Alexandra Boulat

Everyday we will send out an update about Alexandra in an effort to ensure that everyone who has asked for information about her is kept informed. There has been a lot of speculation about Alex’s well being and we do not want to add to that – the information we will send everyone comes directly from the medical staff at the hospital. We are also trying to keep the need for telephone calls to Issa, John and Annie to a minimum so that they can focus on doing what they need to do for Alex in Jerusalem.

The situation has not changed in the last 24 hours, Alex remains sedated and in a coma. She is receiving the best neurological care available in Israel at Hadassah Hospital and in a few days the surgeons will start to make an assessment of her condition and make recommendations for future care.

For the next few days we do not expect much more news than this during the long and painful wait while Alex sleeps but as soon as we hear anything we will let you all know as soon as we can.

Please feel free to distribute this message to Alexandra’s close friends.

With love and best wishes

Issa Freij, John Torday and Gary Knight

What happened to her?

My own father had it too, so i know how it is for others.

Good luck Alexandra

Hes Mundt

I feel terrible to hear about Alexandra. My family’s thoughts and prayers go out to her for a full and strong recovery.

The PDN mentioned a fund-raising drive to cover Alexandra’s medical costs. I couldn’t find anything at VII. Does anyone know how we can contribute?

Frank/Gary: if you read, please let me know how I can make a donation to the medical cost fund for Alexandra.

Our prayers and thoughts are with Alex.

bob

Please send our best wishes and prayers to everyone with her at this time.

annie

our thoughts and prayers are with you for health and strength and light

with love
Bob and Marina Black

b

I presume everyone else wants to go on the list?

In the meantime, if any of you would like to help Alex and her family deal with the medical costs involved, contributions can be made through VII. Please send your support to VII Photo, 920 Abbott Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. Please make the check out to VII Photo with the words “Alex Boulat Fund” in the memo. Contributions can also be sent to us via paypal to frank@viiphoto.com (again, indicate that the money is for the Alex Boulat Fund).

Alex is being tended to by an amazing team of doctors and medical staff. We couldn’t ask for anything more at this point.

Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes. This means a lot to Alex’s family.

Best,

Frank Evers

I’ll be sending you a contribution.

I am certain the members at LS can rally up the troops to help her and her family out!

Thanks for the info.

bob

Mark please add me to the list.

annie tritt

Love,
Ilona Angervuo-Muff

Thanks so much for your generosity and support.

Frank

Frank

I hope she recovers soon and wish her and her family and friends the best.

Feli

We are keeping her in our thoughts and hearts.

Laara

Best wishes and a speedy recovery!

Paul

Mark, please add my name to the card. Thank you.

Jenny

An aneurysm is a malformed blood vessel formation which can burst under pressure. Hence heat and physical activity can have an effect. Other things can as well, such as drugs which constrict blood vessel walls. My friend had just started a drug to help her beat smoking, which among other things raises the blood pressure to simulate a nicotine hit. The docs said this might have been a factor in precipitating the bursting.

On the other hand, smoking also increases the chance of an aneurysm bursting. So the apparent lesson would be, if you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do, quit without drugs.

The key to success is keeping blood flowing to all parts of the brain before and after the surgery, restoring the blood vessel to a functioning, secure mode, and avoiding damage to other parts of the brain. The last tactic is what the coma is all about. Relaxing the brain can help avoid the swelling that heightens such a risk.

Needless to say, brain surgery is a huge trauma which stimulates swelling, so keeping swelling down is a critical part of this. The induced coma part is hard on the family as they want to connect with the patient. But the patient is best off being off in lala land with no external neural stimulation. On the other hand my friend regained consciousness once before she died, and her children were there, which meant a lot to them I understand.

So if the surgeons think they repaired the blood vessels, that is very good news. I was told it was like putting on a new car muffler. If you can connect it to the exhaust piping, you are in good shape. If the exhaust piping crumbles apart, then you’ve got bigger problems.

Yes, I was told that it does tend to be genetic. So be careful, Andy. It’s not too late to mend your ways! :-)

Wishing her strenght!

ps: Mark, add me too.

I’m on my way to drop of the card.

Annie Tritt Neal Jackson Daniel Etter Hes Mundt Roberta Di Silvestre Andy Levin Bruno Stevens Bob and Marina Black Mark Seager Stefanos Kouratzis erica mcdonald Cameron Davidson Ilona Angervuo David Carr Feli di Giorgio Jonas Bendiksen and Laara Matsen Bryan Denton Jonathan Auman Paul Rigas Hoyen Tsang Srinivas Kuruganti Ed Giles Cyril Bitton Wendy Marijnissen ziyah gafic Jethro Soudant Alex Masi julia s. ferdinand Imants Jenny Lynn Walker barry milyovsky Guido Van Damme Ilona Angervuo Bernard Onderdonck Eros Hoagland Paul lowe John Robert Fulton Jr. eva mk Maja Hitij Iakovos Hatzistavrou Geoffrey King Guilad Kahn Kemal Jufri Jon Anderson

Anyway I dropped of the card directly to the ward.

I spoke to a doctor and asked how Alexandra was and he told me she was stable but still in a coma. They did seem optimistic.

I declined their offer to visit Alexandra in the ward as I felt it inappropriate as I don’t know her personally. I met her very briefly while talking to another photographer in Kosovo way back in 1998.

Nicoletta

This morning Annie, Issa and some of Alex’s close friends met with the hospital staff. The doctors are being cautious and have decided to give Alexandra as much time as she needs to rest. They are in no hurry to try to bring her to conciousness again.

The doctors cannot put a date on when they will next do anything.

This may mean that there will be nothing to report for a while – but no one should be concerned by this -everyone will be kept informed as and when there is a new development

It has been a harrowing week but Annie has been characteristically strong. One wonderful blessing has been the nightly gatherings over dinner with friends who continue to offer invaluable support. Another has been the steady flow of messages into Jerusalem. We should emphasise how important all the support from Alex’s friends has been to Annie and Issa.

Best wishes

michael

Thierry

http://ulisescastellanos.com/elcentro/mira/300607.html

Saludos.

Dear friends of Alex,

There has not been any significant change in Alexandra’s condition for
the last few days as she remains in a coma, although there have been
some minor operations to make her more comfortable.

Her situation remains critical but stable.

There is unlikely to be any news for the next few days but we will
keep you informed as soon as there are any new developments.

Best wishes

Alex was medically repatriated back to France on Monday evening and is currently in the neurosurgery department at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris. There has been no change in her overall condition – she remains in a coma but is stable. Her mother Annie and sister Antoinette are at her side.

The decision to move Alex was made after consultation between doctors in France and Israel. French doctors will this week examine her and make an assessment of her condition. At this time, Alex is in an isolation unit and is not able to receive visitors apart from Annie and Antoinette. So please keep that in mind.

A big thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support and love to Alex, her family and to Issa. We will provide another update as soon as we have more news, possibly at the end of the week.

Regards

all the best,
Bob and Marina

Giulio