kturner

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Posts posted by kturner

  1. BTW - For those on the notification list.... If you didn't receive my last 2 emails it is because of AOL. They deactivated my account due to bulk email activity. They've reactivated my account, but I need to limit my email activity to under 1000 emails per day. But you can always check this thread for the same info.

    Thanks so much for your patience!

    Sorry :(

  2. There will be a tribute to Paul Rafferty on May 15, 2004 at PK Airpark in Raeford, NC. This is not a fundraiser but a memorial for Paul.

    The schedule of events is as follows:

    May 15, 2004 – rain date is Sunday May 16th

    3:45 at the pavilion for a 4:05 moment of silence

    6:00 Dirt Dive for the 40 way memorial jump with some of Paul’s ashes. (They will not be released)

    6:30 take off

    Upon landing there will be a short ceremony

    Dinner will follow the ceremony

    There will be an open bar until 10PM

    Accommodations:

    There are 10 available RV slots as well as camping. Contact PK Airpark to reserve a slot 910-875-3261

    There are showers available at the Drop Zone

    The closest major hotels are in Fayetteville, NC

    Parking:

    There will be overflow parking across the street from the drop zone.

    The Memorial Jump:

    Please email [email protected] if you are interested in jumping on the 40 way.

    There will be 38 slots available with Raff’s ashes and Bill being the only reserved slots

    Craig Girard will be organizing the jump.

    Dinner

    Please RSVP to [email protected] if you plan to attend the dinner.

    Dinner is free

    Open bar until 10PM

  3. Services will be held Thursday, May 6

    Baughnan Memorial United Methodist Church
    corner of 3rd & Bridge Street
    New Cumberland, PA 17070

    9:00 - 10:30am - Visitation
    10:30am - Church service
    _______________________

    Ft. Indian Town Gap
    (I don't have an address as of yet, but it's about a 45min drive away)
    12:30pm - Funeral service
    _______________________

    2:00pm(ish) - Reception
    Location is unknown at this time... they're still working on that part.

  5. To all:

    Please read carefully...

    Funeral services are TENTATIVELY set for Tuesday, May 4, 2004. The closest commercial airport to fly into would be Harrisburg International in PA. Private planes can fly into Capital City. I will notify you w/ more specific details once the family coordinates w/ the funeral home and the church. Anyone and everyone is more than welcomed to attend services. Dress Blues and Class A attire is also acceptable.

    Raeford DZ will be holding a memorial on Saturday, May 8, 2004. The entire family is expected to be there and everyone is invited.

    Bill has expressed his sincerest appreciation for all the calls he has been receiving. However, PLEASE hold off on calling him for at least a week or so. Right now Bill needs time to himself and time with his family to mourn and grieve. He understands how much you all care and he wants to talk to everyone, but please hold off while he gets through this devastating time.

    Also, a special request from Bill: To clarify, Paul did NOT undergo ANY amputations. Please put that rumor to rest as it is coming back to the family, making this an even more difficult time for them. Paul went peacefully and he is in a better place... Probably looking down on us with his sparkling blue eyes and giant grin.

    I will notify you with the details as soon as I hear word. If anyone needs any other info, please send me an email.

    And lastly, a special thank you from Scott and I to all the wonderful people who have sent us their condolences.

    Sincerely,
    Kim Turner

  6. It pains me to tell you that Paul has passed away today at 4:05pm EST. He had been fighting hard since late last night. The damage to his lungs was just too severe to sustain his oxygen level. The doctors recommended they back off on the medications and let nature take its course.

    I'll keep you posted w/ the funeral arrangements. I'm sorry I am unable to further/better elaborate... this is just too painful.

    Kim and Scott Rhodes

  7. Last night around midnight the family was called to the hospital... Paul had taken a turn for the worse. Around 3am Nicole said they had stabilized him for the time being. Sometime after 3am, Julie said he was still somewhat stabilized and hanging in there.

