Not Good News....Sorry to say?

I was very upset to learn about Mick from Cafe Royale as I have known him as a good friend and congenial host ever since he arrived in Thailand.

Like the original poster, I wish him a speedy recovery and a happy retirement which he has well earned. The next few days will be crucial for a full recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones.

Perhaps those of you "on the scene" will keep us updated with his progress and convey our good wishes to him whenever possible.

..... can you believe they said his illness was beyond their expertise and sent him to Bangkok Clinic.

Yes, I can believe it quite easily (and I am not,for once, being sarcastic).

Far more importantly, do you know where Mick is now? I have known him for 20 years and you could not find a nicer, more genuine guy in Pattaya (or, for that matter, anywhere else) - he is one of nature's gentlemen.

I will check with a friend tomorrow, but any news would be well received by Mick's many friends.

[krobbie]

I was introduced to Mick by Kevin Quill a couple of years ago and as has been said, Mick is a very genuine and gentle man and I liked him immediately as did my partner. We were at Oscars at the time as were many of the locals business managers that night.

I am very distressed to here of his ill health. If it is deemed okay I would like to ask mate mate in Bangkok to go and visit and see if he needs anything. If someone could PM me as to the bangkok hospital/ward/room number, or even if this is a reasonable idea at this time, I would be grateful.

krobbie

After some initial confusion, some of it understandable and some of it unforgivable, Mick's situation is clearer.

He was initially taken to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya where he was mis-diagnosed as having had either a stroke or a seizure. After one night in the ICU, with no change in his condition, he was fortunately transferred to Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok where he was diagnosed as having had a grade 3 - 4 cerebral aneurysm (a swelling of a blood vessel in the brain, causing a build-up of pressure on the brain), which was confirmed by a CT scan to identify the extent and location of the aneurysm (which I do not know, nor do I know the extent of any rupture, nor would it mean much to me if I did).

He is currently in the ICU at Bumrungrad (no visitors) and is due to be operated on late tomorrow afternoon to seal the blood vessel by endovascular coiling; if the operation is successful this avoids a craniotomy (opening the skull).

It is impossible at this stage even for the cerebrovascular team to make an accurate prognosis. I would respectfully suggest that, under the circumstances, those who know Mick and beleive in a God put in a word for him, while those who know him but do not simply hope for his recovery.


If you want to be "cosseted" then BHP would seem to be the place to go, as it would if you want to see one of the specialists on one of their regular visits. As for the rest, no comment is really necessary.

[krobbie]

Thanks for that GF tremendously informative as usual.

I will email the hospital and inquire.

Cheers
krobbie

Thanks for that GF tremendously informative as usual.

"As usual"??? Philately will get you nowhere!

The operation was scheduled for 5 pm, local time (no idea why - maybe they had to get the "team" together after they had finished work elsewhere!).

There is little to be gained by pressing for an early indication of the outcome, as these operations are seldom just a case of "glue it up" and then everything is either back to normal or not. Expect to wait a few days, at best, for things to stabilise and then quite a bit longer to see how things look like developing. If Bumrungrad are as good as I have heard, and as correct in their dealings with enquiries as they should be, they will only give you a limited amount of information.

Tim, from Panorama, deserves the credit not only for taking him to BHP but for insisting on having him transferred to Bumrungrad in Bangkok which probably saved his life (strangely reminiscent of John Botting's experience at BPH). Tim is staying with him, as is Mick's long time close Thai friend Khaan who came down from Pimai as soon as he heard.

I am not a "bar" person and I live outside Pattaya, so whatever details I have are second-hand at best but I will pass on any news when I have it. It would be wrong of me to give you any of Tim's contact details, but if you want to you could try contacting him by e-mail at the address given on his web-site ( http://panoramapub.com ).

I know many people have heard the news regarding Mick of Caf├й Royale. To clarify things the following will be appearing in the Weekly Report Newsletter from http://www.gayaffairspattaya.com which will be published on Thursday, June 12, 2009.

"We are pleased to report that Mick from Caf├й Royale underwent a surgical procedure on the evening of June 10, 2009 at a hospital in Bangkok (not Bumrungrad). The surgeon is happy with the procedure and we all wish Mick a speedy recovery."

Posted 00.05 BKK time

[Brad the Impala]

I know many people have heard the news regarding Mick of Caf├й Royale. To clarify things the following will be appearing in the Weekly Report Newsletter from http://www.gayaffairspattaya.com which will be published on Thursday, June 12, 2009.


Nothing like using every opportunity for a plug!

Thanks GF & GA. Sounds a bit more hopeful .

[quiet1]

Philately will get you nowhere!
Ain't that the truth. Stamp collecting these days is a dead-end pursuit.

(Sorry. Couldn't resist!)

As a result of a number of vocal comments passed at a party in one of Pattayaland's bars last night I intend this to be my last posting on this particular subject.

The comments (expletives deleted), and my responses, are:

It is wrong to post any details on the internet in case one of Mick's relatives who is unaware of the situation reads them.

Mick has never been properly identified by name by me or anyone else here (except by gay affairs, by posting his picture on his website).

