David Smethurst suffered a traumatic brain injury in January of 2001. Through this website we have tracked David's ongoing recovery. You can read our updates from the last five years by clicking on the links to the left -- the early updates will be the most useful for new visitors to the site. Our focus for 2007 is to let David tell more and more of his own story.

If you'd like to start a Recovery Journal for someone you know, check out
Care Pages - www.carepages.com

Wednesday, June 11

David turned 40 on May 22 with a party at Rainbow Bridge AND at our parent's house in Afton. Here is David's report.

The Big 4-0
I just passed a milestone!! Turning forty was a milestone that was pretty cool. I went to Park Street for a dinner and birthday celebration. Heinz Krumpt sponsored the event. At least twenty people were there. I had a seafood chowder and sandwiches and then I blew out the candles. Three cakes!!!

Later, Evan Cooper and Sarah went to Round Top to join a group of fifteen people for Jumbalaya on the patio. Then we moved inside to listen to music. The music was really good and everyone had a fabulous time.

Being forty isn't going to keep me down. Next month I am hopping a train to Baltimore to visit with Capes at his house. Molly & John Spillman and Cindy Lewis will be there too.

We'll go out to eat and catch up. I'm looking for a ride to Rehobeth Beach. I plan to go down for a weekend to catch some rays and waves. Then, in August, I am going to Nantucket with Brian O. It should be a great summer!
Smot

Thursday, November 15

Here is David's version of his recent trip to Miami, as dictated to Patty. Anyone have photos that are safe to share?

Florida Days with the "Crew"
November, 2007

November, 2007 will be a memorable one as it included a most memorable trip. It all started with a fast & furious ride (just teasing Dad)to the Richmond airport. Dad took me to meet the plane and I took off to sunny Florida for a Denison Reunion on the Atlantic beaches. MIAMI!!!!! It might not ever be the same.

Brian O'Callahan made arrangements for us to stay in his house. Matt Baum, Mark Guthrie, Steve Gurley,Ted Andel and Jeff Capels, and Chris Thomas were all there. We had to wait two hours for a van to take us to the condo. But we made it. We laid low Thursday night and Friday morning we went to the pool and caught some rays and swam. We showered and went out to dinner right around the block. It took me fifteen minutes to find the place-everyone was waiting. I had soup, salad, and lobster. Good food!!

Afterwards, we went to the bar and danced, played pool and shuffleboard and darts. Seven girls showed up. Oh gosh--too bad! We had a blast!

Saturday we were a little slow getting going. I went to the pool and swam laps while some of the guys went to play golf. Matt Baum and Mark Guthrie played tennis and Steve and Mark and Matt kayaked too. We said our goodbyes at the pool and then showered and left for Miami which was 15 minutes away. I flew back Saturday night and was picked up by Heinz and one of the Bridge members. We listened to the Miami/UVA football game all the way home. 48 to nothin!!!

I had a good time and a great trip.

SMOT

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Here is David's own report from his San Fran trip!

Last week I took a great trip! I went to San Francisco to see Mike Putnam and his wife AND Dr. Manley. Here are some of the highlights:

I arrived Thursday and Mike picked me up. We went right across the street and had dinner. After dinner, we went home to Mike's house and I met his new wife. Great gal! I went right to bed after that--it had been a long day.

Friday morning, Mike went to work at 4:00 am!!! I slept in and when I awoke, I waited for Deed Whitney who picked me up. Deed and I went to the ICU at the hospital. Dr. Manley was waiting for us, and we sat down and talked a little while. Dr. Manley had his laptop computer, and he looked at two of my Cat Scans. The first Cat Scan was from the time of my accident. The second Cat Scan had been completed in July of 2007. Dr. Manley said that he was "blown away" (his most professional vocabulary!) because there was evidence that the brain was reattached!! LOOK OUT WORLD, HERE I COME! Joan Goldberg was my nurse at the time of the accident, and she is still working at the hospital. She too was "blown away"! Dr. Manley said that the prognosis was good for me and he told me to keep on improving. He wanted me to keep reading and answering questions about the reading. He also wanted me to keep reading Sports Illustrated,too. Dr. Manley said that another patient of his who had a similar accident had improved her speech by reading books. I plan to do the same thing. He said that would be great. I felt good about the whole visit at the hospital. I will be returning to San Francisco again for another check up, but I don't know when right now.

After the hospital visit, Deed and I went to Homzee's (sp) workplace. Homzee, Deed and Mike Putnam and I went upstairs and watched the Jets' practice. Then, Friday night,we went to an informal Denison ReUnion with about 20 guys. What a blast! It was great to see everyone.

