A Revelation That Defies My Imagination - September 2024

Many of you have followed my story about my wife and her journey through medicine. Some have offered prayers of different faiths and all have been welcomed. I thought I would share with you my thoughts about her, the Path, and a perspective of life: A Revelation that defies my imagination.

When I married Debbie Hamilton, I had no idea the journey I would either experience or witness.  I thought I was marrying a woman who loved what I did, horses.  While the west was amazing to enjoy and see, it was Daisy who first introduced me to a whole new world called humanity and compassion. It was who you are and shall ever remain, Spirit willing.

Now, years later, over a very uncertain road, and very tough physical experiences, Debbie has managed to reach a most unique position and role with the incredible insight, brilliance and service of the Cleveland Clinic involving nearly every department in their service from doctors, technicians, nurses, and every person imaginable in their employ.  About the only test she has not experienced, one way or the other, is pregnancy.  Through all of her experiences, I have been, either voluntarily or involuntarily, vacuumed along her journey like a piece of lint.

On Thursday, Dr. Soltesz, with great effort, brought Deb through a portal of life, de-transplanting a well loved heart from Erik, and transplanting another from a family yet known.  In that successful moment, Debbie joined a precious few others in human history to receive a second heart transplant.  To put it into mathematical terms, Debbie became one of 6,000 or so to be so gifted by a surgeons hand amongst a human history of 119 billion humans.  In percentages, that is .00000000504201681.  That's roughly the odds of my becoming the President of the United States.

I am finally able to say to you, contrary to your personal beliefs, that you are, indeed, most special and unique.  You carry with you, now, not only the desire to live but by doing so, adding to human knowledge about medicine, a field you dearly love. I know you have looked upon yourself, with all the cuts, stitches, and scars, amongst those you have already suffered, in disdain and a sort of embarrassment. I know you don't think much of your appearance in comparison to others. Yet, loves, you have been chosen and blessed, through your dedication and strength, by the Cleveland Clinic to become yet another step forward in human understanding of our earthly bodies. Wherever you have been in the Cleveland Clinic, you have brought so many into your friendship and they enjoy yours.

Now we journey forward again and hopefully you will be able to enjoy life more fully.  We both look through the looking glass, darkly.  But the truth now stands, that you shall forever be a teacher from this point forward with many still caring and watching along the way. In your own unique way, you are contributing to the field of medicine and human knowledge.

In short, Wow.

-Lou

Reflecting on 39 Years with Naim Audio - August 2024

While driving to Cleveland to see my wife, who now has been in the Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for over 2 months with no end in sight, I had to think about the August blog.  I have been very busy with my wife's situation, insurance companies, and the farm.  Thus, I have not written anything in a couple of months.  But today, I was driving for 11 hours and could think about something I needed to write. 

There is never an easy way to say goodbye to someone you have known and served for so many years.  For us, Naim Audio represented our oldest line.  39 years is a long, long time.  A lot of time, money and knowledge went into serving Naim Audio.

But, over time, all of us change as do companies.  In the case of Naim Audio, Julian Vereker's death was tragic.  A brilliant person and dedicated music lover was lost.  What happened after that was a bit of wandering which, while we didn't fully agree with it (the addition of RCA inputs and outputs on Naim gear) we certainly understood why. 

As things move through time, Naim Audio merged with Focal in 2011 and things began to change a bit under the ownership of Naxicap Partners, and investment group.  Another investment group, Vervent Audio Group acquired the majority stake from Naxicap in 2019.  These investment groups look for returns and are not likely to have any particular love for what they own as long as it produces.  I suspect all of us have seen this happen to companies, hospitals, you name it.  What is usually lost is the original founding spirit much like Walmart has nothing in common with Sam Walton.  It becomes "something else."

It is that "something else" that I don't recognize.  After going 9 months without any access to the portal to order product (this and another line) and ending up refunding about 75,000 in sales this year, it became obvious that we were no longer wanted and we tried to resolve this many, many times.  But who Naim Audio is also changed and in ways that, if I were looking for a product line today, I would avoid.  

Sadly, after substantial difficulties with their service department, sometimes taking up to 4 months to get customer units back, we are also ending all support of Naim Audio products.  We have already taken enough grief from customers about their units and I fully understand that.  So, rather than getting caught between a rock and a hard spot with no cooperation, we simply are going to bring it to an end immediately.  Ironically, as our oldest line it also has become the first that I will no longer service. I didn't choose this nor do I want to lose your gear.  It's that simple. For older product, we recommend a fine Naim Audio servicer in Chicago.  For current things, well, you will need to contact them in Canada.  We are done. 

So, if you want, journey over to our YouTube channel where I talk about our history with Naim from the past to the present.  In the end, it is what it is.

Lou

Shall We Try Again? - May 2024

It was my hope and belief that May's blog would be back onto the topics of audio or video but, unfortunately, this is not the case.  Life can be like that.

After weeks of deteriorating medical numbers, Deb ended up the Emergency Room of Norfolk General Hospital operated by Sentara.  They are the backup to the Cleveland Clinic and made the call for her to come in and we are so very grateful that they did.  They immediately determined that Deb was in serious heart failure and that the best thing to do was to get her to Cleveland as they know her history the best.  They provided excellent care while we waited for a bed in Cleveland.  Ground transportation was out of the question.

This required Deb and I to guarantee the payment of the emergency flight to Cleveland and the associated ambulances in the event Medicare (as is required under Virginia Disability Program) does not pay.  It required pre-authorization which was not an option Friday night - Saturday morning.  We have taken the leap of faith that they will as the potential bill is $20,000.  Being given that choice on Saturday night at 10 PM when the flight was to be at 9 AM Sunday morning was torture.  There was a delay as we were stunned.

The Cleveland Clinic team has turned Debbie upside down and inside out with all the battery of tests they have to find a way to treat her condition.  While they have managed to control certain aspects of the failure (they alone could have resulted in death) they could not find them all.  They turned to Canada where a new experimental system is being used to assist in diagnostics.

Unfortunately, this Sunday morning the results came back, and like all the other tests, negative.  This means there are no further treatment options known to man at this time. 

Cleveland Clinic has proposed a second heart transplant and, with Deb's permission, they have begun that process.  A second transplant is rare and, in the scheme of things, not an absolute priorty when compared to those seeking a first.  There is no guarantee that it will happen at all.

I am writing about this today as her transplanted heart has already been a 3 year battle of ups and downs.  All the while, like so many others, the owner has been trying to operate their small business in an environment of mail order and other less favorable competitive factors.  My wife has been an incredible trooper through all of this and has been learning how to counsel families going through difficult and long-term illnesses. She wants to help others now that she can no longer work in the medical field.  (She was both an EMT and later a phlebotomist.)

We in small businesses are human and have our share of events like yourself.  Your patronage is exactly at the core of supporting small businesses as we try to care for you and our employees notwithstanding our personal struggles. It's not a click of a button, stuff put on a conveyor belt by robots (and that... is coming my friends) and dumped on your porch in whatever weather in the prying eyes of pirates.

So, as I wrote in December's blog, Living on the Edge of Science, the question now stands "Shall we Try Again?"  The ultimate decision to try, with no guarantees, now rests in the heart and hands of my wife, Debbie.  The costs will be substantial. 

I would certainly appreciate whatever support you can provide to us.  My staff would also as we are, once again, possibly in for a ride.  Make it possible.  Back onto the Edge of Science.

-Lou