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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13050
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I was sthinking....and wondering...I hope Coco's plight is well advertised on the racing sites and message boards...perhaps some of you involved in
that area could make sure that this update gets passed on...it's just not my area of expertise...thank you racing types!!!
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3812
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
Member Is Offline
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Shari,
I copied your message to RDC. There's a large group of people on that site who are interested in Coco's situation as well.
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13050
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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way to go amiga...that is EXACTLY what I had hoped for...gracias.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65300
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Coco watching Baja Angel sign his guest book (Jan. 2005)...
Hurry home Coco!!
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boe4fun
Super Nomad
Posts: 1040
Registered: 1-22-2006
Location: Margaritaville
Member Is Offline
Mood: Circling the drain........
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> Hola Nomads. We're back home from Baja after about 4 1/2 weeks. Brad
Farrow and myself drove down in my new (to me) 2005 GMC 3500 1 ton 4X4 diesel
pickup with an old pop up camper on the back. We left on April the 10th and
stopped at the border to obtain our visas, then drove on to Ensenada to meet up with Nomad Debra and spend
the first night. The next day we drove down to San Quintin and had cold beer
waiting for the Flyings Samaritans as they all landed on the dirt runway at Los
Pinos Ranch. Saturday we had the Flying Sams clinic, and a group
of patients had driven down from Ensenada but arrived at about 5 PM cause they
had 2 flat tires along the way. So we ended up working until 9:30 that night and
casted/measured for 7 legs. The next morning we returned to the landing runway
to bid our chapter of the Sams goodbye, but they had already left.
Unfortunately, one of the planes from the Arizona chapter of the Sams (who also
use this runway for landing but service the clinic in El Rosario - about 35 miles to
the south) drifted off the runway and broke off a wing. No one was injured
though, and the plane was repaired and gone by the time we made the return trip
back up.
> We next spent the night in Bahia de los Angeles, and some of the best fish and
shrimp tacos in all of Baja at a little taco stand we always frequent when we go
to BoLA, and then were off to Guererro Negro to look for a local Baja legend
named "Coco."
Anyway, he's a diabetic and was having his second amputation (done on his "good"
leg) so he now is a bilateral below knee amputee. We checked at the hospital in
GN but he wasn't there and I had read on one of the Baja chat boards that he
might be down at La Paz since at that time he was unable to get a room at the closer
hospital. So we headed off down the road and visited some friends in Mulege then
on to spend the night at Loreto (also home of some of the best tacos at
"McLulu's").
> The next day we drove south and ended up at the clinic in La Paz in the early
afternoon, so we decided to offload some of the parts and equipment we had
brought down, including a 340 pound electric wheelchair for a quadriplegic. Dr.
Bob Haining had went to medical school in Tasco, Mx. and one of his schoolmates,
also a doctor doing research now, ended up a quad, so Bob got this wheelchair (I
think he said it cost about $30,000.00 US new) donated for his friend. What a
pain to offload this from the back seat of my truck, but we had taken down a
couple of metal ramps and with the help of some locals we got it out. The next
4 days were used to clean up the shop and organize, and also fill and modify the
molds we had taken in SQ at the Sams clinic, as well as assemble 6 legs and 1
arm for Guatemala. They already had the sockets laminated, but lacked the other
parts of which we have an abundant supply in our La Paz lab. We added the
necessary knees, suspension belts, knee extension assists, pylons and feet so
these systems can be delivered this July in Guatemala by Brad and Bob.
> Sunday came and we finally had a day to play. The local Rotarians ("La
Balandra") have been sponsoring the clinic for 3 years now, and hold a couple of
fishing tournaments a year to generate funds for the clinic. This tournament
was for mainly Yellowtail, and I'm happy to say that our boat took 3 trophies:
1 for first fish at the weigh in, 1 for biggest fish caught by a female
(Theresa, who is Humberto's wife), and the biggest fish caught in the contest.
Brad, myself, and Jim Thompson (another clinic volunteer) had agreed before hand
that if any one of us caught a fish with a cash prize we would return the money
to the Rotarians, so that night at the awards ceremony Jim gave back the cash
prize of $1000.00 US for the biggest fish caught to the Rotary club.
> Monday started the first day of the clinic, and the word must be spreading
down there, as we had one little girl come to see us who lives in Santa Rosalia,
about an 8 hour drive. Another child came from the state of Oaxaca, which is on
the mainland Mexican's border with Guatemala! She had family who lived in La
Paz and arranged for her to come over and be seen at the clinic for leg braces.
3 1/2 weeks and about 45 La Paz patients later we finished at the clinic and
headed back home.
