We miss you Jeff......

Jeffery Kenneth Gordon Ratz "Jeff" was born at the South Peel Memorial Hospital in Cooksville on January 25, 1969.  A boy for Ted and Dianne, and a baby brother for me (Michele).

Jeff was a beautiful child and had a pretty normal childhood…..with a few exceptions….at age 6 Jeff slipped and fell while getting ready to get into a neighbours car for a drive to school.  The neighbour, not knowing that Jeff was partially under the car, started to rock it…forward and reverse, forward and reverse……to get unstuck from the snowy driveway.  Mom heard the car revving and the tires spinning and could not see Jeff….she managed to stop the neighbour and pull Jeff out to safety.  I still remember the look of the greasy, rubber marked red snowsuit.

Even younger than that, I was playing with some kids on the street…running in and out of 2 new houses being built down the street.  Jeff and his friends came along and started doing the same thing…..we could get a good bounce on the board on the way in or out….Yikes it makes me sweat just thinking about this…but the board slipped when Jeff was running in and Jeff fell into the excavated footing…not falling the 10 - 12 feet to the bottom…but getting stomach sliced open on a piece of metal and being caught by his hoody on that same piece of metal….he was hanging in the air high enough that an adult had to get him down, get him home so mom and dad could take him to the hospital for stitches…his first of many.

We took a family trip to Florida when Jeff was 9 (and i was 11), with our mom's mom Nanny Picton.  It was a 2 week vacation with the 5 of us in some big boat of a car…driving to Florida and back. Mom says we booked Holiday Inns there and back..and i do remember the many pools Jeff and i swam in.

Once in Florida we visited Disney World and Bucsh Gardens…it was great fun….Talking parrots in afternoon shows…..cotton candy….great rides like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, 20,000 leagues under the sea and Space Mountain.  We saw Micky, Minnie and Donald and the parade of lights at night.  

Mom and dad knew we had to make this trip at this age as Jeff was in a wheelchair within a year…he was 10.5.  I remember the wheelchair arriving…it was blue and white and just a pushable chair for long distances.

As a family we did a lot of fun things like museums, movies and drives in the country…but we loved the winter in Sudbury as we would all go cross-country skiing at a forested area with trails and a club house.  Jeff would be pulled by dad through the woods on a toboggan, so the 4 of us could enjoy it as Jeff was wheelchair bound at this time.  

We also made regular visits summer and winter to Manitoulin Island to visit our cousins the McQuays.  We always had a great time there!  I remember Uncle Tom had a snowmobile and would pull us around the woods in either a sled or a toboggan.  We also would make maple syrup in the spring. 

Jeff went to Don Mills High School for Grade 9, where he was in a regular grade 9 class….but then switched schools to Sir William Osler for grades 10 and 11 and 12 with Mr Sullivan.  Here Jeff was taught regular High School courses but also the life skills he would need to live more independently.  Osler was where Jeff met a few life long friends and had some great memories from.

Jeff liked school so much that he stayed an extra year to help the teachers and students with their work.

Jeff was dealt a few more bad cards and developed pneumonia at age 16.  He was hospitalized for a while…..and we were told then that he was very weak and to be prepared for the worst….Jeff proved those Dr's wrong.  At the age of 17….Jeff broke his leg at Sloan Avenue when both Mom and Jeff fell down the stairs.  Another storey that could have been a lot worse for both mom and Jeff.

Then the big change came……Jeff moved out when he was 18.5!

Mom and dad were moving out of the City to their new house in Lindsay, and neither Jeff nor i went with them…I moved in with Mike's mom and him, and Jeff moved to Bloorview Children's Hospital at Sheppard and Leslie.

Bloorview was (and is) a wonderful place…Jeff had his own room in a wing with 15 other Muscular Dystrophy guys…all around the same age.  Jeff instantly became a social butterfly and travelled to concerts, malls and bars with the other guys.  He was taking busses and wheeling all over the place on his own.

Bloorview gave Jeff a new lease on life and helped to set him up for independent living in the future.  Bloorview taught life skills to all the guys…including cooking, laundry and money management.

Jeff was an avid wheelchair hockey player…and even travelled to Kitchener for the championship tournament.  I believe they won that tournament!

While at Bloorview Jeff got his trachea and ventilator…the machine that would help him breath.  Jeff only used this at night…contrary to the rest of the boys who were on the vent full time.  At this point in Jeff's life a lot of his friends were dying…the average life span with someone with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy was early 20's and they were there.  The ventilators were allowing the boys to live longer but not much longer.

