Alan sent me this and thought I would post it here for all of you. Alan is back home in Esigodini and on the mend. Cheers all, Russ Green.

DEAR GARRY

PLEASE WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO SEND US A MAIL WITH ADDRESSES OF THE WONDERFUL FOLK WHO HAVE HELPED US OUT FINANCIALLY SO WE CAN MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM> THANKS VERY MUCH> HAPPY CHRISTMAS> AL


Hi Everyone,

I am finally home after two months - just in time for Christmas. I am over the worst and am so happy to be back with my little family.

I intend to write a comprehensive account of the whole ordeal but l wanted to limit this email to thanking the many people who showed their support in so many ways. I also wanted to let everyone know, from me, that l am on the mend and back home where l belong.

Rosy and l have both been overwhelmed with gratitude to everyone who has had me in their thoughts, assisted us and helped us in every way.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to one and all.

Starting at the beginning - Thanks to my trackers - Nyathi and Martin and the Rangers from Dande North who got me back to camp. Special mention has to go to the National Parks Ranger who put some shots into the buff whilst it was working it magic on me - a very brave man indeed!). Chad Young, the hunter, who administered the initial dressings and kept my morale up after the accident first happened.
Ant, the Camp Manager/newly qualified PH for his efficiency in organising a speedy evacuation and applying fresh dressings to my gaping wound. Thanks to Andy Dawson to being on the ball and getting hold of the "plane flying above at the right time" to get me to a medical facility. Thanks for also being on stand by to take me out of the Valley in your chopper. Will take a rain check on that offer!
Thanks to Caroline Puzey who diverted off her route to collect me and get me out to Harare as soon as was humanly possible. (Sorry for "dyeing" your carpet red!). Thanks so much to the couple (passengers) on the plane who honestly kept me from bleeding to death midway through the flight. Would really appreciate their names and contact details if anyone has them?

Thanks to Jules Meredith who was her normal efficient and amazing self. Was wonderful to see a friendly face when l landed at Charles Prince Airport and to be able to speak to my wife straight away.

Thanks to the MARS team that got me from the Airport to the Avenues Clinic and the from Avenues to Milpark Trauma Hospital a couple of days later. Thanks also to MARS for taking the time to phone Milpark and check on me a few days later. Such great service.

Thanks to Mr. Mauchaza(Surgeon) and Jonas(Anethestist) for getting me through that first night and stabilising me. Thanks to the ICU nurses and staff for their care. Thanks also to the anonymous person who donated the much needed pints of blood!

Thank you to Buzz Charlton and Myles Maccullum from CM Safaris for being there when l arrived, organising the ambulance payment and all the running around and phoning you did on my behalf. Thanks also for lending Rosy a car and helping her out so much when she flew up to Harare to be with me. Thanks also for keeping in touch constantly during my two months in SA. Thanks also to Steph Fingland for being such a great friend to Rosy and keeping her sane during this time.
Thanks - as always - to Tony and Elaine for being such great friends to my precious wife and to Tony for being with her at the hospital.

Now l have to thank Netcare Milpark Trauma hospital and Goodhealth (our Medical Aid company). Our medical aid insisted to Rosy that l be moved to Milpark. Until l was actually there none of us had a clue as to how fantastic a facility it is. Special thanks to Professor Degianis (Trauma Surgeon) and Dr. Nel (Plastic Surgeon) for fixing me and putting me back together again over the eight weeks l was there.
Thanks too to Dr. Vermuelen (the Anethestist), Gareth (the hospital theatre porter) and all the nurses and other staff at the Milpark.

There aren't enough words to thank our dear friends Bridge and Deon Tucker (and their two boys Shane and Chad). They opened up their home to me, Rosy and the boys and my folks during the past two months. They are truly amazing people. They always had humour and a smile on their faces even when we totally disrupted their lives and schedules! Thanks for the running around, helping us out with the boys so Rosy could be with me as much as possible, for welcoming our friends into your home.
Most of all thank you for being the wonderful friends you are. Rosy and l count you as one of our greatest blessings everyday!

Thanks to my Parents, my brother Colin and his family, my sister Chanty and Dion, Aunty Lee and Andy and Granny and Grandpa. Thanks for being there when l arrived from Zim Mom and Dad. Thanks to you all for spoiling me when l saw you and for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers all the time.

