KevMac

‪Many have offered to ride the @CTCycleTour in memory of @BarryMcCallum - to borrow a hashtag - #IrideforBarry - he would be honoured. ‬

Hi all I've wanted to write something on here since my last and only post on Barry, but I've struggled to think straight, and right after I wrote an update for Facebook, I would get hammered. I needed to numb the fear that Barry would go. This week, when it came close and then when it was confirmed, I could not get numb enough. I doubt I ever will. Barry's organs were donated. I won't go in to detail, but his body, the bits that survived his crashes and beer and ciggies and the other daftness that he got up to, will perhaps save a life. I really hope a cyclist gets a part of him. That would make me happy. It would make him laugh. Barry would have loved to have known he was loved the way he was. He and I were too very different people, but we were close when we weren't arguing about something stupid. We both loved bikes. I gave him bikes. He would give them to someone else. Then I would want them back and I would have to hunt them down. Myself and his boys are going to his house on Monday or Tuesday to see what things the kids would like. I have already laid claim to the bikes. There is a plan to take one of them and make it a ghost bike at Grapes. I think that would be perfect. His funeral will be on Friday at, hopefully, 2pm at the St Dominic's church in Trichardt Ave in Boksburg. We are still firming up details, and have been asked to get a case number so we can free his body. No one thought to report the accident when it happened. I doubt they will hold on to his body. You are all welcome to attend. Barry would like that. No flowers. Flowers die. We have had enough death. There will be food in the church hall afterwards. The wake will be at Grapes. The owner has told me that Barry's death has been good for business. I have told her she owes the McCallum family a 10 percent cut. I don't know how many updates I will put out there this week. This may be the last one. I'll be on Facebook. I'm sure the good people here will pass on any messages. Thank you all. The black banners broke me when I saw them this week. But they also helped heal a part of me. Thank you for that. Kev Kevin McCallum

I was there until 5pm, and then had to get home. The Parks are a long way from Benoni. I'll be back tomorrow at some time.

Hi All I'm Kevin McCallum, Barry's brother. I've caught up on this thread today, and have been blown away by how much love, care and concern there is for him. He is currently undergoing an operation to have another look at his wounds, and to search for more damage. Burn damage sometimes only shows up a few days after the incident has occurred. As someone has already said here, this will be a long process. Every day is a fight for Barry to stay alive. The enemy of burn victims is sepsis - infection. I had a long talk with the head of ICU, who went to the same school as Barry and I. He is one off the best in the land and was brutally honest. He told me that Barry has not had to fight off his first attack of infection. He will have to, and they are ready for it. But there are no certainties. Some 50-70 cent of his body is burnt. He has no functioning skin on his back. Yesterday was a good day. Today may also be. They have asked me to prepare for the worst, which is devastating, but I think is the right attitude. We wait and hope, and going by the words of many of you, there is a lot of hope and strength being sent his way. His dogs are being looked after. Thank you for your concern. I reckon those dogs may just end up being the fattest pups in Benoni. I suspect four people are feeding them now. If you would like to have a chat about Barry, I will be down at Grapes in Benoni, near the Lynnwood hospital, most afternoons. It's a good place to meet and give updates. Julie, the owner, is very close to Barry. Tell her you are there for him if you go past. Actually, most of the regulars have stories about my brother. Most of them good... A friend is setting up a fund. Barry will need financial help to get through this. He lost everything in the car - his laptop, wallet, ID, camera, phone. Today, someone is going around to fix up the locks on the doors of his house, as well as fix his gates. Over the next few months, we want to fix up his house for when he returns. I will give a comprehensive update on how he is doing on Facebook each day. I'd love to reply to each one of you, but, to be honest, I'm struggling to cope with this emotionally and a sobbing 49-year-old man doesn't make much sense when talking on the phone. It is easier to type. This healing will take a long time. Barry will find his life changed in many ways, but he will also find that many things are the same, and one of those, perhaps the most important, is that he has many, many friends who love and care for him. Cheers, Kevin