Gene’s Status?

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua]Does anyone have his family’s contact information? Maybe we could somehow do something as a group and have the Foundation be the place we submit whatever it is we decide and then have Barbara Katz or someone from the Foundation deliver it? Any thoughts?
Linda
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua]Maybe we could do an online memory book where we submit our own memerobilia. Pics, stories etc.???? Or we can do an actual one that the family can have. Just some ideas.
L
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Hello family,
The post from Gene said he had only weeks to live and not months, so that sounds like less then a month. I have Gene’s email address, but we must think about what the family is going through or has gone through. I doubt very much that they would answer an email. I don’t think we should do that.

I never knew his last name or had a home address for him. I only know what his profile said, southern california. If we had an address, we could try to set up a memorial for him. Even if our foundation has a name and address, they would be violating his family’s privacy by giving it to us. I don’t think they can. Our only hope would be that another of our senior members from the old forum has a home address, Jerimy, Lee Spurgeon, Brandy, Dick S, etc.
Take Care….Be Well
IMOG

I have pages of addresses from ribbon orders in ’05, I will try and find them (i put the in a safe place :confused: ) but I dont recall Gene ordering a ribbon. Not sure if he ordered a bracelet Liz. If someone is able to find an address, I think the best way to do things would be to make it available by private message to keep the family’s privacy. I hope when the time comes, someone close to the family will let us know.

[QUOTE=codystanley]Hello family,
The post from Gene said he had only weeks to live and not months, so that sounds like less then a month. I have Gene’s email address, but we must think about what the family is going through or has gone through. I doubt very much that they would answer an email. I don’t think we should do that.

I never knew his last name or had a home address for him. I only know what his profile said, southern california. If we had an address, we could try to set up a memorial for him. Even if our foundation has a name and address, they would be violating his family’s privacy by giving it to us. I don’t think they can. Our only hope would be that another of our senior members from the old forum has a home address, Jerimy, Lee Spurgeon, Brandy, Dick S, etc.
Take Care….Be Well
IMOG[/QUOTE]

Liz is right we must think of his family right now.

I do have Gene’s home address, phone number and his last name. He was always adament that I keep it private. I don’t know what to do about contacting Phyllis as this is a time for the family to just take care of Gene and spend every waking moment with him making him comfortable and peaceful. I do not want to intrude in their time. Maybe after awhile I can contact Phyllis and tell her about our thoughts and prayers for Gene and the family. So please let’s let them have their time together.

Thank You Everyone for your love and concern for Gene and his family.

A big AMEN Brandy…………….this is a time for all of us to just stand by and be patient for Gene and his family’s sake. He was one of the “pillars of foundation” for this forum……………truly a great man….

Perry

Well said Donna. We all want to be there for Gene, but that, right now, should be in spirit only. His family needs this time to move through the process of letting go. Never easy.

Hello family,
I am glad that Brandy (Donna) posted a reply. WE MUST RESPECT THE PRIVACY of Gene’s family. One of my strongest traits because I would ask the same thing for myself, is RESPECTING PRIVACY. One of my faults is that I think things over “after the fact”, so my best advice comes a few days later. Now, I feel like I shouldn’t have suggested contacting “old forum” senior members for a way to get in touch with Gene’s family. They know about Gene’s involvement in the forum and if one of them wants to thank us for being Gene’s other family, we must leave that up to them.

We can honor Gene by keeping his words alive, Take Care….Be Well and we can fall back on his posts to help our new members.

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]I am sorry if I seemed to suggest anything that was disrespectful to Genes family. I only wanted to suggest a way to show our support, not intrude. Those of you who knew Gene and his family certainly know best. Again, I apologize.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Linda[/SIZE][/FONT]

Pl do not mind Dear Linda,

In fact in India, if somebody is critically or so ill or hospitalized, we have to visit their house/hospital and offer our personal help and/or moral support to their family.

You would be surprised to know, I did not used to visit sick/person or his family earlier and, therefore, my relations were spoiled little bit with them. In short, the family members feel bad if we do not visit them. The reason is … it shows you are concern to that person/family or it shows that the sick person is an admired one.

Any way, I am just mentioning it, pl do not conclude it any other meaning.

[B]Liz and Linda

There was nothing wrong in what you suggested about contacting the family.
It just shows that you care about Gene and his family as we all do. So please don’t be sorry that you suggested it. There was no disrespect in anyone’s suggestions.Right now I am in the dark as all of you are in what is happening.

