RULES OF THE WILD

RULES OF THE WILD It has been six months from the start of the Amazon 5000 Expedition and we can now put together some conclusions and "rules" to be adapted by ones who think on going locations through the heart of the Amazon - the RULES of the WILD!  We collected some Do's and Don'ts and how they played out in the crisis we experienced along the trail and of which, kept us during the past few weeks at the edge of our seats! BUT MAINLY THIS IS AN UPDATE OF MICKEY'S PROGRESS ALONG HIS AMAZON 5000 EXPEDITION TRAIL for all of you friends, family and fans who are asking:  WHERE IS MICKEY NOW?

RULE #1: Never stop an expedition for more than one night at the SAME location, while in the Amazon, always keep moving.    It is early November when Mickey Grosman and his Amazon 5000 team settle the expedition on the Amazon river bank in the desolate jungle town of Tabatinga Brazil. They are awaiting the next expedition team member; Joe Flowers from N. Carolina, to join them in 5 days. Mickey takes these days to let his team rest and recoup their energy from the tireless trek that started on the pacific shore of Ecuador, six months ago. It is during this rest period that Mickey finalizes logistics for the next leg of his journey meeting with the local indigenous in preparation for Leg 8 and where Mickey is identifying locations rich in wildlife for exploration.  Back at home we are nervous! The pre-expedition research we conducted in the year prior to the beginning of the expedition pointed out this location might be of the worst and the most dangerous one among all. Settled between a major river intersection shared by three countries; Peru Colombia and Brazil this area is well known for its high crime and is suggested to be a major artery for drug trafficking. We bite our nails waiting for the new expedition member to arrive from Miami to Tabatinga and for Mickey to leave this location immediately and continue the expedition. "Keep going Mickey" we whisper... "keep going man!" This "minor" delay proves to be very costly to the expedition and a catalyst for a turn of events in the coming days... RULE #2 Never get sick while crossing the Amazon!  As Joe Flowers landed on the short runway of Tabatinga he is greeted not by the scene he expected. Mickey it seems has just fallen ill, developing debilitating headaches and fever. Every muscle and joint ached with inexplicable pain and as the days went on, the team witnesses Mickey's health deteriorating as he was diagnosed with Dengue Fever. Little did the team know the relentless swarm of mosquitoes that annoyed them in the jungle brought with them a deadly disease. Mickey seeking medical care faints at the clinic door. He is admitted into a small make shift hospital and treated for this life threatening illness. Mickey's "recovery" delays the expedition even more. As weak as his body is, Mickey's strength of mind is still evident. Mickey is anxious to get back on his feet and continue the expedition, especially now that Joe has just arrived. RULE #3: DROP to your knees "hands up" when told so, especially while in the Amazon! (It will not hurt if you bury your face into the sand too...)   It has been over a week now that the expedition stays in one location while Mickey who is bedridden in a local motel room attempts to recover his illness, and the expedition is not moving forward --- that's not good (see Rule #1). Camping out on the River bank for so long his team captures the attention of the locals. The Amazon 5000 team is made out of all good people: Ecuadorians, Peruvians, and the main characters - "gringos" Americans. The locals are curious...not knowing why these foreigners settled down in their neighborhood. Rumors began to spread over this little town that sits on the main artery of the Amazon river and is infested with crime. That's not good and Mickey knows it, He must break camp and leave this town as quickly as possible. But he is far from standing strong on his feet and is still battling the Dengue disease. Regaining some strength after a week, Mickey returns to the expedition campground where his team finally breaks camp preparing to move forward. All geared and packed, ready to leave the town, they are suddenly swarmed by 20 armed police force. Yet again the Amazon 5000 Expedition team find themselves in a dangerous situation, looking down the barrels of the guns, this time of the Tabatinga's federal police unit. The police shout aggressively in Portuguese tongue with the only clear word understood by all being "drugs, drugs"... and order the team to the ground. All but Mickey submit to the police orders and drop down to their knees, hands-up... some bury their faces in the sand. Mickey remains standing with arms down and hands open in a neutral stance. Being a proud