• The rumors of my death have not been greatly exaggerated!

    From nyc52mixer@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Tue Apr 30 18:27:28 2019
    Bill Drucklieb here...Unlike Mark Twain, I did have a brush with death recently. I thought I had a bad cold and went to the hospital. When I got there they said, “No Sir, it's not a cold, you're having a heart attack!” They did a few tests to
    confirm, one being an MRI with contrasts. Upon admitting me I promptly dropped dead, a probable reaction to the MRI contrast chemicals. As luck would have it, a quick-thinking intern realized I had succumbed to congestive heart failure was able to
    revive me. Please don’t ask me what being dead was like, I don’t want to spoil the ending for everyone. All I’ll say is drowning in in your own bodily fluid is no fun!

    Long story short, the tests showed my heart was only pumping (ejection fraction) at 12%. I ended up needing a triple bypass and re-sectioning of one heart chamber. After surgery, I only came up to 18%. Recently I washed out of cardiac rehab because I
    wasn't strong enough to do the exercises. There has been talk of giving me an internal assist pump. That will probably be the next step. I go back in for more testing next week. I'm not a candidate for a replacement heart due to my age, 57, and my
    Rock ‘n Roll lifestyle. Also, I don’t have medical insurance.

    As you would expect, I am now almost 100% disabled. For the last six months I had been living at a church-based mission shelter for disabled veterans here in Omaha, Nebraska. I was recently awarded a minimum of SSI but only about 1/3rd of what’s
    possibly available, we appeal but it takes years to get a hearing. The curse of being freelance, not enough days for full benefits. Don’t get sick folks!

    Good news is, with the minimum disability I was able to rent a small studio and get out of the mission. I’m setting up my tech bench and will continue to service equipment and recover recordings as I can. Probably only a couple of hours a day, if
    that. I’m seriously thinking of selling my service business, I’ve already sold most of my location equipment. Did I mention I don’t have medical insurance? The expenses are really adding up. Just the cost of meds alone are killer. I've stopped
    opening the hospital billing statements.

    To that end, we set up a go fund me page. https://www.gofundme.com/billdheartfunds if anyone would care to contribute.

    The really good news is no money contributed goes towards tobacco products. They said my problem was caused by “40% heredity and 90% from smoking.” Anyone who knows me knows I smoked 3+ packs a day for something like 38 years. I quit cold turkey
    and haven’t had a craving yet. I never expected heart disease, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop…sorry Sir, it’s lung cancer. So far, my lungs are fine, go figure! I count my blessings.

    If anyone is interested in the entire story, blow by blow and shot by shot, send me an email. Local52mixer at aol. In hindsight, I should have seen this disaster coming. Shortly before moving to Nebraska a friend from the island told me I should write
    my “memoirs” because I have so many great stories about the business. I pissed off all over her saying “the only people who write memoirs are people about to die”…little did I know!

    Cheers,
    BD

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  • From Ty Ford@21:1/5 to All on Wed May 1 06:53:28 2019
    Wow! Sorry to hear of your recent excitement. So, there's life in Nebraska?

    What sorts of electrical things are you doing in your new space.

    Regards,

    Ty Ford

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  • From Bill Drucklieb@21:1/5 to Ty Ford on Wed May 8 17:57:25 2019
    On Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 8:53:30 AM UTC-5, Ty Ford wrote:
    Wow! Sorry to hear of your recent excitement. So, there's life in Nebraska?

    What sorts of electrical things are you doing in your new space.

    Regards,

    Ty Ford

    Actually, as far as medicine goes I couldn't be in a better place than Nebraska. The state of the art infectious disease center is here (EbolaWard) at UNO Med, where they did my surgery. My surgeon is said to be one of the best in the world. So, I'm
    actually quite lucky I moved here.

    As for my new studio, nothing special. I basically divided it into 3 zones, work space, living space and sleeping area. I'm always amazed when I move at how much new stuff you need to buy. Stuff like cleaning supplies and general household goods, it's
    a never ending battle.

    However, walking all over stores like Home Depot is in my exercise routine. So, I guess I'm killing 2 birds with one stone.

    Thanks for your interest...

    Cheers, BD

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  • From Ty Ford@21:1/5 to All on Mon Mar 20 06:03:06 2023
    Knock, knock, Bill.

    Regards,

    Ty Ford

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  • From Todd Johnson@21:1/5 to Ty Ford on Wed May 31 08:56:15 2023
    Hey Ty, I saw this: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/app/name/william-drucklieb-obituary?id=8544882

    I met Bill years ago early in my career when DATs were the recording media. Great guy. Sad to hear
    about this.

    Todd

    On Monday, March 20, 2023 at 9:03:09 AM UTC-4, Ty Ford wrote:
    Knock, knock, Bill.

    Regards,

    Ty Ford

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  • From Ty Ford@21:1/5 to Todd Johnson on Thu Jun 1 04:23:31 2023
    On Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 11:56:17 AM UTC-4, Todd Johnson wrote:
    Hey Ty, I saw this: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/app/name/william-drucklieb-obituary?id=8544882

    We all have to cross the threshold sometime. I'll miss him.

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