[Fot] Message from Sir Stirling (fwd)

[Robert M. Lang]

hey.

Supposedly from Sir Stirling himself...

BTW, neat web site (motorsportcollector.com) with kool stuff. NFI, of course.

rml

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:20:31 -0500 (EST)
From: The Motorsport Collector <pz at motorsportcollector.com>
To: blang at mit.edu
Subject: Message from Sir Stirling


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 9, 2010 Update:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Robert,

As most of you know, 80 year old Sir Stirling Moss
stepped into an empty elevator shaft in his London home
over the weekend, falling 3 stories,  suffering broken
bones in his feet and ankles and damaged vertebra.

The good news is that Stirling's injuries are not life
threatening and that his heart and mind (as well as his
typing fingers) are as strong as ever.

Stirling sent this email message to his many friends and
fans around the world:



========================

TO ALL MY FRIENDS (AND ALL THOSE WHO ARE
KIND ENOUGH TO CARE),


DEAR ALL OF YOU,



THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN QUITE
FANTASTIC AND I'D LIKE TO THANK EACH AND
EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR KIND THOUGHTS,
MESSAGES AND OTHER PARAPHERNALIA.



ON SATURDAY EVENING, I WAS AT HOME WITH
SUSIE, ELLIOT AND HELEN AND ABOUT TO LEAVE
FOR A CURRY, FOR WHICH WE WERE RUNNING
LATE. I ASKED HELEN TO JOIN ME IN THE LIFT TO
GO DOWNSTAIRS, BECAUSE SUSIE AND ELLIOT
WERE SMART ENOUGH NOT TO RIDE IN MY LIFT. I
OPENED THE DOOR AND STEPPED INTO THE LIFT,
WITH HELEN READY TO FOLLOW ME, WHICH SHE
NEVER DID. THAT IS BECAUSE THE LIFT HAD
STOPPED ON THE FLOOR ABOVE AND
INCORRECTLY ALLOWED THE DOOR BENEATH IT
TO OPEN.



STILL CHATTING TO HELEN, I STEPPED INTO THE
OPEN DOORWAY--  AND FELL TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE LIFT SHAFT.



THE AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AND ARRIVED AT
RACING SPEED, WHEREUPON THEY PUT ME
ONTO A SERIES OF ABOUT 10 STRETCHERS!
HAVING FINALLY SETTLED ON WHAT MUST HAVE
SEEMED A GOOD ONE, I WAS TAKEN, ALONG WITH
MY FAMILY TO THE ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL IN
WHITECHAPEL, WHERE THEY USED ANOTHER
BATCH OF SIMILAR STRETCHERS!



THEY DID A GOOD JOB OF HELPING ME, BUT
WERE UNABLE TO DO THE REQUISITE SURGERY.
SO, ON THE SUNDAY, I WAS MOVED TO THE
PRINCESS GRACE, WHERE A FANTASTICALLY
EFFICIENT, KIND AND AMUSING STAFF DID ALL
THE JOBS.



I AM NOW IN A LOVELY ROOM, NUMBER 222, AND
WITH THE HELP OF ELLIOT AND THE PORTER, AM
FINALLY ON THE EMAIL. THAT DOES NOT MEAN
THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY SEND THIS TO
YOU, BUT I WILL TRY!



NOW FOR THE FUTURE... WHICH I CAN SEE WITH
SUSIE, HELEN AND ELLIOT AROUND ME, IS GOING
TO BE A BLOODY STRUGGLE!



AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW, SUSIE AND I ARE
BOOKED ON A SEABOURN CRUISE FOR OUR 30TH
ANNIVERSARY, NEXT MONTH. I HAVE TO CROSS
THE HURDLE OF GETTING THE DOCORS, AND
FAMLY HANGERS-ON, TO ALLOW ME TO THIN MY
BLOOD, IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY ISSUES
INVOLVING DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS.



IT WILL BE SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS FROM SUNDAY
BEFORE I WILL ABLE TO PUT ANY LOAD ON MY
FEET. THEREFORE I'M FACING MY SIXTH OR
SEVENTH REDUCTION TO A WHEELCHAIR (SUSIE
SAYS SHE'S STOPPED COUNTING) WHICH I MUST
ADMIT, IS RATHER BORING. THE GOOD NEWS IS;
THAT I DIDN'T SELL THE WHEELCHAIR AFTER THE
LAST SHUNT!



THE WHOLE THING IS A REAL PAIN IN THE ARSE,
IF I HAD LOOKED WHERE I WAS GOING, I
WOULDN'T BE HERE AT ALL, SO IT'S MY OWN
DAMN FAULT.



I HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMED BY
YOUR COLLECTIVE CONCERN AND KINDNESS.



I CAN TELL YOU THAT CURRENTLY I'M LYING IN
HOSPITAL, TAKING DEEP BREATHS, LIFTING ONE
ARM WITH THE OTHER, RAISING MY LEGS (WITH
PLASTERS ON THE END) AND DOING ALL I CAN
DO TO KEEP MYSELF AS MOBILE AS POSSIBLE,
BUT, HAVING SAID THAT, I'M NOT YET WINNING
THE BATTLE.



I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL BE ABLE TO GO HOME
BUT THE LIFT HAS TO WORK, OTHERWISE I'LL
NEVER BE ABLE TO GET UPSTAIRS IN MY
WHEELCHAIR, MAYBE I'LL GO AND STAY WITH
HELEN AND ELLIOT FOR A WHILE...



THIS REALLY HAS OPENED MY EYES TO HOW
KIND ALL MY FRIENDS ARE, OVER AN OLD EX-
RACING DRIVER, FLOGGING A FADING IMAGE!



I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON,



MANY THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS,



CIAO