THE DÉNOUEMENT OF VINCENT B. - Part 2 by Syd Blackwell
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Subject: re Vince B,
Dear Gundy...
Hi, this is June a friend of Vince's in Greenwood. I have some sad news for you and Syd. Vince had a very nasty stroke about 2 weeks ago and unfortunately it was massive enough that he is having a great deal of difficulty with speech and although we think he is quite aware, it seems that he is living a lot in the past. He will never be able to live on his own again. His daughter has arrived and will have to decide where he will be living but it will be awhile before he will be able to travel. I told him I would let you know and am hoping that I have the right email address for you. I am sorry to have to pass on the sad news and wish it could have a happier prognosis. Please feel free to contact me if you wish.
June K.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Hello June,
We are very sorry to hear the news about Vincent. It seems he was just starting to get a number of things in his life organized the way he wanted. His last email to us was filled with optimism that he was winning the battle to secure a steady income to allow him to pursue his art without worry.
Gundy has had experience with others in her life who have suffered strokes. It was the end of their lives as they had known them. We know the same is now true for Vincent. We are greatly saddened by this.
I only met Vincent through Gundy, but found I liked him. We were communicating a lot through emails when he suddenly went quiet last November. I tried, in vain, to find a way to contact you as I was worried about his health. I did not get through to you even though I tried sending a message to the Greenwood newspaper. I didn't know your last name. Vincent had only said he had a friend named June who I also thought he said had a connection to the local newspaper. We assumed, at that time, something very bad had happened. However, the only problem, as we learned when he suddenly reappeared in our emails in February or March, was his computer had expired and he took some time to get a replacement. That was a relief.
However, this time, unfortunately, we now know this is not another computer crash.
We don't know how much he will understand, but if you could try to convey a message to him that Syd and Gundy are praying for him in Uruguay, then that is all we can say.
Perhaps, if you have contact with his daughter, you can provide her with our email addresses so she can contact us in the future. We would like to know how his recovery goes. Perhaps he will even be able to write again on the computer.
Thank you for making the effort to contact us. Even though the news is not what we would wish for, we are glad to have some knowledge instead of just wondering as we did before.
Syd and Gundy
Monday, April 14 (later)
Hello Syd,
For the time being I will be able to keep you informed as he won't be able to travel for quite a while. I will pass on your addresses to his daughter.
Vincent has spoken often about you and Gundy and counts you both as his good friends. When Vincent connected me to the local paper it was because I put together a little newsletter each month. It is called " The Town Crier".
From the news that we are getting it does not seem likely that Vincent will be able to use his computer again, he is unable to focus his eyes or attention on anything. He will not remember our visit tomorrow. Vincent also has peripheral artery disease and if it keeps on as it has been he will likely lose not just his feet but his legs. So far, he has lost one toe. He does have a lot of challenges ahead of him.
I will certainly tell him that you will be praying for him. I find praying so difficult at times because of course I know what I want for Vincent but I don't always know what is best for him. As I say to God... I just wish his will would be the same as mine but I do, of course, defer to His judgment.
Vincent grew a lot over the last few years and made many great strides and you and Gundy were every bit as much a part of that growth as any person he has met over those years. Our lives change and people come and go but some people touch our lives in such a way that they will always be in our hearts. Vincent was not perfect but he brought something special to all of us so, in a way, he was perfect for that reason. Even now, through his illness, he will continue to help us on our path.
Right now he is a challenge to the nurses and caregivers. Vince had a different sleep cycle from most and preferred to be up all night and sleep during the day. He seldom ate a meal before 9pm and often after midnight. As you can imagine he is not liking the hospital routine. He tries to get out of bed in the middle of the night and ends up on the floor and is now covered in bruises. He absolutely refuses to eat any of their food as it is "terrible" or "awful, just awful" and will spit it out. He does, however, like strawberry milkshakes.
Sometimes, you can almost believe that he is actually responding to your words but will lapse into what we have termed "gobbly - gook". No words just sounds. Vincent's whole right side is weakened and he does not seem able to control the left side either. If he finds his drink cup while moving his hands he can manage to get it almost to his mouth. He complains of headaches and we all hope that this is just his body trying to forge new pathways in his brain. All of us, including his daughter, had great difficulty recognizing him. He has lost a lot of weight and now looks to be in his mid eighties.
I have given you a lot of information and hope that it is not too much for you. Vincent is not a candidate for rehabilitation according to all the tests and the doctors. He has a long and difficult road ahead of him. Today his daughter is taking in some art paper and his colored pencils. God willing, he will get to do some more art projects.
Ken and I are on the way to see Vincent so I will say goodbye for now and thank you for your prayers. I will definitely tell him of your love and prayers. Please feel free to contact me at any time.
