7-22-10 Update

Hello Friends,

I have some rather big news today, Ben has been released from the hospital. This is both good and not so good. Good for him, because he has asked for nothing else than to be released from the hospital since he got there, but not so good because he is still not 100% and will need to be under constant supervision.

Ben's folks are working on getting him into an out-patient rehabilitation center, for treatment as he continues his recovery. He will still remain at home most of the time. If you would like to visit him, please contact his parent before hand.

He is currently in a strange mental state that may be hard for some to deal with, as he is frequently agitated and suspicious of what's going on. So, keep that in mind. Despite this however, having visitors definitely helps a great deal, he is always happy to see his friends! So please, visit him if you can, especially since he is so close by now!

He is going to need the continued support from his family and friends over the coming months. Stay strong my friends!

Love,
Dana

7/18/10 Update

Hello all,

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past few days, I've been pretty busy with work. Ben's parents told me that his friend Darren brought Ben a Guitar and a small keyboard today, which is awesome! They said that when they left he was jamming with Darren and laughing and having a good time, great news. I'm sure Ben really needed something like this to lift his spirits. Ben's dad sent me a short video of Ben playing, and he still sounds as good as ever :) I'm trying to figure out how to share it on here, so be on the lookout for that!

On the medical front, I haven't heard much of anything new. But as I've said before the best place to find out about that is the website that Mr. Garceau set up. The web address is www.grenvillemusic.com

Just follow the steps to register once you get there, if you haven't already.

I'm going to visit Ben on Wednesday, and I hope to have more good news to share with you guys! Til then...

Love,

Dana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2stbuMA1MU

7-15-10 Update

Hello friends!!

I am very pleased to write today's update. Ben has had a great day so far! Kim Tordoff went to visit Ben today, and it immediately lifted his spirits! Ben's Occupational Therapist said there has been a dramatic improvement in Ben from even just a few days ago! Ben's cousins Josh and Dan also visited which was a great thing for him too. The doctors have said the more visitors the better, as it is keeping him occupied, and doing wonders for his spirits! So please visit soon if you can :)

Also, there has been a Pay Pal account set up for Ben, that is directly linked to the bank account that Lacey set up in Milford. The link for it is on the website that Mr. Garceau has set up. (www.grenvillemusic.com) So this should make it very easy to donate for Ben! Check it out when you can.

Given all of the circumstances, Ben is doing very well. It's only been a week and a half since his accident and look how far he's come!!! It is without a doubt a combination of his fighting spirit, and the undying love and faith of his friends and family, that has brought him to the point he's at today. Thank you all so much for everything you have done.

That's all for now, take care of yourselves, and stay tuned for the next update!

Love,
Dana

7-14-10 Update

Hello friends

Just a short one today guys. Ben is not as upset as he has been over the past few days, and they are allowing visitors again. Just be sure to call before you head up, Ben's mom is going to e-mail me the number soon so I will post it here. He still wants to get out of there really bad, as you can imagine. But he is very mobile now, and is able to hear much better! Which is a good thing for us, a bad thing for the nurses that are trying to keep him from making the great escape, :)

He was shown the website today (the one Mr. Garceau set up) and was a little choked up at all of the wonderful comments everyone is leaving him. He knows how much we all love him, keep that love coming and he will continue to improve day by day! Thank you all :) until next time...

Love,

Dana

7/13/10 Update

Hello friends,

Well apparently it's been a rough couple of days for Ben. He had become pretty irritated about the whole situation. I don't want to go into too many details but he has not had an easy few days, emotionally. Ben's family has asked me to relay the message that if you are planning on going to visit Ben, you may want to reconsider for the time being, because he has not been himself over the past few days, and they don't want anyone to become upset if Ben get's agitated during their visit. It is a perfectly normal part of the healing process, but he may just need some time to calm down. If you are planning on going, I would suggest contacting Ben's family, or me, to see how he is doing before you make the drive up there.

On the good news front, it looks like his hearing continues to improve. Ben's dad, Brian, said that he spoke with Ben on the phone, and did not have to raise his voice above a normal phone conversation volume! So that is very encouraging. Also, it appears that Ben's memory continues to improve slightly as he is remembering some events, such as visits, that have happened recently.

Keep your thoughts positive and he will continue to get better! We all know how hard this must be for him, but we all must stay strong to help him overcome this incredible ordeal. Keep the faith my friends.

Love,

Dana

7/12/10 Update

Hello friends!

Just checking in. I just got off the phone with Ben's sister Nicole and she filled me in on whats going on with Ben. His short term memory is showing small signs of improvement. He remembered that his sister Steph had visited him in the morning, and was asking where she was and when she was going to return! He's still pretty confused as to what happened to him, but he's starting to realize that he does have an injury. He still wants to leave really bad though.

