Fred Arcoleo - Ten Years Later After Stroke at 38

I'm posting a newsletter from Fred Arcoleo, a musician and a high school chapter leader in Washington Hts. Fred tells a remarkable story of his stroke at the age of 38 ten years ago. I got to know Fred before his stroke through distributing Ed Notes at the Delegate Assembly. Fred distributed Ed Notes to the 4 schools in his building.

A little background
Fred attended a meeting I called I think in the spring or fall of 2001. I can pin the date because it was pre- Fred's stroke. I had (finally) come to the realization after 4-5 years of trying to work with Randi Weingarten hoping she would bring a new democratic vision to the UFT, that the quest was hopeless. Given that the opposition parties were getting nowhere, I decided to try to get reps from all of them plus the independents I had met through Ed Notes together to see if a strong run could be made at Unity. The major groups were New Action (which was the biggest group by far), Progressive Action Caucus - PAC (focused on people who has license problems) and Teachers for a Just Contract - TJC (not really a caucus at the time). There was lots of tension between the official groups but I hoped that independents like Fred could infuse new blood into the opposition and function as a sort of glue.

While there was some hope at that meeting - though New Action clearly had little interest since they viewed themselves as the big boy in the room and didn't have to work with anyone. At a follow-up meeting things fell apart between TJC and PAC and I ended the quest. I was frustrated that these groups couldn't seem to make a dent. Other independents like Fred seemed to feel the same.

A year later I begin to think about getting just the independents (the people who wouldn't join a caucus for a variety of reasons) together and that led to the founding of the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) in late 2003. Sounds crazy maybe to add another group to the mix but given people like Fred I figured at the very least issues would be raised that the other groups were refusing to address (mayoral control, high stakes testing, the growing cancer of ed deform).

One day in 2002 when I dropped by Fred's school I found out he was out due to a stroke. What a shock - and a warning to everyone that this can happen no matter what your age. Fred's full recovery took some time and since then he has focused on his music.

On my last visit to my doctor, in an effort to get me to take Lipitor due to my cholesterol levels, he said, "I don't care if you die" (GEE THANKS DOC) "but am more worried about you having a stroke." Scary, but I'm still not taking it. Maybe Fred's story below will spur me on to get those numbers in line.

And make sure to check out Fred's appearances and his CD "Seeds."

