The Latest News
Sunday December 9, 2.56pm Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“It is with great sadness that I report that Marc Orchant, Husband to Sue, Father to Rebecca and Jason, and friend to so many, passed away just a short time ago. I was notified by Marc’s brother Craig.

His family and closest friends were at his side and his favorite music was playing. Craig said that Marc’s passing was as peaceful and easy as anyone could have hoped and he left this world surrounded by love from so many people that he couldn’t possibly have failed to know how many people cared for, appreciated and respected him.

Anyone that knew Marc also knew how much he loved music; especially the Grateful Dead. The excerpt below is from one of the songs that helped the family say goodbye to Marc and helped Marc move on to the next world. I talked to Marc almost every single day for the past couple of years. I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say that I am going to miss him so, so much.

To allow for people that may need to travel and take time of work, services are most likely going to be held this coming Wednesday afternoon at the Temple where the Orchants are members. I will provide more specific details as soon as they have been provided to me. Marc’s family expressed once again their gratitude for the outpouring of love and support that the technology community has shown in this very difficult time. Your warmth, concern and friendship will not be forgotten.

River gonna take me
Sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy
all the way back home
It’s a far gone lullaby
sung many years ago
Mama, Mama, many worlds I’ve come
since I first left home

Goin home, goin home
by the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul“

What’s Up With Marc?
Oliver reported on Sunday morning (December 2) that Marc Orchant had a massive coronary and was rushed to hospital:

“According to Sue Orchant, Marc was up early Sunday morning as is his normal custom. Sue told me that he was working in his office from about 7:30 AM until 8:10 when Sue says she heard a strange noise in Marc’€™s office. When she went to investigate she saw that Marc was not sitting in front of the computer like he normally does and was slumped over between his desk and a small couch that is in the room.

Initially, Sue said, she though he was leaning over doing something to their Golder Retriever but then she realized that he was not conscious. Fortunately, Sue has basic medical knowledge and after verifying that Marc was not choking and had a clear airway she began to perform CPR while their son, Jason, called paramedics.

The ambulance arrived in less than 10 minutes and technicians immediately took over performing CPR and administered treatment with a cardiac defibrillator. Marc was rushed into emergency open heart surgery where an angioplasty was performed to restore circulation in the blocked artery.

Sue went on to tell me that in spite of Marc’€™s apparent good health, he has severe occlusion in both his other arteries and they too will require treatment soon. That, however is a secondary concern as is the condition of Marc’s heart muscle. The primary concern and the question that cannot be answered until Marc regains consciousness is the nature or extent of any neurological damage as a result of insufficient oxygen reaching Marc’s brain.“

So that was Sunday morning, between 7.30am and 8.10am. There have been some updates since then, but a number of those from the comments on the above blog post have been deleted, which I don’t understand. Here they are, thanks to Eric’s email records:

Tuesday December 4, 1pm Pacific
From me:

“Update at 1pm Pacific time on Tuesday December 4 … I rang the hospital for an update, and spoke to one of Marc’s brothers. All of his immediate family are there. Marc has not yet regained consciousness. Please keep him in your prayers.“

Tuesday December 4, “late afternoon”
From Steven Meilleur:

“I too had a chance to go to the hospital late this afternoon, and was fortunate to be able to spend a few minutes with Marc – mostly talked with him about Telluride and other musical adventures to be had. Had a chance to visit a bit with Sue, Becca, Marc’s parents and other members of the family, all of whom are keeping the faith and hope flowing.

To all of you – please keep the prayers and positive energy flowing for all …

Marc, buddy … we have tarp runs to make at Telluride – hang in, rest up, and gear up – prayin’ for a miracle.“

Tuesday December 4, 7.30pm Pacific
From Randy Burge:

“I was able to stop by Presbyterian Hospital a few minutes ago, 8:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (US), and visit with Marc’s brother, Ed, and sister, Alison, who are in ABQ from NYC with their families. Marc’s family is mostly here now, it seems, with a number of relatives arriving today. Sue was away taking a few minutes rest at Becca’s apartment, but she will return soon.

Word from Ed is that Marc’s condition has stabilized on several life-support machines although he has not regained consciousness. There is an active question among those spending time with Marc about his chances for regaining consciousness, so our thought energies and prayers are definitely needed and we all believe, felt.

I was able to sit with Marc for a few minutes. His color is good and the medical indicators are holding in the moments I was there. Ed mentioned that there are far fewer pieces of medical equipment in the room now than yesterday, so we take that as progress for Marc, perhaps.

Marc, you are beautiful person. Hang with us, Buddy!“

Wednesday December 5, 4.14am Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“A Message from Sue Orchant

Hi everyone. I want you all to know that your amazing, incredibly overwhelming, heartfelt response of love, concern, and good wishes for Marc is helping myself, Rebecca, Jason and out family get through this difficult time.

