Surfer's Myelopathy Recovery Update

Surgery Follow-up and 3 years...

2010-03-12T02:49:00.001-08:00

VISIT WITH DR. BRAY
Last Wednesday, March 3, I had my surgery follow-up appointment with Dr. Bray. It went well. He pretty much asked me how I felt and if I had noticed any changes since the surgery. I told him, yes, that I had seen some small changes. Nothing super groundbreaking, but then again, any small change for a spinal cord injury is a big change. The changes include:

Core strength/muscles that I did not have before. I can now work my lower abs. Hopefully I'll have a Tayler Lautner six-pack by summer :)
Less invasive tone/spasms in my legs. They "turn-off" a lot easier, seeing the most impact in my gait-training therapy.
More movement/initiation through some of my leg muscles, including my gluts and hamstrings.
Riding the stationary bike a lot more smoothly, with less cheating and less effort.
Some more toe wiggling, mainly on my right foot.
Traces of improved sensation (sharpness/pain/temperature) throughout my legs.

It's a little difficult to say though that A caused B. I did not do an extensive benchmark prior to the surgery, but listening to my body and observing therapy, I firmly believe that the above are new since the surgery on January 11.

When I first met with Dr. Bray and he ran his MRI scan technique, there was nothing clearly illustrating the AVM. He saw irregular traces on the MRI, but could not definitively say that these were abnormal and needed to be removed. They very well could have been erroneous marks or images, which are common on MRI's. He gave me the option to do the surgery, and I elected to do it.

After the surgery, he said that the AVM was quite large, actually, and he has improved the MRI technique to hopefully capture this in the future. I asked him what would have happened if I did not have the surgery. Since the blood was being routed incorrectly, it's very possible that the function that I did have could have deteriorated over time or with other movements. THIS IS EPIC.

What this means is that those with Surfer's Myelopathy, whether they have gotten better or not, most likely have an AVM, which caused the paralysis. If the AVM is not removed, the condition may worsen. Dr. Bray has relayed to me and the Surfer's Myelopathy Foundation that he encourages all those diagnosed with Surfer's Myelopathy to get the scan from him. He is not in this to make money, but to help others -- trust me. Once he's able to see more patients with Surfer's Myelopathy, then he can more conclusively make a diagnosis and possibly create a protocol for treatment.

Surfer's Myelopathy may be a subset of a larger pool of people with AVM's that are flared up by a specific activity. Dr. Bray is hot on the trail to help many, many people. Thank you Dr. Bray for your enthusiasm and I pray that God give you the strength and clues necessary.

3 YEARS
Three years ago today, I woke up walking. Three years ago today, I went to sleep paralyzed. In between the walking and paralysis, I did nothing wrong, except try surfing like so many others. Nothing abnormal happened during my 90-minute session, except that I was good at surfing :), and my back started hurting. I did not get hit by a wave, fall off the board abnormally, etc.

Today, I am trying my best to recover and do what I did for 8 of every 9 days of my life so far -- walk. However, as my mom reminded me yesterday, I am so blessed in so many ways, from the love and support of the people around me, to the roof over my head and a good job. As my wife reminded me today, we are so lucky to have each other to go through the good times, and get through the bad. This episode actually solidified our relationship and brought us closer than we ever had been.

I went to a co-worker's memorial service this week. Brett Leckie and Tom Thate, may you rest in peace. The love and support shown by their families, friends, co-workers and other loved ones was amazing. It made me think that the episode that I went through really brought the best out of those I know. Everyone rallied behind me and the good thoughts and prayers have really helped me through this. I am so blessed to see and feel that support and am forever grateful.

I would love to call each of you out by name and thank you, as you have given me strength, courage and support to get through this. But right now, I'm going to only call out a few people that have been instrumental in the past 3 years, helping me improve and helping me acclimate to a life forever changed:
Ivette: You have been an angel to me since day 1, going without a bed for 2 months while you slept in an uncomfortable chair next to my hospital bed every night. Thank you for sharing the great days and helping me through the hard ones, with a love and compassion that only a soul-mate can have.
Mom and Dad: You always offer your love and support in any way, and I know you would do anything for me, from driving down to Carlsbad multiple times a week to looking up different ways to "cure" me. I know I always have you here for me and your selflessness has been amazing.
Mom and Dad Flores: Your love for your new son, and even before I was officially your "other" son, has been unconditional. Your generosity and support have truly been one of the cornerstones to how I continue my therapy and strive for improvements.
Gerardo: Your support while I was in the hospital and as I transitioned back to "normal" life working again has been unbelievable. I will never forget you summitting Mount Everest, calling me on your way down at Camp 2 from your GPS phone, saying, "I made it. I made it for you, man."

Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all my friends, family, co-workers and everyone for being in my life and being my fuel to fight this fight and carry this cross.

Because of all of you, because of Dr. Bray, because of the thoughts and prayers, I envision a day where nobody will have to go through this random pain and suffering. The Surfer's Myelopathy Foundation has already started the campaign, sending posters, brochures and other information to surf schools in California and Hawaii. Hopefully this will start to build awareness. The point is not to discourage surfing, but simply to encourage safe surfing and listen to your body.

I selfishly hope that three years will be the last anniversary of this injury that I will have to endure in a chair. I hope and pray that I will be up by year four. If that is the case, then that very clearly illustrates that the procedure Dr. Bray performed may not only help those who are hurt in the future, but can very possibly, very tangibly help those who currently suffer from SM. However, if I am not up yet by year four, I will still have my faith, still have my strength, thanks to the support of those around me -- all of those who have showed me Jesus staring right back at me and walking with me as I roll with this burden.

Last picture right before surfing...

Last walking video, the day before we went surfing...

Next Step Fitness and Pray for Chile...

2010-03-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

NEXT STEP FITNESS
I've been meaning to take a video of my therapy at Next Step Fitness in Lawndale, CA and post it. Here it is from my session today:

A typical session comprises of stretching/getting up in the harness for 30 minutes, 30 minutes on the treadmill of 5-minute intervals with brief breaks in between and trainers physically walking me (as seen in the video), 30 minutes of exercise training (over ground strengthening) and 30 minutes cardio. For more information on Next Step Fitness, see: http://www.nextstepfitness.org.

While at Next Step Fitness today, I was wearing a shirt that said "España" on the front, which my sister, Jen, made with a listing of 15 bars in Long Beach that we used for a pub crawl when she was moving there in 2007 to get her MBA via a Fulbright Scholarship.

While I was doing cardio in a machine called the "Nu-Step" (which moves your arms and legs and you can vary the resistance), I was thinking that instead of the España shirt, I should have worn a shirt representing Chile, showing solidarity.

MY CHILEAN LIFE
For those of you who don't know, I lived in Santiago, Chile during our summer (their winter) of 2003 for an internship with a communications consulting firm called "Tironi Asociados" (http://www.tironiasociados.com). I was so very fortunate to meet and live with Eugenio Tironi and his beautiful family, Andrea, Pedro, Martin, Tomas and Elisa. We really bonded and cared for each other a lot. I was also fortunate to become close to Eugenio's extended family, namely Pablo, Carlos, Constanza, Nicolas, Justin and many more. They treated me like family for the few months that I was there and for that I will be forever grateful.

While doing the internship, I was allowed the special opportunity to participate in the Latin American community service project called, "Un techo para mi país" (A roof for my country), but specifically in Chile, it was called, "Un techo para Chile" (A roof for Chile). We went to a city called Lota and manually constructed houses from materials that were purchased via donations. There were about 100 volunteers between the ages of about 18 and 28 who went for 10 days for this effort. In our smaller group of about 10 people, we were able to build 4 of these houses in the 10 days! That means 4 houses for people who did not have stable shelter before!

View Larger Map
A map of the distance between Lota, Concepcion (earthquake epicenter) and Santiago.

I left with a sense of accomplishment, grace and humility as I learned about some of the poorer regions of Chile.

Today it dawned on me... I built houses in Lota (not professional, but better than nothing). The earthquake was in Concepcion, only 25 miles from Lota...

My Tironi family and friends are safe in Santiago. However, I don't know the fate of the houses or people in Lota, and most likely, given the proximity of Lota to the epicenter, it is nearly impossible that those houses we built 7 years ago were able to withstand the earthquake.

Please, please, please pray for those in Chile (and Haiti). It is so hard for us to imagine what it is like in these areas at these times of need because it is so hard to connect with them and the areas while being here in the US.

But today, it hit me harder knowing what I had come to realize. We should feel connected to these people because they are honest, loving, playful and hopeful people that had their world devastated, many with no more roof over their heads. Maybe there's a reason why you're reading this blog right now, because maybe I'm your connection to feel to these people. The news everyday can be so daunting, depressing and repetitive that we become numb to some of the true impacts of the stories. This stuff is real. There is a lot of work to be done to repair the damage, but for those of us who have given money or supplies or whatever and don't know other ways to help... just pray.

Believe in the power of prayer. It has worked for me. Those who tell me that I've been strong or encouraging in my recovery process, I could not have done it without the support of those around me and the support of the Man above.

Let's bond together and make prayer work for those in Chile.

I don't have many pictures on me right now of my life in Chile (those are at my parents' house), but I was able to dig up a few that I had scanned a few years ago.

Top: A student studying in Chile (Brandon Possin), Andrea Tironi, Eugenio Tironi and me.
Bottom: Pablo Tironi at our skiing/snowboarding trip in July 2003.

Top: Me snowboarding black diamond and making my own paths on the mountain!
Bottom: Pablo Tironi, doing his best impression of a pro skier!

Top: Me and another volunteer with a bunch of the local kids in Lota. It was raining off and on, so we wore rain gear.
Bottom: The first happy family with a new house!

Top: The house almost complete.
Bottom: Inside a completed house with the family and the volunteers.

2 more happy families in Lota, Chile with new houses!

Top: Rottweiler puppies that they were giving me and I was so tempted to take them home!
Bottom: One of the volunteers, and I think he actually did take a puppy home!

Top: One of the equipment trucks with the logo.
Bottom: Completely randomly ran into a Fisher Hall dorm-mate (Todd White) who did the project as well. I had no idea that he was even in Chile, and we saw each other in Lota!!!

Good week of therapy!

2010-02-26T22:05:00.001-08:00

I've been busy and have been able to hit up all my favorite places: Next Step Fitness, Precision Rehab, Project Walk (among other things: HBO and reflexology). I see signs of improvement since the surgery and am anxious to find out what Dr Bray has to say at my follow-up appointment on Wednesday.

Slowly but surely, but not yet there...

2010-02-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all of the support and prayers over the past 5.5 weeks! My back feels a lot better. Over the past several weeks, I have done 17 sessions of HBO (hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment) and reflexology/leg massage to help with the circulation. A special thanks to those who have been helping me directly, including my parents for driving me all around when I didn't have the strength to drive/bring the chair in my car alone, Kennett for helping me with periodic treatments, Ivette for her patience and love, Judy for calling and having the kids help cheer me on, James, my mom and all the Hawaiian friends/relatives (and Jen and her Colombian friends) who have helped with the coffee leaves that we've been trying, all those who have donated to help with my medical expenses and mis suegros who have shown me nothing but love since the day I met them and everyone else who I am not calling out right now.

As I'm feeling a lot better (but not yet 100%), I have started to go to therapy again since I am more mobile. Today was a special day for a few reasons. My sister, Jen, is back in town from Colombia and she came to therapy with me today at Project Walk in Carlsbad, CA (more than 100 miles from my place in Pasadena). Today may have been my best day at therapy. I felt like I had great initiation and follow through, my legs had a lot of strength and I am actually sore right now!

I have seen some small improvements since the surgery, although it is difficult to tell if these are strictly from the surgery as there was no formal benchmark prior to the surgery. Regardless, I can now more easily contract my toes on my right foot, I have a little better sensation in my back, my core strength is a little better, I feel like during a few of the stretches/therapy sessions, I have been able to connect more and even initiate more and I have better sensations (but still impaired) of hot/cold temperatures on my legs.

I'm fighting hard to get better and will try to update this blog with more updates as they come and pictures, etc. Thanks again for your support and love.

Here is a video of me riding the stationary bike today at Project Walk. Pretty cool for a paralyzed guy, right?!

An Epic Day for Surfer’s Myelopathy – 1-11-10

2010-01-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2010

Most important days in my life so far:

January 6, 1983 – I was born

March 12, 2007 – I was paralyzed by a non-traumatic, freak occurrence while surfing

September 26, 2009 – I was married to an amazingly wonderful woman, Ivette

January 11, 2010 – I may have been vindicated from paralysis, and the solution to help so many others may have been found

The promising new scenario

Assuming that there is no way to predetermine those who are susceptible to Surfer’s Myelopathy, a new promising, scenario was discovered on Monday, January 11, 2010.

