Richard H - My resignation.

Due to my various health problems, I have decided that the time is right for me to resign my posts as AMS Secretary/Webmaster.

Briefly, the rheumatoid arthritis that I suffer from is now making life so difficult for me that model building is becoming more and more difficult by the day...that in turn affects my depression, and so it goes on. The worse the RA becomes, the more the depression sets in. It seems to be a vicious circle for me, and even though my medication does help, it cannot control it.

It wasn't an easy decision to take, believe me, but I feel that I shall only fail in my duties towards the AMS committee, and to you, the members, if I try to continue as I am.

I have told Nigel that I'll be available should any problems arise with the forum and the website, then when the domain titles become up for renewal, I'll sign them over to whoever takes over the posts.

I would like this opportunity to thank you all for the support you have given me with the forum, and on a more personal note, I thank you all for the friendships I have made over the years...I shall treasure them all.

I wish you all well for your future projects guys, and I hope you will all continue to support the AMS and the forum.

Regards and regrets,


Richard.

Richard,

I dare say most of us are old people -- as the ranks of all the Crafts are no longer accepting young people in the numbers needed to sustain them, I think it fair to say that you, me, and our peers are the last of the breed. We leave a sadder, dumber, less capable world.

That said, Richard, as you move on, always keep it close to your heart that 'keepers of the flame', such as yourself, fought the good fight; you did your best to present this Craft to the general public; you were a part of the vanguard that advanced the state-of-the-art to where it is today; and you helped grow this rather unique aspect of the r/c vehicle hobby to the point where it is today.

Richard: I so want to extend to you and your peers my appreciation for the opportunity to talk with and learn from the likes of you.

Fight the good fight, Richard. And when you go down (as we all will) ... go down swinging!

David

David, thank you for those kind words, I really do appreciate them. You are right, we are all getting old and infirm, but there are no younger people to learn from us...I sincerely hope that situation changes, but I can't see it happening, more's the pity.

I have learned so much from you over the time I have known you, and for that I am deeply grateful.

I wish you well, David...as you said, when we do go, we'll go down fighting!

Kindest regards,

Richard

HI RICHARD

What can I say ..... my soul is sad for the state of your health .
Even if we did not personally know , your help was invaluable and regret that I could not never help YOU with anything .
I consider YOU as DEAR FRIEND , and  I spoke to all my acquaintances here with WARMTH and RESPECT about you ....
As you said there are few who remain Modeling ho loved these small world   , in these CRAZY WORLD around us ,
For me is a REFUGE that helps me to pass more easily  every day .....
Because this passion requires knowledge from various fields and some physical work makes this thing to be seen as foolishness as long  the LACK of WORK is promoted as VIRTUE  to the in any form ALL OVER the WORLD....
I hope at least you will give us advices when you can ....

YOU be ALWAYS in my HART and SOUL and I PRAY for YOUR HEALTH

With great respect

MARIUS

Rich we had a long chat today and you know what i think about the forum/AMS but just read what people are posting on here alot of people respect you and what you do for them reconsider what you said and if you need help with anything then just shout

Marius, thank you so much for those kind words, I really appreciate every one of them. You are a very gracious chap, and I'm honoured to know you.

Andy, my friend...what can I say after this morning's chat? You made me feel a whole lot better inside, and for that I thank you sincerely. You are a good friend to me, mate...I appreciate our talk this morning.

Although it may have sounded as though I'm pulling out of the hobby altogether, nothing could be further from the truth. I just need a break from things, and to hopefully get my head around how to cope with this rheumatoid arthritis. The medication does help for a lot of the time, but the times it doesn't are the worst.

I get frustrated when I can't do even the simplest of things...rolling a smoke can be almost an impossibility sometimes, let alone assembling a wtc.

I will still be participating in the model sub hobby as and when I can, fear not...just because I'm not posting updates on the forum doesn't mean I've lost interest, it's means I haven't been able to do anything, that's all.

Thank you again, both of you...

Richard

there is no need for thanks rich thats what friends are for but in my opinion the forum should be thanking you for all your hard work keeping this forum running

RICHARD I'M the one who had gained from these friendship and I THANK YOU for that .

MARIUS

Richard,
I am sorry your physical health brought you to this point and also that it is getting you down. Not having you active in this hobby is a loss to all of us. I personally enjoyed your humor, wisdom, and dedication to this hobby. Blessings my friend.
Peace,
Tom

Hi Dick

Well this is the day then, or is this just a tactical with draw?