Please keep sending those prayers and positive energy Marc’s way. He knows as well as I that you are all there for him. I’€™ll have to tell him that he’ll need to change his name to George Bailey (It’€™s a Wonderful Life). It’€™s a beautiful thing to see.

In this past day we have seen some baby steps of improvement. He has some response to stimuli and his oxygen levels and heart rate have improved. I am guardedly optimistic. He still has not regained consciousness but we will take things minute by minute.

It’s hard to put into words but I know you are all here with me and I appreciate you all. I will update you as soon as I know more.

Thank You.

Sue and the Orchant Family“

Wednesday December 5, 3.13pm Pacific
From me again:

“I rang the hospital for an update, and they gave the phone to Sue. She said that Marc is just back from having an EEG scan (heart function) and CT scan (brain function). He has not regained any consciousness, however his body functions are improving so that he could be moved for the tests. He is now responding to pain (eg, reacts when arms and feet are pressed), and his eyes are responding to light. There is better stability on heart rate and blood pressure. The family is awaiting the report from the neurosurgeon.

One day at a time.“

Thursday December 6, 3.45pm Pacific
From me again:

“I called the hospital for an update, and spoke with Ed, Marc’s brother from the East Coast. He said that it is still very touch and go. There has been some physiological improvement, some organs have stabilized, but Marc has still not yet regained consciousness. As such, they still have no update on brain functioning, or how long he was without oxygen. He has opened his eyes a few times today and tracked light. Ed and all the family who are there are hopeful that every hour brings improvement. Someone is with him all the time, and they are looking forward to him opening his eyes and saying, “so what’s happening?”.

Marc’s iPhone is in his pocket, playing the music that he loves constantly.

The family is grateful for the worldwide support network.“

Thursday December 6, 6.00pm Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“Hi everyone. I have a new update on Marc. This evening I spoke with Norm, a friend of the Orchant family who lives in New Mexico. Norm called me at Sue’s request and during our conversation he related to me some updated news. Marc’s condition has stabilized enough that they were able to move him to give him a CT scan as well as an EEG.

For those that don’t know, the CT scan allows doctors to get a detailed view of an internal organ such as the brain. In Marc’s case they were looking for any signs that he’s suffered any bleeding in his brain or had any signs of a stroke. The very good news here is that the CT scan was clear and no evidence of any cerebral hemorrhaging or stroke was seen.

Marc also was given an EEG or electroencephalogram. This test looks at the electrical energy within the brain to measure “brainwaves”. It allows doctors to see if the brain is active as well as if there’s any abnormal activity such as that which occurs when someone has an epileptic seizure. Marc’s EEG did not reveal any abnormalities – that’s the good news. It also did not show the degree or kind of electrical activity that would be seen in a healthy, alert person. My understanding from my talk with Norm is that the activity measured was that consistent with someone unconscious. This means that no real conclusions about any damage can really be made and that really only time will tell what Marc’s situation will be. The doctors apparently feel that the next few days are very important and they are hoping to see Marc making continued small but steady steps towards recovery.

Now for the really interesting and exciting news. One thing that the doctors recommended was to try and stimulate Marc’s senses as much as possible. His iPhone is in his pocket all the time playing his favorite music – I’m sure The Dead are in that rotation! – thanks to Cathryn Hrudicka who also made this brilliant suggestion.

The other way of stimulating Marc’s senses is with smell. One thing that they did was to bring a steaming hot plate of potato latkes into the room – when they put this plate under Marc’s nose, Norm says that Marc immediately opened his eyes and for a period of about ten minutes he was locked on Sue before finally closing them again.

Norm was careful to say that Marc wasn’t really “awake” but that this is the first time that his eyes have opened where he was apparently able to focus on his surroundings. Norm also mentioned that the day itself had been gray, cold, steely; but that just at the time that Marc opened his eyes there was an opening in the overcast and it bathed the room in a warm New Mexico sun-glow. I don’t know if that’s a message but I want to believe that it was.

At this point guarded optimism is still the prevailing sentiment. Marc continues to make small but measurable improvements and that in itself is the most important thing. I believe that the love, support and thoughts of so many people has the ability to profoundly (one of Marc’s favorite words) influence the future so keep those thoughts coming.

Also, I am working to establish a trust for Marc and the Orchant family. I will post further information here once I have it set up.“

Friday December 7, 10.30am Pacific
From Randy Burge (comment #187 at Blognation):

“Marc Update: time of visit: 11:30 a.m., MST/USA, Friday, December 7, 2007:

I stopped by the hospital to see how Marc is doing this morning. I was able to visit at some length with Sue who was there with Becca in Marc’s room while I was there with him. Marc’s family is rallied in the family area of the critical care floor at PHS.

Marc remains unconscious, though he is turning his head and responding to some stimuli, and at times seems almost ready to open his eyes. As Michael mentioned in a previous post, Marc’s favorite tunes are serenading him from his iPhone.