None of us should ever let Gene’s words of wisdom and his knowledge of GBS/CIDP fall by the way side. We all will keep his memory alive by using his knowledge to help anyone who needs it.

So again no apologies for caring about such a great man.[/B]

To all of you,
The love for a great man that most everyone has not met. All of you are feeling each others pain and heart ache in losing this great man that has helped so many of us at the foundation.
A good way to acknowledge Genes family and express your sympathy to them and to let the family know the love, thanks and admiration you all have for Gene, would be to do it the same way Gene did for everyone he helped, post a message. In time, someone in his family may read your messages and be at peace knowing how much Gene was thought of and how he helped so many people.
Heart felt sympaythy to all of you,
________________
Shirley

Hello family,
I’ll speak up again to make clear a few things. From my heart, I was not being critical, I should have added that we need to respect the privacy of Gene’s family NOW, give them time and wait and see if someone from Gene’s family comes to the forum to talk to us. I sounded critical and stern because three times I have had to count the days and wait for a beloved family member to die, so I know what the family is going through. After my husband died, I wanted to be left alone for a year. I felt like screaming when the phone rang.

If Gene was on a mailing list, the foundation would have his address. I think it would be alright if someone printed out Gene’s goodbye post and mailed it to the foundation and asked them to mail it to Gene’s address. I think it would help the family to know how much Gene was loved.

If November comes and we still haven’t heard from the family, those of us who are going to the symposium could get together and discuss how we could honor Gene.

This is a picture of Gene he is the man on all the way on the left.

[img]http://home.cogeco.ca/~mashby/Monique/pictures.index/2di1%2007-02%20theatre%20formal%20gene%20phyl%20eil%20walt%20418w.JPG[/img]

Sue

[QUOTE=suewatters1]This is a picture of Gene he is the man on all the way on the left.

[img]http://home.cogeco.ca/~mashby/Monique/pictures.index/2di1%2007-02%20theatre%20formal%20gene%20phyl%20eil%20walt%20418w.JPG[/img]

Sue[/QUOTE]

[B]Thanks Sue for honoring my request to post Gene’s picture in this thread also. Well done Sue.[/B]

Your Welcome 🙂

Sue

Linda, I dont think you need to apologise for anything … no one has anything but good intentions I believe.

It is hard, if it was me i think it would be nice to leave this world knowing i had made such an impact on so many people. It would be nice if somehow this could be communicated to Gene (if not too late already) but on the other hand you have to do what is best for the family too.

I

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=4][FONT=Book Antiqua]Let me clarify my intentions. I simply wanted to relay to the family all of the expressed feelings and appreciation of Gene that was expressed in his original post by the members. Since I can’t be at the symposium as many of us may not, maybe those who do make some decision regarding this whole topic as Liz suggested, could let others in on it?? Just a suggestion.
Linda

[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

I think it would be great to honor gene in some way. Perhaps later Brandy can talk to Phyllis and see if the family is doing something in his honor. I think we are all hurting and scared right now and want to pull those we care about close to us. I’m sure in time we will know something.

“Take care, Be Well” in honor of Gene

I think it would be a wonderful tribute to somehow make a book with all of genes advice and wisdom. The foundation could make it available to people as part of their info packet, or as a purchase and the proceeds go to his family. I am sure his family would have to okay this. Or a sticker with “take care. Be well”…I would wear a shirt with this on it if I had the okay to make it since we own a direct to garment printing business.

What a wonderful idea! Wouldn’t it be nice for the symposium to have something like this…t-shirts, stickers, mugs, whatever that quoted the infamouse “Take care, Be well”? They could sell them and I am sure they would get purchased as we all have grown to know and love the man behind the advice.

Hi all….
In regards to Gene…he posted on 4-29 and it is now 5-23….he said he
had 2 weeks to live. For his sake, I hope he is home with the Lord and
not suffering.

It has been my experience that people post here and our families don’t
know of our friendships and whom we have touched in many different ways.

As Gene’s ‘GBS Family’ – let’s pray for Gene and his family that they will
all ‘be well’.

I have a feeling Gene hears the many words of love on this post. We keep him alive by living the gift of strength, wisdom and hope he gave to us
all.

May he be at peace!!!

Take care and be well. MaureenBoz

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/fairly_odd_mother/takecarebewell.jpg[/IMG]

this is for a shirt…would be full size on the back.

One word…AWESOME!

[SIZE=”4″]WOW![/SIZE] The design is beautiful. . .