Posted by dj on February 4, 2001, at 8:57:25
In reply to another question, OK two or three, posted by allisonm on February 4, 2001, at 8:42:54
> Is ambition and/or envy a part of being a >drone?
I'll leave it up to others to debate that as I don't agree with the concept, as stated. Here, for instance, is a story from a paper today about folks that I assume Phill5 would define as drones, and how they dealt with some pretty tough circumstances. I don't think I would adjust as well, at this point, though I may have more so in the past.
"The power of friendship
As his body begins to fail him, pals lend him strength Damian Inwood The Province
NANAIMO -- All his life, casino pit boss Freddie Wilson has been a popular, happy-go-lucky winner.Playing baseball and hockey, entering sand-castle competitions, going fishing or swimming in the Nanaimo River, Wilson has always had a great time.
But then the friendly, 36-year-old family man was dealt a losing hand in the shape of the incurable Lou Gehrig's disease.
Tonight, Nanaimo is rallying around him, with the first of two Friends of Freddie benefits to raise money to help Wilson, wife Shannon and three young kids.
"I just don't know where to begin to thank people," says Wilson, who now walks with a cane. "I found out I had the disease in late November. I was feeling a little shaky -- mostly weak in my legs and losing strength in my arms."
Wilson's closest friend, Kevin Haslam, decided to do something to help the buddy he's known for more than 20 years.
"I was crushed when I found out," says Haslam, 31, who also works at the Great Canadian Casino. "It's tragic, him being such a nice guy. But you don't have any choice in the matter -- you are dealt the cards and you have to play the hand."
Tonight, more than 200 people will gather at Cavallotti Hall for a dinner and auction to raise money.
"The town has really got behind it," adds Haslam. "We've been canvassing for donations for our auction and we've been overwhelmed by how much stuff we've been receiving."
Haslam is now setting up a trust fund through a Nanaimo credit union.
"We hope to raise between $10,000 and $15,000, mostly for his wife and kids. They don't have much.
"Ideally, we would like to see him get a down payment on a house so he'll know his wife and kids will have a roof over their heads."
On March 4, at the Queen's Hotel in downtown Nanai-mo, another friend, Robert Ashton, is organizing an eight-band benefit.
"I've known him for at least 10 years," says Ashton, who works security at both the casino and the pub. "It was hard to believe and everybody was really upset. The main reason I am doing this for Freddie is that I know he would do the same for me."
Two of the Nanaimo musicians donating their time got together with Wilson last week at the hotel's pub.
David Gogo, the blues guitarist voted Musician of the Year 2000 at the West Coast Music Awards, will bring his band to play at the benefit.
"I have known Fred for 10 or 12 years. He's a hardline Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, as am I," Gogo says. "When I had my first band, he and Shannon came to Alberta to see us play a couple of times. He's a real solid guy. It's a shitty thing to happen."
Another friend is Billy Hicks, drummer and "ringmaster" for the band Wunderbread.
"Nanaimo is a strong, tight-knit community," Hicks says. "It's going to be a good evening."
Haslam calls his friend an outgoing, friendly man who has no enemies -- and a great baseball player who suddenly found himself unable to get around:
"We all thought his knee was a sports injury until November." That's when Wilson learned he had Lou Gehrig's disease.
Wilson loves the Habs team so much he named his son, who's now three, Dryden. "I ran the name past my wife and she liked it," Wilson grins.
Completing the family are eight-month-old twin daughters Rachael and Bryanna.
"We have our up days and our down days," Wilson chuckles. "The twins are crawling -- they are just getting forward gear. Dryden goes hell-bent for leather. He has two speeds -- stop and fast."
THE DISEASE
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is known as "Lou Gehrig's disease" after star New York Yankees baseball player who died of it in 1941.
It's a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Patients eventually become totally paralyzed but their minds usually remain unaffected.
Renowned scientist Dr. Stephen Hawking has suffered the disease for more than 30 years."
Is Hawking a drone, as so defined above??
poster:dj
thread:4329
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010105/msgs/4393.html