Fayard Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers Needs Our Help!

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/24/05 at 1:41am

I know the source of this information and she is unimpeachable. I am going to reprint her e-mail in it's near entirety.

If anyone can help this giant of the screen and stage in his time of need, please do so ASAP!

AND please passd this along to anyone who can help.

I have met Fayard a few times and he was as nice as can be to a total stranger.

Thanks.

Dear Friends,

I just got some frightening and sad news -- our dear friend and dance legend, Fayard Nicholas (Nicholas Brothers) suffered a stroke yesterday.
I have left a message for Fayard's wife to get more information, but haven't heard back yet. I do know that he is back at St. Joseph's Medical Center in
Burbank, CA.

Many of you have met Fayard and his wife, Katherine, at our Rhythm Club, and all of us have gloried over his amazing dancing in classic films such as "Stormy Weather," "Sun Valley Serenade," and "Orchestra Wives." Recently, they came out for our Rhythm Club Hurricane Relief Fundraiser (pictures on our scrapbook:
http://swingshiftontap.com/scrapbookindex.html)

Fayard was in the hospital last month and recovered beautiful from colon surgery. He had returned home, and I had gone to visit him for Katherine's birthday. He looked GREAT. Better than ever. We laughed, sang, and danced all night. So what a shock to get the news today.

After Fayard's recent hospitalization, many of you asked if there was anything they needed, and I have found out the following, and please understand that I am sending this out with deep affection and love for Katherine and Fayard:

They need financial assistance... and on a regular basis. They are
living a fixed income (social security), and Katherine is afraid to
leave the house now with Fayard's more delicate health (in other words,
she can't get a job outside the house). We have been sending over
"Trader Joe's" gift cards, and Katherine and Fayard have been thrilled.
They live within walking distance of this wonderful health food grocery
store.

Outside of his urgent needs, a perfect "excuse" would be a Holiday Gift.
If you wanted to get them a little something, have some spare change, I
know they would really appreciate some kind of useful gift card for food
or other necessities rather than flowers and such. If you live near a
Trader Joes, pick up a gift card and send it over; if you are out of
town, maybe a Bed Bath and Beyond, or something like that. I'm sure
they would even welcome any financial assistance towards their bills.

By the way, they don't use a computer, so don't send anything that would
require them have to go online.

Here is their mailing address (for those out of towners):

Katherine & Fayard Nicholas
10153 1/2 Riverside Drive, Suite 219
Toluca Lake, CA 91602

And, of course, the "Best Wishes" of a call or a card is always most
appreciated by them!

I know we'll all be thinking and hoping for the his immediate return to
good health at his 91 years young!

Tappingly,

Rusty Frank
http://rustyfrank.comhttp://rustyfrank.com

-------------------------------------
UPDATE

Dear Friends,

I just got off the phone with Fayard's wife, Katherine, and she explained to me what happened.

Early last evening, Fayard suffered a stroke and was rushed to his local hospital, St. Josephs, in Burbank, California.

His condition is stable, but very scary for Katherine. Fayard is paralyzed on his left side (a common consequence from strokes, but not necessarily lasting). He is very alert and with it. It's just hard for him to speak because of the paralysis. But he appears to have not suffered any loss of memory, etc.

I told Katherine about the email I've sent out to all of you, and she was so touched. She found it hard to stop crying. I told her that I had already heard from three people who said they were going to send over Trader Joes Gift Cards, and she again cried. She explained that when they got to the hospital last night they had no money whatsoever left. Friends who were with them gave what they had in their pockets, $10, and $20. But that was it.

I was worried about letting people know of their financial condition, that it might embarrass or humiliate them -- that it was a private issue. But now, after talking with Katherine just now, I understand that it is beyond anything like that -- the need is so great... they just needs help now.

So if you were thinking of helping in any financial way, they can use it! Again their mailing address is:

Katherine & Fayard Nicholas
10153 1/2 Riverside Drive, Suite 219
Toluca Lake, CA 91602

Thank you all for your concern, you good wishes, your help, and your loving thoughts.

