Visitation at
HealthSouth Rehab Hospital of Mechanicsburg
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Visitation at
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 Here comes Joe with his traveling circus. With only two legs between the three riders, it is no wonder that that three tv stations, three newspapers, and a radio station converge on Mechanicsburg to cover our legless menagerie. |
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Sean 'Brame, our Jr Ambassador keeps a sharp eye on Joe, having heard of his exploits of crashing his bike into the bikes of accompanying riders. Joe, the eternal punster, thinks that by having Sean Brame on the ride no one can ever accuse him of not having a Brame. Sean can hardly contain his admiration. Luke is trying to figure out what Brame has to do with having a brain. |
 Upon
our arrival at HealthSouth, we are greeted by the warm hands of some
wonderful patients. Luke is shown here sliding a bracelet off of an
unsuspecting woman to add to the expense fund of AAA while Joe keeps a
watchful eye out for HealthSouth security personnel.
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 Charlie, who is going home, tells Joe where all of the good establishments are for the consumption of various and sundry beverages. Joe repays Charlie for all of his advice and information by giving him a poster upon which he scribbles his signature, making the poster an immediate collector's item. |
 With
great misgivings, Meg introduces the group to the patients undergoing
therapy in the PT gym. Shown here, she takes the opportunity to
describe the height reduction operation that was pioneered by HealthSouth
and which Joe is a great example. Having been embarrassed
through life with his great height, Joe was successfully reduced in size to
one of diminutive stature.
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 As a shadow of his former self, Joe is seen here encouraging patients who are somewhat less appreciative than Joe of the pain and torture routine. With complete disregard for the pain and suffering of having to sit and listen to Joe's drivel, the patients, one by one, slowly lower their heads and pray for unconsciousness. |
 Not to be outdone, Luke talks about his hero, Homer W Kramer, a local gold miner gone broke and his second cousin. The silence is broken only by the sound of a pin dropping and an occasional snore. With the audience dropping like flies into sensory deprivation trances, the staff intervenes and Luke is asked to repeat his story instead to the patients in the sleep lab. |
 Finally someone with sense and the ability to converse with others talks with the patients while Joe and Luke look on. Luke wants to do away with the kid who keeps stealing his thunder, his jokes, and great stories about Homer W Kramer. Joe counsels patience. Luke glares back at the throngs of teenage girls who follow Sean's every move and hang on his every word. |
 Feeling neglected, Joe finally finds someone who will talk to him. Joann, whose son is serving in Iraq, wearing a US Air Force tshirt purchased at Shaw AFB, SC, is shown here actually enjoying her visit with Joe. It appears that she is suffering from an acute case of spontaneous dementia brought on by Joe giving her a day by day rundown of everything he did while he was stationed at Shaw AB back in 63. |
 Sean meets John and makes another friend in his bid for a congressional seat in John's congressional district. |
 Luke, having graduated from the Jeff Foxworthy school of grace and charm, tries again to give his life story to a throng of teenagers at the HealthSouth picnic. |
 But his story falls on deaf ears as the girls surround Sean seeking his autograph. |
 Luke seeks the advice of John, a local bullfighter who mistook a vehicle for a charging bull, and lost. John suggests that Luke try using a pillow to cover the face of Sean while he sleeps. Luke smiles and has a eureka moment. |
 Finally, having reversed the rehabilitation of so many in so short a time, Joe continues his motivational and inspirational talk to the Amputee Support Team at their evening social and BBQ. Joe, shrinking in height, is concerned as he approaches the standing height of Abel. He must have been confused when he walked into a height loss rather than weight loss clinic. And so confusion reigns as Joe takes over the microphone and assumes his Abe Lincoln persona and continues his life story culminating in his recital of the Gettysburg Address. |
 Sean proposes Joe be nominated for sainthood for having put up with Luke. Rod, and members of the gospel and blue grass band look on with approval. |
 Dick McNickel, beloved and maligned head of the Amputee Support Team, is shown here into the second hour of his speech. DeEtt is seen looking for a razor blade for her wrists to end her suffering. Fortunately, his group members incite a riot and set fire to a sacrificial wooden leg donated by some gentleman named, Homer W Kramer, visiting from Colorado Springs. Dick, shrewd and astute, takes this as a sign to get on with the raffle. |
 Joe picks the winning tickets for the AST's efforts to raffle off the jewelry and HealthSouth silverware, donated by Luke. When asked the source of his valuable collection, Luke was heard to remark with a sly smile, "I have picked up a lot of it during visitations."
It was a long day but a great one. Luke was last seen purchasing a pillow and asking if Sean could bunk in with him for the night. Our thanks to the staff and patients at HealthSouth Rehab
Hospital of Mechanicsburg. We had a great visitation because we got to
give our message to the media upon our arrival, the patients in the PT
gymnasium, to the staff and visitors at the picnic, and to our fellow
amputees at the evening barbecue. We got to talk to and present a
poster to every PT/OT and to every patient. A long grueling day but
one that energized and inspired us. Thanks to Greg Toot, CEO,
Catherine Middleton, DMO, Dennis Mahaffey our point person (he pointed and
we went) for a great celebration and visitation. Many thanks, as well,
to Dick McNickel and AST for your wonderful support.
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