Move further south brings Gary closer to returning north

A move further away from Muskoka is bringing Gary one step closer to coming home.

Earlier this week, Gary was moved from his bed at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie to his new home at Toronto East General, where a special program exists to hopefully help Gary ditch the ventilator for good. Though the shuffle has put an extra hour's worth of driving between Gary and his good friends in Muskoka, the transition to this special program been an encouraging and major step forward in his ongoing recovery.

Gayle made a trip down to Toronto mid-week in anticipation for the big move, and after some delays, Gary got settled in nicely in his new home in the city.

 

He not only gets a wonderful view of the CN Tower in the distance, but also appears to have a lot less snow to look at than his dear friends currently do in Muskoka.

Shout outs from Muskoka

As Gary continues to recover, his friends and neighbours in cottage country are still eagerly awaiting his return. During a benefit concert earlier this month in his honour, dozens of Muskokans lent their faces and voices to a series of video shout-outs to wish Gary good health and a speedy recovery. Gary was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw the video of his good friends in the north. Both Gayle and Gary want to say a big thank you to all who came out that night to show their support.



In the second video below, there are also a few clips of singer Ian Thomas performing, just shortly after Parry Sound - Muskoka MP Tony Clement showed off his own musical talents on the guitar.

Stay tuned to this blog for more great news in the coming weeks!

Massive Muskoka turnout for Bring Gary Froude Home concert

Love and generosity flowed lavishly from the hearts of about 300 Muskokans who turned up for a night of music dedicated to bringing home one of their beloved own. 

Seats were a rare commodity when Juno-winning musician Ian Thomas and Lunch at Allen's bandmate Marc Jordan took the stage at the Bring Gary Froude Home benefit concert on Saturday, Jan. 4. Gary, who was named Muskoka's 2012 Citizen of the Year for his work in promoting the arts, has been hospitalized since May after contracting a mysterious virus which left him paralyzed. 

The concert took place at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Resort and Spa. 

"People like Gary are really the spine of culture in our community," Thomas said in his pre-performance speech. 

Peering out at the sea of concert-goers, Thomas said the success of the event was profound reflection of the positive change that Gary's work has achieved in Muskoka over the years. Scores of supporters and local dignitaries also lent their faces and words of encouragement to a series of video shout-outs for Gary, which Muskoka Chautauqua staff are currently in the process of compiling and editing. 

Thomas and Jordan both jumped aboard fundraising efforts as soon as they heard of Gary's condition. Funds raised from ticket sales and a silent auction preceding the concert will be used to help Gary his wife Gayle make modifications to their Port Carling home, in order to accommodate extended apparatus once Gary is healthy enough to return. 

Citing Gary's demeanour when he was handed the Citizen of the Year Award, Thomas described the dedicated Rotarian as a man bound by a sense of humility rivaled only by his passion and love for serving the Muskoka community. 

But the large turnout on Saturday, Thomas said, was a reflection of just how much Muskoka loves Gary back. 

"You realize what a large part of the culture in his area that Gary has played in," he said. 

Though Gary was unable to attend the concert, he had reached a remarkable series of milestones in his ongoing recovery over recent months. He gained enough strength to sit up on his own in late November, and was pedaling away on an exercise bike by the end of that month. 

After a series of adjustments to his ventilator, Gary spoke clearly for the first time in early December, thanking his friends and supporters for their spiritual support in a cellphone video. By Christmas, he was taking his first sips of coffee with Gayle and eating pureed food for the first time since summer. 

Since then, Gary's also beaten a brief spell of pneumonia he contracted shortly before the concert. 

All the while, stories about Gary's condition, community contributions, and the benefit concert itself made headlines in local newspapers and radio broadcasts. 

Numerous local sponsors came together to make the fundraising event possible, including the JW Marriott The Rosseau Resort and Spa, Hammond Transportation, McLaren Press Graphics, North 45 Communications, PSAV, Muskoka Tourism and Explorers' Edge. 

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on Gary's reactions to the evening's events and video shoutouts. 

 

Homecoming tune lined up for Bring Gary Home concert

Lunch at Allen's bandmates Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas are setting the stage for Gary Froude's comeback with some homecoming music at a benefit concert in two days.

In a radio PSA ad produced last week, the singers announced they will be performing Thomas' 1978 single "Coming Home" as part of the repertoire on Saturday, Jan. 4. The fundraiser will feature a silent auction which runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Resort and Spa. The concert itself begins at 8:30 p.m.

You can hear the PSA by clicking below:



Funds raised during the event will go towards helping Gary and his wife Gayle make changes to their Port Carling home in order to accommodate extended care apparatus once Gary is able to return to Muskoka.

Throughout the evening, willing guests will be able to share some kind words and thoughts with Gary by taking part in a video shout-out, which will be recorded  by Muskoka Chautauqua staff. Please find Louis or Patrick at the event if you are interested in giving a shout-out to Gary. The shout-outs will be complied after the event, and eventually uploaded to this blog to help keep Gary's spirits up in his ongoing recovery.

Information about the evening's festivities can be found by visiting www.bringgaryhome.ca,