“Bass-trackers, Bayliners and a party barge
Strung together like a floatin’ trailer park
Anchored out and gettin’ loud all summer long.”
Wow, where does the time go! It’s been almost 2 weeks since I last posted any updates and I am sure you all have been sitting front of your computers just waiting for my latest journal entry! Hopefully, you have been as busy as I have and enjoying the summer as much as I have as well.
I’ve been spending some time by Lake Erie enjoying wonderful emotions that the water seems to elicit from me. I must admit that one of my favorite sounds in the world has to be the melody made by waves lapping upon the shore. I could close my eyes and listen to that song for hours at a time.
The above picture is from Coldwater Lake. It’s abnormal for me to spend a summer without making trips to Coldwater Lake and Buckeye Lake, near Columbus. I realize there are many people from the lakes following my journey. I miss my time spent with all of you, especially Jim and Jo, my aunt and uncle down at Buckeye Lake, and the Costell and O’Loughlin clans up at Coldwater Lake. Please do me the honor of always enjoying your time and having fun, jumping in feet first and enjoying some tasty adult beverages on my behalf!
As I mentioned, I’ve been keeping myself very busy, probably the most busy I’ve been in the past two years. I’ve been spending a good amount of time working on getting my nonprofit organization up and running. I’ve had several visits with friends, trips to the movies, dinner gatherings and a few work meetings filling my time. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet with a few more patients on the spinal cord rehabilitation floor at Metro Hospital. I especially enjoy these visits and find myself getting just as much out of them as the patients (hopefully) I meet with do. The last individual I met with was from Arlington, Virginia, where Kristy currently lives, not too far from where we both used to live. This individual plans to remain in Cleveland after rehabilitation has ended. Not a bad decision considering how much spinal cord research is being conducted every day in the area. I posted an article to my Facebook page a few days ago about some new research being done to create a “nerve bridge” to bypass the point of injury and restore function. In case you missed it, please click on the link below:
http://www.cleveland.com/science/index.ssf/2011/07/cleveland_researchers_use_expe.html
I want to thank Traci, down in Orlando, for the wonderful speech she delivered at a recent Toastmasters event. Her speech centered around the idea of living life “with passion” and she chose to use me to communicate that message. Thank you Traci, I was very touched.
I also want to thank Kristy for the unexpected and tasty gift I received earlier this week. She sent me a dozen cupcakes from a bakery called, Georgetown Cupcakes, which is featured in a TLC reality show called, “DC Cupcakes.” The delicious treats arrived fresh and chilled. They were a perfect dessert to complement the Fedor Fish Fry we had last night at my apartment. The husband of one of my nurses gave me 10 pounds of fresh walleye and perch he caught a few days earlier. Kathi did an outstanding job preparing the fish and pairing it with some awesome sides! The annual Taste of Tremont Festival is tomorrow, which I’m hoping to get over to for a little bit to enjoy some more food!
Some other exciting news to report is that my friend, Chris Wynn, is days away from opening “Buckeye Wellness Center” a fitness facility for spinal cord injury rehabilitation and therapy! This is really great news for several reasons — first and foremost, it will offer SCI individuals in the region a place to receive aggressive and state-of-the-art therapy — the kind of therapy that we usually need to head to Florida or California to receive. Second of all, my family has been exploring the possibility of moving to Orlando this fall for a few months so that I can participate in a similar rehabilitation program. Obviously, there is a bit more cost and logistics that accompany a decision like this. If BWC delivers on what I expect it to, I may be able to remain in Cleveland. Although I’ll have to put up with the weather, by remaining in Cleveland I will receive my helper monkey in the very near future. I have promised the folks at Helping Hands in Boston that I will get back to them shortly to finalize next steps. Please check out Chris’s new facility at:
http://buckeyewellnesscenter.com/
Finally, I’m a few weeks away (August 5th) from delivering the keynote address at the 16th Annual SCI Forum. This event is open to the public. If anyone is interested in attending, registration information can be found in the attached PDF document.
SCI Forum (pdf)
At the risk of boring you further, I have some other information I will share at a later date. In closing, I have attached a photo from a recent trip to the lake. One of these days, I just might have to wheel myself into the water…
As always, many thanks and appreciation to all of you for your continued prayers and support! Stand Strong!
Scott