This is reposted from a mass mailer from his wife, Gaelle.

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Wednesday 13th July 2004

Aaaaaah - I haven't laughed so much in months .... Ari
has not stopped
talking since he started on the 4th July. No need to
teach him how to talk
again, he hasn't forgotten his vocabulary ! Including
Afrikaans, and a
dabble of French. And his sense of humour has not left
him, he teases his
nurses and has us bent over double. He still has
trouble pronouncing
properly, but that doesn't stop him from rambling on
and on, luckily he is
patient and does not mind repeating !

Stangely enough, he has been convinced that this is
1995 and that he is 21,
hence he does not believe me when I tell him that the
Boks won the Rugby
World Cup here that year...

Stranger still, he has absolutely no memory of African
Angling Safaris, and
finds it fascinating to see himself on TV all the
time, when I run the
episodes for him. He promises to take me fishing soon
though, as soon as he
can walk. I told him about LAzarus Banks, and he said
I must take him there.

Ari's short-term memory is very short indeed, and we
have to explain to him
why his body doesn't work very well every time he
wakes up, or he asks if
his legs are broken ? or if he is paralysed ? He does
recognise everyone he
sees, and even knows most of his fish species, and all
his fishing tackle
suppliers !

I've started him on his laptop, and because his
fingers are a little stuck
and not very strong, he keeps complaining that the
stupid computer won't do
what he wants it to - get me another one that works !
He also can't wait to
go out to a movie and party with his mates, last night
he was climbing out
of his bed so that I would take him, no argument
possible !

These last 9 days have been so very interesting, we
are now at last finding
out what is going on inside Ari's brain, and he has
become very pro-active
in his recovery - so much so, that progress is being
made daily - and we
may just be able to take him to the Okavango in time
for the huge predicted
Barbel Run this year ! (I hope).

Many Many Thank Yous for all the supportive letters
we've received from all
you fishing friends out there ! I now realise he
doesn't remember that I've
read them to him, and he probably wonders what you're
all talking about,
but that doesn't matter, it's the spirit that counts
!!!

To Ari, and to all !

Gaëlle Bert