Imagine on my fateful day, March 12, 2007, there had been a difference in the course of events. As before, I went surfing for the first time while in Hawaii. I did not fall off the board, get hit by a wave or suffer any other type of trauma. However, over the course of 7 hours, I slowly lost feeling and movement in my legs. At that time, my diagnosis was Surfer’s Myelopathy.

Now this is where the story deviates. On March 12, 2007, the true story is that I was stabilized and kept in the hospital, with no other treatment other than normal rehabilitation and therapy. However, based on what Dr. Robert Bray just discovered, imagine a special MRI would have been taken that identified the malformation in my blood vessels, the malformation was removed and in a matter of days, the symptoms were completely reversed, and I was up and walking again. Now imagine, 3 years post-injury, this is still a possibility; there is still hope.

Connecting with DISC Sports and Spine Center

It started in March 2009 when Dr. Robert Bray’s office at DISC Sports and Spine Center (http://www.discmdgroup.com) contacted Ivette, the president of the non-profit organization, Surfer’s Myelopathy Foundation (http://www.smawareness.org). At that time, Dr. Bray had identified patients with decreased sensation/mobility over a short period of time (a few weeks/months) and used a special MRI sequencing to identify these abnormalities. After Dr. Bray removed the abnormalities, the symptoms were reversed and the patients recovered. Ivette contacted the Surfer’s Myelopathy cases in southern California to participate in this new MRI sequencing to see if the same abnormalities would be identified.

Running some Tests

I volunteered, went in for the scan and waited for the results. Upon seeing the results, Dr. Bray did identify abnormalities, but these appeared different than ones he saw before. They ran some other tests to see if there was indeed a blockage in the spine that caused this injury. However, those tests were negative. After that, he concluded that he could go in and explore the apparent abnormality if I would consent.

He explained that going into the spine could provide clues to what caused Surfer’s Myelopathy and possibly prevent future complications that might be present with the presence of an abnormality. But he was straightforward that even if he went in and fixed the abnormality, the benefit for me would most likely be slim to none.

Surgery on Monday

I consented to have the surgery done to remove any abnormalities that might be there, but possibly gain clues to the cause of Surfer’s Myelopathy to help others. I underwent a 3-hour surgery on Monday, January 11, 2010. After coming out of the anesthesia, Dr. Bray shared the news. The abnormality was definitely present in the form of an abnormal vein that even had a pulse. This was such a blaring abnormality that he was surprised that this did not show up on any of the scans that had been performed. Based on what he found, in combination with a case of Surfer’s Myelopathy he had seen in the past, he was almost certain of the cause of the injury – a malformation of blood vessels in the back that redirects the blood flow.

He explained that even though he had previously said that the benefits for me would most likely be slim to none, based on what he saw during the surgery, he would be very interested to monitor me over the next few months. If there was blood still circulating to the critical tissues in the spinal cord, now with the flow corrected, it’s possible that the paralysis may be reversed! However, if when the injury happened, there was a true stroke or lack of blood to the tissue and the tissue died, the prospects of this were smaller. However, only time can tell.

I asked Dr. Bray why the angiogram I had at UCLA in July 2007 did not identify the AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation) that he removed, and he said simply because those procedures generally do not look at the blood vessels on the sides of the spine, but only evaluate the flow of blood through the cord.

Implications for Surfer’s Myelopathy

Dr. Bray wants to see a few more cases of Surfer’s Myelopathy in order to firmly conclude, but preliminarily, this is VERY EXCITING and potentially an epic day for the injury, all those affected, and those who might be affected in the future.

There is a possible treatment protocol for those who are diagnosed with Surfer’s Myelopathy. If the procedure I received is performed within the first few hours, the symptoms will potentially reverse. What’s even more exciting is to see my progress. After almost 3 years of paralysis, can the injury be reversed? Can what Dr. Bray performed potentially be the answer to getting about 50 paraplegics walking again?!

Dr. Bray has accepted a position to be on the advisory board for the Surfer’s Myelopathy Foundation. He is working with Ivette to get a panel of doctors together to discuss the prognosis and treatment. However, he is unavailable for the whole month of February because his practice is an official medical services provider of the US Olympic team! But the foundation is working very hard to try to pull a meeting together.

Thank you Dr. Bray

I can’t say enough to say what a blessing Dr. Bray has been in my life and all those affected by Surfer’s Myelopathy. By his curiosity, expertise and patience, he was able to identify the probable cause of this injury, which can keep people out of wheelchairs who would otherwise be paralyzed!

On a Side Note

At mass (in the same church I had married Ivette a few months before), after communion, I usually have a relatively structured prayer system – what I adore/admire about God’s world, what I’m sorry for, what I’m thankful for and requests of what I need/want. However, on the Sunday before the surgery, I simply prayed, “God, I know you know what I want. Now, I’ll just listen.” I sat in silence for a minute or so, and no words came to me, but visions of a rainbow did. I thought it was odd as I did not “hear” anything from God, but rather just saw an image. After talking to Ivette and Kennett (my brother-in-law) a little more on the possible significance of the imagery, Ivette found this online:

“The rainbow symbolises [sic] good news, hope, redemption and the ending of gloom. Since the sun can be a symbol of the self, it is also associated with the magical quest for the treasure of self-knowledge. The rainbow is a bridge between heaven and earth, between your earthly self and your higher enlightened self.” (http://www.dreamsleep.net/rainbow-dream-meaning.html).

Translate as you wish... :)

Also, a few months before the surgery, my brother-in-law, Kennett, performed reflexology on my feet. He noticed that right around where my injury was (T-6), on the “spine” part of my foot, there was some abnormality. There was a bump/lump on the arch of my foot at that area on both feet. However, after the surgery on Monday, that bump/lump on the “spine” part of my foot was no longer there!

In Closing

Monday, January 11, 2010 was an epic day for sufferers of Surfer’s Myelopathy. As the foundation board meets and more of the findings are finalized, I will be sure to keep you posted, or you can check the foundation website (http://www.smawareness.org) for more information. Thank you for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers. Thank you especially to Ivette, my mom, my mother-in-law (Lisa, who flew in for support), Kennett for helping me while I’m completely incapable with no legs and limited upper body right now and all those who have visited including my brother and his wife and my sister, Gabe, Darren and Peter. Let’s keep flooding the heavens and hopefully I will recover fully soon, and all those affected can get their feet back too! If/when that happens, I propose a Surfer’s Myelopathy Victim basketball game :)

Finally, please say a prayer for all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Although I don’t know anyone in Haiti at this moment, this hits home as I live in Los Angeles, and we could be in a similar situation at any given moment.

The incision was about 2 inches long. Depending on my recovery over the next few months, Dr. Bray may go in again to clear any other abnormalities. The tattoo is a Tahitian-style cross from the TV show "LA Ink", but that's a whole different blog post!

Surfer's Myelopathy Foundation!!!

2009-03-16T01:25:00.001-07:00

I just want to update you that the Surfer's Myelopathy Awareness website has launched (a little while ago)!!! Check out the site whenever you get a chance:
http://smawareness.org/

Thank you to Ivette, Pegah, Lawrence and Katie for all of your hard work and dedication! I am excited to what the organization will be able to do for Surfer's Myelopathy victims now and in the future... Hopefully enough awareness will be raised where there won't be as many or as damaging instances in the future...

2 years...

2009-03-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Since the 1 year anniversary, I've only had 2 posts :(

I'm sorry I haven't updated this as frequently as I'd like.

Some points of interest...
-Went to Costa Rica for work... (Pura vida!)
-Taught training in the Bahamas... (Yah mon!) Not letting this injury slow me down...
-Still planning for the wedding (September 26, 2009) and falling more and more in love with Ivette...
-Still fighting hard every day to get better...
-Started using leg braces that go to my knee and a walker to get from point A to point B on 2 feet, sort of "walking" but very exciting!...
-Have seen some slight improvements, very slow, very slight, but improvements nonetheless :)

Hopefully I can put more pics/details up, but I just wanted to post today to take in another moment of silence for the 2 year anniversary since my life and those around me was changed.

Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers. Know that I am fighting, fighting, fighting. It hasn't been easy, but I know it'll all be worth it.

Si se puede. I will overcome.

This is a long one, but worth it :)

2008-08-12T02:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this is a major update in a few ways. One, because I haven’t updated in a while and two, because some pretty cool things have been happening recently. I will go in chronological order since my last update.

LA Bike Marathon (March 2, 2008)

This was such an incredible experience. My heart swells each time I think about it. Having so many people come out and ride and support me was incredible (22 riders, about 10 others cheering us on, including my mom and dad, who had to walk probably 5 miles chasing us around!). Thank you so much Anthony for proposing the idea and helping take charge of organizing everything! Thank you also Ivette for helping organize everything and the Flores family for the hand-cycle!

The final roster:

Alex Mollazadeh

Anthony Lok

Bobbie Domingo

Chris Oberle

Dan Jacinto

Dave Sabo

Edmund

Gerardo Lopez

Ivette Flores

Jeff Hsu

Joe Guintu

John Vcelka

John Wu

Kathryn Kinnier

Katie Caldwell

Larry S

Lawrence Ham

Lawrence Schlosser

Matt Dickey

Peter Papaioannou

Sandy Ding

TJ Roper

We all had bright orange Team Help Joe Walk t-shirts and were very much noticed by other people along the ride. ABC also hitched a camera on my bike to get footage for their story (more on this later)! I want to thank my team sooo much for enduring the bike marathon with me and pushing me along the way. Two of the most memorable moments I will take with me forever were:

1) Climbing a steep hill and my team cheering me on because it was super steep and tough. As my team started cheering, other people around us started cheering until there was a crowd chant of “Go Joe, go!” That pushed me even harder to use my arms that were at that point turning to spaghetti.

2) Approaching the finish line, achieving our goal of completing the race in less than 2 hours as a team with people lined up on both sides of the street cheering us on.

Not only did we have a great time, complete the race and earn our medals (everyone who finishes gets one), the team was able to raise an incredible amount of money! The team raised over $10,000!!! All of this went directly to medical expenses, including therapy (at Project Walk and Next Step Fitness—more on this later), hospital bills, recurring medicine and supplies and co-pays, among other things. Not only were we able to fundraise, we had some very, very generous sponsors.

Mechanix: http://www.mechanix.com/

Chivas Skin Care: http://www.chivasskincare.com/

Burning Sands Apparel: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=47389776

Surfer’s Myelopathy Foundation (Non-profit under way. Website not yet functional, but check back often.): http://smawareness.org

Team t-shirts!

Getting ready...

Team getting ready...

And go! The racers are on their way...

Go Chaminade (we even have the colors)!!!

Our team!

ABC interview (March 12)

So, my 1 year anniversary was spent going to therapy and getting interviewed by ABC for a Primetime special (medical mysteries) that is actually airing tonight (8/12/08). They were so great, nice, sensitive and receptive to my story. After telling my story over and over, sometimes I forget the severity of it and impact as it becomes redundant to me. However, every now and then, I get a flash and sense of how dramatic, drastic, catastrophic and unfortunate my situation is. I don’t like those days! But this day, the one year anniversary, it really hit me again, and everyone around me from Ivette to my parents and the rest of my family to my friends to the ABC crew—everyone was sensitive and supportive. Thank you so much for a great experience and helping me achieve my goal from day 1 of having this injury—getting as much information out there and educating people on this bizarre injury to hopefully prevent/treat it in the future. This is what Surfer’s Myelopathy Foundation also embraces and I am so grateful that they have taken on this endeavor as well.

David Muir, the interviewer...

The crew and producer (Christine)

The stars of the show...

HBO (March 10, 2008)

HBO stands for the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber that I used starting on March 10. I went 6 days per week and had a total of about 22 sessions. It was a challenging commitment, especially considering I started work the following week! After a few weeks of HBO therapy (March 20), I was able to slightly move my toes! It’s not every time and sometimes positional, but still, I had a connection with my lower body that I hadn’t had since my injury! The HBO doctor I saw said that he would have strongly recommended HBO therapy right when I was hurt. Although I was a year post-injury, the HBO treatments seemed to still have some positive effects.

THIS IS THE MY MOST RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION FOR ANYONE WITH SURFER’S MYELOPATHY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS.

I have seen what it can do first-hand. Also, considering the nature of the injury (vascular infarction), it makes sense to infuse oxygen into the body and open up the blood vessels to better the blood circulation. And apparently the risks are so minimal that the doctor explained that my greatest risk would be driving to and from the facility every day.

Return to work (March 17, 2008)

On St. Patrick’s Day, this Notre Dame grad decided to go and celebrate by returning to work! After over a year of not working and fully concentrating on therapy, it was time to return my life to somewhat normalcy and not let the injury rule me. Also, I needed (and still do!) the money! The transition has been bumpy and frustrating. I went from a mindset of going to therapy every day and getting better to thinking analytically every day. It has been a difficult transition as I feel I am very rusty and know how I was before and want to get back there, now! Someone told me that they just got back from a weeklong vacation and it’s so hard to get back into the work routine. Imagine a year!