Dancingly,

Rusty
http://rustyfrank.comhttp://rustyfrank.com

-------------------------------------------
THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS!

Their Broadway credits include :

Zeigfeld Follies of 1936
Babes In Arms
and appearences at the famed Cotton Club

Their numerous film credits include :

THE PIRATE

TIN PAN ALLEY

DOWN ARGENTINE WAY

SUN VALLEY SERENADE

ORCHESTRA WIVES

STORMY WEATHER

THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936

KID MILLIONS

and numerous others.

These two brothers were the kings of what one critic labeled "flash tap". Has there ever been a more exciting dance team on the screen?

This man has made us smile and made our hearts race with excitement with his singing and dancing in some of the most remembered musicals of Hollywood's Golden Age.

He needs our help and it is payback time for any of us who can do something.



Updated On: 11/26/05 at 01:41 AM

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/25/05 at 2:51pm

Forgive the bump up, but this is timely and perhaps may have gotten a little lost over the holiday.

Thanks!

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 11/25/05 at 3:03pm

Thank you, Goodtoon!
I did not see this earlier so I'm glad you bumped it.

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/25/05 at 5:49pm

Good to see you on this side, MasterLcZ.

It's awful when someone gets to such a state in their life and maybe it is more awful when they have given so much joy and happiness to millions of people over many decades and then they wind up scuffling for food to eat and having to pay the rent, while dealing with health issues, too.

I remember seeing both the Nicholas Brothers in person in LA at UCLA circa 1978. Their 'revival' had yet to begin, there was a pretty decent turnout.

When they appeared on stage together and both men were still dancing at that time....one of the brothers even did a full split which he knew the audience was waiting to see......my heart was actually racing to see these men in person and to see the film clips from there finest films at the same time.

Even to this day, when rewatching ORCHESTRA WIVES or SUN VALLEY SERENADE or STORMY WEATHER or DOWN ARGENTINE WAY, I can still feel my chest start to tighten up with excitement just as they begin to go into some sensational routine.

I hope that some folks reading this and with some money in their kick feels the same way and can help a great star out.

Posted: 11/25/05 at 11:46pm

Perfect time to forgo an umpteenth Lotto for Wicked or Rent and send the money you would have spent to a real showbusiness legend and hero.

Something to think about and maybe give a little back.

[steveshack]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 7:17am

Fayard is one of the great men of the movies and show business. I have met him on many occasions and he truly deserves everything and anything anyone can do. He and Nicholas were two of the greatest dancers who ever lived. Thanks to the person who posted this.

Steve Schalchlin
Fayard Nicholas in North Hollywood a few years ago.

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/26/05 at 3:12pm

Steve-

That's a nice and typical Fayard expression in the pic you linked to!

Very nice gent and I hope things turn quickly for him.

What a treat to see this legend out at so many venues over the past decade and so utterly accessible that you could just go right up to him and chat and he'd be as friendly as could be.

[Lois]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 3:39am

What a terrible situation for one of the greatest dancers in history! Thank you for posting this information, Goodtoon, and I certainly hope that Fayard and his wife will be receiving the full support of the dance and Hollywood communities in their time of need, and that he will have a full and rapid recovery.

Lois

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 5:31am

Here is an update that I just now received from Rusty Frank-

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your outpouring of goodwill and concern for the well-fare of our dancing legend Fayard Nicholas and his wife Katherine. Fayard is on the mend from Tuesday’s stroke which has left him hospitalized at St. Joseph’s, Burbank, CA.

I have set up a Donation button on my website for sending emergency funds to Fayard and Katherine through PayPal.

The link is on my homepage:

http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htmhttp://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm

I have also set up a Fayard Nicholas page, with ideas on how to help, and detailed background on his situation. Please feel free to look at this page and forward it to your friends and fellow dancers:


I was at the hospital again tonight, and Fayard seems to be doing really well considering. He mostly was sleeping (recovering from the ordeal of his stroke), but when he awoke he was coherent and we had short conversations. Speech is labored, but trust me, he is fully there. I told him of all your donations and notes and love. He says “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Many of you wrote to me expressing your wish to send over emergency cash to them. Believe me, they could use it! Even with what’s come in so far, they are in dire need. Since the passing of Fayard’s brother, Harold, work has been sparse, and the bills have been pilling up.