    Today at 9:30am Nicole said he had once again taken a turn for the worse. He has been put on a dialysis machine. The doctors and family had agreed that if his heart stops they are not going to try to resuscitate him.

    I apologize for not having better details, but as you can expect, everyone is quite upset.

    Hugs to all,
    Kim

  9. Just spoke to Ruth (Paul's sister)...

    Paul is still stable but does require 100% life support. Yesterdays procedures went well. They were able to use 1600mm of skin from his legs. They took some X-rays today but the results aren't in as of yet. The fluid in his lungs are still causing the most concern. They will not do any more procedures until his lungs get better.

    Kim

  10. As far as I know, Katie is right. He is still stable and on 100% life support... that is the word I received late last night. They will continue to keep him in a coma for the next week or two. I'll be speaking to Bill soon so expect an update within the next hour or two.

    Yes, Julie made it up there yesterday and she has been w/ Paul. She is staying w/ John Eddowes.

    Bill wanted me to make it clear how grateful he is to all of you! Thank you for keeping him strong!

    Kim

  11. John,

    Please send me an email ([email protected]) and please put "Paul Rafferty" in the subject line. I will give you 2 addresses that a donation can be sent to. There are some DZs setting up PayPal accounts but I dont have the details on that. If you are uncomfortable you can send to one of the addresses and all checks are to be made payable to Dorothy Rafferty.

    Please email me for more info.

    Thanks,
    Kim

  14. Just spoke w/ Bill...

    Paul remains stable for the most part, but he still requires 100% life support. They have started artificial skin graphing on his legs. During his surgeries, the family has gone to the DZ to take care of personal issues. As you can expect, he is still in VERY critical condition. However, he is remaining stable and the staff is quick to remedy problems that arise.

    Everyone is most grateful for ALL the support they are being given. I can't tell you how deeply touched I am with the amount of support that is being offered. It is wonderful to see how everyone has pooled together to take care of each other.

    THANK YOU!
    Kim
    [email protected]

  15. To all:

    I don't have an update right now but I will be talking to Bill within the next couple of hours. I'll keep you posted.

    For anyone who has contacted me re: donations... I have given most of you Dorothy's (Pauls Mom) contact info. However, there are a couple of people who are setting up PayPal accounts. I do not have the specifics on this. Give me a couple of hours to make some calls. I'll also be calling John Edos(sp?) from Cross Keys to figure out how to sort out the immediate financial needs. Please hang tight while I do this.

    ANYONE who has already sent to Dorothy's address: PLEASE let me know. I will try to organize a pick up from her house.

    Also, several Cross Keys people have offered their services. If anyone lives near the hospital and wants to provide a room for people to stay, please contact me! And if there is anyone who is in need of accommodations, contact me as well. There are also people who are going to fly in. If someone is willing to offer transportation from the airport to the hospital, let me know.

    Again, let me make some calls and I will respond as soon as I get all the info.

    Thanks so much EVERYONE,
    Kim

  16. I received the following PM from a Level 1/trauma RN. She is not one of Pauls nurses, but she was able to better explain some of what Paul may be going through. I thought others may also find this a bit more enlightening:

    "Yes, the coma..is chemically induced along with sedation. Our bodies heal better when we are at complete rest. In light of the trauma he has experienced, there isn't any humanly way he could stay awake for this part of recovery.

    The swelling is due to trauma and due to the burns. The body is getting a mixed signal because it has lost so much fluid that was held in the tissues. This mixed message tells the cells to replace what is lost. Hopefully, his trauma team is working on taking this fluid off without adding to the mixed signals already in place. Blood pressure is low for the same reason. He has very little volume for a blood pressure at all. There are drugs I am sure they are using, to help combat this. In fact, the goal at this point is to help his body find a balance with the trauma he has experienced. This changes every 5 minutes with someone at his level. Every detail must be looked at and evaluated and adjusted. And despite how hard they are working,,,it can stay out of the health team's reach to fix. I pray not but it is possible.