Deloitte has been so flexible and accommodating throughout this whole process. Their support has been incredible. Through my times in therapy, I heard some horror stories of people who got hurt and their work situation. Deloitte really cared about me and was so open and willing to help any way they could. More on my current work life later…

Next Step Fitness (http://nextstepfitness.org/)

These are now the people responsible for helping me get better! I continued to go to Project Walk about once per week even after I started work, but this became way too cumbersome and tiring, especially after a working hard and then having to drive 100 miles each way for therapy. Luckily for me, another spinal cord injury recovery center opened up in Lawndale, which is about 30 miles from where I currently live in Pasadena. They have excellent people working there who are motivated and driven and are incredible people to do what they do and care so much about their clients. Their training is sort of a combination of what I was doing at Project Walk with the strength training for the parts of my body that had weakened due to the injury and Precision Rehab by performing Locomotor training or treadmill training. They harness me up and put me on a treadmill while they manually walk me. They are partners with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's NeuroRecovery Network. More on this later as well…

Ben Thompkins fundraising

Imagine receiving an e-mail from an old friend in high school that you haven’t talked to since graduation. A pleasant surprise, right? However, when Ben Thompkins contacted a mutual friend, Anthony, who passed the message to me, he had more of an incredible message. His new clothing company, New Civilization Clothing (http://newcivilizationclothing.com/) would donate a portion of their profits to the Help Joe Walk fund. I was floored when I heard that he would do that. Especially considering that he’s just a start-up, to allocate a portion of your profits is amazing! I wish him all the best and encourage everyone to revamp their wardrobes with New Civilization Clothes, Mechanix gloves and accessories, Chivas soap for everyday use and Burning Sands clothing for any customized clothing work you need done J And tell all your friends about Surfer’s Myelopathy and Surfer’s Myelopathy Foundation!

Flip cup tournament (August 9, 2008)

This is another demonstration of unbelievable love, care and support. Allison Conkright, my good friend’s (shoutout to Brian) sister, organized an amazing event last Saturday. It was a brilliant idea and everyone had fun! I had such a great time with all who came from friends to co-workers to new friends I made that day! She was extremely organized for the flip cup tournament, had great prizes and really has a lot of friends! We raised enough money for me to cover this month’s therapy which tops off at about $1000 per month, and then some left over to pay for other medical expenses.

New York Fundraising

Some of Ivette’s close friends (who I have now adopted as mine too) have held two fundraiser happy hours now in New York! This is so truly amazing that Courtney, Danielle, Greg, Allison, Jen and Amy put this together. Thank you so so much. Hopefully I can make it out for the next one somehow!

Ok, so all of the above stuff was nice and all, but here’s where I’m going to start “journaling”, where you get to some insights into my mind, how I’m feeling and my day-to-day life.

Diabetic guy in Pasadena

The other day, I was with Ivette and her mom on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena and we saw a raggedy guy on the side of the street begging for money. We stood right next to him as we were waiting for our crosswalk sign to change. While standing there, he asked how I was doing and I responded, “Good, how are you?” He said fine and then proceeded to ask me what happened, why I was in wheelchair, so I told him. And then he said, “Oh man, I’m sorry. I’m diabetic myself. I had to have all of my toes amputated.” I said, “I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ll pray for you.”

That interaction really got me thinking. Having been through this whole medical/insurance process, it’s not easy. I have racked up more that $500,000 in medical bills that insurance has paid for, which is awesome. It really makes you feel a little better about paying those monthly premiums. If this number surprises you, I was not so lucky in that spinal cord injuries have the infamous title of “Most Expensive Type of Injury.” In addition to this, I have racked up between $60,000 and $70,000 out of pocket expenses. Through all of the fundraising efforts, we have raised about $50,000 which blows my mind and is incredible!!! Everyone around me has really been a blessing from God and I cannot thank you enough for your support.

I have followed up with insurance for the out-of-pocket expenses many times and still am trying to get things covered, but it’s really almost like a full time job going through the appeal process, etc. I also want to add, for those of you who have donated and have not received a thank you card, I AM TRULY SORRY. It is coming soon! It is inexcusable the lag it has taken me to respond, but I really am truly thankful and grateful. Check your mailboxes soon!

Anyways, sorry about that tangent, but that just goes to show that any one of us (i.e. me), with a good job, good insurance, etc…could easily sink into an inescapable debt. But with your help, support and prayers, I have been able to offset much of the medical costs. Yes, I am still in the hole, but it’s not nearly as bad as it could be. So, to bring about my point, without the help and aid from my peers, I very well could have had a similar fate to that man—on the streets and begging. I don’t know his case or scenario, but being $60k to $70k in debt would surely be an incredible challenge.

Fundraising dilemma

This brings me to my next point. When we first started fundraising, I was VERY, VERY uneasy. I hated asking for help. Not only because of my own pride, but also because I thought it was a symbol of some sort of resignation to the injury. However, when the costs were mounting as greatly and quickly as they were, I felt like it would really be helpful. Imagine, having to ask your friends and family for money when you are a young twenty-something trying to prove yourself and you feel like you are finally gaining independence and allowing your parents to sort out their finances after putting 4 kids through college.

Anyways, I am somewhat comfortable now with the fundraising as it greatly helps me and my family and actually provides additional fuel for me to keep on fighting. However, I know some people wonder how it is $60k to $70k. I work for Deloitte and as a true accountant (although I do IT stuff mainly), I have kept a complete and itemized list of all of these expenses, receipts included!

Stem cells

Another endeavor I am exploring that I had previously 100% shut out as a possibility in the past are stem cells. I know what most of the doctors in the US say: that it is not regulated abroad and the research is still pending. I know people who have gone abroad and have talked to doctors and physical therapists who also know people who went abroad for stem cells, and I have yet to hear a success story where the person is now walking. My curiosity, however, comes in the nature of my injury in that it was a non-traumatic, vascular injury, different than most injuries. Also, they say that on the bell-curve for improvement, the majority of improvement happens in the first 2 years, and I am already 1.5 years out. This may be the window to do this procedure. However, I am FAR from making a decision as I have only begun to ask around and gather more information. I also spoke to a priest about the Catholic view and aspect of stem cells and I think with some of the developments they’ve had recently with non-embryonic cells, there is less discord. However, again, I don’t know nearly enough about stem cells to form an opinion.

Difficult daily schedule and life changes

Life is hard. Everyone can attest to that statement. But it’s just that much harder for me right now, adjusting (temporarily!) from walking and being fully functional for 24 years to doing everything without my legs. Not only is day-to-day life stressful, more time consuming and more logistical than before, it’s a physical, psychological and mental battle.

I continue to stand by my motto of “I’ll figure it out” to any situation. I can do pretty much anything I did before; some things are just a little harder now. Although I would like to think that this evil or this injury has not changed me at all, it has. I feel like I am no longer as carefree and easygoing as I used to be. I attribute this to the key word of my life that I have to figure out every day: logistics. Whereas before I could go anywhere and do anything and just figure things out, I HAVE to figure things out now, and sometimes the logistics become very complicated in the process. With the logistics, it makes it more difficult to go some places, although I still go on occasion. For example, going out to bars/clubs. I’ll go on occasion, but not really as much. Imagine going into a crowded place where you always have to play Moses. Also, when the music is loud and people are talking, it’s amazing how different having a conversation is 2 feet below everyone else’s level.

As I mentioned previously, I returned to work in March. They have been incredibly flexible and bend over backwards to help me. However, life still is difficult as I still go to therapy twice a week, which ends up being physically and mentally tiring. After an exhausting therapy session, I usually need to put in a few more hours that night or the next day to make up the time. Again, they have been as flexible as possible, but I guess it’s just the nature of the beast working and continuing intensive therapy. Man, I miss those days when I could just be normal and have a normal schedule, get off of work and then have time to myself. Now that’s broken up into therapy sessions, leaving even less time to do things I want to do or need to do (like sleep!).

Improvements!

So, as mentioned above (if you’ve made it this far!), I did have some voluntary toe movement after a number of HBO sessions! I can’t do it all the time, but still keep on trying. Also, last week on the gait trainer (treadmill), they usually manually walk me and support my hips as well to move in a correct walking motion. Last week, they were able to let go of my hips and they were self-supportive! The hip swings were in sync with the leg movements, keeping me relatively stable. A great “step” forward!

Also, last night, I was playing around with these braces my physical therapist got me that come up to just below my knees. My friend, Alejandro, was there and I put the braces on and pulled myself up with the walker. Then, on a whim, I told Alex to spot me as I tried to walk with the braces. Depending on your definition of “walk”, I walked! I had the braces on, using the walker, and was able to finagle my way a little bit around the room on two legs! It wasn’t necessarily pretty, fast or even completely functional, but I was amazed that I was able to get myself from point A to point B again on 2 legs! I need to video this and I will post a video. I think I cheated a little bit with leans, hip hikes and using my arms, but still, I was doing it!

So, that’s my update for now. Busy with work, life and getting through these challenges. It really has become a big part of my life, unfortunately, but I will not give up. I will walk. I will run. I will fly. Maybe not fly. But I can’t wait until the day I pick up a basketball and run down the court again…

February Update

2008-06-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, so much to write about since the last update. Sorry again for the delay. I will try to update more frequently. I’ll break the next few updates into complete months that have gone by and post them over the next few days. I’ll start off with February. Although I’ll go in chronological order for these updates, I want to start off with the most exciting update since I last wrote…

Soul Mate (February 21, 2008)
Ivette Flores (the kind, wonderful, beautiful lady I have been writing about) is no longer my girlfriend…she’s my fiancée!!! Through all of the trials and tribulations that I have been through, she has been a constant support and love. If we can get through this whole ordeal together, we can get through anything together! I thank God with all my heart and soul for letting me learn and experience love and true happiness with someone who makes me a better person.

Ivette said yes!!!

Gouda (February 12, 2008)
For Ivette and my 2 year anniversary in February, Ivette got me a very special gift…GOUDA! Gouda is our English Bulldog puppy who was born on December 10, 2007. She is a very lazy ball of love…much like her father ;) Her and Bella are perfect sisters and although they needed to get used to each other at first, are now best friends.

So tiny! First days we had her...

Now her and Bella love each other like the sisters that they are...

They should be models!

LA Marathon Luncheon (February 13, 2008)
I was invited by the organizers of the LA marathon to participate in a special pre-marathon banquet titled: "Celebration of Inspiration Luncheon”, since was I was going to participate in the LA Bike Tour. It was a great time with inspirational speakers and meeting some of the other people there. Some of the people in attendance were “legacy runners”; they have run the LA Marathon each year since it started in the 1980s!

Fritz Coleman (NBC Weatherman) was one of the guest speakers!

Shane Michael Anderson (February 19, 2008)
My sister, Judy, had another healthy, beautiful baby boy! I was in the hospital room when she gave birth. Although I didn’t actually see the birth happen, I saw the little miracle as he was just a couple minutes old! Almost as cute as his uncle :)

Proud new uncle! Prouder new nephew ;)

Moment of silence...

2008-03-11T23:57:00.000-07:00

Much, much news to report since I last wrote... Little, little time at the moment... I'll update as soon as I can.

However, please join me in a moment of silence and prayer as I come upon the 1-year anniversary of my injury.

March 12, 2007 at 11:30am (Hawaii time), 2:30pm (PST)

Here is the last video of me walking normally with Ivette taken on March 11, 2007 in Hawaii.

...and the last picture taken right before we went surfing...

Update for the past few months...(Part 2)

2008-01-23T00:25:00.000-08:00

A little bit of sleep, a little bit of rest and here we go again!

2-Legged Walking
On December 10, 2007, I was able to somewhat use the reflexors in both legs while supported by a harness to make both legs go forward in the walking motion at Precision Rehab. This was not the prettiest walking, but the important part is that both legs were responding and moving forward. There have been good therapy sessions since then, but I think this was my best time at Precision Rehab.

This is the treadmill/gait training that I do pretty much every time I go to Precision Rehabilitation on Mondays and Wednesdays.

After the treadmill, they have me walk over the ground supported by the harness. These two movies were my best session yet, right before Christmas.

Anointing of the Sick
On December 13, 2007, Ivette cooked a fabulous dinner for us and our special guest, the former pastor at St. Jude’s (where I went to grade school/junior high), Father Bill. I have maintained a good relationship with him, and he himself has overcome great medical problems and is doing great. On that night, I received another Catholic sacrament: the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Although he told me stories about people having a miraculous response to the sacrament, I was not one of those. I felt blessed to receive another sacrament in Catholic Church and feel that my faith, my prayers and the prayers of everyone else have really helped me cope with everything.

6-month Reevaluation at Craig Hospital
I was not sure what to expect at the reevaluation visit in December. My dad and Ivette came to support me. All it turned out to be was a simple check up to see what I had been up to and to see how I was doing. They ran a couple tests, but I feel like the reevaluation was more for them than for me. I have been going to lots of therapy and seeing many doctors, so the week there was somewhat moot. However, it was very weird being back in that environment. The first few days were ok and actually felt good to be at a place that helped me so much. Then the next few days I could not wait to leave because I did not like the hospital confinement feelings that were resurrected. Many memories flashed through my mind, and that is a part of my life that I wish did not have to happen. I lived in the hospital for 2 months. Ivette lived in the hospital for 2 months. My parents lived in the hospital for 1 month each. I loved seeing my former nurses and techs and therapists, but being back in that environment was strange.

Back doing the FES bike like old times with my dad...

Gino, a former police officer, was in the hospital the same time I was. He is doing unbelievable! He walks now using a walker for long periods of time. In this picture also are Ivette and Gino's wife, Tami. They are amazing people. I was able to finagle my way to standing as well!

My PT and friend, Alissa. She's awesome!

Some more favorites from Craig: Stephanie, Joaquin and Brea.

Snow!
I was only in Colorado for about a week until Ivette and I headed to Washington State for Christmas. We had a very good time meeting with her family and relatives. Her aunt even re-did her whole front porch and added a ramp so that I could easily get into the house Unbelievable. Bella was with us the whole time and she was not the biggest fan of the cold snow to say the least. One thing that became very evident to me in the snow was that my hands and normal gloves would not suffice pushing the frozen metal wheels on the wheelchair. I needed thick, padded gloves to push my wheelchair because imagine constantly holding a piece of metal in your hand. Your hand would freeze!

Bella covered in snow!

She was so cold and such a baby about it!

The newly constructed porch with a ramp! It was beautiful.

Mama Flores, Papa Flores, Grandpa Gardner, Senorita Flores, Brother Flores

No Christmas Miracle
I know I have to be patient with this injury as it is a ridiculously slow healing process. Knowing this and because of this, I sort of implanted in my mind and the mind of others that I was waiting for a “Christmas Miracle” for myself. I lived in anticipation leading up to Christmas to see if I would be somewhat right. Christmas came and went and so did my spirits a little bit. I again realized that no matter how much I want to be better RIGHT NOW, God has His own plans. New Years Eve was similar in that I could not wait to put 2007 behind me and start a fresh, new, promising, hope-filled new year.

What better way to bring in the new year than with the woman I love (and dog)?

And some of my best friends...

Hand Cycle and LA Bike Marathon
Ivette’s family was so generous and gracious enough to buy me a hand-cycle for Christmas. This is the type of bike that I am sitting on on the www.helpjoewalk.com website. I am so excited about it It arrived last week and I assembled it. Ivette and I have already gone on a couple rides. It is so much fun and so good for my cardio. It’s so cool because when we’re on the bike path, I fit in. Nobody know that I am a paraplegic; they just think I have a really cool bike. Anthony Lok proposed that we participate in the LA Bike Marathon, we looked into it, and Ivette and I are training for it along with other friends It is March 2, 2008 in LA. Navigate to (http://helpjoewalk.com/upcomingevents.html) here for more details.

Thank You for the Donations!
For those of you who have donated to help aid in my recovery efforts, thank you so so much May God shower you with blessings. My out of pocket expenses related to this injury is creeping up to $45,000. So far, with an appeal for donations, we have raised over $30,000!! However, with Project Walk at about $2000 to $3000 per month and other doctor visits, medicine, etc, the costs will continue to rise. Your support has been and is essential in helping me continue trying to get better.

Non-Profit Surfer’s Myelopathy Awareness Organization
Ivette and some of her friends from the USC Masters in Public Health program (Katie, Pegah and Tamar) have taken it upon themselves to battle surfer’s myelopathy and to encourage education of the injury and raise awareness of the risks involved with surfing. This is a truly amazing task and I will keep you posted on how it is going and how you can help

Here are some more videos from my training at Project Walk.

Here I am balancing on a rubber bouncy ball throwing a weighted ball, using the core strength that I have preserved.

Here I am riding a stationary bike again. I posted another video of me riding a stationary bike, but this one is more recent and if you compare the two, you can see definite improvement.

Here I am doing squats completely by myself on the "Power Plate" machine. It essentially vibrates like crazy which activates my muscles to fire. Although not all of the respective muscles are contracting and I am using some of my arms, this is still very good.

Here I am struggling crawling upright. This takes a lot of core strength and hip control/stability.

Here I am again walking with a walker. You can compare this to last time as well; this time seems to be a lot better :)

Also, in case you haven't figured it out, you can find all of these videos on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com)!

Update for the past few months...(Part 1)

2008-01-22T00:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in the update. There have been lots of good things happening over the past few months. Although there have been lots of good things, I am still so far from my ultimate goal. The recovery from a spinal cord injury is not an easy one nor is it a quick one. My best hope is for an overnight miracle. As quickly and unexpectedly this injury took me over, I hope and pray that as quickly and unexpectedly it can go away.

Late November, Early December
Pedicure
Before going to Mexico for Ivette’s cousin’s wedding, I stopped by a shop and got a pedicure. I figured it would be good for the health and wellness of my feet. However, I didn’t expect it to be one of the most stressful experiences of my life! It started off ok. I had to do a really awkward transfer from my wheelchair to their humongous special foot Jacuzzi chair. Then when she started working on my feet, my legs were spasmed out so it was extremely difficult to move/bend them. Once we finagled my legs to cooperate and she started working on them, I really got stressed because my leg was bent, right in front of her face. If I got a random spasm, then she probably would have flown across the room. Although I tried to communicate with her to be careful, etc, she did not speak English very well and the message was lost in translation, so I just sat there, hoping and praying that my legs did not misbehave. Anyways, everything turned out fine and my feet were beautiful.

Guadalajara, Mexico Trip
I knew that traveling to another country in a wheelchair would be interesting. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I have been all over the world and don’t intend to stop just because I am in the chair. When Ivette and I arrived in Mexico, they had escalators for everyone to get to baggage claim and a single elevator for those with large luggage, wheelchairs, etc. This oasis of an elevator had the incredible capacity of…1 wheelchair. Even for someone to go down with the wheelchair they had to suck in their gut and avoid getting slammed by the closing elevator door. Needless to say, it took about 30 minutes from deplaning to finally use the elevator. Navigating Mexico in a chair was not that bad, only because I had Ivette with me. The streets were super uneven and there was rarely a curb with a ramp. Places that did have ramps though made a good effort but fell far short from being useful. The ramps were always extremely steep and nobody in a wheelchair could grace the incline by themselves. The wedding was beautiful yet crazy at some points, with people in costumes running around on stilts! The dinner started at 11pm and we partied all night long. On our way out of Mexico, we entered the plane via the stairs as the plane was not taxied at a jetway. So, how do I get in a plane with stairs? They carried me! I thought this would be ok because I had been carried before, but before I knew it, two guys were lifting me and my chair up the narrow stairs. They almost slipped a couple times and in hoisting me up each step, I could clear the sides of the stairs. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I survived and now have a cool story to tell.

Hanging out in Tlaquepaque, Mexico...

Cruisin' down the cobblestone was fun but took a little more concentration so that I didn't hit a rivet and fly out of my chair...

Acuscope/Myopulse
Another alternative treatment I have been receiving in addition to the Acupuncture and Neuromuscular Massage/Chiropractics is called Acuscope/Myopulse. Here is a brief explanation:

“The Electro Acuscope / Myopulse is a sophisticated electro-therapy unit that introduces a low voltage micro-current through injured tissue and accelerates the healing process. The Electro Acuscope / Myopulse is different from conventional forms of electrical stimulation (i.e. T.E.N.s, Interferential therapy, and Galvinic stim.) in that it facilitates tissue repair and promotes cell regeneration at an accelerated rate.” (thanks http://www.wellsport.com/myopulse.html)

That's all for now. I'm really tired and am going to bed. There's lots more to post, but here's just a little dose. I'll try to finish up on the update tomorrow with pictures and videos as well.

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

I promise to have a big post before the new year with lots of pictures and videos from what's been going on (there's been a lot!).

But I just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone! Keep on praying (as I have been) for a Christmas miracle! I've been looking forward to today to be reborn and be able to walk again hopefully :)

I am currently in Washington/Oregon with Ivette and her family and will be returning to LA tomorrow. I am so blessed to have such a loving and supporting family, friends and girlfriend. Also, her family has embraced me and I am thankful for them as well.

Spread the love, keep on praying and REJOICE!

At Craig Hospital again...

2007-12-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-

I just arrived today in Denver, Colorado with Ivette, my dad and Bella! for my re-evaluation at Craig Hospital. Each patient returns about 6 months after their discharge for a one-week ollow-up. It's really, really weird being back here at the hospital and already I've had a plethora of mixed emotions being back.

I have lots more to update on the blog, but will do so when I have more time/energy.

Among other things, I became a dual-legged ambulator! Before, at Precision Rehab, I was able to take "steps" on my own but only the right leg/flexor would fire. This past week, both were firing! We have videos of this as well.

Finally, thanks so much to Fabien for setting up my website (http://www.helpjoewalk.com) and keeping it updated. There is a pretty cool video there that Project Walk created for me a little while ago, so check it out!

If you don't want to navigate to the website, here's the video. However, the other music on the blog might interfere with the video's music/vocals, so you can either check it out at the website if you're having this problem or pause the blog music located at the very bottom of this page.

Hopefully I can update this blog more this week with other stuff that has been happening with more pictures and videos.

Hope you're enjoying the holidays!

Exhausted...

2007-11-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, this week has been crazy. I'm not sure if I've ever been this tired. I'm not tired like sleepy tired, but just fatigued from everything. From all of the time on the road going to and from therapy (I travel over 700 miles per week on the freeways) to exerting so much energy during the therapies, I am drained. I know I'm trying 1000% doing everything I can to get better, but this week, everything has caught up with me. Like I said, I feel fine, just exhausted like I never have been before. I can't wait for this Thanksgiving break and also some time off in December. I'm still getting better each time I go to therapy, but I need to make sure I get enough rest and sleep and relaxation so I don't exhaust myself too much which could end up being detrimental to my recovery.

This weekend has been fun just relaxing with Ivette and friends and sleeping in for the first time in a while. Friday was awesome as Darren took us to a Laker game...in a suite! (thanks again buddy!!!) And Saturday was cool as Brian finally came back from DC (move back to LA already) and we were able to catch up and hang with other friends.

Three days of therapy next week. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone and safe travels for everyone traveling.

The suite life at Staples...

A56 baby...

Great view of the game...

Is that Shakira?!

Welcome home buddy... (check out Bella cuddling with the stuffed animal)

Fired up!

2007-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

I usually draft what I'm going to write on the blog and review it before posting it, but here's a sort of an impromptu post.

Thank you so much to all of those who made the trek all the way to San Diego for the Steps to Recovery event. It really means a lot to me. I had an incredible time seeing all of you there for the support and cheering me on as I walked with a walker (with trainers' help) to cross the finish line. I know I'm currently attending Project Walk, but my goal is to run, skip, hop...all of the things I used to do.

One thing I really miss is playing basketball. I used to play as often as I could and would ball up anyone that had the guts to take me on :) I also miss running, throwing a frisbee, throwing a football, or even playing pick-up games of football with my friends. But soon enough, I will be able to walk and won't have to be excluded on pick up basketball games or events that my friends organize (football) due to my disability.

I don't know what's been getting me fired up recently, but I've had an edge, a spark in my eye the past few weeks. After the Steps to Recovery event, I really just felt refreshed and ready to attack this injury. Especially this week, I have been pumped up and working harder than ever at therapy. I have been blasting System of a Down and Papa Roach on my way to therapy to get the adrenaline going. Your support - phone calls, text messages, e-mails, everything - pumps me up even more and pushes me to get through this. I felt weird at rehab this week because I was grunting and huffing and puffing, pushing myself to the limits. Other people were looking at me, but that's good. Hopefully it'll motivate the other clients to go 110% as well.

Thanks also to Danielle and Courtney for coordinating a very successful happy hour fundraiser in New York a few weeks ago. I really wish I could have been there, but that was awesome that they were able to put that together and I am grateful to all those who showed up and participated. I heard it was a great time.

I know when people ask me how I'm doing, I say that I'm getting better each therapy session. I feel bad because that may seem like a half-hearted generic response, but it really is the truth. Each time I go to therapy, I do a little bit better on pushing with my legs doing squats, I have a little better control over my hips and core when standing up, my spasms are a little more controlled and manageable. This week was no exception. I feel like my nervous system is starting to wake up a little bit more. For example, at therapy at Precision Rehab in Long Beach this week, when we were walking over the ground, I was putting my whole body, whole heart, all of my effort into it. My body started shaking like crazy, my gluts started spasming, but my legs responded by taking about 10 steps. Mind you I was supported by a harness and the steps are not pretty or fully functional, but some of the reflexes and muscles seems to be starting to remember.

Recently, I've had a few instances where I almost forgot that I was in a wheelchair. I would wake up and try to get out of bed. I would be on the ground at therapy and know that I need to move somewhere and try to get up and walk over there, but couldn't. I would be sitting watching TV and try to get up to get a drink. I refuse to get used to the wheelchair, and it seems my mind is complying, especially recently.

That's all for now. I really want to update the blog more often, so I'll try. Also, I would like to put it on the record that I am an avid Notre Dame fan and have been to EVERY victory we've had this season. Ok, so we've only had 1 at UCLA...so sad...

Warming up before the walk with the my main trainer, the man who works miracles, Dave.

Trying to sprint to the finish line!

Made it to the end! Other clients join me. Each person has their own unique story that each one of us never expected to happen to us. Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, football injuries, surfing injuries, freak diseases. All normal people who can walk one day and not the next. Sometimes I think about all of the other paralyzed people around me and dream about the day that we all will walk again and party and dance and do jumping jacks...

One step closer...

2007-10-13T01:07:00.001-07:00

I have heard this joke before, but Ivette and I were watching “The Pursuit of Happyness” and they say it in there and I could really relate to it:

There was a man who was drowning, and a boat came, and the man on the boat said "Do you need help?" and the man said "God will save me". Then another boat came and he tried to help him, but he said "God will save me", then he drowned and went to Heaven. Then the man told God, "God, why didn't you save me?" and God said, "I sent you two boats!"

I feel like even though I am putting my faith and healing in God’s hands, that doesn’t mean I can sit back and wait for a miracle to happen. I am where I am but I refuse to accept it. God has blessed me so much with wonderful people and resources. I have to do everything in my power to get better and hope that God will take care of the rest. And that is exactly what I have been doing as you will learn throughout this entry.

THERAPIES
Rehab 5 days per week
In an effort to do all that I can to get better, I now have a pretty strict regiment. I was going to Project Walk 3 days per week and have seen incredible improvements. I was recommended another rehab facility (Precision Rehab in Long Beach) and have started going there the other 2 days per week, so I now go to therapy 2 hours per day, 5 days a week. I am currently trying to finalize my schedule to include acupuncture 2 days a week and neuromuscular therapy 2 days a week. One thing I have been mindful of is whether my body can take all of the beating and bruising that I am doing. I think this is a perfect balance of therapy for me as Project Walk is a progressive and aggressive recovery center while Precision Rehab provides me with therapists who have an even more medical background and can assess my general health and well being including maintaining my upper body integrity and joints.

Acupuncture
While I did acupuncture in the hospital in Colorado, I hadn’t done it for a while back here at home. So many people have told me of its benefits and I really wanted to do it again. I finally got a referral from my doctor to an acupuncturist, Dr. Said in Long Beach. She said to give her 12 sessions and we would see great things. So I started going to her at the beginning of September. It was amazing. It seemed like the therapy session after each acupuncture session seemed to go much better with greater signs of improvement. After the first acupuncture session, I had not told my trainer, and he said, “Did you take steroids last night?” And I just told him that I did acupuncture and he was amazed. So, since then, I have been going about twice per week and I have gone to 10 sessions so far. I feel great after Dr. Said does the treatments. She uses electrical stimulation and a hot lamp as well to further intensify the treatments.

Neuromuscular therapy
I will soon be starting neuromuscular therapy which includes a whole wide range of treatments from Reiki to Cranial Sacral therapy to Electrical Stimulation. More to come once I start these.

Father Fernando again
Father Fernando was again in Los Angeles at the beginning of September. Ivette and I went to see him, and we were both inspired by not only him and his faith, but the number of people that were there to celebrate the mass and healing. There were more people than I had ever seen in a church. There was literally NO room for anyone else. People were spilling onto the streets to receive Father Fernando’s healing touch. People were sitting around the altar to maximize the indoor space. Last time I saw him, I didn’t know what to expect and who he was. This time was different. I was completely ready and open to him and Jesus’ healing. After I was touched, I could not miraculously walk like others in the church, but I was again humbled and had a rush of peace. Everything will be alright in God’s time.

IMPROVEMENTS
Hamstring (positional)
Another exciting improvement is that I can sort of do a hamstring curl! My hamstring control is all positional though. I can only do it if I sit with my legs hanging off of a table. Then if my leg is straightened out, I can pull down with my hamstring.

Stationary Bike
In addition to my last post about taking a step forward, this has been one of my most amazing progressions. I had been riding the stationary bike every few sessions at Project Walk with the trainers doing most of the pushing/most of the work. However, about 2 weeks ago, I was able to actually push a little bit on my own. Then, I was able to fully pedal on my own with minimal assistance. Now, I can pretty much ride the bike on my own, with a little assistance every now and then. On Monday of this week, I started pedaling and for the first time ever, the pedaling felt 100% normal for like 10 seconds; it was like I was riding a bike like before with all of the correct muscles and everything firing in coordination. The stationary bike has been an amazing tool incorporating cardio, coordination and hope for great things to come. How I ride a bike ok, but not walk...I don't know. Here is a video of one of my rides this week.

Total Gym pushes
The Total Gym machine allows me to do assisted inclined squats. I have been using this machine almost every session at Project Walk. I have shown significant improvement of the squats since I first started doing this. The idea is that even if I can only do 1% of the push and the trainer does the other 99%, hopefully next time I can do more, maybe 2% or 3%. Earlier this week, we added weight to make it more weight bearing on my feet and feel more like a full squat. My body responded really well. With the added weight on the machine, I was able to engage more muscles and connect better and push up voluntarily so much more. At one point, my trainer, Dave, even said that I did 100% of some of the pushes.

OTHER NEWS
6^th month mark
The 6 month mark (September 12) was a difficult day. It was a day of shock and surprise at how fast time had gone by and how different life is now. It was a tough day because of what it represented. Ivette has really helped me through these tough days and the 6^th month anniversary day was no exception. She always lends her ear and drops anything that she’s doing to be there for me. I have never met a more selfless, loving, caring person as can be seen by all of her actions and sacrifices. I don’t even have to say or do anything; she just knows when there’s something wrong. Wow she’s been amazing… Even though it was 6 months since my injury, she has been going through EVERYTHING that I’ve been going through too for those 6 months and holding my hand (literally and figuratively) and has been so strong throughout the whole thing. I thank God so much that she’s been such a great support, such a great friend, such a great girlfriend.

Fundraising
Thank you so much to Ivette for spearheading the fundraising efforts. The total out of pocket cost this injury has burdened us with so far is greater than $25,000. Thank you so much to all who have donated. Please realize that since we are going through an outside organization (NTAF), there is a time lag for the donations to go through. But seriously, thank you so much for your generosity so far. I promise you, I’m doing 110% of all that I can do to get better so that I can walk, and even run again!

Simple Things Hard: Starbucks, Bank
Just another reflective moment on how life is much more complicated and difficult being in a wheelchair. As you already know, I got my car modified so I am relatively independent. I can go anywhere I want, anytime I want, just like before. But in doing so, I have to transfer from my chair to the car and then disassemble my chair and bring it into the car. This can get quite cumbersome and tiring and running simple errands turns into a great expulsion of energy. For example, there is no drive-thru ATM close to me, so every time I want to go to the bank, I have to transfer to my car, disassemble my chair, drive to the bank, assemble the chair, go to the ATM, go back to my car, disassemble the chair, go back home, reassemble the chair and I’m on my way. Same goes with getting a simple latte or something from Starbucks. One challenge is the whole assembling/disassembling part. Another challenge with drinks is balancing the cup in between my legs, when I have no control over my legs.

Reiki on my picture
Ivette’s brother, Kennett, is in school for massage therapy in Tulum, Mexico and included is a class in Reiki healing, which I wrote about before. One of his assignments was to perform Reiki on a picture of someone and he chose me. Thanks Kennett! I don’t know when you started doing this, but I definitely have had lots of improvements this past week.

Three Kings
My sister, Jen, whom I’m very proud of, got a Fulbright scholarship to study in Spain to earn her MBA in 13 months at a very prestigious international university. In her travels in Europe, she told me this week that she lit a candle for me at the church where the 3 Kings remains are held. My birthday is January 6, the Epiphany, the feast of the 3 Kings! (miss you sis)

Notre Dame!
We finally won our first game at UCLA last week! Thanks so much to Justin Liu for getting tickets (accessible seats nonetheless!) for Ivette and me. We had so much fun, especially since we won! This is the last day I can savor the win as we play #4 Boston College I am very positive that we have a chance of pulling off the upset, but we need to play a good full 4 quarters. GO IRISH! Quick shoutout to my boys at Fisher Hall. I was an RA when these guys were freshmen and they’re great guys. I spoke with my rector and he said that they include me in their weekly intentions at hall mass on Sunday nights at 10:30pm (I miss those…).

My first steps…again!

2007-10-11T02:37:00.000-07:00

I have so much to write about for the past two months and I’m so sorry for not being more vigilant in updates. I will try to have a more detailed post in the next few days. However, something happened today that I am so super excited about; I don’t want to wait to let the world know.

I’m about to mention things that are new since the last blog and I’ll go into more detail about them later, but here’s the exciting news: I took my second first steps!!! I am going to therapy 5 days a week right now; 3 days at Project Walk in San Diego (actually Carlsbad) and 2 days at Precision Rehab in Long Beach.

Today, I went to Precision Rehab. I was locked into a harness and the therapists were manually moving my legs on a treadmill. I was instructed to not think of anything they were doing but imagine myself at the beach or something. The first few reps were a big struggle for them, but the third rep went really well. They got me into a nice, fluid movement and I was on the treadmill for about 5 minutes straight (with them manually moving my legs).

Then we moved off of the treadmill and tried to walk on the ground (while I was still supported by the harness). So there were still 2 therapists manually moving my legs in the walking motion, but then, something amazing happened…

As I was dangling from the harness and half paying attention to them moving my legs, they planted my left leg, and then my right lunged forward by itself in stride! My body was remembering! The therapists again had to wrestle my legs to get them to walk for the next couple steps, but every so often, I was able to somewhat control the movement of walking forward. It was incredible. I was thinking about bringing my leg/foot forward to walk, and for the first time since March, I was sometimes getting a positive response!

Man, when I lunged forward for the first time…I don’t know what thoughts went through my head. I was just in shock and disbelief, sort of like, did you guys see that? Did I just do that? I’m very much looking forward to future sessions and trying this out to see what other improvements may come. I will try to video some of this so that you can sort of see what I’m talking about.

In the meantime, God bless and I’ll update with lots more soon!!!

Getting Better!

2007-08-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

The past month has been so exciting with all of the improvements and recovery that we have seen!

FATHER FERNANDO
On July 13 (soon after I wrote the last post), Tita Fe (Jeff’s aunt, sort of my aunt too) insisted that we meet up for lunch and to attend a healing prayer from a Filipino healer. So my dad and I hung out with Tita Fe and we went to lunch at a Sushi restaurant and then went to a religious convention in Burbank. First we attended mass in the auditorium. Immediately after the mass, Father Fernando Suarez had a “healing session”. He spoke for about 30 minutes and then started going around the room touching everyone and quietly praying over them for a few seconds. It was like one of the shows you see on TV. They had “catchers” there catching people who would fall right when Father Fernando touched them. He started with the handicap row where I was and proceeded to touch my forehead.

From stories I had heard, with Jesus’ intervention through Father Fernando’s touch alone, sometimes the blind could see, deaf could hear, mute could talk, dead would come alive and crippled walk.

The moment he put his hand on my forehead and shoulder, my legs spasmed out and began to shake furiously. It was at that moment that I got a sense of divine peace and heard in my head, “In God’s time…” Although I was at this healing mass and Father Fernando touched me (with no guarantees), I cannot do anything to expedite or change God’s intentions. He has a plan for me and hopefully He is using me and will use me as a tool to do good things. If I walk (and hopefully I will), it will be in His time, when the time is right. After asking me if I had noticed any immediate changes, I told him that I felt my hamstrings and gluts spasm for the first time. He then smiled and said, “I will be praying for you,” and went to the next person. Father Fernando also touched and prayed over my dad and my aunt. Tita Fe actually collapsed when he touched her, triggering the catchers to gently place her on the ground. Father Fernando said that each time someone collapses, they are “resting with the spirit”.

As we left, we all felt relaxed and I shared with my dad and aunt that I felt that I would walk again, if it’s God’s will, in His time.

You can check out more on Father Fernando at: http://www.fatherfernando.com/

IMPROVEMENTS
Each day that passes, each day at Project Walk, I get better and better. At first I downplayed some of the improvements mainly because some of the movements weren’t coordinated or graceful or easy. And they were so simple. Or at least used to be so simple and easy. But Ivette really helped me realize that each improvement is such a big step. She reminded me of my poor condition and limited mobility in rehab and where I am today. Each small movement, each small sign of improvement is a big deal. Project Walk has been going so well that I went 4 days this week (I usually only go 3). My parents usually come down with me on Mondays and Ivette usually comes down with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It means so much to me that they make the huge sacrifice to come and support me all the way in San Diego, foregoing their normal day. It’s always exciting too when I do something new, someone is there to celebrate with me.

Also note that each of the listed improvements happened AFTER I received the blessing from Father Fernando. Coincidence? I think not…

-Squats
It all started when during therapy, I was actually able to do somewhat of a horizontal squat. I was on a machine and I was lying on my back. I was able to bend my knee and push up. Albeit only a few inches, I was doing all of the movement myself! Since then, I have progressed to doing the same motion while inclined.

-Lift leg on bed
One night, I was lying in bed and my right leg fell off. I tried to lift it back onto the bed, and it worked! It wasn't necessarily graceful or extremely coordinated, but somehow (not sure what muscles or anything), I was able to have my right leg off of the bed and somewhat lift it up onto the bed. I first tried the same with my left leg and it didn’t work. However, a few days later when I tried it again, it worked with the left leg as well.

-Crawling
At Project Walk, they had me crawling. I did really well. It again wasn't the most graceful or coordinated of movements, but I was able to crawl a little bit, forwards and backwards and side to side. My feet drag a little bit, but again, more balance, more control, more strength…

-Medical procedure (and standing frame)
At the end of July, I had a diagnostic medical procedure at UCLA and they put me under general anesthesia for more than 2 hours. The results came out negative. I was out for the next few days. The same day that I had the procedure, my dad, James and Ivette put together my standing frame that my parents ordered for me! We kept on (and still are) fighting with insurance to get this equipment funded, but we could not wait any longer because this equipment is too important, so my parents graciously purchased it. It’s a mechanism that helps me safely stand straight up rather than sitting in the chair all day. It really opens up my hips and puts weight on my legs and feet.

-Walking in water
I was able to walk in water…sort of. Ivette and I went swimming. Dr. Flores supported my knees so they wouldn't give out and I held onto her shoulders for support. It was pretty difficult but I was able to lift up my leg a little bit and move it forward. And then the other one. Moving them forward was not that difficult actually; it was getting my leg to lift so that my foot wouldn’t drag. However, that was very weak and most of the time my foot dragged forward. I think most of it was coming from my core, gluts and hips. That's what Ivette said she felt firing as well. Also, Ivette's mom, Lisa, was watching from out of the water and she said that she could see me moving my legs too. Ivette also said that she could feel some power against her leg when I was moving mine meaning they weren't flaccid movements but actually had “oomph” behind them.

-Free standing
Last week, one of the trainers, Dave, tried some interesting things with me. It was my first time being paired up with him. On Monday, he had me standing at a bar with him and an assistant supporting my knees and hips. But I was standing without holding onto anything! He then alternated bending my legs and I started swinging my arms. For a brief second, I felt that I was sort of walking again or that I could actually walk away from that exercise. Then starting on Wednesday, Dave got a little more creative. I did so well at the bar, why use a bar? So I stood up only with his support! I was free standing. He was still somewhat supporting only my knees and hips, but not as much as the previous time.

-Walking with walker
On that same Wednesday, he said, “We need to get over there… Want to walk over?” At first I was thinking he was crazy and had no idea what he was thinking of, so I said, “Sure,” just to see what he was going to do. He went and got the walker and then brought about 4 other trainers to help him as well. So he helped me stand up and I held onto the walker. The other trainers supported my hips and knees and then bent my legs for me. I was able to go from one point to another (albeit with the trainers moving my legs)! I used the walker again on Tuesday this week with only 3 trainers helping and I did a lot better. Then today, we tried walking again… this time with only 2 trainers. It was the smoothest one yet! Everyone at Project Walk is amazed at my progress and I’ve been told that I’m the “talk of the town” because I only started less than 2 months ago and have improved so much. I remember when I first visited Project Walk and saw people using the walker or other devices where they would “walk”, thinking how amazing that is and how lucky they are. I cannot believe that I have progressed to the point already where I am switching sides and now I’m the one using the walker.

CHALLENGES TO EVERYONE
Now that you have checked out what’s been going on, I have some challenges for you as you go forward from this entry.

-Handicap parking
It’s unbelievable how inconsiderate people are sometimes. I have a handicap parking placard. I usually get good parking. But I would trade this for walking any day. Handicap parking used to be an afterthought for me. Yeah, it’s there, I can’t use it, move on. However, it really serves many purposes for those of us who need it.

1. SPACE TO EXIT THE CAR. When I exit the car (either from the passenger or driver side), I need to swing the door fully open so that I can safely transfer into the wheelchair. Normal parking spots usually do not have enough space to open a door completely.

2. SAFETY. When I am finally out of the car in my wheelchair I can safely immediately cross the parking lot into a store or access an elevator (next point). If I were parked further away, I could easily get run over. Imagine an SUV parked in a parking lot and I have to pass the SUV to get to my car. When the SUV looks to backup, they’re not going to see me when I’m 4’ something in the chair and could potentially back up and hit me.

3. LOGISTICS. The handicap parking spots are usually close to elevators (if applicable). I CANNOT EASILY TAKE STAIRS, which are sometimes located at other parts of the lot.

This may be stating the obvious, but some people apparently think they are above the law and their car is special. It is NOT OK to park there only for a few minutes while running an errand. It is NOT OK to park there because it’s close. It is NOT OK to park there because you’re running late. This compromises our safety and makes our lives even harder than they already are.

Thinking about it realistically, almost no car who parks in a handicap spot will ever get a ticket or towed if parked illegally. Police usually have better things to do. So I encourage you, if you ever see a car parked illegally in a handicap spot, report it either to the towing company or security.

-Handicap bathrooms/stalls in bathrooms
This is something that I used to be guilty of all the time. When you go to the bathroom, I would sometimes use the handicap stall because it’s bigger, it’s nicer, I don’t know why… But I used to use it. Now, when I need to go to the bathroom, it’s the only stall that my wheelchair can fit in. I’ve tried other stalls and I do not fit. It kills me now when I’m in an empty bathroom and someone is in the handicap stall and I have to wait 10 minutes until I can go. Please try not to use these unless others are not available.

True story. I was at LAX. I had to go to the bathroom. I went to the men’s public restroom. There were open stalls, but the handicap stall (there was only 1) was taken. The guy did his thing. Then he proceeded to begin unpacking his clothes to change, wash up, whatever. I waited 15 minutes. By the time he exited, I was waiting in my wheelchair right in front of door and as he exited, he said sorry— twice. I looked behind me and there was another guy in a wheelchair waiting for the same stall.

-Challenge to sympathize
This is a more hands on challenge more for perspective I guess. Some people ask me what it’s like to be in a chair and do normal things in a chair, etc. My challenge for those of you who wonder this is, TRY IT! Sit in a chair in front of the bathroom sink and try to do your morning/nightly routine—brush your teeth, shaving, wash your face, contacts, etc. Try the same while washing the dishes. Sit in a chair in front of the kitchen sink. Sit in a chair and try to reach for a glass so that you can get a glass of water. Sit in a chair next to your car seat and try (without legs) to use your upper body to bring your whole body into the car seat. Remember, you have to try everything WITHOUT using your legs at all. And some paraplegics can’t even use their core (abs/lower back) to stabilize themselves on a chair. Feel free to leave comments on this post too about your experiences in a chair. Hopefully this will garnish more a response than the few for the tattoo idea (thanks for those).

FUNDRAISING SOON
Also, keep an eye out because we will start fundraising very soon. We have the website registered that will be the main site and will probably link to this blog. It’s called http://www.helpjoewalk.com. There’s nothing on it yet, but there will be soon. Between myself, my parents and Ivette, we’re up to about $20,000 in expenses that have been incurred due to this injury and it’s not looking good anytime soon as I am still heavily fighting insurance to cover Project Walk, which is between $2000 and $3000 per month.

These are the little balls of tape that the healer in Agujitas, Mexico put on me that resulted in my knee reflex returning 3 days later.

Here I am in a cool beach wheelchair, playing catch with a football on the 4th of July.

Ivette and I experimenting with wheelchair bowling!

James, Ivette and my dad working hard at assembling the standing frame.

My 2 babies that make me smile every day :)

Moving on...

2007-07-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

So the past few weeks have been extremely busy, yet productive.

Moving
Ivette and I finally moved into our new apartment in Westchester (close to Culver City and LAX) on Wednesday, June 20. We just moved a few boxes and supplies on Wednesday (thanks for your help Dad) and painted some of the walls on Thursday (thanks for the help Gabe, Mom and Uncle Joel). On Friday, Ivette and I went to Long Beach. We had to first move the dresser from the third floor of the condo building to the garage (thanks for the help Kenny and your friend). Then we worked on painting it. It looked like we had a successful furniture remodel, but it turned out that the enamel messed up some of the paint, so we (more so Ivette) had to redo it after we moved in.

Saturday, June 23 was the big moving day where we moved everything from Ivette’s place to the new apartment. I don’t have very much stuff because even the large stuff at the Long Beach condo was Jen’s. Ivette’s dad (Jaime) and his friend (Mario) drove from Laredo, TX and arrived Saturday morning to help. Part of the reason they drove was to pick up an old Volkswagen van that we had from the 1970s to restore it. It’s one of those cool beachy/hippie vans. Our family has so many fond memories playing around in that old beat up, brown and yellow piece of art. Jaime and Mario were a big help moving. Also, thank you very much to the following for giving us a helping hand on Saturday: AJ, Alex, Anthony, Eva, Jaime, Mario, Jacklyn, James, Jeff, JT, Kathryn, Kenny, Marlene, Mickey, Mom, Row, Ryan, Sandy, Tita Fely, Uncle John, Uncle Luke and Zach.

We have pretty much moved in most things and are relatively settled. It’s so nice to have a place to have all of my things in one place rather than living out of a suitcase like I had for the month and a half leading up to the move. Although the apartment isn’t slated as an “accessible” unit, we made everything work. The facilities are real nice with a pool so that I can do some water therapy and a gym so that I can continue to stay in shape when not in rehab.

Project Walk
I was finally able to schedule and start my rehab at Project Walk in Carlsbad, CA on June 25. The facility is 30 miles north of San Diego; this equates to a 100 mile drive to and from my house and Project Walk, 3 times per week. Why do I drive 600 miles per week to attend this facility? Because this is apparently one of the best of its kind. It’s very different than normal rehab/therapy. I looked around a lot at various centers and those were general rehab and therapy, stretching and doing some other less strenuous work. However, Project Walk is not a typical therapy center. They concentrate on “exercise therapy” and they work my legs a lot in addition to my core and they have innovative to foster recovery on the nervous system.

This is my third week there and I feel great. My legs are actually sore from some of the exercises that we have been doing! All of the trainers are motivated and positive.

My commute isn’t as bad as other clients. My first day there, I met a lady from South Africa who moved to San Diego for a year so that her son could attend Project Walk. And it is really not uncommon to hear similar stories where people pick up and move long distances for this program. So I'm actually lucky to be only 100 miles away!

4th of July and going into the ocean
On the 4th of July, I went to Manhattan Beach with Ivette and a bunch of her friends and we hung out on the beach all day. This was my first time to the beach since the injury. We rented (for free) a beach wheelchair that has balloon-wheels and makes it easier (not easy though) to navigate through the sand. (Thanks Kathryn and Ted for picking it up!) I lounged around in the chair and on the sand for most of the day.

Then Ivette’s friend’s (Peggy) boyfriend, Amir, invited me to play catch with a football. So he whirled me around and we threw the ball among four of us. It was really nice to be able to do some sort of normal beach activities.

Then the kicker… Amir said, “You want to go in the water?” I said, “If I get into the water, it would be hard to get back into the chair.” And Amir responded, “Just go in the chair!”

So off we went to the water. Ivette started freaking out. But we even passed a lifeguard and asked if it was ok and he said, “Oh yeah!” So Amir took me out and held on to my chair so that I didn’t flip or float away and we took on the waves. We didn’t just wade in; we really went into the water. It was such a good time. It felt really good getting into the water finally after everyone else had gone in and come back and I thought I couldn’t go in. That was very cool of Amir to think about me and include me in football and the water. Thanks buddy.