If you want to get some money to them immediately, you can make a donation through the donation button on my homepage and then I will bring it over to them in cash.

Another option is to send them a check:

Fayard Nicholas
10153 1/2 Riverside Drive, Suite 219
Toluca Lake, CA 91602

I am also looking for people who would like to help them on a monthly basis, no matter how large or small. My dream is for them just to concentrate on recovery and not to worry about bills. If you are interested in donating monthly, please email me with your name, your phone number, and the monthly figure you would like to donate.

I want to say how touched I am of our dance world. You have stepped forward without hesitation to help this legend (who, as you have each stated over and over, has given us so much). I am so happy to tell you that over $1,700 in cash and checks and $110 in Trader Joe’s gift cards have come in as a result of my first emails to you (and I know more is already in the mail). You should have seen Katherine’s face as I kept pulling out more of your donations from my bag. She had collected today’s mail, and we sat there together reading each of your cards accompanying the donations. She pulled out of stack of bills from her purse, waved them in the air, and ecstatically exclaimed that now she could pay these bills, many of them month’s overdue and in various scary colors – pink, etc.).

Thank you all again. And thank you for spreading the word to all your dancer friends and dance fans. Everything helps for them!

I’ll write again this coming week with an update.

All best wishes to you during this holiday season,

Dancingly,

Rusty
With inexhaustive love from Fayard and Katherine Nicholas

http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htmhttp://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm











Updated On: 11/27/05 at 05:31 AM

[RabbitRun]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 8:55am

It's wonderful to see that so many people are willing to help out this beloved entertainer. Just curious to know, has anyone contacted either SAG (Screen Actors Guild) or the Actors Fund concerning their need for financial assistance?

Sending best wishes to Mr. Nicholas for a complete and speedy recovery.

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 1:26pm

I remember for a while that he was staying out at the Motion Picture County Home in Woodland Hills, CA.

I don't know if either of those organizations you mentioned have been approached.

I will try and find out.

Thanks for your post and thanks to all the other posters on here helping to keep this topic and perhaps the "man" going!

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:54pm

Another bump up for the good of Fayard Nicholas!

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:58pm

I'll bump it up as well--I plan on sending a little something--every bit helps--The Nicholas Brothers are two of my idols--and NO, there has never been a more exciting dance team.

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:21pm

Thanks, lildogs!

Anyone who has ever been 'up against it' knows how brutal it can be. When people turn to other people for help, it basically means they *need* the help.

Those guys were the Kings of Tap. You see them in a film and you brighten up, no matter how low you may be feeling.

They continue to amaze new generations of film watchers who have never seen or heard of them until the very instant they see them in action.

Fayard has made it to 91 y/o. He's only got so much time left, so if we can make it a little easier for a gent who made life happier for millions of people for more than 70 years (!!!!), it's a 'good investment'!

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:44pm

The latest update :

Dear Friends of Fayard & Katherine Nicholas,

It’s been one week since dance-legend Fayard Nicholas, of The Nicholas Brothers, suffered a stroke which left him hospitalized at St. Joseph’s Medical Centre in Burbank, California.

Since this time, I began a fund-raising campaign to help this wonderful man in his hour of need.

The response has been overwhelming.

Over $12,000 raised in one week! And it’s still coming in.

Fayard Nicholas webpage added to my site:
http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm>http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm


Go there for ongoing updates and ways you can help. Forward the link to all you know who might care.

For the past week, emails, cards, Trader Joe gift cards, checks, and cash have been pouring in. I have been spending every spare minute, pushing aside my normal routine, trying to keep up. So, first, please accept my apologies for not answering every one of your emails, and also for not thanking you individually for your donations.


