Jan
29
Brent Thomson recovering from surgery – still needs help
Filed Under Industry News, Interbike, OutDoor Demo | Comments Off
Here’s the latest update on Brent Thomson’s condition as he recovers from quadruple bypass surgery following his heart attack earlier this month. I’m posting verbatim from an email from friend Steve Boehmke:
Las Vegas, NV – January 28, 2009 – - As many of you know, Brent Thomson, Trail Master of Bootleg Canyon suffered a heart attack a few weeks ago, and underwent Quad Bypass surgery last week. While now recovering at the hospital, Brent is coming back into his old self, despite suffering a stroke after surgery.
“I went and visited him last Sunday at the hospital,” states Steve Boehmke, author of this e-mail… “He had tubes down his throat to help him breath and eat, was all morphined out, couldn’t speak and had limited movement on his left side. Despite that, he still showed classic “Brent-ness” by his reaction when asked questions, and his attempt to French-Kiss my girlfriend Courtney when she said hi!”
On Monday, doctors removed the tubes, and Brent is quickly becoming his old self. Now able to speak and move both sides of his body, he is anxious to get going on physical therapy.Ever the enthusiast, Brent is ready to get back to work, though he knows it may take some time. “I’ve got trails to build!” said Thomson. “I want to thank everyone who sent their good wishes and support through this time,” continues Brent, “I’ve got a lot of work to do before I’ll be 100%, but I’m already getting a lot of creative ideas on how to motivate my body. I can’t wait to see all of my friends from the bike industry and get back to doing good work again.”\
PayPal – Click Here to Donate, thanks…
Please Continue to Support Brent Through PayPal Donations
Hopefully Brent will be able to get home within the next week, but for now, send get well wishes to:
St. Rose Dominican Hospital
San Martin ER c/o Brent Thomson
8280 West Warm Springs Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89113
call Brent at 702.204.7810.
Thank you sincerely.
Read a few more updates from his sister in the comments of my last post aboiut Brent here.
Jan
16
Make your own bike lane as you ride?
Filed Under Cycling, Photos | 2 Comments
How about this for a novel approach to bike lights and visibility? Bring your own bike lane with you wherever you go.
Now aren’t freakin’ lasers the solution to all of society’s ills?
The idea – called the LightLane – (just a concept at this point as far as I can tell) comes from two designers that work for a design firm called Altitude, Inc. Read their original post about the light here.
From the posts by pro- and anti-bikes-on-the-road people on another blog, this would be either a revolutionary enhancement in cyclist safety or the final straw to encourage acts of rage against cyclists by motorists harboring some latent hatred of us.
Jan
15
Brent Thomson Update Post Surgery
Filed Under Industry News, Interbike, OutDoor Demo | 19 Comments
Just spoke to Steve Boehmke who’s keeping close tabs on Brent’s condition for an update following his quadruple bypass surgery yesterday. According to the doctors, they are “cautiously optimistic” about his recovery. He’s in a medically-induced coma at the moment to aid in his recovery from the major procedure he just underwent in response to the heart attack he suffered while riding last Saturday. That’s about all we know at the moment since the operation took place late yesterday. We’re hoping for the best here.
To keep up with the latest info, you can follow Steve’s updates on Twitter: twitter.com/chunkyflyrite
To send get well wishes to Brent:
St. Rose Dominican Hospital
San Martin ER c/o Brent Thomson
8280 West Warm Springs Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89113
Link to the site of Brent’s pride and joy: http://www.bootlegcanyon.org
And finally, be sure to make a donation if you can to Brent’s healthcare fund since his job at Bootleg did not provide him with health insurance. You can make a safe and secure donation via PayPal to barretstudio@gmail.com (his son Barret set this up). Visit PayPal.com and click on the “Send Money” link.
Jan
13
Bootleg Canyon’s Brent Thomson Suffers Heart Attack
Filed Under Industry News, Interbike, OutDoor Demo | 3 Comments
We are sad to hear that Brent Thomson is presently down after suffering a heart attack this last Saturday while riding one of the many excellent trails that he has carved out at Bootleg Canyon. Simply put, without Brent’s endless support for the past half a dozen years, Interbike would not have the world’s best annual product demo test lab that is attended by so many in the industry.
Brent is one of the strongest people we know. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to having his continued support, wit and charm at the 2009 Outdoor Demo.
Update:
We’ve learned that Brent’s job at Bootleg does not provide him with health insurance. As industry insider Steve Boehmke put it in an email yesterday:
“Brent’s hospital expenses are estimated to grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars, so any help that his friends in the bicycle industry can provide will be graciously appreciated. Click on the link below to donate securely with Debit, Credit, PayPal and Bank accounts. It is simple, quick and safe. Brent’s family and friends send you appreciation in advance.”
PayPal – please donate to barretstudio@gmail.com