[JRB]

I don't know how many of you recall a cat named dburatti posting here some. Dewayne is a true steward of the land here in Central TX. He is a very cool cat that fell on hard times and now things are really falling on him. This is a long ass thread, but would hope you might read it and send well wishes D's way. We can only hope for a miracle to make him 100%, but that shouldn't stop us. I'm hoping with some help from you folks we can get there. Just thought this was worth repeating here. Please keep Dewayne and the Buratti's in your hopes and prayers.

Thread about Dewayne's illness - not sciatic nerve disease as the thread starts out.

 

[laura]

that is terrible. staph is a scary scary thing. are they getting any kind of fund raiser together for him.

 

[Wumpus]

are they getting any kind of fund raiser together for him.

They have one going for tomorrow.

 

[Echo]

Man that's scary... hope he can recover

 

[biggins]

damn man, thats wild we were just talking about staph at the dirt jumps on saturday a local guy had it real bad via a cut he got on his knee racing downhill. hope homeboy recovers

 

[Skookum]

here's to wishing Dburatti well in fighting the good fight so he will be back healthy and strong from this tough adversity.

 

[dh girlie]

Oh jeez...that's just horrible. Poor guy...

 

[The Toninator]

D'oh, i guess i need to check in more often. thanks

 

[MudGrrl]

I searched for contact info to send some financial assistance, but couldn't find anything, I guess I am going to have to register at bike mojo...or whatever it is so I can PM one of the friends of DeWayne's.....

(bump)

 

[JRB]

I searched for contact info to send some financial assistance, but couldn't find anything, I guess I am going to have to register at bike mojo...or whatever it is so I can PM one of the friends of DeWayne's.....

(bump)

I will pm you D's parents address.

 

[Wumpus]

I searched for contact info to send some financial assistance, but couldn't find anything, I guess I am going to have to register at bike mojo...or whatever it is so I can PM one of the friends of DeWayne's.....

(bump)

Try here.

 

[JRB]

Think about D.

 

[JRB]

The latest news on Dewayne can be found here.

 

[JRB]

Here's today's news from James, Dewayne's brother.

 

[laura]

thanks for the updates lg. please keep us posted.

 

[Austin Bike]

I spoke to D yesterday but couldn't stop by because timing wasn't going to work out.

He was pretty lucid and in good spirits despite everything he is up against.

I would definitely recommend sending something by way of his parents, he's done more for this sport than anyone else I know.

 

[JRB]

Looks like D has gone to stay with his sister for a bit.

 

[JRB]

I had my first ride with Dewayne today, since he was sick. He is back in good form, making cheese cakes and tearing the trail up. D's had some rocky times, but has come through well.

 

[Echo]

Good to hear

 

[Polandspring88]

damn man, thats wild we were just talking about staph at the dirt jumps on saturday a local guy had it real bad via a cut he got on his knee racing downhill. hope homeboy recovers

My experience with staph was not that bad. I contracted it this past winter while in school. Saw the school nurse and she thought nothing of it, but took a swab just in case and sent it off to a lab. Test came back and she had me come in immediately and put me on antibiotics. Twice a day for 9 days. After that it went away, but I still have a dark spot where it first appeared.

 

[laura]

its good to hear that he's back to normal (almost) thanks for the update.

 

[Skookum]

Great to hear he's back in the saddle again.

 

[hooples3]

great to hear that he is doing well

 

[robdamanii]

Holy crap, amazing that something so small can do so much harm.

 

[dburatti]

Wow. I had no idea this thread existed until today.

Many thanks to everyone's thoughts, prayers, support, etc. I can't believe it was almost three years ago when this happened. I kind of vaguely remember the whole experience.

I think I got the infection, staphylococcus aureus septicemia, while doing volunteer work on a local trail. I wore sandals to the trail head that day and changed to boots but had forgotten my socks. I wore a blister in my heal and probably acquired the bacteria while armoring a muddy creek crossing....or maybe just from my skin. Anyway, about three days later, I awoke at 3 AM with a severe pain in my back near my sciatic nerve. Long story shorter, it went undiagnosed in my blood stream for a week even after a spinal tap, an MRI, blood and urine samples, etc.

I was in the hospital for two weeks with an IV hooked up. After I got out, I had a Groshong catheter in my chest for six weeks pushing more anti-biotics straight into my heart. The bacteria had attacked a hip (hence the original pain,) a shoulder, my heart, and my right eye.

The day before it was properly diagnosed, the vision in my right eye was diminishing like a curtain being pulled over my eye. Because of all the refuse from the bacteria, the doctors could not tell what was wrong with my eye. Two months later, the speculated that my retina had been detached by the bacteria and went in to reattach it. When they got in, 85 to 90% of my retina was gone, destroyed by the bacteria. No retina = no vision. Eventually, I had to have surgery on my eye. I elected a procedure that cut my iris out then sucked the contents of my eye out while leaving the sclera intact. They then inserted a 17mm bio-integrat-able sphere and sewed the sclera shut. Scar tissue formed over a month while it healed, and then a mold of the eye was taken. Using that, a prosthetic was built and then hand painted to (almost) match my good eye.