Anyone who knows Mick well enough would know that the last thing his few remaining relatives would be doing would be reading a gay internet website.

Once mention was made of Mick's condition it is better to post correct information, or at least information that is genuinely believed to be correct and is corroborated by different sources, than to post nothing, leaving those abroad totally in the dark and those here reliant on bar room gossip.

Unless you know what you are talking about you should not make this sort of post.

Agreed 100%, as I have said before in other unconnected threads. I only posted, however, once incorrect information had been posted, and further information had been requested and no one better informed had provided any. I checked and cross-checked my information as far as reasonably possible, I made it very clear that the information was not first hand knowledge and I also made my level of knowledge on the condition itself very clear.

Anyone with more or better information was free to post it, to correct or to contradict me here, or to send me a PM - nobody did.

What I posted was rubbish and misleading.

With the exception of the hospital which Mick was transferred to everything I posted I now know to be correct and I stand by, having confirmed it personally with the hospital this afternoon. Prior to posting I was told by three different people, each of whom was in a position to know, that he had been transferred to Bumrungrad; I now know that he was transferred to the ICU at the Bangkok Hospital Medical Centre (part of the Bangkok Hospital group), and I regret any confusion this may have caused.

He was operated on from 6.15 pm to 9.15 pm last night and he is now in ICU 3. The operation was a success but he has yet to wake up and it is impossible to know what the prognosis is at this stage.

gayaffairs posted in order "to clarify things ". If he knew better than me and he knew what I was posting here then he had ample opportunity "to clarify things" here - he did not and he has not, and his post and the veil of secrecy over Mick's condition and location have, with all due respect, simply added totally unnecessarily to any confusion.

As I have been told by some of those attending last night's party some (and I emphasise some) of Mick's fellow bar owners/managers /clientele appear to think that only those in their "circle" (and in their bar) are entitled to be "in the know". This is one of the many reasons why I seldom frequent such gatherings and Pattayaland's bars, and one of the many reasons why I have always found Mick to be such a breath of fresh air.


krobbie, if you or anyone else cannot get the information you need here then feel free to send me a PM and I will do my best to help (within reason!).

If anyone wants to send Mick an e-mail greetings card they can do so on the hospital web site at http://www.bangkokhospital.com/App/GreetingCard.aspx

Sadly it has been posted on gaythailand.com that things have taken a turn for the worse.

Prayers being sent from here.

Tim, from Panorama, deserves the credit not only for taking him to BHP but for insisting on having him transferred to Bumrungrad in Bangkok which probably saved his life (strangely reminiscent of John Botting's experience at BPH).Are Pattaya hospitals no good?

The hospital Mic is in is NOT Bumrungrad but Bangkok Hospital (same group as Bangkok Hospital Pattaya)

Rec june 11 6:30 pm

Dear friends,

The situation remains very critical. The doctors have said that they do not
anticipate any more scans, procedures, or interventions today. They have
advised us that the prognosis for improvement or recovery is almost
non-existant. We can all only hope and pray for him.

More as we have any more information to tell you.

Tim & Tom

[mj_87-old]

I am not a regular in pattaya (vacations every couple of years) but I did meet and hang out with him a bit on my last trip to thailand (my buddy and I were there this past winter). He made the trip much more fun and I very much enjoyed his company. He is a very funny guy and good drinking companion. I am sorry to hear that he is in bad shape.

So much 'information' has flown around that I have no idea who has real information about the guy's health status and who is repeating something they heard from someone else and then passes it along as the truth.

Bottoms UP - Thanks for the original posting.

Has anyone actually talked to the guys doctors? or talked to a significant other who can pass on what the doctors have said about the guys condition? Or is all of this reporting about his health rumor and second hand reporting?

I am not being snarky - but if posters are going to report on someones health maybe they need to also state where they got the information. As in I talked to the doctors and they said.... Or I talked to the boyfriend who said that the doctors have said...

Or... I was drinking in a bar and had way too many drinks and I thought what I heard the other guy at the table who also had too many drinks say...

Or..I heard a bit of gossip and my take on it is .....

In my opinion this entire thread should be deleted.

I have known Mick very well for at least 10 years and I know that he would be appalled, distressed and embarrassed that his personal, private, medical details are being bandied about on this forum.

All this childish oneupmanship of who knew what and when is doing nothing to help the situation - especially when you idiots are getting it wrong.

Give the man a break.
Give him some peace.
Give him some privacy.

[giggsy]

In my opinion this entire thread should be deleted.

I have known Mick very well for at least 10 years and I know that he would be appalled, distressed and embarrassed that his personal, private, medical details are being bandied about on this forum.

All this childish oneupmanship of who knew what and when is doing nothing to help the situation - especially when you idiots are getting it wrong.

Give the man a break.
Give him some peace.
Give him some privacy.

looks like he is well enough to be reading this thread in hospital !

I had intended not to post on this topic further, for the reasons explained above, and I would encourage anyone genuinely interested in Mick's state of health rather than any "oneupmanship" to contact Tim or Tom - they have given their numbers to the hospital ICU and any information on Mick is only available through them. Any other comments or "contacts" or other information is strictly second or third hand at best (including my own) as no-one, is in a better position (in fact the only position) to know what the situation is and to pass on that information to those interested.

There is a slim chance that some might take Bottoms Up / Cockalicky / Earwig / LMTU etc, etc seriously, so although I would usually try to avoid dignifying his posts wih a response, readers should be aware that every detail he has written in this particular case is incorrect. All the medical details he has given, including those above, are 100% incorrect and inaccurate, and none of the hospitals he has named in Pattaya or Bangkok even exist.

There was no "brain spasm" - he had an aneuryism. Since the operation, some days are better than others but he is not in a coma, he is not anaesthetised, and he is not "a cabbage". He has very limited physical function, but at times he has indicated that he is aware of those around him and he has responded to questions. The medical staff are not optomistic, but that is all.

I can only emphasise for all those interested that Tim and Tom are the only source of up-to-date information, as the hospital will confirm (66-2-310 3000), and that anything anyone else now posts (including me) is either based on their information, directly or indirectly, or pure speculation.

tony 7 (and mj_87), I understand what you say and I agree with your sentiments, but the "situation" is already public knowledge and deleting or editing this thread cannot change that.

[Smiles]

Well well well . . . I was wondering what handle LMTU/Earwig/etc etc would come back as. The deranged and backtracking post above has all the necessary hallmarks of the, well, equally deranged Cockalickme.

I'm slow on recognizing him these days, but be that as it may I am not at all surprized that out resident psycho should pop up as the lead voice ~ apparently all wrong one more time ~ in a marvelously inappropriate and tasteless thread about some poor guy's medical emergency.

Mick Cockroft, the night manager in Le Cafe Royale, is still seriously ill in a Bangkok hospital and knowing that his many friends and associates are anxious to be kept up to date regarding his progress I am including here the latest email from Tim and Tom who are on constant watch over Mick and are receiving first hand information from the doctors and hospital staff. This email is current as of 6.30 p.m. Saturday the 13th of June.

Dear Friends,

We wanted you to know about todays developments. At times Mick was semi-conscious and able to respond to voice commands. When asked to move his fingers and toes he was able to do so. He was also conscious of people in the room and by squeezing his hand he was able to show that he knew who was there. At one point this evening he opened one eye and saw Kan and then smiled.

The doctor asked him whether he had a headache and Mick was told to respond by holding up one finger for yes and two fingers for no. He held up two fingers and the doctor was pleased and told us that this meant that he did not feel that any surgical intervention was needed to relieve any brain swelling and that the medication seemed to be working to reduce the swelling.

We asked the doctor what today's signs meant. He said he was happy with todays events but that there was no way to predict anything in the future.

He did say that hopefully in the next few days they would checking to see whether Mick could breathe on his own without the help of the respirator. He did not know when this would be done as he wanted to make sure that all his vital signs were stable first.

We will keep you posted daily. Thank you for your e-mails of support for Mick.
Tim & Tom

If anyone wishes to receive regular updates regarding Mick's condition please send your email address to guys@panoramapub.com or info@caferoyale-pattaya.com

Concerning the progress of Mick Cockroft here is the latest news received today, Sunday the 14th, from Tim and Tom.

Dear Friends,

Not much has changed since yesterday. Mick is still semi-conscious at times and during those times seems to understand who is in the room and can answer simple yes or no questions by either squeezing his hand or showing one or two fingers. Just to show that he still has a sense of humor in the midst of all this madness, when he was asked to "show me one finger" he responded by "showing me his middle finger."

He is able to open his right eye about half way and he indicated that he could see and understand who was in the room.

The doctors are still monitoring his situation closely and will wait a few more days before seeing whether Mick can breathe without the respirator.

Thank you again for your e-mails of concern, All of your best wishes are being passed on to Mick.

Tim & Tom

If anyone wishes to receive regular updates regarding Mick's condition please send your email address to guys@panoramapub.com or to info@caferoyale-pattaya.com

To all of Mick's concerned friends here is the latest update email received from Tim & Tom at 2 p.m. today, 15/06/09.

Dear Friends,
There is not too much to report today. Mick's physical condition appears to be the same as yesterday. He is sleeping a lot of the time as his body heals.

The doctors have said, however, that they are pleased with the progress he so far has made, coming so soon after the problems occurred.

They tried to take Mick off the respirator earlier but he was still too weak to breathe on his own. The doctors have said they will try again in a few more days.

We once again thank you for your words of support and best wishes for Mick. Be assured that they are being passed on.

Tim & Tom

For up to date information send your email address to guys@panoramapub.com or to info@caferoyale-pattaya.com

[lonelywombat]

I have been appalled by the selfish posts by people who want to protect their own anon yet want to expose others personal medical problems/progress. Lois Lane scoops.

About two years ago JB had the same personal attack even down to claiming he could not afford treatment . Before that Allan from, was in Pattaygay website.

On this thread we have people who should know better, ringing the hospital and posting what I would have thought was confidential information, just to boost their own egos.

What a bunch of arseholes you are. if the cap fits wear it.

You both know who we are talking about.

Responded to in a separate thread. (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/what-a-bunch-arseholes-t17871.html)