Special Forces veteran, where he looked so many times at death to its face and now proudly wearing the American flag on his expedition shirt, Mickey is ticked off, refuses to be humiliated or let anyone degrade his country, the U.S.A. Over the police loud yelling and aggressive body language he tries to communicate with them and tells them that he and his team are not there in Brazil for any wrong doing. None of the police members understands neither English, nor Spanish or want to hear him at all. Realizing he is the expedition leader they reach to Mickey quickly and handcuff him. They search through the belongings of every team member while those are watching mournfully, for their expedition survival gear; knives, machetes and also a bear mace canister (that serves them as a self defense tool) is being confiscated. Knowing they have done nothing wrong, the team is astonished when the police drag Mickey away to the local police station, leaving them leaderless and with no direction.  About an hour later, without Mickey present, the police return to camp, but this time they go on search to the surrounding neighborhood area. From someplace there, they now confiscate a single shot - hunting rifle commonly carries by locals in the region. And... they detain Mickey in the local jail with no communication to the outside world. Once again an obstacle stands in Mickey's way, threatening to put a stop to his journey of HOPE!  Will this break him?  Back at home, we are informed of the crisis by Joe Flowers. Communicating with different people throughout the week, the stories vary and local speculations from the street level make their way to us. The reason for the police raid on the Amazon 5000 campground and for Mickey's detention stays shrouded in darkness. No official explanation is provided and Mickey's health keeps him unable to defend himself. Everyday Joe visits Mickey, together with Coy Webb, a local young American missionary who lives in that town. Coy and his young wife Priscila, who have just met the expedition team a few days earlier takes the situation to heart and volunteer to help Mickey using their knowledge of the town.Together with Joe, Coy brings food to Mickey once a day to nourish his body and check on his treatment. It is clear to see over the next few days: Mickey's health is once again deteriorating, and this time very fast. He is coughing up blood and looks almost skeletal. The dengue fever knocks Mickey down once again.  The two young guys demand medical attention from the federal police. The police comply as even they can see Mickey is now facing a life or death situation. Within 24 hours Mickey's health is once again taking a very bad turn. Suffering from the more extreme level of Dengue Fever -- Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever a disease also known as "breakbone" fever Mickey is now being rushed to a military hospital where he is being treated with intravenous rehydration methods. He is bleeding internally throwing up constantly and suffering a pain as if his bones are broken. This disease can hit in 3-4 cycles, each phase hitting harder than the one before and Mickey is experiencing his second cycle already and is in desperate need of medical attention -- in risk of slipping into dengue shock syndrome where dangerously low blood pressure occurs. RULE #4: Know your country consulate office, emergency phone number in advance.   Joe Flowers has taken charge and communicates the situation at hand with the home team. Seeing Mickey's health decline brings the reality of how dire the situation is quickly becoming. With no explanation from the police, no communication with Mickey and Mickey looking very ill it was urgent to do something to get Mickey out of detention and provide him with proper medical care. Back home, the Amazon 5000 team attempts to reach out to the U.S. Consulate office in Manaus. After contacting the State Department, an initial connection is made with the U.S. Embassy in Brazillia, Brazil - 2000 miles away from Tabatinga. With a long holiday weekend in the States and a week-long holiday in Brazil, it takes several calls until the right contact is made and action is able to begin. Consulting with Dr. Kyle Ver-Steeg, back in Iowa, we are learning Mickey's health symptoms needed urgent attention from the onset and the situation is gloomy. The U.S. Consul in Brazil, after following local official procedures is able to make the first phone call to Mickey. He reports to us of his impression of Mickey's health and is aware of the need to provide Mickey with immediate care and full attention. A few days later, he is able to send a consular agent to visit Mickey. RULE #5: Make sure to choose your expedition team mates carefully and have a strong backbone buddies back you up at home.   