insurance coverages.

We increasingly realize the magnitude of the costs of Walter's care not covered by insurance, and we are grateful to those who have expressed an interest in helping financially. To facilitate both the giving and management of funds that anyone desires to contribute, an account has been established at Citizens National Bank of Quitman. The account will be utilized solely and directly to defray Walter's medical and rehab costs. Although we are only now learning what those costs may include, we anticipate that the funds will be used for things like transportation to and from rehab, qualified caretaking professionals (e.g., medical technicians), etc. Anyone desiring to help defray some of these costs may send contributions to the following address:

    Benjamin Walter Romine Medical Fund

    c/o Citizens National Bank of Quitman

    PO Box 270

    Quitman, GA 31643

 

Contributors will, upon request, receive periodic reports of the expenses paid.

 

Walter's dad is also planning a benefit golf tournament at Kinderlou Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia. The format will probably be a 4-man scramble, the field will be flighted based on some type of team aggregate handicapping system and prizes will be awarded to at least the 1st and 2^nd lowest team scores in each flight. Team entry fees and other details will be determined within the next week or so and posted on this blog. The date, hopefully within the next 4 to 6 weeks, will shortly be set as well.

 

Anyone interested in getting together a foursome for the tournament, or perhaps otherwise participating in some way, please send your email address to john@taylorlegal.net . We will distribute all of the information as soon as it is available.

 

 

 

Been a while since last update. Apologies for that. I'll do my best to catch up.

Dad took some notes during his day with Walter back on June 5. Some highlights from that day:

    -    Walter tires at the end of the day from his therapies and the muscle relaxant that the doctors currently have him on.

    -    The assistant to the three doctors was effusive with her praise of Walter's progress since he arrived at Shepherd. His movement is so much better, and he is much more alert. He played a form of racquetball in therapy and handed out "high fives" when         he made a good shot. The assistant ended by saying that in reality things move very slowly, but through the eyes of those who see the patients when they are first admitted, his progress is "remarkable—I'm impressed."

    -    At around 5 PM Walter was content to watch a college baseball game.

Things have continued to improve steadily since then. Walter is increasingly eating solid food. On a diet scale of 1 to 5, he is at "2". As he eats more food, the doctors cut back on his artificial nourishment. He's also saying more and more words and is trying to ask more and more questions. He's become aware enough to start wondering about longer term issues, like whether or not he'll be able to play golf again. Those discussions have been tough, trying to balance encouragement with honesty about future unknowns. He continues to work on moving between bed and chair. Jessica, Mom and Dad have been in family training this week to learn things like how to help him move back and forth. Pray, please, for strength of all sorts, including physical. Helping Walter move around is not easy.

He is scheduled to go home on June 17. Again, we're not certain of what that will look like, as far as schedules and living arrangements. We do know that Walter will continue therapy on an outpatient basis. Jessica is working on all the various logistics. I'll fill in details as we go.

A recent experience with Walter illustrates to some extent the communication frustrations we are all experiencing right now. Lyn and I spent about three hours with him this past Saturday evening, from about 6 to 9. We watched Blue Collar Comedy tour on the Comedy Channel for a while, and Walter visibly chuckled at a few lines. As we got closer to 8:30 and 9:00 (remember that visiting hours end at 9), he appeared to get sleepy, so we tried to help him get comfortable and go to sleep, but instead he became increasingly agitated. He motioned with his right hand toward the ceiling several times to communicate something but finally gave up. A few minutes later, Lyn guessed "You want the lights out?" to which he responded with an enthusiastic thumbs up. So far so good. He raised his hand up toward a clock on the wall opposite his bed and clenched his fist; we decided he was just stretching. He repeatedly pointed toward the door, so I closed it, assuming that he wanted it shut to keep out the light from the hall: all this making sense from someone who obviously wanted to sleep. But then he only got more agitated, pulling on his t-shirt, taking the cover off and on, etc. The more we tried to help him get comfortable the worse it got. Finally, Lyn called the attendant to ask for help. He shortly arrived and told us that, as was the routine, he would get Walter ready for bed as soon as we left. At this Walter whipped around to shake my hand to let me know it was time to go. He'd been trying for 30 or 45 minutes to tell us it was time for us to go so he could get ready to go to sleep. He had raised a fist to the clock to say "times up". He had repeatedly pointed to the door, not to get us to shut it, but to get us to leave out of it. Next time we'll know.