Church, Greek Orthodox, Orthodox Colleges Orthodox Seminaries, Orthodox the True Church,
Charlie Knight
and
his milestones for
December 6 - December 12, 2009
contact him by
email at ni_ck@ymail.com or ceknight@student.stcc.edu or
U.S. mail at 32 Byers Street, Apt. # 101, Springfield, MA 01105
if you can offer help or assistance in any way.
Tony Lalikos picked me up for Church at (St. George Greek Orthodox Church). I left after church and coffe hour, to go down to the Church Library where I read, took out some things and slept for a little bit. I wanted to see Steve Paliuga when he came into town, but I was to tired. At about 1:45PM I came up and went over to the Church where we assembled to reherse for the annual Christmas Concert to fight Cancer. When that was over with I cam home and was soooooo tired.
I heard from Wesley many times in the past week with ups and downs, most notably Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night when he thought he might bleed to death as the blood was just pouring down the back of his throat. Regardless of what you think about Wes in the past, please pray for him and that God will heal him in many ways and show him a happy life. I heard from some one on Monday that an ambulance was sent for him at 12: 30PM. He was to call the visiting Nurse and have them come to see him Monday. The ambulance came Sunday night and had him boil water to put moisture into the apartment. I write this on Wednesday night and Thursday morning (the 9th and 10th of December) and yet no word about Wesley Carr. Please pray, I am so concerned.
I used up more of the food stamps (don't know how to check how much is left). Marsha is a very encouraging lady at the 360 Bernie Ave. rehab. center. Hence I acheved all my goals last week and was discharged. I just happened to have slept before, could not do the same by Thursday, but the appointments were over with now. As I may have said before, I had to apply for medicare parts A and B and I could not do that without applying for Social Security Benefits. However, since I could not get employed with any of the degrees I had, my check would be about 90 dollars a mongth. It would have been $195 or so but $98 needs to go to the part B medicare payment. So, reluctanly, and since I need to pay for money I borrowed after the accident, I have reluctantly applied for SSI, federal welfare. I told you amounts I was to get last week. Now almost every day I get another letter saying somethign about my Social Security, SSI, or Health Care.
Monday I went to our Lodge meeting, I really enjoy that, and will need to do the minutes soon. We will not meet until January 4th, then not until the 3rd Monday in Feb., because of bad weather.
Tuesday I tried to do a VIMUG meeting, but missed everyone. Then I went to Bible Study after talking with the Social Security people. They had me earning $466.66 for self employment income, and tis was about $441.00 more than what I did earn. We got that "straightened out" as apparently they just "picked a figure" to help me and I am to "settle up " with them at the end of the year.
Like I said the last few weeks; I have had "electric shocks" go through my body, and a tingling like you get when a portin of your body has "gone to sleep", which for me is almost all the time. I am scared. Please pray for me. Nerves like electric shocks. I am afraid that these things will be with me the rest of my natural life. My Doctor let me cut medicins and that helped some. I had x-rays taken, and the report came back that nothing was broken after my 2am fall when the legs gave out.
Wednesday I went to Dr. Robert Schapiro's office, my neuro-surgeon, and he told me to take off the back brace and the neck brace and then go down to X-rays. I went to the wrong place but they sent the X-rays up to him electronically, so I guess it was ok. He looked at them, saw me and told me that the reports about my neck wre WRONG. I did NOT have a fracture in C4 and C5, but rather had a swelling in C3 and C4 which seems to be going down. Hence he is going to see me in another 3 months, like maybe around St. Patrick's Day. And for now we will put off- any thoughts of neck surgeory and keep up the petitions to God. It is entirely possible that I have just lived with a stiff back and surgeory on my neck will not be needed. I have images below.
My Back Incission, first time I saw it 
All Braces Gone, I am so Happy !
Wednesday afternoon, after the good news from the neuro-surgeion, I tried to see Laurie Littlefield, but she was not working as yet in the Baystate Emergency Room, she has the 3rd shift. So I walked over to Mercy Hospital and the Weldon Rehab. Center and saw the folks in Therapy and at the desk on the 4th floor where I was. I got a bag and took off the brace, sharing the moment with the folks that had encouraged me so much in those two weeks of rehab. starting about 5 days after the accident. Here it is 4 months on the same day I get to take the neck brace off, it was put on August 9th before the back surgery, I think. But it was there when I awoke on the 10th from the operations. Now, on the 9th of December it is GONE (about 4 months before they had said) and so is the TSLO brace. I am a free man again. Thank GOD. More healing to come, but by HIS will, my neck might not need to be operated on. PRAISE GOD !!!