According to Sue, he is well past the normal recovery time for regaining consciousness post-incident and post-surgery which is of high concern. She said post-surgery heart response measures showed good signs his heart is recovering well, but the big question is his brain function, since it is unknown how long he may have been without oxygen following the original attack.

Meanwhile, we all remain guardedly optimistic and prayerful for Marc’s full recovery.

Randy“

Friday December 7, “this evening”
From James Kendrick:

“I spoke briefly this evening with Sue Orchant, Marc’s wife, and at length with Ed Bott who just left the hospital after a visit with Marc and Sue. Marc’s physical body seems to be healing with good vitals and today he has been moving his head and opening his eyes and looking around the room. This is very positive although he has not regained consciousness and everyone is concerned about that, understandably. Marc’s entire family is there comforting him and each other and a lot of friends are visiting too. Everyone is in a “wait and see” mode for Marc to wake up and get truly on the road to recovery. There is still no indication if Marc has sustained neurological damage due to the heart attack and if so how much, which is the primary concern at this point. Let’s all remember Marc and Sue and the rest of the Orchant family in our prayers and send get wells as much as we can. I consider Marc one of my greatest friends and love him like a brother so I am pulling for him as hard as I can but I need your help, too.“

Friday December 7, 7.30pm Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“This evening I spoke with a friend of Marc’s from New Mexico – Ed Bott. He related to me some additional information on Marc’s current condition. According to Ed, Marc opened his eyes again today a couple of times and is a bit more physically active. This is not to say that Marc has regained consciousness or had that breakthrough “What am I doing here?” moment that we are all praying for, but it is a step in the right direction.

Ed emphasized that Marc’s body is physically strong. This is very good news – anyone that’s ever gone for a walk would know this. I’m a former professional endurance athlete yet walking across town with Marc would leave me sweating.

The less positive side is that Marc is still not coming to. While there are no physical signs of neurological damage the one thing that medical science can’t really do is assess function in any way other than to observe it. In other words until Marc wakes up and starts talking about gadgets again we really have no idea if he’s okay or not. This is what is weighing so heavily on people right now as the longer that Marc remains unconscious the more concern exists for his long term prognosis.

Sue and the rest of the family continue to stay by Marc’s side around the clock. They are talking to him, playing music for him and generally doing everything that they can to stimulate his senses to try and bring him back around. Sue in particular has been with Marc all but a very few hours a day when she gets a little sleep. She’s one of the strongest women that I know but Ed says that she’s getting tired.

The support of the community has been a constant source of comfort and inspiration and Ed (and I second this sentiment) want to tell everyone to keep the good thoughts and positive energy flowing. It is one way that all of us no matter where we are can have a positive impact on this situation and help Marc and his family to get through this difficult time.“

Saturday December 8, 8.20am Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“Well… This isn’t easy. I just got off the phone with Sue Orchant and she has given me another update on Marc’s condition. What Sue tells me is that Marc has essentially failed to improve significantly over the past several days. He has not ever regained consciousness since the event and at this point it is not looking very good.

I hate writing these words. I hate that this has happened. This guy is one of the best, most amazing people. My heart goes out to Sue and the Orchant Family. I wish to god there was something more I could do, some miracle I could conjure. I want to fight this thing but there’s just nothing to fight. We’re still waiting and praying and that is so, so hard….“

Sunday December 9, 8.18am Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“From Sue Orchant:

If the outpouring of love, support and caring could heal Marc, he would be with us telling stories right now. Today we are going to make Marc more comfortable. Friends came by all day yesterday with continued prayers and love. Today just our family will be with him. I know you are all still there for him and us. Thank you for all you have done.
Heartfelt Love,
Sue and Family“

Sunday December 9, 2.56pm Pacific
From Oliver Starr:

“It is with great sadness that I report that Marc Orchant, Husband to Sue, Father to Rebecca and Jason, and friend to so many, passed away just a short time ago. I was notified by Marc’s brother Craig.

His family and closest friends were at his side and his favorite music was playing. Craig said that Marc’s passing was as peaceful and easy as anyone could have hoped and he left this world surrounded by love from so many people that he couldn’t possibly have failed to know how many people cared for, appreciated and respected him.

Anyone that knew Marc also knew how much he loved music; especially the Grateful Dead. The excerpt below is from one of the songs that helped the family say goodbye to Marc and helped Marc move on to the next world. I talked to Marc almost every single day for the past couple of years. I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say that I am going to miss him so, so much.

To allow for people that may need to travel and take time of work, services are most likely going to be held this coming Wednesday afternoon at the Temple where the Orchants are members. I will provide more specific details as soon as they have been provided to me. Marc’s family expressed once again their gratitude for the outpouring of love and support that the technology community has shown in this very difficult time. Your warmth, concern and friendship will not be forgotten.

River gonna take me
Sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy
all the way back home
It’s a far gone lullaby
sung many years ago
Mama, Mama, many worlds I’ve come
since I first left home

Goin home, goin home
by the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul“