Rob, Tim, and I all grew up around Campbell University (well, Campbell College back then)— we literally grew up on the campus.  Both of our parents worked at/around Campbell, so we were constantly present.  Mom worked as the switchboard operator at Campbell for years, and dad was manager of the campus bookstore as well as the laundromat on campus at various times.   

Our family owned a business right next to Campbell’s campus for a few years—Lane’s Sundry Shop is what I believe it was called.  The university bought the land which is one of the reasons it closed— I think it’s now called the Wallace Student Center.  The store was split into 3 sections— a sundry shop (I remember the homemade orange-ades and lemon-ades), a small restaurant, and an arcade.  My mind remembers about 20 pinball machines in the arcade (this was in a mostly pre-video game era, though near the end we did get a single video game, Pong).  I love pinball to this day, and even have my own pinball machine now.  

All three of us worked our first jobs at Campbell in the cafeteria.  This was mostly working for the various summer camps that came through including basketball camp and cheerleading camps that were held at Campbell every summer.  

The other big thing I remember about Campbell— theater.  Mom would always get free tickets to the various plays and musicals that were put on each year, and we’d see nearly every show as a family for many years.  It was my first introduction to theatre, and it cultivated an interest that has stuck with me for decades— I am definitely a Broadway freak at this point (let your freak flag fly!).  At Campbell we saw countless classics of the theater— Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Man of La Mancha, You Can’t Take It With You, Life With Father, Waiting For Godot, Dial M for Murder, and of course— Carousel, one of my all time favorites.  

I was able to go back to North Carolina this past weekend, and spent 4 days with my brother Rob.  I have to say— he has come a long way since late July.  Physically he is getting back toward normal.  I definitely see his memory getting better as well, with tangible improvements from one week to the next.  I’m proud of the progress he has made, and want to see him continue to journey back toward a new, fully functioning Rob.

My favorite song from Carousel has always been the finale, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”— it moves something inside of me every single time I hear it.  It is such a powerful anthem about strength through adversity, and pushing through to the other side.  It sums up Rob’s journey through all of this precisely.

I think choir-loving Rob would approve of this version:

But the Broadway freak in me definitely prefers this version:

Although Rob is doing great, my big takeaway message from the weekend— he is definitely craving more social time with friends and people he knows.  Rob is staying with my mom for now, and he would love for you to reach out to him to say hello.  He’s definitely up for visits, or a dinner out, or a walking session at Campbell, or any other activity (just nothing strenuous at this point as he’ll have to be cleared by cardiology for that) — he did go to Campbell’s football game this past weekend!  However, be aware that Rob can’t drive at this point— hopefully over time he’ll get there.  

I set Rob up with a new Facebook account as well as Facebook messenger on his iPad (his old FB account still exists, we just can’t access it — so if you were FB friends before, send him a message and a friend request for his new account; his new account is Robert Lane, while his old account is Rob J Lane).  His cell phone isn’t operational as of today.  He is actively using mom’s cell phone for now (I’m going to avoid giving that number out).  I’m told his old phone and phone number will hopefully be up and running later this week— so you can try texting or calling him there.  If you want to send anything by mail, then message me directly and I can get mom’s address to you.  

When you do reach out to Rob by message, I kindly ask that you remind Rob of your name/who you are/how you knew him— there are definitely some memory “gaps”, so no guarantee what he will or won’t remember.  I do firmly believe that ongoing interactions and stimulation will have a positive impact on his memory and brain function.

Sorry for being so long-winded tonight.  This is a dual post that will be listed on Caring Bridge and Facebook.  This will be the LAST post I put on Caring Bridge.  As always, thank you for your positive vibes, prayers, and kind thoughts— they have been greatly appreciated (and one would be led to believe that they have exerted a positive impact!).  And thanks for putting up with my posts!

Steve Lane