Here is an update:


HEALTH UPDATE:

Fayard is doing really well, considering he suffered a stroke one week ago and was still recovering from his colon surgery last month. The stroke was on the right side, and so his speech and brain function were unaffected, even though he is still paralyzed on his left side. He is getting stronger and stronger each day, but, of course, this is very slow. He is already in physical therapy. The great news is that for three days he has been able to eat apple sauce, and they are confident that the feeding tube can removed very soon. He is still really “with it”, and able to communicate (though labored). He sits in a wheel chair for several hours each day. So, just send all your positive thoughts on continued recovery!


FUNDRAISING UPDATE: $12,000 RAISED IN ONE WEEK

Yes! $12,000, and it’s still coming in. I’ve contacted everyone on my Tap and Swing Dance email lists, and all of you have forwarded them to your lists. Doantions ranging from $5-$1,000 have come through this. I have called all my buddies, including the ever-generous Hugh Hefner. Hef made a wonderful contribution that really helped put a dent in their debt.


THEY’RE OUT OF THE RED

Thanks to all of your generous donations, Fayard and his wife, Katherine, are now up-to-date on all their bills! I took Katherine out to dinner on Monday night at a beautiful restaurant (just to get her out of the hospital) – there was jazz playing, and everything – and she was in heaven. After, we went back to her apartment and got all the bills sorted. We got all your checks ready for deposit, and wrote checks that covered ALL the bills. I even dropped off the threatening bill from the Water and Power department, so they still have power! Because of lack of income, they had been using credit cards for survival the past few months, so now we just have to get rid of that; but I am confident, with all the donations still coming in, those will be history within a week or two. This will really help to get their cost of living down!



MONTLY SUPPORT FUND:

I have now set up a fund to help them with their on-going needs. You can go to my website and subscribe to the plan that works for you. The choices are: $5, $10, $15, $18 (“Chai”, Jewish for “Life”), $25, $50, $75, or $100 a month. The money will go directly into their bank account. We already have four people signed up!


OUTSIDE HELP

I have been contacting many different organizations, such as the Actor’s Fund, to see if they can offer on-going assistance, and that is going very well. I’ll keep you informed


MEDICAL INSURANCE

YES! They have it!


NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FUNDRAISERS

I have been notified by dance friends all over, and I mean ALL over, that fundraisers have happened or are in the works to raise more money for our Fayard Fund. In my opinion, we can’t raise too much money! Imagine, they could actually go out to dinner once in a while, and maybe take in a show. At 91, Fayard should be able to just relax and enjoy himself!


KATHERINE NICHOLAS UPDATE

Katherine is amazing! A real angel. We should all be so lucky to have a loving person like her in our lives even for one day. She continues to astound me with all her love and creative ideas on how to get Fayard on the mend. She sits by his side day and night, rarely even going home to sleep (she sleeps in a chair besides his bed). Of course, she is overwhelmed by everything. This is the second time she has gone through this hospital thing with Fayard in one month! She says over and over again how stunned she is by all the help coming their way. She said to me at dinner, “Rusty, we had hit rock bottom.” And I know this was true. She told me that she can finally stop worrying all the time about money. She also said something cute, she said that she is so used to worrying, that it’s hard to stop worrying!
She also begs your forgiveness in not answering your cards and for not thanking you personally for your donations. But, know this, she is more grateful than you can ever imagine!


THANKS ALL AROUND

Thanks to everyone, especially Stanley Sheff, Nick Santa Maria, Joanne DeVito (Dancers in Transition), Joni Berry (Professional Dancers Society), all those at the Actors Fund, for helping me get on top of this.


So there you have it. Thank you again, everyone. Keep the good wishes coming. And thank you for spreading the word.

Dancingly,

Rusty
http://rustyfrank.com

Updated On: 11/30/05 at 11:44 PM

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:49pm

Here is the direct link to the "FAYARD FUND" -

http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:15pm

A bump up with a story about Fayard-

I was at a Christmas party a few years ago with a lot of dancers. At one point, the chit chat and eating part of the party came to a halt as most of the people went into the next room to dance.

I stayed in the living room with Fayard and we talked a bit. We had never met before, but he was very outgoing and sincere. When I mentioned the song, "Why Dream?" that he and his brother Harold had done in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936, he lit up and sang a few bars and seemed happy to recall that someone remembered one of their now lesser seen films.

