This hit me like a ton of bricks:
Dear friends,
For any of you who know AR legend Scott Pleban, we need to ask for a big special favor from you all. We need your prayers of support and healing for him. Scott was in a very serious accident while training. He was on his bike and was hit by a car and rushed to the hospital where he is in a coma but now stable and in ICU and breathing now on his own. No ideas yet as to the extent of any possible brain damage (we pray for none).Please add Scott onto your family's Prayer List for healing and no permanent damage so he can be back with all of us soon again. And if you have friends who pray, ask them to pray for Scott as well. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of intercessory prayer and claim the victory for Scott over this accident, in Christ's name.
Powered by Him,
Mark Montague
cell 757-484-7858
PS: Feel free to pass this message fwd onto any prayer lists or friends who might know Scot
(Mark runs a series of AR events in Virginia)
This is very sad news. A ton of bricks indeed.
What a terrible accident. I'm praying for Scott.
Holy crap. Thinking of Scott and hoping for a full recovery.
A little more info:
Most of you already know that scott was in a bike accident Friday evening. He was struck by a car commuting home from work. He is in a coma at Fairfax INOVA. His parents are very thankful for all of our prayers and positive energy & also respectfully request that we keep those prayers & energies flowing, but do not visit while he is in the ICU.
Please, please! send this out to all of Scott's friends in our AR and orienteering communities...there are many not included in this email & I'm sure they would like to know that Scott is in the very best care here at INOVA.
take care,
Kristin
For anyone who may not know Scott personally, he's the guy on the cover of this month's issue of Orienteering North America (May/June 2013), skiing for the US at the World Champs in Kazakhstan.
Horrible news to hear. Glad that he's at INOVA, though...one of the best around.
From the NYARA Facebook page this morning-
Though Scott is not able to receive flowers at this time, cards are allowed. Let's show Scott how much we care and how we are pulling for him but showering him with cards. They can be sent to: Allen Scott Pleban, Room 314 TICU, 3300 Gallows Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042.
The SkiO Team was horrified to hear of this. All hoping for full recovery and back on the courses next season.
Oy, here's hoping for a full and speedy recovery!
Scott is in our prayers, top of the list.
In our prayers indeed. Scott is a phenomenally kind and caring person - all positive energy and prayers for a speedy recovery.
Scott is one of toughest and nicest guys in O.
Sending him all my positive thoughts. Get well Scott, you're the best!
We always love seeing Scott at one of QOC's events. He's always upbeat, always ready to help. Great guy. Our thoughts are with you.
Scott is one of the brightest lights and biggest hearts in orienteering. We all wish him a quick return to health. We're pulling for you Scott!
All Scott's many friends in ROC are pulling for him.
Damn.
Scott is one of the most dedicated athletes I have ever met. Training with Scott in the early 90s in Buffalo was a humbling experience - constantly pushing the limits - urging us to do another hill repeat at Chestnut Ridge - roller skiing when it was 100F
Toughest guy I know. Our thoughts are with you Scott!
Here is an update that was shared on QOC's Facebook:
Hello Fabulous Friends & Family!
Scott's family continues to be so very thankful for the endless flow of love & support for Scott.
WOW!!!
We have been sharing email messages & the stories you send - conveying them to Scott (& his family) and enjoying the pure postive energy that is created by these tiny remembered moments. Keep them coming and thank you!!!
Our visit tonight was thwarted by an MRI - but this is great! He was able to have the 'bolt' removed from his head because the pressure on his brain has stabilized. Excellent! He is in such great care at INOVA - the nurses are enamored with this legend as they catch bits & pieces of who Scott Pleban is...it's nice to see the little details being attended to: a little spa treatment that included a shave & lip balm to keep his lips from drying out, lower leg air splints to assist with circulation and some very impressive looking soft & fluffy booties that rival his mountaineering boots in size! It's these little things that are helping to keep his body in good condition while his brain can focus on healing. Good Stuff!
We cannot say thank you enough to this world-wide team of support for Scott. Please, keep all of the good flowing forward to Scott & his family - it is truly making a difference. Many folks are asking what else can be done...thank you for being patient!! We are in the process of setting up a website and going through the appropriate channels to get a trust up and running...many details that we want to approach thoughtfully and with respect to Scott & his family. We have been hearing about all sorts of Scotty P fundraising ideas - keep the creative & adventurous thoughts going & hold on to them for a little longer : ) Once we get some foundational things in place all of our efforts can be coordinated and sustained. It is exciting what the future holds.
Gratitude, love & appreciation flowing back to each of you & your loved ones.
I am including the address for cards again...also, feel free to send something through email - we are happy to read it to him.
Allen Scott Pleban, Room 314 TICU, 3300 Gallows Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
...and, as always, if there is someone you think should be getting this update & not on this distribution - please forward! Thank You.
love,
kristin
Godspeed in your journey to recovery, Scott.
Thanks for the update. Heal, Scott, heal! Thinking of you, and hoping for a strong recovery.
Adventure Racers and Orienteers are a tough crowd to bring to their knees. Certain that Scott is fighting as hard as ever to overcome this most challenging of races. We are all pulling for you Scott.
People are invited to join an online community to show support for Scott Pleban and his family and to share stories.
https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/704269/
That is the same community that helped geoman get through his ordeal...
Scott, we know you are a fighter. Our thoughts and prayers are with you for a complete and rapid recovery. Wishing you the best!