Also at this age Jeff was too old for Bloorview (a children's hospital) and moved out into his own Apartment at Coxwell and Danforth on April 1, 1992.

This was independent living, and Jeff was responsible for everything…delegating his own care, buying groceries and medical supplies…paying bills and arranging for a cleaning lady to clean once a week.

Jeff was a pioneer as he was one of the first boys out on his own….living on a ventilator.  Jeff was the first one to receive and test the CHEK system, a computer assisted device used to answer the phone, open the door, call the attendants, turn on and off the lights and change the TV channels.  Jeff still maintained his downtown routing of going out with friends, but now they met up with each other instead of travelling together.  Again all of this was a huge hurtle that Jeff overcame.

Eventually Jeff was on the ventilator full time and was weaker….travel outside the apartment became harder so he spent most of his time indoors….he would venture out in the warmer weather to a local store but that was about all.

For the last few years Jeff was bed ridden and on a G-tube for eating…though he still enjoyed a taste of whatever the family was having.  He still directed his own care and was living independently, though he was relying upon the attendants and family members more and more.  The CHEK system had been upgraded and improved and was now controlled by a sip and puff system that Jeff could work from bed.  Through the TV Jeff became an expert on Hockey and cooking and loved to watch reality TV.

Jeff faced all his challenges with a strong will and an open mind, he was determined to survive for as long as possible, whatever it took.  Life threw Jeff tons of hurtles to overcome which he did with a positive optimistic manner.

Jeff we love you.

Jeffery Kenneth Gordon Ratz 

  

RATZ, Jeffery Kenneth Gordon - January 25, 1969 - June 1, 2011 We lost Jeff peacefully, on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at the Toronto East General Hospital, surrounded by the love of his family and friends. Jeff is lovingly remembered by the close family he cherished, mother and father Dianne and Ted Ratz, sister Michele Bell and brother-in-law Mike. Jeff's attitude towards life has and will always serve as an inspiration to many. A longtime survivor of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at age 42, Jeff always maintained a positive outlook and dealt with life changing events head on. Jeff's love of life is an example for all of us. MD affects families in ways that are hard to imagine. We ask that you cherish life, be impactful, and donate to good causes. Donations, in lieu of flowers, to the Jennifer Ashleigh Children's Charity will significantly improve the quality of life for families suffering from disability challenges. God bless you brother, son, friend.

Mexico Milage

Total km 1794,” Priceless”

Thurs. Feb.3 Day 8, 268km Uruapan to Ajijic (via Mazamatila (Swiss town)) cool day.

Wed. Feb.2 Day 7, 267 km Ixtapa to Uruapan (cacti & dam water)

Tues.Feb.1 Day 6, Day off. 27 km round trip to Zihuatanejo.(lunch in town)

Mon. Jan. 31 Day 5, 194 km Altamorano (Hotel New York) to Ixtapa (Emporio) hot again, hi 30’s.

Sun. Jan.30 Day 4, 295 km CD Hildad to Altamorano (Fireworks all night/+9c to start, +41.5 @ highest. Lucky to only break a toe after that same great road going the other way)

Sat. Jan.29 Day 3, 225 km Morelia to CD Hildad (via great twisty road/butterflys/pizza ala motorcycle)

Fri. Jan.28 Day 2, 118 km Patzcaro to Morelia (via Santa Claria) (copper town)

Thurs. Jan.27 Day 1, 340 km from Ajijic to Patzcaro

Wed. Jan.26/11 pre ride to Mezcala 60ish km round trip.

Wow it's been a long time since I've been on this site!

Well it’s riding time in Ontario again…..and it has been for a while....though we have had an unbelievable wet spring! 

I've been out a few times on the Beemer...with Mike on the Harley.  Great fun and something we missed since we have been back from Mexico.  We still think of the trip and the guys...what a great time that was!

The biggest impact to me this riding season was going to Port Dover for Friday the 13^th…the only one of 2011.  What a haven for bikers of all types, ages, race, and bike preference.  See the video on this site for a glimpse of what is was like.  The weather was great…and it actually didn’t rain for once.