Standing frame
After all of the jousting and stress and frustration of trying to get a standing frame covered by insurance, we finally just ordered one online, only to learn that it will come in the next 4 to 6 weeks. At least the process has begun. The standing frame is a device that I climb into and it helps me stand by supporting my knees and hips. It feels really good to straighten out my body since I’m sitting in a chair all day. Not only does it feel good, but it has a lot of medical benefits that I notice each time I use it. However, insurance doesn’t think so…

I have my car!!!
I got my car modified on July 10. A special vendor installed “hand controls” that allows me to accelerate and brake with my left hand and steer with my right hand. I took driving lessons in Colorado, so I’m ok at it now, but still need more practice.

What an incredible feeling to have my car back. It was such a bittersweet and strange feeling. Slowly but surely, I am regaining my life back and piece by piece, I am regaining independence. Now I don’t have to wait around like a kid from junior high or someone on probation, waiting for rides all the time. It was so nice to sit in my car again and drive the streets of LA. It was so comfortable and natural. However, it was also very odd that I was driving with hand controls and not my feet. Although I had training in Colorado in rehab, the sentimental feelings really set in when driving my own car, in my own environment, but all with my hands. And with the newness of the whole thing, I am driving like a 15-year old who just got his permit with regards to smoothness of ride. It’s more like a rollercoaster with the quick stop and go's. I’m sure that will pass soon though.

It really was incredible though. When I got out of my car, I just stared at it in its parking spot outside of the apartment. I thought to myself, “My car is finally here. And I drove it here.” How surreal everything is sometimes. Sometimes I turn to Ivette and say, “This whole thing really is just so crazy. It still sometimes doesn’t seem real." But it is very real.

Life man… It’s crazy sometimes.

Thanks for visiting in Colorado
This entry is very late, but I want to do everyone due justice. I want to say thank you so much to everyone for their support, but especially those who were with me in Colorado either for a short time or for a prolonged period of time.

-Ivette was there from day 1 and is still by my side every day. She watched over me like an angel all the time, whether that meant sleeping on a cot, on the floor or squeezing into my twin-size hospital bed for a hug.
-My mom and dad switched off in Colorado to make sure that one of them was always there and truly illustrated their unconditional love and sacrifice. They’re always searching for a solution and answer, although it may be as simple as there is not one right now, just time will tell God's plan.
-James drove to Colorado with my dad in Ivette’s car and hung out for a few days. Then when I was coming home, he flew back to Colorado and jumped straight into the car to drive it back to California. He also stuck around for a few days to play games with me, although I won, as usual ;)
-Judy was able to part with my nephew for almost a week and be extremely diligent and organized. She took all of my notes when people talked and organized some of the things that I had to do. She also tried valiantly to push me up the hills of Red Rocks amphitheater.
-Jen came up and visited me on 3 separate occasions! I don’t know if she came to visit me or just to play the wheelchair games (goal ball!!!). Or maybe it was so that she could party in the mile-high air!
-Anthony visited me during a layover and was the first XO Jr. to see me in a chair.
-The whole Flores family (and Jen) came and celebrated Easter with us in Colorado, although it snowed, it didn’t stop us from making fajitas! We played a little family feud and of course, the game of choice, UNO!
-Then Terence Ou, one of my managers from work made a valiant effort to visit me. He had a couple hour layover in Denver, took a taxi to the hospital (about 30 to 40 minutes out), hung out for a little while and headed back to the airport.
-Then Ali and Gabe stopped by for a quick visit and some awesome Italian food!
-Then Mitesh swung by just in time for the hospital’s 100 year anniversary celebration and he witnessed Elvis live (my dad became a celebrity in the hospital after that). Mitesh was also persuasive enough to get my dad to do his first sake bombs! Good times…
-Judy (and Jen) came for some nice sightseeing at Red Rocks and Boulder. We also played wheelchair basketball, except Judy used her legs ;)
-Jeff (and Jen) came the weekend after for some good Cinco de Mayo fun at a crazy Mexican restaurant with divers and clowns.

I really have the best friends, family and girlfriend in the whole world. You guys have been super supportive through this whole thing and it was so great (and necessary) to have each of you come up and visit and stay with me. Denver is not as close as it seems and I cannot thank you enough for coming to support me during one of the most difficult and hectic times of my life.

Tattoo
No, I do not have a tattoo. I’ve been meaning to add this to the post for a while. While I was at Craig Hospital, I met a guy who was electrocuted and had a foot amputated. He was telling me about a tattoo that he used to have and he said that he was going to get another one on the other leg for the person who saved him.

I MOST probably won’t get a tattoo, but he mentioned, “Hey man, you might as well get one somewhere on your legs now while you still can’t feel them!” What a stupid reason to get a tattoo. But, my call to you is, any suggestions? (Funny, stupid, serious, whatever…). Like I said, I am not planning on getting one in the near future; I just thought it would be interesting to hear what you think about a design.

Hasta pronto...

Another one of THOSE days…

2007-06-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

I would say that 95% of the time, I’m happy, go-lucky, accepting and determined about my situation. Today was one of the 5% of days where everything is frustrating and overwhelming. I know I’m usually happy and smiling and it’s pure and true. I am truly accepting of what God has chosen for me as my path, but it’s hard.

He gave me my cross. Most days, He helps me and it's not so bad. Other times, like today, it’s extremely heavy.

But I find solace in the love and support from everyone. Here’s some insight into some of the frustrations that went into my head today.

When I woke up this morning, I had a weird feeling. It was almost like this whole ordeal was a dream. I woke up half expecting to roll out of bed and wake up from this dream. Everything was so normal. I woke up in my messy room, in my own bed. But then I tried to move, and nothing... Sometimes this experience is just so surreal.

Rehab
-My parents, Ivette and I checked out Project Walk in San Diego on Monday. This is supposedly a very innovative program that tries different techniques to help people regain function and walk. I am a little skeptical because of the aggressive therapy. My physical therapists in Colorado always told me to be weary of joint integrity. Also, seeing some of the people “walk” per se was odd as it seemed that they walked on spasms rather than being able to walk normally. There are still a lot of questions in my mind, but overall I was impressed by the program and attitude of everyone there. However, it is really expensive ($100 per hour) and is not covered by insurance. I may try it, but will probably try rehab at UCLA first. I became frustrated yesterday thinking that I even have to go through something like this and dedicate so much time and money for something that was so easy. Now I have to maybe drive 2 hours each way and spend hundreds of dollars for months to try to get better.

-It’s been impossible getting an appointment at UCLA for neurology and rehab. I have been calling UCLA every day since I got back from rehab trying to get an appointment. They finally gave me an appointment yesterday for July 17. It’s really frustrating because I want to move forward and keep up with everything that I did at Craig, but because of the red tape, I have been unable to see the doctor to set up my outpatient rehab schedule.

-I have had some improvements as listed on my last blog and want to capitalize on these. I am now thirsting for outpatient rehab, but it’s been impossible with UCLA. I love that Ivette helps me with my exercises that we learned at Craig, but I’m interested in being formally evaluated to see how much I have actually improved. I hope my improvements aren’t for naught.

-It’s frustrating that I have to allocate so much money to all of the treatments, supplies, etc. Before, I had to worry about all of my normal expenses and payments, but now I have to factor in so many medical necessities. Also, I have had some acupuncture/reflexology and loved it and felt great after it. However, I have to monitor how often I do it because it’s $90 per session. If money were no issue, I would probably do it every day, but unfortunately it is. I am extremely lucky because my parents have made many sacrifices and have helped out with many of the expenses, but I know they have their own expenses to cover. It’s frustrating that we even have to incur these expenses that we never had to before.

-It’s been impossible playing the insurance ballet. I have tried and tried with the suppliers and insurance to get some rehab equipment approved that is sometimes approved. I want a standing frame and FES bike. The standing frame allows me to stand while providing support and is useful for increasing circulation and bone density and the FES bike electrically stimulates my muscles to build muscle mass and keep my joints moving. I used these a lot in Colorado, but haven’t used them since, and it’s frustrating because I really want to because I know they are good for me, but it’s been impossible trying to get these or use these, especially since UCLA has been so unresponsive.

Long Beach Condo and Life Changes
I stayed in my condo in Long Beach last night. It was so tiring and exhausting getting up the stairs into the unit and then going up another flight to get to my room. It truly would be impossible to live there with all of the work that I would need to put in on a daily basis. When I was brushing my teeth in my bathroom, I got really frustrated because I couldn’t do such simple things. I remember where I could just jump in the shower real quick and get ready. I couldn’t even take a shower there because we didn’t have the supplies and it would have been difficult to get into the shower. Also in the bathroom, I couldn’t reach a lot of things I needed. And I can’t really gargle anymore because it’s really difficult for me to do the motion of putting my hands together and bringing them to my mouth without losing my balance. I have to take one hand and take sips of water to gargle or wash my face. It was sad because when I was upstairs, I was stuck and couldn’t even really navigate my room because of the setup of the furniture. I couldn’t really go down the stairs safely alone, so I was stuck in my little space. It’s frustrating being so reliant on other people right now. I know other people have their things to do. I used to be so independent. Now I need someone to get me a tissue if I can’t reach it even. I can’t wait until I get my car modified so that I will be even more independent again and not have to be such a burden on everyone.

It’s frustrating that I am forced to move into an accessible apartment and rent out the condo and pay double in the process. I am FORCED to move because of this. I am leaving my sister and my neighbors who became good friends. I can’t live there. It’s sad. And when I do move, my place will be completely accessible, but other places aren’t. My friend Brian said that I would be living next to his sister, another one of my friends. It doesn’t matter because she lives on the second floor and there is no elevator. I can’t go over to her place to hang out. Well, I could, but it would be such a big chore to overcome the stairs. I can do ANYTHING that I did before. It’s just that some things take more time and energy. The same thing happened in Texas. Ivette’s friend just bought a new condo, but it was also on the second floor. We were invited to check it out, but Ivette went alone because I didn’t feel like scaling all of the stairs.

Yesterday I sneezed and it didn’t hurt. When I first had the injury, it would kill to sneeze, cough or laugh. It would hurt so much since that area of my stomach didn’t work. But now it feels almost normal.

Return to Work
I would be open to returning to work. Physically, I feel relatively ok. However, sometimes, I easily fatigue. I’m just nervous about my rehab schedule and my work schedule and if doing everything would be exhausting. Even when I left rehab, I thought to myself I would be able to return relatively quickly. But life is just coming at me 100mph right now and there is just so much to figure out. Physically I may be ok and confident, but psychologically, I still need a little time to organize my life and learn to live in a chair for now. It’s especially frustrating that I have not been able to start with my outpatient rehab because I have no idea what that schedule is like and how I would balance that with work. I have talked to some co-workers and they are very anxious for my return and I am too, but I need to make sure that I am 100% ready to return when I do. However, with the aforementioned expenses, I may be forced to return to work sooner than I’m ready.

Miracle
As written in my other post, the Santo Niño said that I would “walk better” in a week (yesterday, Monday). Monday came and went with no noticeable differences. I was pretty excited about the premonition but am left only still hopeful and waiting. I am patient, but it’s very trying. And right now, I’m lost on my recovery. I don’t know what to do. Some people say that my recovery will take up to 2 years, if ever, and others say that I need to aggressive therapy for a while. So do I continue my life like normal and return to work, etc. or do I go to therapy full time and put life on hold and focus completely on my injury? The psychologist at Craig said that I need to find a balance with therapy and life. It’s tough right now, especially just after the injury, to know where that balance is.

Oh yeah…happy 3-month injury anniversary. 3 months ago today I walked last…

More progress...EXCITING!!!

2007-06-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Just trying to get everything together here at home.

I want to thank all of you who came out to the welcome parties. It was so nice to see everyone again and see first-hand the support and love behind me. It was so nice resuming to some sort of normalcy and being back in public after being in rehab for so long. It meant so much seeing everyone who took a break from their lives to share some time with me. Thank you for coming out whether you live close by or far (some people came out from San Francisco and Washington DC). It really hit me how important everyone in my life is to me and how grateful to God that I have each of you in my life. I really had such a good time and was smiling cheek to cheek at seeing everyone again. I also want to give a big thank you especially to everyone who helped set up the parties, namely my sisters, Judy and Jennifer, Ivette, and my parents and my brother James and his family for hosting. Pictures are to follow, I just need to find a place to post them and I will attach the link here.

After the parties, I have been trying to figure out life.
Outpatient rehab: I have been trying every day to get an appointment with UCLA neurology, but first they needed me to fax a referral letter, then they had to request my medical records, then they have to review my medical records and now I'm still waiting to set up a consultation. I started calling the day I got back to Southern California and they still have not given me an appointment. Frustrating... On Monday, I will head to Project Walk in Carlsbad to see what they have to offer. Although this program has gotten good reviews, it is not covered by insurance at all and is relatively expensive, so I'll see if I want to do it.