Saturday morning, I went out to brunch with Mike and his wife. I then packed up all of my thjings and Puts and his wife and I went to Home's crib. Lazy guy--sleeping in late... After a brief visit, we went over the San Francisco Bay Bridge to Sausilito and we had a nice drive. Puts and his wife went out on a boat in the Bay. I tagged along and met one of their friends. Good guy. We had a nice time. Then, Saturday night, Weate hotdogs and hamburgers and watched the Rockies' game.

Sunday, it was time to pack up and fly home. Mike and his wife went home and Tuts and I went to the airport. It was a long flight home and I had a layover in Cleveland. Mom and Dad picked me up at the airport. Good to be home--back at those books!!!

SMOT

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

David just returned from a great trip to San Francisco. Friends, friends and more friends. Plus a trip to the old ICU... This report from Mom:

Here’s the scene:
Six and a half years after being wheeled out of San Francisco General’s Intensive Care Unit to the waiting plane which would take Bob and Dave to Denver for rehab, David was back. This time, though, a big smile lit his face and he was walking independently.

Deed Whitney, a friend from way back tells the story. They went first to the research center in front of SFGH where they were to meet Dr. Geoff Manley. “Dr. Manley looked up, saw David, and was just blown away.”

David had been back for a visit about four years ago, using a wheel chair if he had to go far and a hemi-walker for shorter distances. The entire San Francisco medical team who saved his life after the fall that pulverized the left side of his brain were used to seeing him long but prone. They are still surprised by his height…and that he sits, stands, walks. And they haven’t even seen him working out in the pool, swimming laps for 45 minutes.

“Doctor Manley took us into his research area and showed us one of the most state of the art machines. It is used for imaging and pathways and shows precisely what lights up when any part of the brain is used.” For instance, Manley told him that David basically has no temporal lobe. That’s where the centers of speech and understanding are located. But, and he couldn’t stop looking at David, What is obvious is that David’s brain is reorganizing to store speech somewhere else. He hopes to have Dave back for some testing. This machine could pinpoint just where his new speech center is. Maybe it would even show what process his brain goes through to understand, find words and then project them.

Dave, of course, is all up for becoming a guinea pig. He’ll fly to San Francisco any time. When they went over to the ICU, Manley glanced into the ICU waiting room. Friends and family all remember that place where we spent two months. Deed said that it was like walking into a movie. The sadness, the fear, the friendships all came back to him. The surgeon motioned Dave over and said that there was someone he wanted him to meet. This woman’s husband had suffered a heart attack and fallen, causing a traumatic brain injury. It didn’t look good for him.

David has always had a heart and he’s not afraid of pain. His natural empathy has become fine tuned through his own struggles to create a new life. Deed said that as Manley told David’s story and David added his own bits, he could see hope reborn in the woman's face. David says he would like to find a way to help Dr. Manley teach people about Traumatic Brain Injury. Any ideas out there?

David radiates a joy of living, most especially when he is surrounded by friends, invited to rejoin the world he lost for a weekend, a few days.He IS creating a new life but the old friends will never be replaced. Mike Putnam and his wife got home from their wedding and honeymoon on Monday and picked Dave up at the airport on Thursday. Putnam and Andy Tuthill planned the weekend to include dinner out, two nights at Putnams’ and a night at Tuthills (Jenny adapts well to these visits from Dave which always turn family life upside down). There was a cookout at the Tuthills’ new Marin county home, friends with children (many new additions since the 2001 ICU days), sailboating. Neil and Ellie Gibbs brought their two kids; Matt Holmes and his wife and baby came; my cousin Jennifer Terwilliger drove down. These were the names that spilled out of him on the drive back to Charlottesville from Richmond. I know there are more.

David flew home last night. He can’t quite skip with that brace on his right foot, but his walk was energized. “Whew, Dave, you must be tired.” He’d been flying or socializing for four days. That grin split his face, “Nope, good to go. Great weekend.”

The happiest moment of the hospital visit came in the ICU when Joan Goldburg and David met once again. “Good woman,” he said, “ good nurse, funny, sarcastic.” Bob and I had seen her when we were out in San Francisco for a wedding two years ago. She’d taken time off from work and was fighting a winning battle with cancer. David asked her how the chemo went and how she was feeling. Victorious, of course. Winners recognize each other.

