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I visited Paul this afternoon. His cousin was already there. I noticed a distinct improvement in Paul: he spoke fluently when he did not have to marshal his thoughts but got tongue-tied when he had too much to say or tried to speak too quickly. At one point he moved his right arm, which previously was 'paralysed'. However, he had a saline drip in his right hand. This, it seems is new(ish?). His cousin said the improvement in Paul was even more marked a few days earlier when Paul sat fully dressed in the armchair at his bedside. He has also been walking without the support of a frame (zimmer) but apparently has fallen more than once when doing this. He's very anxious to get home, so I hope he's not pushing himself too hard. - We don't know why he had the saline drip inserted.
In a nutshell, the big man - and he's still big - is progressing, and he takes a great interest in all things chess-related. He was chuffed to learn that two of his Juniors had cuffed me at the Glasgow Congress.
Do visit him if you can.
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I was up visiting Paul tonight and he is making very good progress. He is able to walk about a bit with the aid of a stick, not 100% steady but no too bad. His right arm is a wee bit more mobile and he has good strength in the upper part of his arm. His speech has come on a ton. A lot of it is still pretty garbled but if he takes his time he can string sentences together fairly well. Please try and visit him as he would love to see you,
Robin.
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I was visiting the big man last night and was very pleased with his progress. He was chatting away and the bulk of what he was saying was clear and only once or twice his speech became garbled. His improvement in recent weeks has been phenomenal. As Robin mentioned previously his right arm has a bit more movement and he can walk about a bit.
He is tuned into Euro 2012 and fancies Germany to win it. (I think there are a few of us who do!)
He also mentioned that there was a chance he could be out in four weeks and was talking about chess, looking at games and even had a position on his mini board. He is very much switched on and looking forward to getting back into the game.
It would be great if more people could visit him. He was mentioning how boring the day can be if he doesn't have visitors coming in.
Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional!
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Today I visited Paul with young David Gillespie. His improvement is quite remarkable! He is walking about fine with a stick, has started to regain some real control of his right lower arm and hand, but his speech is the best of all. He is stringing things together really well, still a bit garbled in places but a massive step forward. The last time David saw him , Paul couldn't move much at all, with yes and no being the limit of speech. He has also lost eight stone! The best news of all is that he is hoping to be out in about three weeks once the social department have readied a ground floor flat they are preparing for him in Glasgow. Thanks to everyone who has visited him so far, Paul really appreciates it and he would love anyone at all to drop in for a blether,
Robin.
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I am bringing Paul to the Scottish Championships tomorrow (Thursday). This will be his first day out of hospital since his stroke and as I am sure you will understand he is really looking forward to it,
Robin
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I spoke with Paul yesterday, his progress is remarkable. He is planning to play in the Marymas and intends returning to league chess. His stamina may be low but his spirit is high. His droll sense of humour is intact and we had a good laugh. I showed him my prepared analysis in a QGA and he then proceeded to demolish (albeit slowly) my feeble attempts at a QGA
How Far!