Keep fighting Scott. My thoughts are with you for a rapid recovery.
For those at the US Champs this weekend, look for "Team Scott Duct Tape Bracelet Kit" materials near the Registration table(s). They are there for anyone who wants to make a bracelet; just take what you need and follow the instructions, which are also posted online in the Resources section of the
"Scott P" community website.
Scott, I am looking forward to skiing with you at WhiteGrass next winter, wishing you a speedy recovery!
Andrey R.
See Bash's post above ... anyone who'd like to join the ~300 people in the "Team Scott" online community keeping up with his progress and helping him and his family to the extent possible is welcome to join:
https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/704269/
It has been good to get these updates, and I particularly appreciated the most recent one, Greg.
Update: Scott has been approved by the Navy to be a recipient in the Leave Donation program. Donating unused leave to Scott will help him and his family.
If you are a Federal employee who might be interested in donating some leave - or you can mention it to such employees - please head to
this webpage for details. Thanks.
Don't think I know Scott but I emailed the donation link to my Federal employee friends just in case. Get well soon!!!
Thank you, Amy! This is a good time to get the word out, since beginning of Jan is our "use or lose" date for Annual Leave. I would like to think that some would prefer donating unused LV over "burning it" by year's end.
Sad news this morning. As one of Scott's former teammates wrote, "Today I hope he picks up his compass and finds adventure again..."
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/buffalonews/obitu...
He was a truly good person.
Always ready with a big smile and a hug.
I am so sad. He was such a great guy and one of the most dedicated and toughest athletes I know.
My heart aches and my thoughts go out to his family. Scott was an amazing person and friend. We've lost too many people too young from vehicular/bike accidents. This is so sad to me.
Oh no, how terrible. So very, very sad.
This world is a very different place without him. On to the next great adventure.
Scott was a great person. We've been missing him for the last 2 1/2 years, always hoping somehow he'd be back running with us soon. My thoughts are with his family.
May he rest in peace.
From daughter Malin:
Such sad news.
He was a great teammate when we traveled to the World Ski-O Championships in France back in the early 90's. Very kind and a great athlete.
Rest in Peace Scott.
Malin
Indeed, but your vegie 'life' is over!
So sad. Scott was one of those people who defined what orienteering athletics was. May he rest in peace.
So sorry to hear this. As everyone has said Scott was really wonderful. Humble, humourous, truly gentle and kind and at the same time a killer athlete. I have so many fond memories of trips and travels with Scott. On to the next adventure - we will miss you here, so very much...
I've been missing Scott over the last 2 years since his accident, and now he's really gone. Scott was a great teammate, and I feel blessed to have shared so many memories over the various years of ski-o. May he rest in peace.
I'm sorry I didn't know Scott. But any time we lose a US orienteer, particularly a SKI orienteer, it is a major loss, and affects us all.
Scott was only one of over 900 US cyclists killed as a result of bike accidents in 2013. He apparently rode his bike daily, as do many a/pers. I do too, since I don't own a car. The CDC has some
information about bike safety that may be helpful for all of us to review.
Linda and I got a chance to go to the viewing hours for Scottie and had a chance to visit with his parents and sister Lynn. Over the past two and one half years Scottie had received a couple of extended periods of intensive rehabilitation in Buffalo and Pittsburgh for brain injuries. After both these extended periods he returned to a nursing home close to his family where they visited him daily. Last weekend he began experiencing some vomiting and aspiration. He was admitted to the hospital where he developed Pneumonia and passed away on Tuesday.
We visited him three times after his accident and each time it was difficult to be certain if he was fully aware of our presence. We once attended one of his rehab sessions in Buffalo shortly after he returned from Virginia and as you would expect it seemed like Scottie was giving it a 100% + effort and making good progress. After our visit he suffered some sort of "brain episode" that led to the termination of this first round of treatment and sent him back to the nursing home.
Scottie's was shown in his US Ski O jacket with a compass around his neck. The many medals and pictures displayed in viewing room were a testament to his great skills, strength and perseverance in orienteering, adventure racing , skiing, biking and in many other sports. He was also a very able professional engineer. He accomplished at lot in his 50 years of life.
The uncertainty and unpredictability of a brain injury has put great stress on his friends and family. We hope that they will be able to pull together and recover from this devastating loss.
Rick & Linda
Thank you so very much Rick and Linda for paying your respects and sharing this story with his many friends in this community. I will always treasure my memories of Scott and his impact in this world in so many ways big and small.
My condolences and thoughts go out to his family. I didn't know him, but heard many wonderful stories. I had hoped that perhaps there could be a miracle ending, but it seemed like a very, very long shot given the severity of the injuries sustained. May he rest in peace, and his family find some sense of resolution and the strength to go on.
So sad that so much can be lost in just one tragic moment.
It would be a wonderful tribute if Scott's memory could give us all the courage to speak up when we see someone using his or her phone while driving. It doesn't have to be a criticism; we can politely offer to read and type for our driver while they concentrate on the road. Social pressure can help to change behaviour. If anyone needs it, this tragedy is a compelling reminder to tuck our own phones away or pass them to a passenger whenever we're behind the wheel.
Thanks, Bash, for the important reminder. Every time I think about the woman (I think it was a woman) who hit Scott getting no more than a slap on the wrist, I get angry all over again.
And thanks to Rick & Linda for sharing your experiences with us.
This discussion thread is closed.