Thanks to Marius Gerrecke who visited me in hospital, kept my spirits up with lots of humorous calls and kept Rosy company whilst l was in theatre (again with a lot of humour - mainly at my expense knowing Rosy and Marius!!). Thanks also for the best and most welcome bag of biltong. Most of all though - thank you for the unbelievably generous loan of your double cab. It freed our friends up and really helped us out so much. Thank you - we think you are fabulous (not bad for a chicken gynaecologist!).

Thanks to Michelle and Manuel for being such great friends to Rosy during this very difficult time, for all your help, phone calls and invaluable advice and kindness and for the loan of both your GPS's!!

Thanks to our wonderful neighbours and friends in Esigodini and Bulawayo for keeping in touch and being a great support for Rosy.
Special thanks to Deb Brebs who checked on and pretty much ran our home the month Rosy and boys were away, to John and Jilly Gass for ploughing our "munda" and planting our maize in our absence, to Roy and Marina Aylward for their assistance to Tippy and the staff and for keeping an eye on things for us. Special thanks also to Ash and Chris Burton, Debs and Dex Kelly, the Allberry family, Bruce and Kerry Watson, Jenny and Wayne James,Butch and Pam Blake and the Tink/Davison family. Thanks also have to go to Tippy (Kephas) and our staff for keeping things ticking along nicely for the month we were away.

Thanks to everyone who visited me in hospital and called from all over the world. It meant so much to me that you had taken the time to track me down in that massive hospital and it really helped keep my spirits up, Special thanks to Robert Jolly, Christian Kunz, Jack Hall, Lee and Shannon Hooker, Peter Loudr, the Strochers, Uncle Den, Cath and Ash,Rob and Mary, Belinda and Shiloh,Garry Woodman and Bryan Pettet.
Actually the list is endless.

Special thanks have to go to Garry Woodman (who has been a great friend for some years now), Ike and Kate Takumaro and Jim McSwiggin from the States who have taken it apon themselves to raise some much appareciated finance to get us through this difficult time. Thank you friends - what amazing people you are and may you blessed tenfold for this. I will be thanking everyone who donated to the fund personally but in the meantime Rosy and l thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We really would not have coped financially if it wasn't for all of you.Thank you Russ Green for being a great friend and assisting us financially when we were in SA. In the same light sincere thanks to Bruce and Julie for making funds available locally for us.

Thanks to everyone who kept in touch with Rosy via Facebook and the AR website. This really touched us both and we are so grateful to be blessed with all of you in our lives.

Now l have to mention our Medical Aid Company again. Goodhealth AETNA is a Dubai based Medical Aid Scheme and we have been with them since 2005. In that time we only claimed off them once when Rosy had an op in 2008. Then came 2009 - Chad had an op in Zim, l had my two month situation and Kyle had a big ENT operation at Milpark whilst l was there. They have been phenomenal and we never cease to be amazed by how they have delivered a service over and above anything we could have expected. They were in touch with Rosy hourly when l was in Harare, insisted l be moved to Milpark and whilst we were in Johannesburg Dr. Sunitha Suresh from AETNA contacted Rosy weekly to check on me and see that all was in order. If l needed anything all it took was a phonecall and all was arranged with very friendly efficiency. I thank God every day that we found the money to pay for this Medical Aid and we will do without other "stuff" in order to continue doing this. Life can throw curve balls and without Medical Aid we would be in a very bad way now. If you are not on a good Medical Aid package and you live in Southern Africa l strongly/highly recommend Goodhealth/AETNA. If you are based in Bulawayo our agent is Kerry Watson and she is awesome. Happy to provide you with contact details if you need.

The biggest and most heartfelt thank you l have is to my wife Rosy for her care and support and her ability to keep it together under extreme pressure and still managing to keep our home running and be Mother to our special boys Kyle and Chad. Rosy is amazing and l thank God for blessing me with her and for giving me a second chance at life.

I know that l have more than likely left out some names of people whom l should have thanked and for this l a truly sorry. Know that you are no less important to me and l thank you all.

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas - wherever you are - and hope that 2010 is a great year for everyone.

With humble thanks and best regards
Alan Shearing

Like Dorthy says, " There's no place like home."
Alan and family cheers and the best in the future.

Regards,

Mike

Great to hear that you are on the mend.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Great to hear that you are on the mend.

Plus one.

God bless Alan and family.

What a blessing, to be home with the wife and kids again. There is a slow mend ahead of you all, but we trust that God will continue to grant you His grace and the strength to deal with things as they come up.
Your new "family" here at AR are all praying for you.

God Bless, and may 2010 be a happy and prosperous year for all of you.

Rich

May you heal quickly and get back to your life which is the hunt!!