As JRB posted, I'm back on the bike and building trail. I'm at Tamarack right now building DH trails until September or so and learning to ride DH, too.

Thanks again for everyone's support.

D

 

[Serial Midget]

The Monkey is full of good people.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Jesus. Glad you're still kicking!

 

[dburatti]

Jesus. Glad you're still kicking!

Thanks. It definitely feels good to be alive.

The Monkey is full of good people.

Yes, it is. The mountain bike community in general is a very caring one.

Dewayne

 

[Austin Bike]

Let's just say that "one eyed D" can whip just about anyone's ass on the trails.

If I had a dollar for every time he cleaned something that I couldn't make, I could buy a killer new bike. And he'd still beat my ass on the trails.

Get back to austin sir, the GB is calling. Had a great ride today.

 

[loco-gringo]

<snip>
Get back to austin sir, the GB is calling. Had a great ride today.

It might need to call next Sunday too.

 

[dburatti]

Let's just say that "one eyed D" can whip just about anyone's ass on the trails.

If I had a dollar for every time he cleaned something that I couldn't make, I could buy a killer new bike. And he'd still beat my ass on the trails.

Get back to austin sir, the GB is calling. Had a great ride today.

Damn, John! I'm not THAT good! Thanks for the props, though. I just like to ride technical trail. There are many, many better riders than me...think of a certain bike shop in town that sells their own brand.....

Anyway, I hope to be back to visit in August some time.

D

 

[Skookum]

Cool man, awesome stuff to hear.

i have a question about your depth perception. Riding with one eye now how much does it effect your riding, and is there much adjustments you make?

i'm curious, there is a well-respected local guy, i and others have ridden with on another forum that had a real bad accident on a ride and he recently lost his eye. Maybe your story can help him out a bit....

 

[Westy]

Cool man, awesome stuff to hear.

i have a question about your depth perception. Riding with one eye now how much does it effect your riding, and is there much adjustments you make?

i'm curious, there is a well-respected local guy, i and others have ridden with on another forum that had a real bad accident on a ride and he recently lost his eye. Maybe your story can help him out a bit....

A friend of mine has good eyesight in both eyes but a head injury caused him to lose motor control over one of his eyes. When he is moving the one eye wanders and causes double vision. He usually ends up riding with that eye closed, even when it is open he has no depth perception. He can ride better than 99% of people. At first he could only ride trails he was familiar with but after a year or two living with the condition he can ride new trails with no problem.

 

[OGRipper]

Wow, I was about to sign off and caught this thread. D, don't know you but I'm glad you made it through pretty much ok and that your experience is not keeping you safe at home...

I lost the vision in my left eye when I was about three, so pretty much all of my riding has been of the cyclops variety. :biggrin:

Since it happened when I was very young I have never had to make the adjustment. I've heard depth perception is a pretty cool thing but I've never tried it.

I find it's actually something of an advantage for night riding. My friends complain that they loose depth perception at night but that's not a problem for me.

In general I suppose I turn my head more and stuff, and I have never been comfortable with head phones - I probably rely on my hearing more than others.

Probably the worst thing is when my "friends" intentionally blind side me, on or off the bike. Also, I've never understood the appeal of 3D movies - they just look red and blurry to me, even when I wear those wacky glasses.

Seriously, all I have ever done is what most of us here do: I just ride. And if you're like me, the time I spend on my bike is probably when I think the LEAST about my vision, or anything else. Just ride, you know?

 

[dburatti]

Cool man, awesome stuff to hear.

i have a question about your depth perception. Riding with one eye now how much does it effect your riding, and is there much adjustments you make?

i'm curious, there is a well-respected local guy, i and others have ridden with on another forum that had a real bad accident on a ride and he recently lost his eye. Maybe your story can help him out a bit....

I'm still adjusting, even after almost three years. I find myself overcompensating for more technical riding, particularly when in the shadows. I tend to push my weight back further and slow down a bit more than I want. I figure that one day I'll be back to "normal" riding.

Seriously, all I have ever done is what most of us here do: I just ride. And if you're like me, the time I spend on my bike is probably when I think the LEAST about my vision, or anything else. Just ride, you know?

Yep, I just ride. The eye is a considertion....a factor, but I don't let it dominate or hold me back much.

Thanks for all the cool posts and support.

D

 

[OGRipper]

Yep, I just ride. The eye is a considertion....a factor, but I don't let it dominate or hold me back much.

Yeah, what else are you gonna do, stay home? Not a very attractive option. I may be half-blind - actually more than that 'cuz the one eye that works is pretty bad - but hey it's better than being totally blind. Plus I am otherwise able-bodied and thus I have it a lot better than many other people. I'll take it and count my blessings.

 

[dburatti]

Revisiting this post 17 years later....

It's been almost 20 years since I lost my eye, and I've ridden more years with one eye than with two by now. The two areas I notice a difference are riding in mottled lighting, particularly when it's rocky and riding next to someone where I tend to ride on the right so people stay on my left where I can see them. Other than that, I still ride hard and love technical trails.