O.K having R/A is not the end of the world, the wife has had R/A since she was 26, and she has had to have her knees and hips replaced, now the fingers on he left hand are starting not to work, and for all that her only bad luck is being marred to me, so Dick just sit back and take a hard look at life,

As they say there are more ways to skin a cat, so that means you can still do the things that you love to do but in a different way.

O.K lets take making a hole, just enlarge the handle of the drill and the file so that your fingers will hold it.

O.K some of you think I am being hard on Dick but you must not let a thing like R/A get to you.

Fred

Let me try and expand on this a little...I could have handles on screwdrivers an inch thick, I could have handles on screwdrivers a foot thick, but it would make no difference at all to my problems. I can hold something like a screwdriver in my hand, but I cannot turn my wrist without being in pain. This doesn't happen all the time, some days are ok, some are not, I never know which is going to be a good or a bad day until I try to do something. On a bad day, I have trouble opening the top on a bottle of milk...something which you do without even giving it a second thought. If it's a bad day, I have to hold the bottle close under my arm with one arm, and hold the top in my other hand and sort of twist myself...not the lid. On a bad day, holding a piece of brass wire in a pair of pliers and trying to bend it is a virtual impossibility. As I said before, even the simple task of rolling a smoke can prove to be extremely painful.

Now, when things like this happen, I get frustrated...the more frustrated I become, then the depression sets in. If you've ever suffered with depression, you'll understand what this means...if you haven't (and I hope you never do) you'll not understand how I feel.

I will repeat, I am not giving up the hobby, I just need a break from things for a while, to try and sort things out in my mind.

I've tried building something completely different, but after a couple of days, the same problems arose...I had to call on a friend for assistance to tighten up half a dozen nuts and bolts which I just could not do. He didn't mind helping me out at all, but try and imagine how it feels to have to ask for assistance to carry out a minor task like that.

I'm not letting the disease beat me...more along the lines of backing off, considering the problem, and then regrouping ready to try again.


Richard

Hi Dick

I do know just were you are coming from, I had depression for over four years before I got any help and for the last three yers I am still getting that help, also I know about how you feel to asking for help, as the wife evens needs help putting her shoes on.

As for the pain your Doctor should be sorting this out, as only to day our Doctor said that with to - days drugs any one with R/A should not have distorted hands and only a small amount of pain, if you could see the wifes hands you would not believe how she gets through the day,  

So get onto you Doctor with regards to the pain and how you are feeling, and onto your Council with regards to getting all the items you need to help you open tins, bottles ect, and also Gogol for any aids that will help you.
Dick I do think that this not the place for this,so when we have moved and I have my car back I will come over to se you and then talk this over

Fred

Fred

Dear Richard,

this is really a sad news again to read about your resignation as you are such a passionate submarine modeller and the committed webmaster of this forum. Even more sad are the reasons for your decision as your disease really means a severe handicap for building models or even keep your models already built in operation. Due to your description of the symptoms of your disease I may get a slight imagination how painful even simple actions can be. I have also experienced times when health problems (those of me or of my family) became so overwhelming that everything else (including modelling) lost its importance. And then perhaps it's a short step to loosing hope and falling into depressions. I cannot estimate the chance of (at least partial) recovery, whether it is realistic or not. But even when you have to give up active modelling you will surely keep on being a model submariner, at least in mind. And you will still be further on a regarded and honoured member of the submarine modeller community, even when you are not able for planning or building new models. I think all the modeller friends here are with you.

Kind regards and best wishes
Klaus-Dieter
(Nickname: Hermann)

Richard,
So sorry to hear of your health situation, and I hope that in some way the medics will be able to help you in every way possible to improve your life quality. I would like to thank you for all the time and effort you have put into this website and how your enthusiasm has inspired so many people to become part of this great hobby. I find your posts always polite and fun to read and in times of quietness on the forum, you have kept it alive. Take care, and keep in touch

many blessings
Roger

Thanks for the kind words, Klaus and Roger..I appreciate them all. I have a hospital appointment comng up soon with an RA specialist, so maybe he will be able to switch the light on at the end of the tunnel for me.

One way or another, I'll get there again.one day.


Richard

RICHARD can I DARE to say , That Voyage to the Tunnel the LATER the Better !.
PLEASE keep as on Post with everything .
WE ARE WITH ALWAYS YOU

MARIUS