All of this takes me straight back to those days, those terrifying, heart freezing, heart warming days and nights of wonderful people who cared for our son and took care of us, who fed us and cried with us and laughed with us, explained blinking, binging machines to Bob, told me of each miraculous reaction David made. Sometimes it’s good to revisit that time when our hearts were all focused and we lived on love and hope and other people's energy. It’s good to see the Dave of today and know that he’s still bringing people he loves together.

We thank all of you who keep coming through for him and enjoying who he is today.

With a heart full of happiness.
Johanna

PS--Dave will be in Florida for Christmas with Jay and Kristen and baby Emme...and Bob and me. In January he heads to Bomber's in Jackson Hole...He's the travelin' man.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

David had a great time seeing friends in Baltimore and going to see the NCAA lacrosse Final Four last month. If anyone has photos from the weekend, please send them along! Here is David's report:

Trip to Baltimore : May 25 & 26th over Memorial Day Weekend. What a weekend! Saturday morning I left Charlottesville on a train bound for Baltimore. I arrived around 11:00am because the train was delayed for an hour. Jeff Caples picked me up at the station and we went directly to the Final Four games! We stayed for two games and then went to Jeff's home and had some pizza and chicken wings. Christina was a great hostess. It was a great way to start the weekend.

Sunday had Division III games and Mark Guthrie took me to the game. Steve Gurley went with us and Mark and I had a bet on the game. Mark won $5.00 due to the undefeated season in the Division III. Steve was smart enough not to bet!! After the game, we went to see Hardy & Hillary Manges who prepared a big cookout dinner for everyone. Great time!!

Monday, I packed my bag and John and Molly Spilman picked me up and we went with their two children to the game. Molly and the children left the game after the first half. John and I stayed for the second half and watched Johns Hopkins beat Duke by one goal. No bets on this game! John took me to the train station after the game and I was "going to Charlottesville!"

Thank you to everyone for such a wonderful time! You are all great friends!

SMOT

Monday, June 18, 2007

David and his tutor Pattie have been working on David's writing skills. He has written a brief description of his trip to Colorado last month, and then he emailed it to me to post here. Stay tuned for a report on the NCAA lacrosse finals as well!

Four Days in Colorado
By SMOTTY

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Off to Colorado!! I took a plane from Charlottesville at 1:00pm. I arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina at 2:00pm. After a three hour layover, I was on my way to Denver. Chris [Ebel] picked me up from the airport. On our way home, we made a pitstop--The Rockies & Giants were playing--we came in at the 6th inning, no matter, the Rockies won!!

Next it was on to see Guy Arnold, Liz and the two girls. Friday morning, the girls and I ate breakfast together. Liz and Guy left early in the morning for work--never a dull moment. Later, my friend Richard Hals took me to the athletic club for lunch. What a beautiful place! Fifteen people posed for a picture at lunch. That will be a keeper, for sure.

Friday wasn't over yet! Guy and I went to another Rockies game at night. We stayed until the end. The Giants won--bummer....

Saturday morning, we had another special game to attend. The girls had a soccer game. It ended with a 1:1 score--exciting game!! In the afternoon I rested for two hours. Then Sullivan, his wife and Finn and Max came to dinner. And a third is on the way!! Fabulous dinner--the best of company!!

Sunday, Guy and I went to the airport. My trip was ended too soon. Guy and I hugged and then it was time to go to Charlottesville. Thanks to everyone for a great time!!

Love, SMOT

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Things have been very busy in the Smethurst family! David is an uncle once again! Jay and Kristen gave birth to a little girl, Emme, on December 5, 2006. Things are almost getting under control again in Florida. Dave had a great Christmas trip to Colorado, spending time with Kathy, Brooke, Molly and Jack, and jetting off to Denver, Boulder and Aspen to visit buddies. (Anyone have a report to share?)

David is trying to stay warm in Charlottesville this winter. He has season tickets to UVa hoops games, and he seems to have particularly enjoyed the recent win over Duke. He continues his therapies as well. Below is an update from his therapist Pattie:

I just wanted to give you an update on his progress. I am feeling very good about it, and I hope he is too. We have continued to work on fluency when reading, and I am beginning to see some progress in his ability to read with adequate speed and understanding although the passages use only limited vocabulary at this time. I will continue to increase the difficulty as we go along. We read the Daily Progress occasionally to make things interesting and David does well although he can get tired easily with the task due to print size and vocabulary.

In addition to the reading, David is completing questions about passages on his own. We then review them together. He is consistently earning a score of 80% when answering the questions, and he only needs support on one or two of the problems. This work includes multiple meanings work, definitions, use in a sentence as well as the comprehension questions. All of this helps to keep things a bit more interesting.

We have also continued to review the individual sounds and letter names so that these are “overlearned” and that David can then use this information when writing. I have seen improvement in this area and I am so pleased. I continued to “cue” David with the appropriate questions in order to write the correct letters in a spelling sequence, but he is more and more able to correctly identify the letter that makes the sound and then to write that letter. I am hopeful that these skills will remain consistent and that we can move along with the writing and spelling skills. We are completing the computer today and we will use these skills when writing emails. We only do computer every several weeks. I ask David if he wants to work on the computer and I just follow his lead.

Friday, November 24, 2006

It has been a very long time since the last update. This is due to my (Jay's) irresponsibility, and I apologize. Dave has been doing quite well in the interim. He spent a great week in Rehoboth with the family (including a number of our cousins!) and got to see some college and Rehoboth friends as well. (I have some photos from their dinner, which I still need to post.

Meanwhile, Dad just sent me some notes from David's new reading tutor. They're using your emails as part of his reading and writing practice. Moreover, he loves hearing from everyone, so keep sending your messages! Here's Dad's note:

I am sending along some excerps from two emails from Pattie
Watson, his new language tutor. Karen Fleetwood moved to Georgia, but she
found us a wonderful replacement in Pattie. Dave seems to like her a lot,
and from the messages (and one observation session) we think she is adding
some new dimensions to his work and to his improvement.

From her work in September:
I can’t believe it is already October! David and I have continued to
move along. We have started emailing some of his friends and although it
is somewhat challenging, I think you’re correct that it is wonderful for
him to be in touch with friends. We use the email to practice writing and
I think he is making good progress. He has returned several emails and
we’ll continue to work on the computer for at least one time a week during
our times together.

We also continue to work on reading and language arts skills. I have
given him some reading comprehension work and I have continued with the
re-reading process for fluency and comprehension. I have given David some
work with compound words—this way he has more “tools” for decoding. He
has done quite well with the work. I think his solid education only helps
with the recollection of these areas of instruction.

We have also done some work with grammar—in particular with using
pronouns or nouns as the subject of a sentence. David is working to
remember to include a noun or pronoun at the beginning of a sentence. We
also practice making the “complete” verbal response to a question. We’ll
continue with this work. I hope that it will begin to cross over more
into his conversational speech and allow David to remember more of each
sentence he wants to speak.

From her work in October:
I am enjoying the time with David and he is doing so well. We have
continued much of what we started in September, and we have been sending
emails to some of his friends as you requested. I know we sent you one
requesting those Christmas tickets to Colorado!! We use this email time
to help with David’s encoding skills too. At times, he gets mentally
fatigued by the work, but he is making some progress and I am pleased with
it.

We have also worked on the “grammar” of subjects and predicates. I am
trying to improve his ability to give a subject when he is speaking. It
remains difficult for him, but I think the exercises have been important.
We are also completing comprehension and fluency with the reading
exercises. Although it differs from day to day, I feel his is improving.

David is completing work every session in multi-syllable words. This has
improved his confidence when he comes across larger words. We continue to
work on the sounds too—I don’t want him forgetting what he has learned!!

The Tuthills were quite impressed with the improvements they saw (and
heard) in David during the recent birthday weekend with the O'Callaghans.
It would be great to get some direct responses from them, but they are
busy people and did us a great favor by housing Dave for that suprise
party. He had a absolutely great time all weekend and earned the label
"the dancing fool" from his Saturday night efforts.
e now heads to Colorado for Christmas and will be in the Frisco, Aspen,
Manitou area from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3. If people want to connect, have them
call Kathy.

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Dave's been a busy man these last few months. I've got a few updates to give you -- his great fishing trip, his visit to me in Florida, and of course the thrill of watching the UVa lacrosse team finish its perfect season with the NCAA Championship. More importantly for some of you, Dave's heading back to Rehoboth around August 10-15, so put it on your calendars! See? Lots going on. Let's start with his fishing trip.

In late April, Kevin Kane (one of Dave's friends from Obie's-by-the-Sea in Rehoboth) rented a 20-foot boat and took David on a fishin' trip. Here's Mom's brief report:

The captain, Kevin and Dave were the only fishermen. I take it that Kevin is a serious fisherman. Where they were it was sports fishing: you catch, pose for the camera, and set it free. Kevin rigged up an affair with a lax stick that somehow helped one armed Dave bring them in.

Click on the images above to see a larger version.