> The La Balandra Rotarians are all Mexican citizens and a great group of
people, providing us with rooms at a nice local hotel which included breakfast
every morning and bringing us a nice lunch on most every clinic day. We also
had the opportunity to spend one Sunday afternoon at Alejandro (he's a PM&R
Doctor who is the prime mover in this clinic project) and his wife Malvina's
house in El Triumfo. The house is VERY old, probably a couple of hundred years,
is made of adobe and covered with a type of plaster. It has walls about 2 1/2
feet thick. It's up in the mountains and is many degrees cooler than down in La
Paz.
> Our drive back home provided stops at Mulege, San Quintin, and then home. We
stopped at the Flying Sams clinic in SQ to drop off the legs fabricated in La
Paz and a set of extra parallel bars we had down there. We were unable to see
Coco and cast for a new prosthesis for him as we were unsure of his location.
While in La Paz I had Alejandro check all the local hospitals to see if he was
down there, but had no luck so he'll have to be a project for a future trip.
> All in all a great trip. We logged about 3000 miles total and my new truck
worked great, getting about 14 1/2 miles per gallon even though loaded with over
a ton of equipment, parts, supplies, food, water, pop up camper, etc. Another
plus is that diesel fuel in Mexico translates into about $2.05 a gallon US, so I think
I'll be heading down there for most all of my fuel needs. Oh, I forgot to list the clinic members:
Brad Farrow, Louise Farrow, Dr. Bob Haining, Frank Rodriguez, Jim Thompson, and
myself. Vaya con Dios muchachos! Paul Boe
Two dirt roads diverged in Baja and I, I took the one less graveled by......
Soy ignorante, apático y ambivalente. No lo sé y no me importa, ni modo.
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Gadget
Senior Nomad
Posts: 851
Registered: 9-10-2006
Location: Point Loma CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Blessed with another day
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Bless you for your worthy efforts!
Sounds like many important needs were met by your crew.
The Rotarys in Baja are a great bunch. My son and I had the pleasure of working with some during hurricane John reliefe in Mulege. A dedicated and
selfless bunch for sure.
"Mankind will not be judged by their faults, but by the direction of their lives." Leo Giovinetti
See you in Baja
http://www.LocosMocos.com
Gadget |
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gringette
Junior Nomad
Posts: 60
Registered: 6-16-2005
Location: san pedro ca
Member Is Offline
Mood: happy!
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i was just telling a friend about Coco's ranch and all the cool car part sculptures and stuff he had. sorry to hear he's had further health problems.
looking for a link to the paypal page, but not finding it?? am i blind?
setting sun deals bands of gold; there\'s velvet in eyes in mexico.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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Amazing story of generosity and compassion.
My hat is off
Iflyfish
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Corky1
Nomad
Posts: 416
Registered: 11-22-2003
Member Is Offline
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Latest update on Coco.
http://www.baja.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24484
Corky 
 
\"Keep The Rubberside Down\" |
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gringette
Junior Nomad
Posts: 60
Registered: 6-16-2005
Location: san pedro ca
Member Is Offline
Mood: happy!
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thanks for the update Corky - I went to paypal and entered the "coco.21@live.com" email to send some money, but it said
"To
coco21@live.com
This recipient is not yet registered. PayPal will send an email to the recipient explaining how to complete your transaction."
??? is the paypal account still live? do i have the correct email addy?
setting sun deals bands of gold; there\'s velvet in eyes in mexico.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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Ditto, same for me.
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Corky1
Nomad
Posts: 416
Registered: 11-22-2003
Member Is Offline
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I'm working on it!!!!
Corky
Edit 6:26 PM
Try it again. Its working for others?????
[Edited on 5-23-2008 by Corky1]
It worked for me!!!!!
Dear Corky Behrle,
Your payment for $XXXX to coco.21@live.com has been sent.
[Edited on 5-23-2008 by Corky1]
\"Keep The Rubberside Down\"
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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A friend told me they saw Coco in a wheelchair at contingency for the Baja 500 last Friday.
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tunaeater
Senior Nomad
Posts: 617
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: Chula Vista, CA
Member Is Offline
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Yes Tom
Coco was at Contingency and the awards promotion for the Baja 500. He seemed like the same ol Coco. laughing and in good spirts. He had a can
collecting donations at the awards.
Roy had his Coco's corner shirt on and they were talking for a while.
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3296
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Tranquilo
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I talked to him on the side walk on the main drag in Ensenada the day before the Baja 500. He didn't have anything good to say about the doctors in
GN. Said that he was going to have another surgery in Ensenada to fix things up. He was up-beat and looked good in spite of everything....dt
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