Wednesday night I cam back and was reminded I had agreed to get the cake, so I got on a bus and went over to the Big Y and bought birthday cakes for the party tonight. Pam had someone get the icecream, lots of it, and Gary got the soda. We had a nice Birthday Party for Nov. and Dec. Birthdays, we did not feel like doing this right after Mark's death and Chirstmas is the end of this month.
I recently bought a book by President Obama called "the Audacity of HOPE" and that pretty much states where the Tenants Union stands, audaciously having hope that the property management people will "get a clue" on how life works and become a bit more humane in reallity, not just "for show" appearances at events and some token expenses given. I hope they will accept what the tenants are asking for, the same rules they used from 1999 or so until the new "leadership" at the property management company started tinkering with them. We are gathering together and some of us want to do the right thing, and we are tired of people stomping on folks because they have been homeless at some time. This is a rental property, NOT a program!
Last Friday night I heard of the guilty sentence for Amanda Knox. I view it as a guilty and possibly worthless evaluation of the Italian system. I am still irritated over this perversion of justice that Italy seems to have. I set up a page on this website for comments about this unjust perversion of justice.
This Friday I was asked to go down to Westport, MA with a friend of mine, Bob Maurice, who had some taskes to accomplish for people and wanted the company. It would be a good test of my not having a brace on any more, back or neck, so I went down. Well one thing turned into another and soon we were staying at Bob's brother's house, Paul. We went out to eat that night and I did not get a good picture of them. The day was very cold, but not as cold as the thermometer at a neighbors house that was broken and read minus seventy!. So I slept in a really nice bed, better than a hotel, and Bob and Paul took me out for Breakfast before we left to do another task and get some things for the needy on the way back to springfield. I got a pictue of Paul and Bob at the resturant in the morning and later Bob got back in time to go to his church. Then we went to Bob's house and tried to do some computer work and update a website that was made for the 48th squadron that Bob was in while in the military and before he was associated with flying Air Force One. I hve the images below and hope they give a flavor of the good times I have when down there. The last time I went down was chronicled in one of the first websites I ever put up. Click on the images below to see a larger image, if I have the space on this server.
Cold Friday Supper Friday Sup. Paul's lights My bed Fri. night. Sat Breakfast Lawn Tractor Will not start Westport, MA Bob and Paul, 2001
Last Saturday I went caroling with the youth of our church and then the priest dropped me off at a company where I had bought a food processor second hand but did not find the tube that goes into the "shoot" when I got home. They could not find it there but did have a non-electric unit that I had had once before. This Saturday I hoped to buy a chopper with the plunger, but we could not do so, had to get back and by the time I got to the apartment I thought I was chilled to the bone. The truth is that the new "boiler" has NEVER put out heat, a Bernies Pumbing joke.
This 6th was the Sunday when we put on the Cancer Concert, to a large crowd of people. It was only $10 and students $5 and all the money all went to fight cancer. I was so happy to be able to sing in that event. You can still donate to the American Cancer Society in name of this event.
I have made a tri-fold resume like a brochure, saved it as a PDF file,and gave it to the Food Stamp people in case they know of a job when I am able to work . I am looking for some work as soon as I can find some.
It has been almost three months since Sunday, October 18th and the Western Massachusetts Arthritis Foundation Walk. BUT YOU CAN STILL DONATE. I was/am Captain of a team called the "3 linkers" (click on the name "three linkers" to see a card that can be printed to show the website address) and hope people reading this will come to the website at http://wmaw.kintera.org/ioof and
join
our team or donate to the cause and preferably both. More information is at this link, 
click on the image (or this link) to see and print it. If they want to they can send donations to me and I will put them on the website, all I ask is tell me if you want this to be made as a donation in the name of someone or some organization. Arthritis does not just cripple old folks, it hits hard also the young, like the 2 year old. Let's all get behind this and put Arthritis out of business in this country as we did Polio.
Donate to the team today, help us reach our goal. We would like to raise over 500 dollars, but set our goal at $200 because not that many folks have joined us yet. Be a help to your community, join or give to the Arathritis Foundation through our team, the "3 linkers", it is NOT o late to donate.
What follows are the new information about my injuries and the progress from my NeuroSurgeon!
Click on the images above to go to links to more information
I am released of the braces on the same day as my accident, but 4 months later!