June
Thursday, May 8 2008
Dear Syd,
Hi , I hope this finds you and Gundy both well!
I have more sad news about Vincent. He decided that he would not continue as he was and after a few days of not eating or drinking liquids he passed away on April 30th. I am sorry that I have not contacted you earlier and I can certainly come up with excuses for not having done so but in the end I really should have contacted you sooner.
Vince was facing a life of feeling caged in a useless body and not able to enjoy any of the little things even. I was with him the previous days and I knew what he was doing. I told him it was his choice and nobody would or could fault him for that choice and we would all still love him and wanted only what was best for him.
Thank you for being his friends. He spoke very highly of both of you. Syd, Vincent loved your poetry and I know he would consider it a great honor if you would write a few lines about him. I will be only too happy to read those words at his memorial service and to forward any messages to his daughters in Ontario, where they will be holding the family
memorial. The dates of his services have not been set as yet but will let you know as soon as I know them.
June K.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Dear June,
I am very sad hearing the news, but I know it would have been impossible for his free spirit to live in a body that wasn't him anymore.
Thank you for having been with him until the end and to understand him. We are so far away and even when we still lived in BC he never came to visit,
How sad after he worked so hard to get his papers in order, to get a pension which would have let him go back to painting and enjoying life with music and new ideas.
I know he will be free now, but we will miss him a lot. I am glad Syd and I visited him once in Greenwood, he had his place so nicely set up with lots of art and paintings. I hope his cat found a new home and doesn't miss him too much.
Syd is working on a poem and thank you for the nice suggestion. I know Vincent will be pleased. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to him.
All the best to you,
Gundy
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Hello June,
Thank you for sharing with us the news of Vincent. In most ways, it is not unhappy news. The unhappy news was when you told us about his stroke and the severity of it. That was when we knew that Vincent would never be Vincent again. It seemed he was just reaching a point where he was feeling happy about life and then it suddenly came to an end. Our spiritual beliefs lead us to believe that was what was intended. Whatever small part Gundy and I could play in the last part of his life was also intended. Gundy knew him longer than I did; I wish I could have known him better, but it was what it was.
You have proven to be every bit the friend he glowingly told us you were. You have served him well in his passing. We wish you all the best.
Syd and Gundy
Here is a simple poem that I wrote after reading your email this afternoon. It is based on a quote by the physically handicapped great Israeli violinist, Itzhak Perlman: "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." Vincent didn't have enough left to make more music. You may use the poem any way you choose. Thank you for asking for the poem; writing it has helped me accept his passing.
UN ESPRIT PASSANT
Sometimes it is the artist’s task,
to make more music with what’s left,
when circumstances take away
the form, the space, the safety net;
The bird in cage can surely sing;
the fish in bowl can surely swim;
the dog on leash is still quite free;
so then too should an artist be;
Unless what’s lost is just too much;
If mind and body ravaged such
that thoughts are lost; that soul can’t speak;
that broken form is just too weak;
That artist sees his time’s now past;
the paint is dry; the sculpture’s cast;
He will return a spirit new,
to share the vision that just flew.
Casa Inspiración
08/05/08
Sometimes it is the artist’s task,
to make more music with what’s left,
when circumstances take away
the form, the space, the safety net;
The bird in cage can surely sing;
the fish in bowl can surely swim;
the dog on leash is still quite free;
so then too should an artist be;
Unless what’s lost is just too much;
If mind and body ravaged such
that thoughts are lost; that soul can’t speak;
that broken form is just too weak;
That artist sees his time’s now past;
the paint is dry; the sculpture’s cast;
He will return a spirit new,
to share the vision that just flew.
Casa Inspiración
08/05/08
Thursday, May 8 2008
Thank you Syd... better words could not be spoken. You have truly said them so beautifully and aptly. I have sent your wonderful tribute to Vincent's daughter Kathy, and she too felt it is beautiful. We both will read your words and give a copy of them to each person attending the memorials. Thank you so much.... June
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Dear Gundy,
Vincent had been doing so well in putting his life together and I would say that each of you had a part in helping him with that goal. He was so happy to see you when you visited and talked of you and Syd constantly. You gave him inspiration to improve his life and he did.
Buddy, his cat, is now with Delmer, a friend of Vincent's and is doing well. I was talking to Delmer today and he says that Buddy now sleeps with him, although maintaining a bit of a distance during the day.
I have spent today going through his art work and truly getting to know him all over again. He was very talented in his own way and I have to admit to some pretty strong feelings today. Syd's poem was perfect. Truly beautiful and said it all. It will be a pleasure to read it and share it with all of Vincent's friends and family.
Blessings to both you and Syd,
June.
Syd and Gundy in 2008