So partly due to Port Dover….I just bought a Harley Sporster 1200 custom..I finally got brave enough and made the purchase...and I do not regret it one bit...yeah it's accessive….and no I’m not selling the Beemer...they are two different types of riding and we do both!  I love the way the Harley rides….comfortable…really low gearing with tons of torque….and power everywhere!  I’ve been out 4 times on the bike and have over 900km already!

What 2 Canadian Gringo's learned in Mexico

View out our window on the way home

Ok there was no kidnapping, raping, shooting, bribing or beheading….as a matter of fact is was very civilized….That's the media for you, got the facts wrong again!

One of the things I was personally concerned about before heading down to Mexico was safety….I hear the news so I went onto the Canadian immigration and travel site to see what they  said about the dangers.... they were cautious but nothing like the media and their anti Mexico frenzy…..I have to thank one co-worker who actually took the time out of their busy day to let me know how safe it actually is in Mexico, and how much his friends (Canadians) enjoy working and living in Guadalaraja…after so many people telling us how bad it's going to be and how dangerous they heard it was. 

Just for the record…there was not a single second on this trip that I felt afraid for my personal safety…not while riding a motorcycle through a busy City centre, not while walking around the many Towns....Not while being swarmed by children and the locals at the top of a plateau parking area for the hike up to see the butterflies….and not after having a fantastic dinner and a great bottle of wine and walking in the dark back to our hotel!  I'm not saying there is no issue down here…and if you're looking for trouble then you will probably find it….but for the rest of us normal folks…..Mexico is a wonderful place for a vacation....End of storey…No more safety talk.

My next concern was: Will I hold up the group with my riding ability?
That an easy answer.....No I did not hold up the group, and neither did anyone else…we were all very compatible, even with the definite difference in rider ability.  

Ray, our guide, gave us a "this is what you can expect from today" talk every morning at breakfast, and with a few of those meetings involving a group decision as to what type of road to take…do we want to spend a bit more time in Town x or do we want to ride a 2 hour detour of tight twists? We all got the ride we came here for!

Next was the question of if we would all get along together for the 8 days of riding ahead of us……Can you imagine spending 8 days with someone you hate....Hell I can do that at work.....again there was no problem with group dynamics, This was a great group (Tim, Ron and Aron...man you guys are the best).  I think as riders we have a great guarantee going into this adventure..... we are all motorcyclists with a common interest in bikes.  Aron, Tim, Ron and Mike and I got along so well that we have traded e-mails and are planning our next trip together back in Mexico!


We learned a lot about the Mexican people as well....they are very friendly, willing to help you out, vibrant and full of life.  
The sounds, smells, and sights were wonderful.  the Mexicans are a loud people where music is concerned…it was blaring out of every house window and car, and in areas without power the people played guitar or sang...wow loved it! 

The car horn is used for everything from beep beep I'm passing, beep beep I'm behind you to Hi there I love your bike….Thankfully it was always quiet at dark and never loud too early in the morning.

Most of the smells in Mexico that we experienced were wonderful, like the smell of chicken and beef cooking over a wood bbq, or home made enchiladas being formed and pressed in front of us then heated up on a grill, or the amazing smell of vegetation and flowering plants.  Occasionally our noses were assaulted with the smell of renderings being cooked down at meat markets….this was a weird smell because at first it smelt amazing like bacon cooking until your nose detects the secondary bad smell. 

Lastly the sights….we saw everything from dry desert (with cactus and other prickly items) to palm trees and lush vegetation.  Mexico is a country of colour, left behind in North America is walnut coloured wood, builders beige paint and people wearing black.  Colour was everywhere in Mexico, from the tablecloths and napkins at restaurants and hotels, in women's and children's clothes and in the buildings themselves where a building would be painted half orange and half blue with a decorative stripe separating the two.  Colour was in the sidewalks as each house is responsible for the sidewalk in front of their place, decorative stone work including tiles would be worked into the sidewalk.


We learned to carry toilet paper and Peso’s in a pocket of our riding gear as toilet paper was lacking in a few washrooms and some required a fee to use.  We did stop in a lot of Pemex gas stations….the only station in the Country for gas once or twice a day and washrooms were clean, usually free and they even carried knock off Hagen Das ice cream bars.

We were never hungry on this trip….the food was cheap, delicious and plentiful.  We ate Cactus, drank rice milk (very sweet) and found out that the salsa can be really mild to killer hot…as can the peppers…..Oh yeah….the jalapeño is about a 2 on and scale of 5 peppers so only try a small sample until you determine the peppers strength… or wait for someone else to try it first…

And finally we learned about the roads, driving on those roads, and the drivers themselves.