    His burns are beyond serious. In that you have to have healthy tissue to help the burned tissue heal. Hopefullym because he has a mix of different level of burns he will have more than a fighting chance. But it is a very long road ahead of him.

    Another thing that people can do...is help the staff that is helping Paul. Don't call the unit or the hospital. Instead, someone locally can make a basket of snack foods and keep it filled. I know when I work this hard I don't stop to eat. I rarely even go to the bathroom. I stayed focused on what I can do to stay ontop of what is going on. Firemen are very good at understanding this concept. They take care of the nurse's really well so that we can take care of their friend."

  17. The following has also been sent in the latest mass email:

    To all:

    Forgive me for my writing... right now my head is a little screwy and I'm not thinking too clearly. And I am also unfamiliar w/ medical terms. Sorry.

    Paul's blood pressure has lowered the past few hours. The swelling is putting a lot of pressure on his heart and lungs. Tomorrow they will be inserting a "green filter" to help w/ blood clots and such. He will also be going into surgery first thing tomorrow morning. Please be aware that I will update everyone as soon as I hear from Bill. If you don't hear from me then no news is good news.

    Thank you all for everything! I have received nearly 200 emails, along with several phone calls, PM's, IM's etc. There are so many people who right now are doing wonderful things for the family. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and assistance! And thank you to everyone who has offered to help me personally. Myself, the family and all of Raff's buddies appreciate how much this community has done for him!

    Blue Skies!
    Kim Turner

  18. I have also sent the following update in a mass email:

    Thank you again to everyone!! I am deeply touched by the tremendous response I have received thus far.

    I just spoke w/ Bill and he has asked that I give the latest update:

    Paul's condition has worsened, but he is still stable. Right now, his lungs are causing the most serious problems. Due to swelling and fluid intake, he has put on an additional 100lbs. The next 60 hours are going to be the most critical. Initially, the Dr. would not allow Alexa to see her dad because of the condition of his face and body. However, because Paul has taken somewhat of a turn for the worse, Alexa was allowed to visit with him this morning. I spoke to Alexa yesterday and she is standing strong just like her dad. Please continue to keep your thoughts and prayers with Paul and his family.

    Right now Bill is spending all of his time with Paul and has been unable to return calls. He wants everyone to know that he appreciates all the support he's been receiving and that you all are keeping him strong. He has also asked that everyone please be patient with him and the amount of time it takes for him to return calls.

    Thank you again for all your support!
    Kim Turner

  22. Attn Fellow Skydivers:

    This is Kim Turner, wife of Scott Rhodes and good friend of Paul. My husband was up there with Paul when the incident took place. Here is what happened:

    Apparently, a group of skydivers had purposely set fire to a car in celebration of Cross Keys season opening. One guy was successful at jumping over the car. Paul wasn't. Paul slipped and fell into the car through the front windshield. I believe the windshield was already busted. He managed to get out on his own, completely ingulfed in flames. A couple of people ran over to help him & I believe one received a minor burn on his wrist while assisting. Paul was coherent enough to say, "call Alexa (his daughter) and take care of my family". He was air lifted to the nearest burn unit in PA. His condition got worse the 1st night at the hospital. 98% of his body was burned (60% 3rd degree, 40% 2nd degree). The only part of him that was not burned was a small area on his chest and foot. He has been put in an induced coma. His whole family is there with him, including his daughter Alexa. He had "crashed" again Sunday morning, but he has since remained stable.

    I am staying in close contact with his family. Those who want updated info can email me and I will respond as quickly as possible. I am working with Bill (his brother) and organizing much needed donations for the family. Paul is unable to receive flowers, so any donations in leiu of flowers would be greatly appreciated. For those who are interested in donating directly to the family, you can contact me and I will supply you with the info. (I don't want to post Pauls moms contact info). PLEASE put "Paul Rafferty" in the subject line of the email. That way I don't accidentally spam you since I'm getting so many unfamiliar emails.

    I will check back as often as possible, but most of my time is/has been spent on the phone.

    Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!!!

    Kim Turner
    [email protected]