Benny's World

Friday, October 20, 2006

Hug and a Prayer for Jackie R

My fellow OAC blogger, Jackie R, is in the hospital. She is the most ardent and loyal JRE supporter who attends nearly every OAC related event. (photo recrop credit: OneVoice, but original photo is by Jackie R)

Here's the skinny as we know it about Jackie, as told by Nan on the OAC blog:

After Jackie left Elizabeth's [Edwards]book signing in Des Moines yesterday, October 18, she fell on the library stairs, fracturing her knee and her wrist. Jackie was taken by ambulance to the Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines where she will undergo surgery on her wrist next Tuesday. At this point, she, her family and physicians are discussing whether or not she will have surgery on her fractured knee.

Whatever the outcome of that decision, Jackie faces a long and protracted recovery period. As of this evening, her son Mike was at her home caring for Hotshot, her little dog who is her best buddy. In addition, Jackie has been providing after school care for her grandson, which she will be unable to do for an indefinte period of time until she is recovered enough to entertain a grade school boy.

One of Elizabeth's assistants had called Jackie a couple of days before to invite Jackie to help out with the event. I guess she wasn't given an exact time when to get there and her spot to hand out Elizabeth a book to sign was taken about other OAC volunteers, so perhaps she handed out literature of sorts. Not certain what happened there, but I do know he and the others who stayed with Elizabeth until nearly 6 that evening didn't know anything about Jackie's misfortune until Nan posted on the OAC blog. In a separate communication with me as I made an inquiry, he was kind enough to ask where Jackie was hospitalized.

In any event, it's been personally difficult for me because Jackie "adopted" me over 2 years ago, and most days I get e-mail from her. When I didn't hear from her on Wednesday night, I had a hunch something was wrong. The next day, I e-mailed Mardee to see if she had heard from her, and Mardee told me she had called her house at 7:30 Thur morning. No answer. Tried again a few times, left messages. No response. Finally, Mardee heard from Jackie's son, and the rest is posted by Nan.

Elizabeth is right when talking about online communities. They can be a source of strength in times of need. I am missing Jackie as I am so accustomed to hearing from her daily, always ending her messages with "hugs". To a certain extent, the Web community keeps my spirits buoyed a bit, knowing so many care for Jackie both at OAC and JREG.

Glad that JRE08 at the OAC blog, despite her feelings towards Jackie (she often attacked Jackie and others last year and earlier this year), was good enough to include Jackie in her diary plog of JRE and Elizabeth. But to clarify for JRE08, who said someone complained about no pics of Jackie at Elizabeth's signing, it was more that no one in a previous diary about the signing event mentioned they saw Jackie; it was not about pictures. Thus,
I find it interesting that other than JRE08 and Linda in Iowa, "Get well, Jackie" or "I'm sorry" for another fellow Iowan who is big time supporter.

The flower to the right, courtesy of e-reference, is Prairie Rose, State Flower of Iowa. Very much like Jackie, lovely and non-assuming.

Jackie deserves much respect. She's the salt of Dem Iowans. She is in my prayers.

Get well, girlfriend. Hugs.












Tags: Jackie R, Elizabeth Edwards, One America Committee, JREGrassroots, Benny's World

posted by benny06 at Friday, October 20, 2006

2 Comments:

  • Thanks for the comment. However, that is not exactly the way Jackie remembered it, and even though she is in the hospital, she has a pretty good recollection that is different from your account.

    As this is my blog, I chose to make the comment here and not on OAC as I can state my disappointment here without being edited. I stand by my comments because I have witnessed on OAC as the personal attacks you and others have made against her and against those who associate with her as friends or fellow supporters, such as myself. I do think you regret to see what happened to her, now that you know.

    My understanding, and I have no reason to disbelieve it based on the comments I've seen on OAC, is the head volunteer was icy in attitude and was unhelpful in giving Jackie some directions in assisting in the event in which she was also personally invited by OAC to help with is another matter. It was not her fault that she was given a different time to show up in advance. She was told by George that your group would fill her in on the details, in which she got almost none, and she did what she could under the circumstances.

    However, the point of this post is that instead of all of us bickering, all Iowans should pull together for the good of OAC and not for self-aggrandizement or to obtain extra attention to yourselves. That is not the One America vision; it's about "we" and not me, but instead it's constant drum beat of "I did, I did, I did" and "wow, aren't I great, I got to hang out the famous such and such politician", instead of reporting anything of substance. On personal blogs, you can say all you want, but on the collective OAC, I expect it be more about the Edwards and what they are doing, not just what you are doing. So if you want to do the "I did" post, create your own blog.

    Meantime, I would suggest you try to be inclusive in at least mentioning that Jackie was there as a volunteer as well, for the good of all, in the future. You all made it a very uncomfortable experience for her, and it's worse now that she is in the hospital for a lengthy time, with no access to the Internet and to continue blogging with us.

    But to end on a more hopeful note, the best you can do is to pray for Jackie's recovery after a horrific fall. I'm certain the Edwards are praying her recovery.

    By Blogger benny06, at 11:53 AM  

  • Actually, Jackie said that Barb was OK to her. But I can see if Jackie was disappointed that George didn't have anything specific in mind when she saw him. Elizabeth assistant had suggested a different duty, but ultimately, it was George who was supposed to coordinate. Jackie didn't have the understanding that it would someone else in your group.

    No one, including me, or Jackie, whom I have spoken with on the phone, does not correlate the uncomfortable atmosphere of the signing event to her accident. I'm glad you said it here and not on OAC. That would be clipped automatically by the good mods. While I could clip it, I'm letting stand here so that BW readers can see it.

    I'll put you on my prayer list too, just as I do many Republicans I disagree with or have made some spin with that kind of commentary.

    By Blogger benny06, at 12:27 PM  

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