Darkstar

The Last Prowl John Nalak “I’m gonna die in Thailand Doc.” The man that many Pattaya enthusiasts have come to know as Winston said those words to his close friend Doc almost one year ago. He came to Pattaya as much to get away from the cold, real world out there as to become part of the dreamland that some of us refer to as “Bizarro World”. Everyone that comes here manages at some point to reinvent themselves, even those who come for short holidays. Since it is likely that no one knows you here, you can take on another identity or even personality. The shy can be bold and the average man can be handsome even if he never was before. There are few rules to speak of and time is suspended in a permanent warp. Everything relating to time is compressed. Even on a two week holiday you can fall in love more than once, have your heart broken and mended again, and leave your “true love” behind, compounding the depression that is sure to hit when you have to leave Dreamland. For the expatriate residents of Dreamland the experience is slightly different. You can fall in love 3 or 4 times a month actually becoming the character you invented, the one that you always wished was really you. I think that this is what Winston had realized when he told Doc that he would die here. He had become his own invention and he knew that going back to the real world would destroy the new man, cutting off his oxygen. He came here with some money in the bank but no income of any kind, planning to open a web site from which he could get some income eventually. Thailand is stinking with frustrated writers and web designers chasing the dream of making a living and staying here. Winston was one more. What separated him from the others was his insatiable lust for life. It was this lust for life that compelled him to be a regular at all the better Go gos, buy drinks for all his buddies, ring the bell at his favorite bars, go through three new motorcycles in less than a year and display a generosity far beyond his means. He wrote about his nightlife escapades in some of the Pattaya web boards like FLB, Misty’s, Cambodia Connection and Pattaya Lovers to the delight and encouragement of his friends and fans. All the while his declared plan was to open the web site and stock it with his own writings, generating some income to make it possible for him to stay and keep on being Winston. A catastrophic traffic accident changed all that. He never saw the baht bus on Sukhumvit until it was too late. He tried to stop the 400cc Honda Phantom but succumbed to the forces of destiny. When he awoke he knew he was in trouble. The excruciating pain was not alleviated by the sight of his mangled leg, its contents clearly visible. As he cried out in agony, several Thais picked him up and loaded him on the back of a pickup truck that was also laden with greasy machinery. He was fortunate to have been tended to at all. After what must have been an eternity later, he watched as one of the nurses at Pattaya Memorial Hospital enclosed all his possessions in a zip lock bag. It was the last time he would see his money and jewelry. For all his extravagant spending, Winston did not have health insurance. The hospital would treat him until they busted all his credit cards. A large man of over 200 kilos, he spent most of the next day in surgery. Already having breathing problems when lying down due to his girth, the long hours on the operating table would not go well for him. He emerged from this first surgery with lung and kidney problems, 11 titanium screws and some steel plates in his leg, internal bleeding and no circulation. Needless to say, he did not look good when I went to see him, although his complaints were mostly about the lack of Western food. This was classic Winston. For all his serious medical problems, his view was that the worst thing about it was the food or lack thereof. He thought he would be back in his condo in several days and pick up where he left off. Doc, myself and Pukky (a former foe of his) had Winston at the top of our agendas every day after that. The big guy needed help and did not seem to appreciate the gravity of his situation. I was amazed at the lengths that Doc went to in helping his friend. He consulted with the Doctors to make sure that they did the right thing by Winston. He broke the news to him that there was to be a second surgery to repair a severed artery in his leg that was either missed in the first surgery, or perhaps cut by one of the 11 screws possibly having gone in too far. After this surgery, he was transferred to Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip where more surgery was performed to remove dead tissue and alleviate pressure in the hopes of restoring proper circulation. It was then that amputation was first discussed. As his prognosis deteriorated, Doc made every effort to help Winston understand the hard choices that would have to be made. His credit cards were busted, he had precious little cash in the bank and he was facing a probable amputation of his leg. There were all sorts of problems with paperwork (this being Thailand) and Doc tackled them all. Copies of the motorcycle ownership, the police report, stuff from Pattaya Memorial, passport and visa problems were all dealt with. Pukky’s fluent use of the Thai language made all these things possible. Winston was starting to realize that keeping his leg might be possible in America but could not happen in Thailand, given the existing conditions and his dwindling funds. We hastily started getting his local affairs in order and making arrangements to get him home to his distraught mother. His fourth surgery did little to restore circulation or better his chances of keeping the leg. FLB initiated a fund drive to raise money to get Winston home. Pattaya Lovers threw their weight behind this effort. Enough was raised for the airfare but it would not be enough to transport him on a stretcher which would have been very expensive. Pete at FLB put the entire airfare on his own credit card to speed things along. Pattaya Lovers continued raising money with generous donations coming in via personal delivery, wire transfers and Western Union. Winston had no health insurance in America either and would have gone back with his hat in hand. He was scheduled to leave on Northwest Airlines on December 27, 2001 at 6:00 AM. He almost made it. We decided that an ambulance was needed to transport him from the hospital to the airport in Bangkok, a 3 hour ride. This way he would be on a stretcher and hopefully relaxed at least until boarding time. Doc and 2 male nurses left Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip at midnight for the 3 hour haul to the airport. I spoke to Winston in transit and he sounded better than he had in recent times: “I think I’m gonna be OK John.” “We never had any doubt, Winston.” That was the last time I spoke to him. At 5:38 AM, December 27, 2001, Winston collapsed inside the passenger compartment of a Northwest 747 airliner. Asthma shock they called it. Great difficulty breathing. The last thing he said was: “I’m goin’ Doc.” Doc worked on him for 20 minutes before being relieved by an emergency medical team from the airport who later pronounced him dead. For our friend Winston, this was the last prowl. John Nalak

Hi! Seems to run a lot faster than the old board on my iMac. I'd be willing to give it a try. Darkstar