As Thanksgiving Day comes, I am prompted to think about what I am thankful for. I am very thankful to be living in a caring community where help was given to me when I really needed it.
On July 23 I fell from my bicycle, apparently flying over the handlebars. I will never know why I fell when I did. I do not know who saw me fall or who called 911. I was knocked out and, when I woke up, Christy, one of the EMTs from Middlebury Regional EMS, was asking me my name and address. I was taken to Porter Hospital in the ambulance, and two policemen took my bicycle and helmet to my home. Christy stayed with me until my wife was notified and could get to the hospital. There in the Emergency Room I received excellent care from Dr. Fred Kniffin and others on the staff.
It was thought that my injuries were serious enough that I should be examined at UVM Hospital in Burlington. MREMS gave me another ride to get there, where I was kept overnight. The most serious of my injuries was a brain bleed, which the doctors have been watching for four months with eight CT scans. The brain bleed has been healing so that no surgery has been required. 
So, this Thanksgiving I will be thankful to all who watched over me and cared for me so that I could get back on my bicycle on Oct. 15 and can ride again when the weather permits. Some of the people who saw my need back on July 23 I may never know. But, I am thankful for you and the medical community here that really cares.
George Klohck
Middlebury