Reindeers and Prayers for CharleyL

[meflick]

I suspect that most of you missed @CharleyL's post earlier this week because he added it to an old thread of mine regarding my first attempts at doing Compound Cuts from almost 2 years ago.  In his post, he noted that he was undergoing another heart surgery (his 7th) today, Wed., Oct. 9th.  He noted that he was hoping for a good result but that he had previously died on the table before while having a heart procedure so he was hoping that we wouldn't lose him this time.  Here is his full post from that thread: 

Melanie, and all,

I'm glad to see that you have succeeded, but be careful. Making reindeer is a sickness that I never recovered from. This will be my 15th year of making them, and I have made over 5,000 total reindeer in 4 sizes down to the little guys at 1" tall in all those years. I've made and given them away every Christmas since 2003, but this year my health may keep me from making any more. Normally I start at roughly the beginning of September, but I haven't even been in my shop, except to get a tool every now and then, since January of this year. In the first few months I was converting a large spare bedroom (17 X 26') in my home into a photo/video studio (a bucket list item - I have been a photographer since high school, but never had a studio until now), but health problems have brought that to almost a complete stand still, and no significant woodworking or photo studio progress has been made by me at all in the last 3 months.

On this coming Wednesday October 9 I'll be having heart surgery. I was told that it will be 4-5 hours long. This isn't my first heart surgery. It will be my 7th, and I died on the table during the 5th, but they brought me back. I'm considering myself to be kind of bionic now, because I keep getting new replacement parts (not just heart parts) every year or two, and most of these parts have been made of metal or plastic. When going through the airport scanner for my last flight, I warned the scanner operator that I had quite a bit of metal in me. He smiled and waived me on. Then, as I went through, he yelled loud "Man, you twinkle like a Christmas tree". I have metal knees too and also survived cancer twice.

So if all goes well on Wednesday, you will all have to put up with me for a little longer, and I will have another few pieces of metal in me. I'm hoping to be able to make a few hundred more reindeer again this year, but if you don't hear from me in a week or so, at least you will know why. Please keep my reindeer making and giving tradition going for me. It's a very worthy cause.

I've made a lot of people very happy by giving them away during the Christmas Season (Thanksgiving to New Years). People who are stressed out light up with joy when they receive one. I have never sold them, just give them away to anyone who helps me in some way during Christmas. Anyone, a cashier, sales clerk, waitress, doctor, nurse, preacher, etc. can get one if they help me in some way. Most men don't appreciate them, so the women are the ones that I usually give them to. I usually hold out my hand palm down, but holding a reindeer in my palm, and I wish them a Merry Christmas. When they reach out toward me, I drop the little reindeer into their hand. I've had stressed out sales girls stop everything for a few minutes and tell me that "I made their day". I've  been hugged, and even kissed on the cheek many times during this, and for a 77 year old man to get this kind of attention, I consider it significant, and it has helped me get further into enjoying Christmas each year. 

Charley

(bold emphasis added)

 

 

(This is the old thread of mine that CharleyL put this comment on https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/27019-first-try-compound-cutting/) I know most of you missed it (as I might have had he not tagged me so that it showed up in my notices) because it was such an old thread and I know many of you would have replied to Charley if you had seen it. 

I wanted to first ask everyone to pray for Charley.  I have been praying for him since seeing his post and especially today.  I pray that he makes it off that table and he is doing well soon and then that we hear from him soon so we know he is doing okay.  THEN I want to ask everyone to make some reindeers - just like Charley has made and then to give them away, just as Charley notes he has done for 15 years. You can make them to give away as you see fit, or we can make them and send some of them to Charley so he can give them away when he is doing better in case he doesn't get to make them this year while he is recovering from this latest setback.  I think Charley would appreciate us carrying on this tradition for him while he is healing.  I haven't cut any of the reindeer yet, but I hope to do some soon.  I will make some to give away, and then once we hear from Charley, if he would like, I will send some to him to give away while he is away from his saw. I hope some of you can join me.

 

[meflick]

This is the original thread that CharleyL gives detailed information on making the compound cut reindeer.  There is more than one post of information by Charley so you will need to scroll through the different pages on the thread to get all the information he shared. https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/24171-compound-cutting-wood/

If you need the reindeer pattern and such I found these links to some info and patterns here:

https://woodgears.ca/reindeer/scrollsaw_plans.html and also see here: https://woodgears.ca/reindeer/scrollsaw.html

Edited October 9, 2019 by meflick

[CharleyL]

Melanie, and others,

 

I made it through the surgery, and I'm now at home. I'm now fully bionic, because they installed a bi-lateral pacemaker (3 lead) in my right shoulder just below my collar bone. It's an advanced design that collects data about my heart and "phones home" every night to pass this data to my doctors. I have a kind-of cell phone sitting on my night stand that wirelessly connects to my pacemaker when I'm in bed, collects the data from it, and then sends it on to the doctors (phones home). I think they can even make slight changes, if necessary, through this if something needs to be adjusted. 

I'm hurting. I feel like I've been shot in the shoulder, but I have pain meds to take when I can't deal with it.  The pacemaker is about the size of a thin pocket watch and about the diameter of an original silver dollar. If you stacked 2 silver dollars together, it would be about the same thickness as the pacemaker.. It is just under the skin, so there is a visible bulge there. Right now the whole area is purple, from the bruising, and there is about a 1 1/4" long incision where they opened me to insert the pacemaker. The wires from the pacemaker to my heart were fed through existing veins into my heart and attached to the heart muscle in the required locations.

I also gained another stent, so I have 7 now.  I had been building up a lot of fluids and my feet and legs were swelling before this surgery. Wednesday, after the surgery, I made many trips to the bathroom and by morning my feet weren't swollen any more, but I got very little sleep that night. Today, the pain in my shoulder is a little worse. I'm going to cut this short and go find my pain meds, but I'm still alive.

 

Charley

[OCtoolguy]

That's great news Charley. They are doing amazing things now. I only hope that nobody "hacks" your heart. Lol.

[Scrappile]

Good news.  Thanks for the update.

[Foxfold]

Brilliant news.  Stay well Charley, we are all rooting for you.  Sending Love and Good Wishes over the ocean to you. 

[meflick]

@CharleyL so glad you took a couple minutes to come visit and let us know you survived this most recent surgery to repair your heart. It sounds like the new stent and pace maker are doing the job and helping you clear away all that excess fluid, prayers continue for you as you spend some time recovering and adjusting to this pacemaker,  take your time and do what they tell you.

[Denny Knappen]

That is good news Charley.  Yes, it is amazing the advancements in medicine.  Rest well and a soon complete recovery.

[rjweb]

Great to hear, keep going, RJ 

[Ron Johnson]

On 10/9/2019 at 12:59 PM, meflick said:

earlier

All the best for a speedy recovery Charley. Your reindeer are waiting for you for when you are up and able. 

[Bill WIlson]

Glad the procedure went well.  Get well soon Charlie!

[Roberta Moreton]

I am happy you’re still alive!