Good guy!

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:50pm

a bump!

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 12/6/05 at 10:12pm

Update on Fayard Nicholas,
Of The Legendary Nicholas
Currently in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California
12/6/05, from Rusty Frank


Dear Friends of Fayard & Katherine,

Please, one and all put your good wishes out there however you do it.

Fayard took a turn for the worse over the weekend and had an operation yesterday, which has left him in ICU. He is being sedated for anywhere from 1-3 days. And for the time being, there is really nothing that we know or can tell you. As far as we know, he is not suffering. I saw him for some brief minutes, and it just looks like he is sleeping, albeit hooked up to all manner of machines. There is a breathing tube supporting him, there is a drainage tube coming out of his head to keep the fluid pressure off his brain, etc. For anyone who knows the vitality of this man, this image is an inexplicable nightmare. The doctors won’t say anything except, “Wait and see.”

I went back to Katherine’s apartment last night with two of her dearest friends, Beryl Davis and Richard Fox, and we sat and opened a stack of your letters and donations. I know I will never be able to express to you how much these mean to her at this time. She kept saying over and over again last night, “It’s a miracle.” “It’s like Christmas.” “I can’t believe it.” “It’s amazing.” And the real truth of the matter -- “This man is so loved.” For those who have seen the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” imagine the last scene, and you’ve pretty much got it.

Again last night, we counted the checks, the cash, and the Trader Joe’s cards; again we paid the bills.

I do want to thank you all – because of you they are now debt free. All bills are up to date, and all debt is gone. There is even a two-month cushion in the bank. I have heard that there is still more on the way.

Please don’t stop sending donations or helping to raise it. Whatever happens this cushion is so very needed by them.

If you want to know all the details of how to help, go to our Fayard Fund webpage:
http://rustyfrank.com/fayardnicholas.htm


Again, thank you all for your actions in holding this couple in your arms through this nightmare of a time. I am weakened and saddened by his strife, but I am so very heartened by your love and generosity on all counts.

Katherine wished me especially to express her deep gratitude to each of you. She is stunned and can still barely understand that she and her precious husband are out of debt and have some money in the bank. I can’t quite explain it to you, but she is so full of love for each of you, just know this.

Katherine is a rock for Fayard, but she is going through the most awful trial watching her loved one go through this horror. Yesterday she was positively ashen. She is so utterly distressed and keeps praying that he comes through this without suffering.

Continue sending your wishes and thoughts and prayers, again, however you do this.

I will let you know when I know anything further.

My very best to you,
Rusty
http://Rustyfrank.com

[Goodtoon]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 9:24pm

More news and a NPR article!
http://blogs.wbur.org/arts/?p=208

Helping Fayard Nicholas
Posted by Debra Cash, Friday, January 6th, 2006


Only medical skill, the support of friends and family and perhaps the prayers of his fans can help Fayard Nicholas recover from the stroke the gentlemanly 91-year old African-American dancer suffered on November 22, 2005. But those of us who thrilled to the virtuoso tap dancing of the Nicholas Brothers in the “Stormy Weather,” “Down Argentine Way” and other Hollywood musicals can make a difference by pulling out our checkbooks.

When I interviewed Fayard as part of the Portsmouth (NH) Percussive Music Festival in 2003, he shared an anecdote about how he once was refused admittance to the segregated film studio commissary. David Selznick got on the phone and told the maitre d’ to let him in and serve him anything he pleased — his art, alongside that of his younger brother Harold and the directors who showcased his dancing — had paid for the studio.

At the Cotton Club and in Hollywood, the Nicholas Brothers were headliners. Yet unfortunately, stars in the cement on Hollywood Boulevard and 1992 Kennedy Center honors don’t pay the bills. It’s hard to imagine such a great artist as Fayard Nicholas being at risk of having his electricity and water shut off. But that is exactly what happened this winter.