We learned a lot about driving…like if you don't want to take the full driving test or are not able to perform a certain task such as parallel parking…you can simply pay the tester an additional fee and get your license…..or if you are approaching a stop sign 'Alto'… the people around you are not necessarily going to stop….this applies to red lights on occasion as well.

Signals do not mean what the do back in Canada….a left signal usually means it's ok for you to pass me, the road ahead is clear, and not I'm turning left.  Four way flashers could signal a slow moving vehicle or a problem up ahead.  Cars flashed their lights at us on the motorcycles all the time (they do not have daytime running lights on any vehicles)…..  I guess they were telling us our lights wee on, or they were just excited to see 7 beautiful BMW’s in a row.

Now even with that disregard for traffic signs, the Mexican drivers were much more cautious than any driver back home…they all look out for each other and actually let each other in when someone is trying to move over.  Wow nice!  We did not hear and shouting or horns sounding in anger…can you imagine…

As for the roads themselves, yes there are potholes and Topes (which are randomly placed speed bumps, usually heading into a reduced speed area such as a Town) the size of both varies enormously, but in general the roads a great, well marked and smooth.

Considering in general most Mexicans have a lot less than North Americans they are a lot happier with the little hay do have.  Maybe we can do a bit of learning from them….Less is more??

Here I am on the plane blogging!

Our Last Day In Mexico

February 8, 2011
Awake with the sun, as it seems everyone does here everyday….early to bed - early to rise…  Tea and donut muffins for breakfast, greetings from Jack, Willy, and Gina...then a leisurely day hanging out watching some of Mikes amazing videos, until it's our turn to be driven to the airport.

A bit of anxiety at the airport but that's normal….where do we go, what do they need to see, where is my passport? No big deal!  As usual we find a smiling face more that happy to help us out!

Now I'm typing the last few day's activities in the plane, eating my sandwich and periodically peering out of the window at the amazing sights of crop circles and mountain ranges…I'm not sure why exactly but this trip has me not wanting to leave…..way more than any other trip…somehow in such a short time Mexico gets under your skin, I know this place...it feels like home. 

Mexico we'll be back

Day One of Trip Number 2

The birth place of Carlos Santana

Gettin' wired up

Yes that is the volcano....

February 6, 2011
We'll we all made it for the 8:00 start…and were quite a spectacle pulling out of the garage onto the local roadway, 7 beautiful BMW’s all shiny and new! 

We have 3 couples on the bigger bikes this time, 2 on GS1200's and Mike and I on the GS800 (Aron's bike from last week), and 4 guys on the GS650's.  I figure this is a cool way to experience the life of a passenger in Mexico….

It's hard to believe that after an 8 day riding trip, last week that there is still terrain in Mexico that we have never seen before….today we passed by two volcanoes but approached them on a straight as an arrow highway through desert.  As this is Mexico's "winter" season down here everything is dry as a bone….this desert is actually a dried up lake bed! 

At our lunch stop today, where we chowed down a kilo of meat and fixings for emphadas as quick as a pack of wild dogs. We had a beautiful view of the bikes, parked outside the restaurant and the volcano as a back drop…what a site.  We were actually lucky to see the active volcano sputter a burst of steam just as we were leaving.

All this is caught on video by the crew driving around with us, so it should make for some spectacular footage. 

We did stage a few ride by shots for the camera, running both past the camera and back again at a few key spots…..wow what a rough time, being a rider in a video…Yeah for snow in Texas!

That night we stayed in a beautiful Town on the ocean….it's a long weekend here (I'm told that are many long weekends here) so the coast is a huge destination for the locals, and who can blame them, this place is beautiful with ocean front 2 to 3 story walk ups, beautiful practically empty beaches, and of course tons of fantastic restaurants.  As a bonus we watched the Superbowl from one such place, drinking beer, eating hamburgers and nacho's and cheering on Green Bay.  It will be a long time before I forget this game!

The best part about our day was the hotel, we got to park the bikes inside the tiny lobby, and that was after we made the family who lived in the hotel move to a new room so that one of the couples could have that room. 

Of all the hotels we stayed that one was probably the least glamorous, and still it was great, lots of hot water and good beds.  We were lacking a working air conditioner and a fan but that was ok….I plugged in the bar fridge, opened the door and set it to max….background noise and coolness!