In other good news, he's been eating a lot more, and get this...he's allowed to have Dr. Pepper!!! We all know how much he loves that stuff, and apparently he drank three cans in a row, hahaha! Being able to drink that made him very happy. So if anyone want's to bring him some Dr. Pepper, I'm sure it will lift his spirits! Apparently his hearing is improving as well! Ben's father said he doesn't have to get right up to Ben's ear to talk to him anymore, so that's great news! Also, the swelling behind his head and his ears is starting to go down as well. All in all, he continues to improve medically every day!

A lot of people have been asking how to make out the checks to donate to Ben's account in Milford. If you want to write a check, just make it out to FBO Ben Garceau. Here's the address again in case you missed it:

TD Bank
57 South St
Milford, NH 03055
Benefit for Ben Garceau
c/o Lacey Sayward

That's all for now, stay tuned for further updates!

Love,

Dana

7/11/10 Update

Hello friends!

According to Ben's sister Nicole, Ben is beginning to remember more each day! Here is an exerpt from her post on Ben's medical website:

"He is beginning to remember more each day. He now is able to remember in the afternoon things that occurred in the morning. He remembered that someone (Lyndsey his OT) came in to do some tests with numbers/letters, but couldn't remember her name (not surprising with so many Dr's and Nurses). "

Very promising news!! I wish I had more to share, but I wont know much else until I speak directly with Ben's family. Keep those prayers and positive vibes coming!! As always, I will continue to post any new info that I receive.

Love,

Dana

Rock the Boat Booze Cruise

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to tell you guys how amazing the Booze Cruise was! So many people came out and we rocked that boat hard! It was an absolute blast. Big thanks to Anthony Cogliandro for setting the whole thing up, and to Keep Me Conscious, and DJ Joey green for sharing the stage and rocking the party with us. And a huge thanks to my dear friends in Small Town Stranded for letting me sit in with them for this show. Their full time drummer Cameron Thomas was gracious enough to let me play with them, and I am insanely grateful to him for that.

Now, between the bands donations, and the donation bucket we passed around, we raised, drumroll please,..........................................................

$1000 FOR BEN!!!!

So incredible! I cant believe the incredible generosity of everyone involved with last night's event! From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!!!!

There will be more Ben-efits in the future, and I will definitely keep you guys posted on when and where they are happening.

I am waiting to hear from Ben's family as to his current status, I will post as soon as I find anything out.

Thank you all again!

Love,

Dana

7/09/10 Update

Hello Friends,

I went to visit Ben again this afternoon. According to his parents, Ben was pretty agitated today, due to the fact that his ears are still bothering him, and he's still a bit confused as to where he is/why he's there. But, despite this, when I saw him he was resting comfortably and seemed to be able to communicate with me better than he could a few days ago. I also noticed I didn't have to talk quite as loud in order for him to hear me, that was encouraging!

The other good news is they removed his catheter, and his IV's today! I'm sure this will make Ben SO much more comfortable. Also, they gave Ben his favorite breakfast this morning, Pankcakes!! Any of you who know Ben well can imagine how happy he was to receive those. Ben's mom told me he scarfed them down very fast, hahaha

Tomorrow night is the Rock the Boat Booze Cruise in Boston Harbor. This has become a benefit show for Ben, and all proceeds will be going to help with his medical bills. If anyone is in the Boston area and is looking for something fun to do, you should DEFINITELY come check this out. I will be playing with Small Town Stranded, an awesome cover band consisting of local Milford dudes Ryan Bossie, John DeMarco, Shawn Ballou, and Brad Bosse. Headlining the night will be our friends Keep Me Conscious, and the night will be finished off with tunes being spun by DJ Joey Green. Here is the event listing:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=119615671388622&ref=ts

I have tickets available, contact me if you would like to attend!

Lastly, Ben's father has set up a more detailed website for updates about Ben. It is intended for close friends and family only, due to the sensitive nature of the content (medical information, etc.) If you would like to register for this website, simply go to www.grenvillemusic.com and follow the instructions for registration.

That's all for now, stay strong my friends, and keep your love for Ben shining!

Love,

Dana

Donation fund to help with Ben's medical costs

As some of you may or may not know, Ben has no health insurance, and as you can imagine, his hospital bills are going to be rather steep. My friend Lacey Sayward has done a wonderful thing and set up a donation fund for Ben at the local Milford TD Bank Branch!!! If you would like to donate, just visit the branch or send money to:

TD Bank
57 South St
Milford, NH 03055
Benefit for Ben Garceau
c/o Lacey Sayward

Thank you soooo so much Lacey, and thank you friends for your continued support. More updates coming soon!!

Welcome to Ben's blog!

Hi everyone,

I have set up this blog to keep all of you informed on Ben's progress while he recovers in the hospital. I figured this was the best way to keep everyone informed, without leaving anyone out. I will keep this blog up to date as frequently as possible, so that you are all in the know as to what's going on with Ben. Please spread the word, tell everyone you can about this blog!

Stay tuned. I love you all!

Love

Dana