Today, John K. passed on.

---The man, above, John K., passed on today. I don't know all the details, but the fact is that John is gone. Everyone at the hospital seems to be set on, ''stunned.'' It was very unexpected to me.

---Everyone was remarking that John visited many of the wards, yesterday, and was very upbeat. I didn't see him, personally, but I can picture the mood. Todays date is March 19, 2009. He just turned 51 years old.

----John and I had a history, together. We were both from the same neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts. We both attended the same grammar school. Gates Lane School. I am almost 7 years older, so John was much behind me.

---Their were two options opened for us on Saturday mornings. Hockey and Bowling. I bowled, as a Hockey Stick, seemed too hard to handle with my hand and all. This worked fine for me, as I received a few trophies in the process. John was a Hockey Player. John was built like a Football Player and it wouldn't surprise me to find that in his past, somewhere.

---We had kids in common, in the neighborhood, but being 7 years older at a young age, makes me know the older brothers of the kids he hung with. I didn't have much contact with Johns age group. Admittedly, I didn't know John in Massachusetts. But, he knew me.

---I played in the Bobby Darling Show in and around Worcester. An underage John, saw us play a few times in Worcester. We played in bars most of the time. John was not only a Hockey Player, but he was a regular at a place called Breens. Actually, it was called the ''Patriot,'' when John saw us. They were capitalising on 1976, the bi-centennial. I mentioned that John was built like a Football Player, so I guess that it was easy to pass for 18 years old. Of course, I would have had him arrested, if I had known. He was very lucky. I'm just kidding.

---We both headed west, eventually. Me, because I was on the East Coast and was hitching and John, because he joined the Merchant Marines. We both ended up at the same hospital with only one year difference in our timing. John arrived here about one year after I did. The only difference was that John was CEO, while I am a patient.

---It is strange how the ''means to an end,'' goes, but we were both quoted as wanting to make things ''better''...obviously, from very different perspectives. John worked at keeping things afloat and I have been President of the Resident Council. I would say that his temporary predecessor has this in mind, also.

---A realization that John had a few months back seems to state much of the mindset of the places that I have been in. His realized this: ''I attend many meetings on behalf of the residents, but I am not attending the residents meeting, itself.'' To paraphrase, it could be: ''I do many things for the residents, but I don't do things with the residents.''

---I always have seen fault with that, because there is much advantage from doing things with others. It can be, the old adage about fishing: ''If I buy them a fish, they can eat for one day, but, if I teach them to fish...'' In defense of any staff anywhere, there is a stifling amount of paperwork to document staff to patient interaction that I personally can't blame staff for limited interaction.

---I remember how we reunited at the hospital. I had shown my blog websites to Rowena T. She is part of the Administration Team. She showed them to John. John happened to read the word Massachusetts, and shot an e-mail off to me. He asked, where in MA. was I from.

----I didn't know John from Adam, so I wondered why was the new CEO sending an e-mail to me. He had been here a few months, and I had yet to get my power wheelchair, so I stayed on my ward while his desk was 6 floors away, in Administration. I didn't even know where that was. And, I would have a long trek, even if I knew all these things.

---I told John that I was from Worcester, and then in his next e-mail, he asked, ''where in Worcester?'' We met up and fleshed it out. As I have said, I have lived here for 23 years, but had never met anyone who rememberred the Bobby Darling Show...let alone the fact that he had seen us perform. This fact, ''knocked my socks off.'' I was amazed.

---We had many things and people in common, but as I said, the difference in age was enough to block my knowing John. We didn't live next door and were really on the fringe of each others neighborhood. If our houses were closer, there is hardly any doubt that I would have known him. With all the that said, it is nonetheless fantastic that our being at the hospital, simultaneously, would occur.

---John was a great guy, and treated me very well. But, even if I wasn't from the same town, John would have treated me very well. John was a ''fixer,'' by trade, and wanted everyone to succeed. The stress of trying to hold it all together, while he saw the economy go down the tubes, was very difficult for him. I have a better picture, I hope to post, eventually. Thanks, John. RIP.