Kyle Ver Steeg, who has just left the Amazon 5000 expedition two months ago is in constant communication with the home team. Experiencing the expedition with Mickey he knows Mickey is on a starvation diet as result of living off the land and taking into consideration his previous cancer battle, Kyle is horrified to hear of Mickey's condition. He is concerned for Mickey's life and prepares to take flight to Brazil and see to Mickey's medical attention himself. Kyle's able to expedite a Brazilian Visa but not being an official US representative, Kyle will not be allowed into the military hospital where Mickey is kept at in Tabatinga. Kyle is determined to help and bring Mickey home and even the Amazon 5000 home team is now concerned this disease may take Mickey's life. It is now our only hope to stop the expedition and bring him safely home. Joe Flowers is now working diligently and around the clock on the Tabatinga ground dealing with an international drama. He works tirelessly to network and speak with the locals in Brazil to get medical help and relief for Mickey. This is not what he has expected when he landed on the Amazon grounds. Instead of trekking the dense jungle of the Amazon, exploring its marvelous and wildlife and testing his survival limits, instead he is now battling a different kind of survival-ability. Involved in an International crisis, he dips his legs in waters he has never been before. But it is a health crisis and Joe is standing up for the task. Getting some strong encouragement from Kyle Ver Steeg back at home, Joe is keeping his head up and providing support for Mickey. Meanwhile, the Amazon 5000 Expedition support team with much dedication waits for Mickey by the river, guarding the gear and keeping their spirits high for Mickey's return. A very significant “Backbone” support and a “Life-Line” to Mickey’s family and to the Amazon 5000 team back home and abroad is ‘The Satellite Phone Store’ of Sarasota, Florida! Sponsoring Mickey and the expedition from the get go, providing a wide line of Satellite devices and a budget for Airtime usage this sponsorship proved to be Priceless!  The good people at the SPS of Sarasota are playing a big role in keeping the safety of the A5K expedition team, especially through crises and as this one unfolded! With Mickey unable to stand on his feet Joe Flowers is now in possession of all the electronics, and he is using them to its full potential. Without any other mean of communication at this isolated town Joe is reporting to us back home using the Satellite phone two to three times a day, keeping us informed of Mickey’s health and working with us on logistics to release Mickey and provide him with an immediate care and relief. Providing the Amazon 5000 expedition with state of the art equipment in communication devices we cannot thank enough the good people of Satellite Phone Store for their belief in Mickey and of his inspirational journey as well as their kind sponsorship and the behind the scenes support have they provided all along.   RULE #6: A 5000 mile expedition across continent, in a call to end Cancer and inspire those who are in the battle, CANNOT succeed without A WORLD WIDE SUPPORT.   It takes a lot of courage, good intentions and amounts of logistics and preparations for one to do suchan expedition as Mickey Grosman does! But it could not have taken place without the support of youall back at home and around the world! One cannot take such initiative and dare to go through such obstacles without having a strong backing of support you all provide. YOU are the backbone of his support, and Mickey is counting on you!

As of three weeks ago, with a Brazilian local judge allows for the Amazon 5000 expedition to continue all the way, Mickey was released from Jail, something we are most definitely thankful for during this time of Holidays. Though it was not an ideal situation, Mickey says it was an "out of this world" and unbelievable experience he would not take back and will share with us down the road.  While losing 40 pounds due to his health crisis, he gained a lot of support and compassion from the local people including the hospital staff, the jail guards and local villagers who are now following the Amazon 5000 Expedition virtually over our social network pages.    Two weeks ago Mickey has resumed the expedition, heading now along the Amazon river towards Manaus. He is not fully recovered yet and still suffers pain all over his body - a fact that slows him down and lower his physical energy.  There are still chances the Dengue Fever will hit him again in a third episode. We are worried about Mickey but he is determined as always to continue. Join us in encouraging his strength of will and endurance to go on! Thank you Mickey, you truly are making the Impossible, Possible!