Thursday – 4/28/2011

“Challenges are what make life interesting, overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

Last Thursday, I was in downtown Cleveland for an interview in front of a live audience for a program regarding individuals and their experiences with clinical trials. While I was wheeling out of the van onto the sidewalk adjacent to Euclid Avenue, a young man dressed like Jesus slowly plodded past me. He was carrying a large wooden cross and wearing a crown of thorns as he walked hunched over from the weight of the cross. It was a pretty sobering sight to behold and reminded me of the sacrifice Christ made for all of us when he died on the cross. Later, I saw an interview on the news with the young man. He was 23 years old and walking to help remind people of the pain and suffering Jesus endured so that we could be forgiven and one day welcomed into Heaven. At that point, I really wish I had been able to move, as I would have asked the man to let me carry the cross for a short while. Seeing an image as moving as this also got me thinking about the challenges in life all of us face.

Inevitably, there’ll come a time in all of our lives when we too will have our own cross to bear. There will be times in which we carry that cross ourselves, but will also be times when we rely on others to help shoulder the burden. I’ve always thought of myself as an independent person, and have taken much pride in my ability to do things on my own. This injury has taught me otherwise. It has helped me come to learn how important it is to allow others into our lives to help us, even though we may feel we don’t need the assistance. Trust me, for someone like me who was very prideful, this was a challenging lesson to accept. However, welcoming others into my life and being open to receiving the help they provide, has helped me grow as a person. In fact, almost every great story you read about someone who has accomplished tremendous things, involves other individuals whose guidance and benevolence that person benefited from along the way. The most important person who can help us is God. I am a very religious person, but often don’t feel the need to preach to others. Rather, I believe that if people want Christ in their lives, then they will seek Him out. However, as we continue to celebrate this Easter season, please remember the power that exists in helping others.

As far as the interview went, it was a great opportunity for me to help others understand the pros and cons of clinical trials, as well as the benefits of the spinal cough assist system. As I mentioned, the session was recorded and will be part of a DVD that will be available for others who are interested in learning more about clinical trials. The company, Aware for All, who sponsored the event is based out of Boston but conducts programs like this across the country. I am very fortunate I was able to participate and hopefully, help others in the process. Once I get a copy of the DVD I will post my segment to the website. In the meantime, below are a few images from the event.

I spent Easter Sunday with my family at the apartment. Unfortunately, the weather was a little sour and it was better to stay at home. My friend, Damien, who is also a priest and Springsteen aficionado, was kind enough to stop by to celebrate mass with my family. After the 17 minute service concluded, we had a chance to hang out and enjoy some homemade sausage, sauerkraut and a few adult beverages. Of course, Bruce was belting out his ballads in the background through the computer speakers!

Tuesday I had a great visit from, Joe, a former Trex colleague who was in town from Virginia. He stopped by and we spent a few hours catching up on past, present and future events. He was really surprised to see how great I looked and how well I seem to be doing. As I have often expressed in the past, sometimes people are not quite sure what to expect and can be somewhat apprehensive about the visit. In the end, though, everyone always comments that I look the same, just sitting in a chair. That is when I like to remind them that it’s a pretty comfortable chair which is why I prefer to sit than stand.

Wednesday was a great day as well, with a visit from, Jeff, a former Calphalon colleague who was in town from Atlanta. We also spent a great portion of the day catching up and sharing quite a few stories with one another. He’s made it a point to stop by every time he’s in town which I appreciate. Later that evening, Holly, a friend and occupational therapist who volunteers her time to help me, stopped by to give me a workout. She ended up staying late into the evening and hung out with Kristy and I for most of the night. It was a pretty busy and fun day.
Speaking of exercise and therapy, I received the results of the muscle study I participated in a few weeks ago. Below is part of the message that was in my inbox this morning:

“Now for the exciting news – using my programs to detect activity I found significant activity present on 6 out of the 8 muscles in each leg! This doesn’t mean you were able to activate it every time, but it means that statistically, the activity during those attempts looked different that the activity when you were resting. 
You were right about the fact that your left leg seemed more active than your right. In looking at which muscles were activated more consistently, more in your left leg looked good. In your right leg the top two were the muscle on the sole of foot (which is the one I find in most people) and your medial gastroc, which is a muscle in your calf. On your left leg, both the muscles in your calf and the muscle on the front of the leg were the best performers.”

Although no physical movement was present, I was encouraged by the fact that the muscles still want to work. I will be going back for some additional testing and hopefully can incorporate more leg exercises into my daily therapy.

I had some modifications made to my wheelchair which will now allow me to attach my computer to my wheelchair and basically use it anywhere I choose to. Besides the fact I can now take my computer anywhere I go, the real benefit is that I can now do weight shifts while working on my PC and thus further cut down on potential pressure sores. I am pretty excited about this new equipment and will be posting a video to show other wheelchair-bound individuals how to set the same system up for themselves — one more step of more independence!

Thursday morning, Kristy left for her new home in Washington DC. She has moved back to the capital and will still be working for the same company. I’m very happy for her but also sad to see her leave the area. Our friendship is something I deeply cherish and value. I will certainly look forward to her visits each time she finds herself back in Cleveland. She’ll be back in three weeks to move some final items and collect our cat, Kingsly, who is staying with me for the time being. It’s nice to have an animal running around even if she does spend most of her day sleeping.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that Katie’s half marathon is a few weeks away. I would also ask that you keep her family in your prayers as her father-in-law recently passed away. To support Katie and myself, please click on the following link:

As always, thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support!  Stand strong!

Scott