HAPPY 2012! Welcome to the 2nd installment of the RALLY FOLK! NEWSLETTER. _______________________ OCCUPYING this month's newsletter: VIRILITY & MORTALITY FIRST ANNUAL GROUNDHOG DAY EXTRAVAGANZA! FRED'S POETRY IN NEW “POETRY OF YOGA” BOOK FRED ON THE RADIO! ______________________________ 1. VIRILITY & MORTALITY Ten years ago today I had a stroke at 38 years old. I was taking a routine 5-mile run from the Upper West Side back home to Washington Heights when I started to feel odd. In those days, I’d go to political meetings downtown and run home with my shoulder bag and notebook under my arm. “I think I might need to slow down,” I told myself at first. Funny, I thought: I've never said that to myself while running. Then, a couple of minutes later: “I think I’m going to fall down.” Next thing I know, I’m looking up from the tar in the middle of 178th & Broadway at an oncoming car with its emergency flashers (I had apparently drifted into the road from the sidewalk). I raised my arms to get up, but my legs didn’t respond. A man appropriately named Angel ran into the street and lifted me, brought me to the curb and called an ambulance, but when the cops came to check it out and asked me how I was, the cottony mush that came out of my mouth convinced me in my otherwise lucid state that they’d surely think I was just drunk, so I rubber-banded to them that I was ok. I sat for a few minutes on the curb, got up and walked home, stopping at first to pick up some photos (which kept slipping out of my left hand, along with my keys, along the way). I initially thought it was because I hadn’t eaten breakfast and “overdid it,” as I usually did. It wasn’t until the next morning that “stroke” even entered my mind and then only slowly. People my age have strokes? I had no idea. “I don’t know how you walked in here,” the emergency room doctor said after my CAT Scan.   Ten years later, I’m almost completely recovered. My left arm, hand, & fingers aren’t quite the same, and an old neck injury came back to haunt me and remind me of my mortality, but all in all I am a very lucky man.   This month my friends and I will be putting on a show--on Friday the 13th no less (!!) (see sidebar)--to celebrate both our virility and our mortality. Won’t you join us?   2. Coming in February . . .  We've just confirmed the 1st Annual Groundhog Day Extravaganza! THURS. FEB. 2, 8-10 pm Le Chéile Café & Artspace  839 W. 181st St., Washington Heights (corner of Cabrini Blvd.) A or 1 train to 181st St. (212) 740-3111 http://lecheilenyc.com/wp/cafe I wanted to be right in my dear-own neighborhood to celebrate my adopted holiday, Groundhog Day: rebirth, the heroic journey, & a desperate hankering for spring! Featuring Demetrius Daniel, Amy Soucy, other neighborhood luminaries (special guests both human & animal) & prizes for the season! And of course, a kick-ass live version of my song "Groundhog Day"! http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6971315 3. FRED'S POETRY IN NEW "POETRY OF YOGA" BOOK! I'm proud one of my poems, "Stillness,"  has been selected for inclusion of part one of a two-volume set of poetry of yoga, the brainchild of HawaH, founder of the educational and community service organization One Common Unity (http://onecommonunity.org). You can preview and order the book on http://thepoetryofyoga.com, where you can also hear an audio clip of my poem featured on the front page! If you're in the area, come to the NYC Book Launch event and hear me recite the poem and sing with Amy Soucy (see sidebar). : ) 4. FRED ON THE RADIO!   Sun. Jan. 29, 8 PM WTBQ, 1110 AM, 93.5 FM I’m proud to have been invited to feature at the weekly Hootenanny Café Mini-Concert, hosted by Folk DJ Jon Stein of Hudson Valley’s WTBQ out of Warwick, NY. You can also listen live at http://www.wtbq.com.   AND FINALLY... If you haven't already, LISTEN TO "SEEDS"! Just visit http://reverbnation.com/fredarcoleo and you can hear entire tracks from "SEEDS," plus a few live videos (including a new song, "We Are the Ones") GET THE CD! RALLY FOLK MUSIC IS NOT FOR SALE! It's true that for now, online copies of the CD are only available "for sale," but when I get my own website, I plan on creating a pay-what-you-can format to encourage people to LISTEN TO MUSIC FIRST, then contribute what you can afford. For now, simply send me an email with your address and I'll send you your own copy. Listen to the music and send me what you can in return.  STAY TUNED/GET IN TOUCH! I'd love to hear from you. If you know of a place or event where I can play, or would like to write a review of "SEEDS," tell me what you think of the songs, or if you just want to say hi, please do it now, while you're thinking about it! ; ) "One day we're moving mountains another day sinking in sand dizzy with demands of history but in the long run                                          made to stand"

JANUARY SHOWS! WED. JAN. 11th, 8-9:30 pm The Poetry of Yoga Book Launch! Jivamukti Yoga Center (with Amy Soucy!) 841 Broadway, 2nd floor New York, NY 10003 (212) 353-0214 Book launch for The Poetry of Yoga, a two-volume set of poems selected by artist and organizer HawaH  (http://onecommonunity.org) and including contributions from many giants of yoga, including Sharon Gannon, Krishna Das, Douglas Brooks, Rod Stryker, Shiva Rea, Leza Lowitz, Climbing Poetree, & many more! Hosted by Sharon Gannon. I'll be sharing my poetry from the book and singing joyfully with my friend & fellow yogi, Amy! For more event details, see http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/fms/index.html FRIDAY THE 13th! 8-11 pm "A Stroke of Luck" Starving Artist Café  (with Amy Soucy!) 249 City Island Ave., Bronx, NY 10464 (718) 885-3779 “Cryptogenic”—cause unknown—is what they told me ten years ago after I had my stroke. STROKE??! But I was in perfect health. What better time to commemorate the tenth anniversary of this freak event but on (Lucky) Friday the 13th? LUCKY to be alive!  Join my friends Amy Soucy, Buddy Coughlin, Jim Harrison and myself as we celebrate the joy, fragility, resilience, AND LUCK of life. We’ll be singing songs of rebirth, second chances, & survival, and all-around rocking the evening. Come & celebrate with us! Musicians, bring your instruments and play a song!    “Life is a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller (http://www.starvingartistonline.com/) (hopstop it! http://hopstop.com) FRI.-SUN. JAN. 27-29 People's Music Network Winter Gathering Friday Concert: Lawrence High School Performing Arts Center 70-72 North Parish Rd., Lawrence, MA Saturday & Sunday Gathering: Lawrence Senior Center 155 Haverhill St., Lawrence, MA  Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike.  more details at http://peoplesmusic.org

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