7/18/2008 update for people who are coming here through Google and Yahoo, looking for information about Cy's condition. This is not the blog you're looking for. The best place for current information on Cy's health, health care, and condition is Cy Rawls Updates, a blog that has been created by Cy's friend Kerry Cantwell. There is also information there about efforts and events to help Cy and his family defray the horrific medical expenses that Cy faces without health insurance during what will be an uncertain period of disability. These seem to be in the planning stage now but may come to fruition shortly.

But I'm going to do it.

Cyrus "Cy" Rawls is one of the gentlest, nicest people you'd ever meet. I became friends with Cy when we worked at the same radio station at the University of North Carolina, when Cy was coming in and I was going out. We've remained friends since, as Cy isn't the sort of person one would want to let go of, combining the traits of a thoroughly good young man with a wicked sense of humor.

Cy collapsed and fell into a coma this weekend, due to a previously unknown brain tumor. He didn't die, and in fact has reemerged to consciousness which is honestly surprising as generally it's the traumatic coma patients who are most likely to come back. He's scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow, with the same surgeon who treated Ted Kennedy. Cy doesn't have health insurance, and is probably out of luck in that regard, but he has a lot of friends, among whom I'm just a face in the crowd. They've started a blog for Cy, which can be found here.

If one prays, I'd ask that if one prays for strangers, pray for Cy. He's a wonderful person. Cy is likely to have a long and painful convalescence after the surgery, and a closer friend has begun taking collections for him, to which no one who doesn't know him should give but hell, I'll just say that if you're going to give charity to strangers you couldn't pick a better stranger than Cy Rawls. There is a paypal link for donations at the blog referenced above, and the person whose account is listed is trustworthy.

Alternatively, if anyone has any spare dvds (that he or she doesn't want to keep) to donate, feel free to contact me at tareeq at gmail dot com, and I'll see that he gets them. In recent years I've seen Cy most often at retro nights at the Carolina Theatre in Durham North Carolina, and I actually know his tastes, which are mainly comedy and classic exploitation/horror.

But again, if one prays, prayer would be the most important thing.

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