Final FabianFund Update - GOAL REACHED (and more)!

February 1st, 2012

Hello everyone!

Thanks to your generosity, we have far surpassed our stated goal of $10,000, and as of this morning we have raised $15,000 with 9 hours to go!

Thank you all for spreading the word, and for being so generous with your money and your thoughts and prayers. Fabian just learned about the fund recently, and he is completely floored by everyone's generosity, as I am.

Fabian returned home last week, on the same day we hit our goal for the fundraiser! So that was a very positive day. It is nice to see him back at home where he belongs, with his family around him.  (The photo above is of Fabian in his chair at home, as you might guess)

Thanks to everyone who donated, tweeted, emailed, or spread the word about the fundraiser. You have made a difficult time easier for a great family.

And if you want to donate but haven't yet, you have just a couple hours left!

Thanks again, you all ROCK!

-Nick

Update on Fabian 1-23-12

January 23rd, 2012

Just a quick update this time. Things are going great, Fabian is continuing to make great strides towards recovery.

He has been approved to walk up and down stairs, which is one of the key things he had to re-learn before he could be approved to go home. Also, even better, he has been approved to begin eating after passing his x-ray swallowing test. For now he will be held to liquids only, but it is a big step towards removing the feeding tube.

Biggest of all - as of today, he has had his tracheotomy tube removed! This means his throat can begin to heal, and soon there will be only a small scar as a reminder.

Small victories, but they add up to a big improvement. And this means that Fabian will most likely be released from the rehab center this week, possibly Thursday or Friday. Once he is home, he will continue to work on physical therapy from a more comfortable place, and surrounded by family.

Thank you to everyone for your generosity - we have raised $8,000 so far, which is fantastic! We have only $2,000 left to go this (last) week to meet our fundraising goal. If you know of someone who wants to donate and hasn't done so yet, please let them know that now is the time!

Thanks again, and keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming!

WhiteNoise Lab presents a free music download!

January 10th, 2012

One of the new hit TV shows from 2011 was HBO's "Game Of Thrones", which brought George R.R. Martin's political intrigue/fantasy series to life. Our friend Roger Lima at WhiteNoise Lab performed a heavy version of the show's theme song, and it became a huge hit across the internet.

As of this moment, the song has been viewed over a million times, and continues to get more attention every day.

In appreciation of your support for Fabian and his family, here is a direct MP3 download of that song as a small gift. Thanks so much!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Please spread the word about our fundraiser - we have done great so far, but we still have a long way to go!

Update on Fabian's Condition

January 6th, 2012

Hello everyone! Here is a quick update on Fabian's condition as of January 5, 2012.

On January 3rd, Fabian moved out of Duke Hospital and over to the Acute Care Rehabilitation Center at Durham Regional Hospital. The new center has a huge facility for physical therapy, including treadmills, gym equipment, multiple surfaces on which to practice walking (gravel, grass, wood, carpet), and even a faux-car to help patients practice getting in and out. They are working him hard, but he is seeing improvements in many different areas.

The difficult thing about this disease is that, despite the short amount of time he has been sick, his muscles are experiencing the level of atrophy a person would get after being bedridden for years. So, while it seems to him that he should be able to be up and around quickly, he has a lot of work to do yet.

Before leaving Duke, he had a small surgery to add a feeding tube, which went smoothly. This was necessary because his muscles are not improving at the same rates. His legs are strong, and he can walk (with assistance). His arms are weaker, and he has trouble holding anything heavier than a book for more than a minute or two. The muscles that control swallowing are weakest of all, so they added the feeding tube to make sure he got proper nutrition. The feeding tube will be in for 6 weeks or so, and then (hopefully) will be removed.

Fabian has access to his phone, so feel free to send him text messages and emails. They have also appreciated the cards that have been sent, both to the hospital and the house. If you want to visit Fabian, he is feeling up to it, so just send a text to his wife Ryan, and she will help you set up a time to visit.

Fabian, Ryan, and the girls are all doing a great job of keeping their spirits up and their outlook positive. And while there is still a long road ahead, I have no doubt that he will continue improving every day, until this is all just a memory.

Thank you all for your support, and be sure to spread the word about the fundraiser - we still have a long way to go to reach our goal!

Fundraiser ends Feb. 1, 2012.

Tiny Guitar song for all Fabian supporters!

December 31st, 2011

For any Tiny Guitar fans out there, here is your chance to get a brand new New Year's song from your favorite band, and quite possibly the greatest band in the world.  Fabian is a fan, or at least pretended to be in order to remain friends with us. And that is good enough for me!

If you are unfamiliar with Tiny Guitar, shame on you. But let me explain. Tiny Guitar specialized in silly and improvised songs, and disbanded last February due to a lack of interest from the general public. But now, due to no demand, they are back!

If you have already donated to the Fabian Fund, please enjoy this complimentary New Year's song, sung by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger*.

If you have not donated yet, please donate now, and then download this song as a very poor gift in exchange for your generosity.

To download, right-click and choose Save As.
Arnold Lang Syne 2: The Reckoning

Happy New Year, everyone, and may all your guitars be tiny!

*not actually Arnold Schwarzenegger, just a very bad impression.