The person who kept the wolf from Fayard Nicholas’ door is a California lindy hop and tap dancer named Rusty Frank. When she was an eleven-year-old tomboy, Frank was a tap student of Fayard’s wife, Katherine. Recognizing the Nicholas’ plight, she started an emergency relief fund — complete with Pay Pal options for one-time or ongoing gifts of support. (Those in a position to make substantial contributions should get in touch with her directly through the website.) The website includes a link to a wonderful little video tribute that shows Fayard as a swell-looking teen dancing and singing with his mischievous little brother.

Clearly Fayard and Katherine have an angel of an advocate in Frank, but when I reached her by phone right after New Year’s she was eager to explain that what has happened to her friends is symptomatic of a larger problem: the fact that most performers, especially dancers, live marginal lives and that in this country, getting old and frail is very, very expensive.

“What’s happened to him only came to light because of the desperation of the situation,” she explained. Many of the tap dancers she knows, she says have “way too much pride to say anything about [financial difficulties], it’s a code of honor. Tap dancers [during the 1930s and 40s] were working from job to job, but they weren’t working every single day.” In researching her book, “TAP! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories 1900–1955,” Frank discovered that the difference between a secure old age and one lived on the edge of poverty boiled down to one thing: whether the entertainer had bought a house. For people who came up in vaudeville, or who got used to apartment living, the decision not to buy during their peak earning years meant that they had to find a continuing stream of income to support housing costs in their old age.

Tap dancers have had it particularly hard. The market for tap dried up in the 1950s. Most of the masters went to work with other, unrelated jobs. Even those who didn’t, like Harold and Fayard, found that television created new difficulties: where an act honed in the theatre could support a lifetime of nightclub gigs, national television exposure demanded new acts every season.

The Nicholas Brothers continued working in Europe during tap’s dry spell and then were honored participants in the tap revival festivals of the 1970s and 80s. Harold died in 2000. Fayard continued to appear at festivals, taught master classes, and sold inexpensive autographed photos of himself. (On the wall of my study is one such signed photo of the Nicholas Brothers jumping in a wide side split, in front of the Chatanooga Choo Choo.) But the Nicholas Brothers did not earn residuals from their films. According to Frank, those rights were only guaranteed by union contracts signed after 1963.

Fayard’s son Tony, who works for the city of Los Angeles as a manager of a community youth program, told me this week “I’m 50 years old and I’ve never heard my dad say anything negative about anyone. He is truly one of the good guys in show business, always willing to do a benefit, always available to give autographs, take pictures, and people love him for that.” Rusty Frank concurred. “In my personal experience with him the yes comes out of his mouth before he hears the end of the question.”

When we spoke by phone, Tony Nicholas was arranging to have his father moved from an interim rehabilitation hospital to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which provides nursing care and housing to members of the industry. In some ways, Nicholas is very lucky. Because he was not “merely” a dancer, but also sang and acted in films, he is eligible for a number of union-funded services and a small pension that supplements his social security. The Actors Fund donating $500 month towards his living expenses with that sum matched by the Frank Nelson Sick & Benefit Fund of AFTRA. But piecing together all these resources has not been easy.

As Frank described, the Nicholas’ ongoing expenses come to around $3,300 a month. (This is not the Hollywood high life.) The family is expecting to have to pay for specialists not covered by Fayard’s health insurance. Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, who is many decades younger than her husband, has not been able to work during his recent illness.

The good news is that the response to Frank’s call for help for Fayard has been outstanding. As of New Year’s, the emergency fund had raised around $35,000: enough to retire his outstanding debt. Choreographer and dancer Debbie Allen hosted a tap jam benefit at her studio in Los Angeles. The Nicholas family has received stacks of letters from all over the world. Donations have been sent by colleagues and friends but also by bedridden kids enthralled by old movies and from survivors of hurricane Katrina saying they wished they could do more.

How is the patient doing? When his college-age granddaughters Nicole and Cathy made a Christmas visit to his hospital room and tapped the old Nicholas Brother routine called “Lucky Numbers” their dad Tony said that “you could tell he could hear the taps, he was moving his head” although his eyes stayed closed. And recently he opened his eyes and told Katherine “I love you too.”

Consider your check a long overdue thank-you note.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:26am

bump!

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:27am

Somehow I missed this the first time.

As they say, the check is in the mail.