Monday, March 6, 2006

Sorry this is a little late, but here is the most recent update of Dave on skis!

Good Morning America!
David was back on skis yesterday. He made three runs, beaming and happy.
Big thanks go to Neill and Christine Redfern for encouraging him to give
it a try. They looked into adaptive skiing when he visited them in
SteamBoat Springs last fall. He has talked about it a lot, and so Chris
and Patricia looked into it, found an adaptive ski program at nearby
Massanutten and a highly experienced instructor, Mark Andrews, to help out.

When Patricia looked up and saw Dave skiing down the mountain, she started
to cry. After waiting rather nervously at home all day, I called to hear
how it had gone. When I heard, I started to cry, too. WOW. After hearing
that Smotty took no falls on the slopes and skied like a skier, I wanted
details. Chris filled me in.

Until he was evaluated, David didn't know whether he'd be "skiing" seated
on a chair/snowmobile type thing, enclosed, protected by two aids or
somewhat more on his own. In fact, he was upright and skiing. Mark skied
behind him with Dave on a sort of tether around his waist so that he
couldn't get out of control. Since he has no use of his right arm, his
left hand pole had what Chris called "an out-rigger", another small ski
attached to its bottom to offer more balance if needed. There was some
sort of attachment to the front of the skis so that they couldn't suddenly
splay. Otherwise, David was on his own to choose decent and balance, etc.
At one point another skier veered towards them and Dave swerved, almost
lost his balance, and then regained it with no fall.

Mark told Chris that he'd really enjoyed skiing with Dave. "He was
obviously a fine skier before the accident."

I talked to David last night and asked if he'd been at all scared at the
start of the first run. "No....wellllll...I said, "Go with the flow." So
what's changed in his life?

(Kathy asked about how David's leg brace fit in the boot, and whether they had trouble finding an appropriate helmet.)

The adaptive ski program
provided helmets, and they did have one big enough. Apparantly when he
fell (skis off) on the way to the lodge, landing on his butt isn't what
hurt. The fall caused the helmet to bump his head...and that likely ended
his skiing for the day. Chris said he thought Dave had probably had about
enough anyway. The right boot was interesting. I asked him that today.
The reason for the brace is to keep his foot from flopping down. A ski
boot, being rigid, serves the same purpose, so he didn't need the brace.
Taa Daaa!

Love to you all,
Mom

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Over the last few years, David has been working very closely with Karen Fleetwood on his reading skills. They have used an approach called Direct Instruction, and we have seen tremendous improvement in David. Here is a brief compilation of several of Karen's reports over the last year or so.

[2/1/05] "Dave is doing just great. We are reading strictly out of short
readers. I tried a couple of different books at different levels to see
where his reading and stamina rate were when not in a lesson. He's reading
from third grade passages. Now that may not sound great, except for two
things: (1) where he is coming from. It is now almost hard for me to
imagine and remember where he was when we began - how hard it was to just
get sounds out and remember them from one day to the next. (2) The
majority (or close to it) of materials that most people read on a regular
basis - except for textbooks and material specific to a field - are
written at about a fourth grade level. Therefore, he's not out of the
realm of being able to read things he may come across on a daily basis.
What we're doing, and where he will be for some time to come, is reading
and re-reading. I found also that the longer the passage, even if at the
same level, makes it more difficult. The last one we did was a good
example. The previous passages I had used were about the same length, but
broken into two parts and we would work on one part at a time. This one
was straight through. We kept goiong because on the first three
paragraphs, his error limit was very low - he was doing great. Then it
started slowing down as we hit the last long paragraph. He had more errors
just on that paragraph than on all the rest combined...."

[9/5/05] "Except for the week Dave was gone, we've been back at a good
steady roll, and that helps a lot. The last couple of pieces we've read,
Dave has justy breezed through - that has been really great! I love seeing
this rate of progression moving! After this piece we're working on and the
next one, I've pulled out a piece that is two full pages long - that will
be interesting. Keeping that focus going without wearing out is difficult,
so we'll se how it goes. And I am going to look at some other material
like the Sports Illustrated for kids you mentioned and similar
publications...

[10/4/05] ""Dave finished his first full two page story last week. I'm
thrilled at how he did! We backed up a little bit and read it the first
time oer two days, instead of one, because of tme - it took a day to get
through each page. But then, it only took one re-reading (for error
correction) for ech paragraph, then we read each page, then the full two
pages in 20 minutes. I can really see tha light shining down the long
tunnel! It will still take awhile, but he will make great progress in the
years to come."

