Psience Quest Interview No. 4: Rudolf Smit and Titus Rivas

Thank you all for the considerate comments.

Here's an update by Miny Potze, Rudolf's wife:

Rudolf is still at the ICU. Today (Saturday) he had his first meal after the heart attack. He's receiving a treatment for the repair of damaged heart cells, which can last upto five days. After that, he'll get open heart surgery. 

We're still not there yet, but there is no reason to despair.

Thank you so much for the update, Please tell him we all are rooting for him. Keep us posted, please.

Is it known what may have lead to his unfortunate heart attack, Titus?

No, although the extremely hot weather (for Dutch standards) must have played a role in it. It can't be the whole story though.

Thank you so much for the update, Please tell him we all are rooting for him. Keep us posted, please.

Thank you. I wlll, Enrique.

What's the latest on our buddy Rudolf?

The latest news is that Rudolf/Smithy received open heart surgery yesterday. 

I'm still waiting for news about the outcome.

I received news from his wife Miny earlier today. Things aren't looking very good, I'm afraid.

The open heart surgery was succesful, but afterwards, he ended up at the ICU again, because his heart was not working well.
Miny told me they had said he had "bad veins". 
They put him to sleep and it seems they really fear for his life 

Let's all hope he will still recover anyway.

[Ninshub]

Thanks for the news, Titus. I'm sure we're all sending positive thoughts to him.

Hello everybody, 

I received a new message from Miny. This time it is actually positive  : Here it is: 

"Since yesterday [Tuesday], Rudolf's condition is improving. They switched off the pulmonary pump and mechanical ventilation. This means he's able to speak again. He is perfectly lucid and interested in the world outside. The motor skills concerning the muscles of his mouth aren't completely restoreed yet, but they are better than they were yesterday. He is a bit short of breath and this won't go away for the time being. They may take him from the ICU to medium care tomorrow (Thursday).

They've also started to give him physiotherapy, the first exercise was about sitting on the edge of his bed. This was still a bit hard. 
It's going to take a lot of time, but progress is more important now. He's greeting all of you."

I'm quite elated by this news. 

Hello everybody, 

I received a new message from Miny. This time it is actually positive : Here it is: 

"Since yesterday [Tuesday], Rudolf's condition is improving. They switched off the pulmonary pump and mechanical ventilation. This means he's able to speak again. He is perfectly lucid and interested in the world outside. The motor skills concerning the muscles of his mouth aren't completely restoreed yet, but they are better than they were yesterday. He is a bit short of breath and this won't go away for the time being. They may take him from the ICU to medium care tomorrow (Thursday).

They've also started to give him physiotherapy, the first exercise was about sitting on the edge of his bed. This was still a bit hard. 
It's going to take a lot of time, but progress is more important now. He's greeting all of you."

I'm quite elated by this news. 

Thanks for brightening up my day!!! Tell him we're cheering for him, he's our official champ!!!

Dear friends, 

After my latest update on Rudolf's well-being, we talked on the phone twice. 

Both phone calls were short, because he gets tired very quickly. 

During the first phone call he asked me to express his gratitude to all of you. He sounded really moved while telling me this 
Apart from this, the most noteworthy thing was that he turned out to be completely lucid (unimpaired cognitively).
He also said that he'd had no NDE. The only light he had seen were the lights at the ICU, which he had seen normally, with his physical eyes... ;-)

During the second phone call, yesterday evening, he told me he'd be transferred to the Zonnehuis in Zwolle, a rehabilitation center for the elderly, 
It is expected that he'll have to stay there for a period of three weeks before he returns home. 

More than anything, he needs to take a lot of rest in order to recover as well as possible. 

Warm regards, also on Rudolf's behalf,

Titus