[11/1/05] "We do subscribe to junior Sports Illustrated here at school,
so I got an issue and we've been reading that the last couple weeks. It
certainly makes a difference when the subject matter is kfamiliar - not
unexpected - so I'll probably do a mix of reading something like that and
then lsome more unfamiliar passages. I hope that will build up his overall
ability."

[1/12/06] "Dave has done very nicely after coming back from Colorado.
He, of course, did have a great time. I did forget to ask him how the
trip went since he had to change planes - obviously he got there and back,
though! It's so nice to continually see these days that he is not losing
what he's learned when we have breaks - long or short. That is just so
great.
To work on multi-syllabic words (the main thing we need to work on now),
I'm using word lists, paragraph by paragraph, and going over them before
reading the paragraph. I'm spacing out the syllables when I write the
words (and I'm having to make sure there is a good amount of space between
them), so that he is forced to read part-by-part. And, as I think I've
mentioned before, if he hears himself read all the syllables, more than 9
out of 10 times, he is able to get the word almost immediately, or
sometimes by just reading the syllables over until it clicks. Yesterday
was an example of times when I have to "force" him to stick to reading
each part. The word was "genetic" and I had written it in syllables for
him: ge ne tic. I eventually had to put my finger over each part
because he wanted to keep blending the sounds into one syllable. He was
reading: gen tic. So I had to keep blocking each part so he would read
the syllables separately and hear them. That happens less often than it
used; sometimes I do have to physically block each part to keep him on
track, but more often he can do it himself or I might just point with the
pen as he's reading. Then, of course, we go back and read the whole
paragraph. It's allowing him to read much more, more fluently than he had
before."

All can see the progress that Dave is making with Karen Fleetwood as his Direct Instruction therapist both in terms of his level of reading and in terms of his expanding vocabulary. Dave really likes her, we really appreciate what she has been doing for over three years now, and we are all looking forward to 2006 with real anticipation for more good things to come. Thank you Karen!

Sunday, January 15, 2006

5:00pm Eastern Time, 1/15/2006

Here is a new year's note from Kathy:

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

5:00pm Eastern Time, 9/7/2005

Hi everyone! We've got a couple of things to report here, but let's start with a quick happy birthday to Dave's dad! Yup, he's finally hit 60! (ok, not really) Dad has been working incredibly hard to support David from day one of this experience. He has had to learn about social services in California, Colorado and Virginia, he's figured out at least a little bit about how Medicaid works (that alone deserves a Nobel Prize, I think), he's found rehab programs, he's found a great place for David to live, and he has silently put together a pretty good life for David in the last few years. So on your birthday, Dad, I want to say thank you from all of us. I have no idea how we would have handled any of this without you.

The second announcement also involves Dad. David is living in a home that is part of the Rainbow Bridges Foundation, a local non-profit in Charlottesville that provides homes for brain injury patients. Dad has agreed to become the head of the Board of the Rainbow Bridges Foundation!

Now, this might have also led to some confusion for folks recently. Dad's first task on the Board is to start a fund-raising campaign for the foundation. Some of you might have already heard about this, but the initial letters were only sent out to a small number of people. Mom and Dad told David about this campaign in order to prepare him for the task of writing thank-you notes.

Well, never one to sit by while a good cause is going on, David himself has gotten on the phone and called a number of his friends asking for contributions. Unfortunately, David is not working from a script, and he does not actually have a lot of information about this fundraiser, so while people have understood that he's asking for money, not everyone has understood why.

This has dove-tailed rather unfortunately with a campaign on the part of some of David's friends to raise money to support David personally. These are two different efforts, both of which will help David in different ways.

So, if you would like to make a contribution to help David, here are your options (to the best of my understanding -- which might change). If you are interested in a monthly electronic transfer, please contact Dad to set it up. (540)456-6210.

Tax Deductible Donation to the Rainbow Bridges Foundation
These donations ARE tax deductible and go into the general funds for the Bridge Foundation. This helps to support David and the other residents of this great organization. These donations will help fund some improvements to the properties and the ongoing operations of the organization. Please make checks payable to: The Bridge Fund.

The Bridge
PO Box 7292
Charlottesville, Va 22906

Non-Tax Deductible Donation to Support David
These donations are NOT tax deductible, but will help David directly. These donations will provide Dad with additional resources with which to pay for therapies, medications, and some of David's travel expenses. Make checks payable to: Robert Smethurst.

Robert Smethurst
9611 Critzers Shop Road
Afton, VA 22920