LIving situation: I have been switching back and forth between my sister, Judy's, house in Camarillo and Ivette's house in Pasadena. Although I was living at my condo in Long Beach with my other sister, Jen, I can no longer live there because there are about 20 stairs to get to the unit and then about another 12-14 to get to my room. It would be nearly impossible to navigate those stairs on a daily basis. Imagine if I forgot something in the car or whatever after I had just scaled the stairs... Anyways, ever since I returned home, I have been searching for a new apartment with Ivette. Judy's house, Ivette's house, my parents' house, James's house, etc. aren't really ideal for various reasons, including the fact that I don't fit in all of the doors with my chair, namely the bathroom doors. Ivette and I found a place in West Los Angeles that fits all of our criteria. It has hardwood floors to make it easier for me to navigate, all of the doors are wide enough that I can fit everywhere, it has an accessible gym so that I can continue my fitness therapy, there is a pool so that I can continue my water therapy and more. We are going to move in there on June 20. However, as you can imagine, I have the challenge of keeping up my payments for the condo and paying for the apartment until I can get the condo rented. Anyone need a place in Long Beach? That, in combination with the medical expenses...don't expect to see me at any fancy restaurants anytime soon.

Texas: I went to Texas with Ivette for a couple weeks for a number of reasons. It was a nice break from all of the hectic things going on in Colorado and California. It was nice to get away and relax a little bit. I was still able to keep on top of things that I need to take care of though. While I was there, Ivette and I went to the gym a lot and swam a lot as well. We went to acupuncture twice. Ivette's family visited me in Colorado, so it was nice to return the favor as well. Ivette's brother, Kennett graduated from high school, so we celebrated that. Additionally, Ivette's dad found out about a healer in Mexico and we drove 3.5 hours each way to see him. More on that in a moment...

Progress: I have had some noticeable improvements, which is very exciting!
1. When I fly, I'm the first one on the plane and the last one off. One of the reasons is that I need to use the aisle chair (a really skinny wheelchair) to transport me to my seat. When I first left Hawaii to fly to Colorado right after the injury, I noticed that my legs flopped open and needed to be strapped to stay closed. However, on my most recent flight, I noticed that my legs no longer flop open uncontrollably. I don't know if I am holding them in or just thinking about holding them together so they don't flop, but they are now controlled and do not just flail out.
2. Ivette's dad, Jaime, Ivette and I went to Mexico on May 30 to see a healer in Agujitas. It was very interesting as he taped little balls on pressure points on my back and told me to keep them on for 5 hours. He also gave me some medicine. He said that in 3 days, I should see some improvement. On Saturday, June 2, I was looking for any improvements all day. Finally at night, I noticed that I had my knee reflex! This is when you hit that little funny spot on your knee that makes it kick up. I know the doctor in Mexico tested this on May 30 and it didn't work. However, on June 2nd, it did! Ivette said that she remembered that this was one of the very first things to go the day of the injury. This is a great sign.
3. On Tuesday, June 5, Ivette and I went swimming for therapy again. As she was with me the whole time in Colorado, she currently helps me do therapies while we wait for UCLA or other outpatient services. We actually devised a way to help me stand up in the water. However, she has to support my knees and hips so that they don't flail out uncontrollably. We had done this a number of times over the past few weeks. However, on June 5, we noticed that she didn't really have to support my hips anymore! She had to stabilize my knees, but my hips seemed to be a lot more controlled. Another great sign.
4. On Monday, June 4, I spoke with my aunt's co-worker's friend, who is a very religious lady from the Philippines and is also a healer. It was a very interesting and touching experience as she was in a trance and quoted to be actually "Santo Nino", speaking first person as Jesus to me. She stated that I would be "walking better" in a week. We will see! Keep on praying!

So, that's a quick update. Sorry again for the delay in update and lack of pictures. I will try to update more often and I will soon post more pictures.

Overwhelming...

2007-05-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

I finished my rehab in Colorado on May 11 and returned to Southern California on May 12. The transition has been...overwhelming. Being away from all of the comforts of the hospital and accessible facilities has been very interesting and challenging. I'm taking everything step-by-step, day-by-day. I have lots more to post/write, but don't really have the time/energy right now. So here are a couple things I want to get out.

My sisters and Ivette are throwing me welcome back parties. The first one is for friends and co-workers.

The second party is for family and other friends who don't want to meet at a bar downtown.

We have reached out to a bunch of people communicating the above, but I apologize if we have not reached out to you yet. You are definitely invited to participate, please just let Judy know if you are coming.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone again and personally saying "Thank you" to each of you who have kept me in your thoughts and prayers.

I love you all...

More posts coming soon...

And now for a few more photos.

Thanks Mike Hale, Chris Hale and Gabe for the Mechanix gloves, shirts, luggage and hat!!! EVERYTHING came in handy.

My first acupuncture session.

Another acupuncture session with electrodes connected to the needles.

Riding the hand cycles. This is the paraplegic version of a bicycle. Hopefully I can get one!

Thank you so much Deloitte co-workers! I got an incredibly thoughtful package that included a PSP, games, books, DVDs and gift certificate.

I took my parents and Ivette out for a double-date. We went to the Nuggets-Lakers game in Denver. Lakers lost, but eh, both teams are out of the playoffs now anyways...

Ivette and I at the game.

I took Ivette on another date. We went to a John Legend concert and Corrine Bailey Rae opened for him. Great times...

Last but not least, I have developed a little more upper body strength ;)

Some progress...

2007-05-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have made some physical progress. When I first incurred the injury on March 12, based on the MRI, I was classified as a T6 level injury, meaning that I had no mobility and limited sensation from my 6th thoracic vertebrae on my spine all the way to the bottom of my spinal cord. This level was confirmed when they performed an "ASIA" (American Spinal Injury Association) test when I was admitted to Craig Hospital on March 21, which required my judgmental responses to various stimulation.

My physical therapist reperformed the test last Friday and confirmed based on the ASIA test that my level is reclassified as a T8 (lower on my spine), meaning that I have had some return in my stomach/ab region. I can definitely tell that there have been improvements as my core strength and balance has improved over the past week.

Last Friday, they also transferred me to outpatient rehab, meaning that I would no longer live at the hospital (for in-patient care; basically nursing care). Instead, they moved me to the patient/family apartments adjacent to the hospital where I am more independent in the sense that I am responsible for administering my medications and have no nursing support.

On another note, due to the strenuous therapies and weight training, I have tendinitis in my right bicep. Not too big of a deal. I just have to ice it several times a day.

My discharge date is May 11 and it looks like that is still accurate, so I should be coming back to Southern California really soon. I just got my seat cushion today, but we're still waiting for my wheelchair. I think it got stuck in the whole politics of insurance/manufacturer/distributor/etc. Hopefully it'll be here by the time I leave, otherwise, I have to crawl everywhere :( Just kidding. Hopefully it'll be here. If not, they may just give me a loaner chair for the time being.

I'm still tied up with the strenuous therapies and figuring out logistics for when I return home. I also just found out that I am eligible for animal assistance so I'm looking into a helper dog or even a helper monkey! Today I had another accupunture session (my 5th) in combination with Reiki spiritual healing.

My sister, Jen, arrived today for the weekend and one of my best friends, Jeff, arrives tomorrow. My dad and Ivette are here as well. I will include a whole entry soon detailing everyone who has visited with pictures.

Anyways, that's all for now. Hasta pronto...

Every Monday night, these gigantic Newfoundland dogs visit and slobber. They're beautiful dogs and always bring a smile to my face.

Here is a picture of my physical therapy in action with my Physical Therapist, Alissa. Here we're working on some range of motion to maintain joint integrity.

Although my feet are naturally beautiful, Ivette insisted that she give me a pedicure.

This is in the training room. I am using a machine called a "standing frame" that allows me to stand up with appropriate support. This picture was taken shortly after my dad and brother drove up from California.

Look how tall I am! It's always surprising when I get in the standing frame to realize how tall I am since I always look up to people now from the wheelchair.

This is the FES (electrical stimulation bike). I use this about 3 times per week to electrically stimulate my leg muscles.

One of the tasks of occupational therapy is to teach how to perform normal day-to-day activities. Here, I actually had to cook lunch. I didn't even do that on a normal day-to-day basis before!

Here's my brother, James, and I after a tough workout, playing one of the wheelchair games they have devised here, "Goal Ball".

Here I am when I first started pool therapy. The water is a nice and warm 96 degrees, although I can't even feel it with my legs.

Family and friends can join me in the pool (large jacuzzi) during my pool therapy. Here's Ivette and me taking a break during the tough workout. So far, my dad, sister Judy and Ivette have come in the pool with me.

Another tiring day...

2007-04-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today was another tiring day in therapy, starting with the nurses waking me up early in the morning and then heading out to classes.

Here were today's classes:
9am to 10am - Chair class. This class focuses mainly on developing skills while in a wheelchair. The first day in class, I had to learn to do a wheelie in the wheelchair. The thought of doing this was very scary at first, but now I do them with ease. Besides being able to show off my cool wheelie skills, wheelies are actually very functional on a day-to-day basis. We also learn how to ascend/descend stairs in the wheelchair, build wheelchair endurance and navigate various physical obstacles that we will encounter while being in a wheelchair.

10am to 11am - Mat class. This class focuses on stretching, building core strength and learning how to manage getting from a wheelchair to other surfaces (ground, other chairs, etc.). We start the class by stretching and then proceed to exercises for strength and mobility keeping safety and technique in mind.

11:15am to 12pm - Swimming pool. There is a 96-degree pool that goes 5-feet deep here at the hospital. As the pool offers buoyancy, my body easily floats and I do not have to fight gravity. I still cannot move my lower body in the water, but it is a lot easier to manage. We work on other strength and core exercises. Ivette and my dad have even come in the pool with me!

12pm to 1pm - Lunch. Although the food here is pretty good, it really isn't that healthy. That is contrary to what I would have thought at a hospital. I figure, it's a hospital, so it should have healthy food. Wrong! A lot of it is greasy and fatty, so it's really a challenge sometimes to eat healthy. But the one-hour lunch break is a nice break nonetheless.

1pm to 2pm - Physical therapy. I have a 1-hour personal physical therapy session every day with the same physical therapist, Alissa. We work on all sorts of things from strength, balance, daily life practicalities, etc. Today we worked on ascending and descending a staircase without a wheelchair, but by lifting me and the wheelchair up each step. It was quite a challenge, but so are most things the first time around. It took an hour to go up and down 10 steps.

2pm to 3pm - Rare break. Ever since I got to the hospital, I have rarely had any breaks between 8am and 4pm. This is one of them (as well as 8am to 9am this morning). My sister, Judy, arrived today (until Tuesday!), so I was able to give her a tour of the hospital.

3pm to 4pm - Fit class. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we hit the gym and lift weights only for the upper body. On Tuesday, there is a clinic on the basketball court with various stations to build strength and endurance. Each station is timed/counted and tracked week-to-week to track improvements. Thursday is game day. Today we learned to play wheelchair basketball. Judy and Ivette played too!

6pm to 7pm - Acupuncture. This was my 3rd acupuncture session and I can actually feel my body reacting to the needles. It's really weird when they insert the needles into my body as you can imagine it's not a very natural feeling. They even put an electronic stimulator to help make the treatment even more powerful. Although weird, it feels like I'm getting good results out of it.

7pm to 7:30pm - Dinner. Finally! I ate my dinner that was delivered to my room. However, the kitchen closed at 6:15pm, so my food was already cold. :( But c'est le vie...there are worse things in life than cold food...

8pm to 8:30pm - Facial. I know, I know... Like scuba diving, this was one of the additional recreational activities. Through this whole process, I've come to appreciate volunteers. Whether it be someone helping in the swimming pool or someone offering free scuba instruction or someone offering free facials, it really does make me smile for everything they are doing that they do not have to in order to make us patients happy in a not so happy time of our lives.

8:30pm to 11pm - Watching Lakers beat the Suns (in progress). Let's go Lakers!!!

Other classes/activities that I have but not today:
Occupational therapy. This class teaches other functional things for daily life, such as dressing in bed and the wheelchair, grocery shopping and cooking, vacuuming and cleaning.

FES bike. For this class, the therapists attach electrodes to my quads, hamstrings and gluts and digitally stimulate the muscles to help me ride a standstill bike. This really helps with my incredible ;) muscle tone and endurance.

Psychology. Each patient has a psychologist assigned to them. We have a meeting once a week just as a checkpoint to talk about anything and everything.

Driving class. I've had 2 driving lessons. For paraplegics, there is something called hand controls that we use for the gas and brake. We obviously do not use our legs. I've had 2 sessions and did well. We did everything from parking lot driving to freeway driving. I had to drive one of those really cool cars that said "Student Driver" and I felt like I was in driver's education again. When I get home, I need to have someone install the hand controls on my car.

Standing frame. I sometimes use the standing frame when I can. It does as advertised. It's a contraption that stabilizes my legs and allows me to stand vertically while supported. It's really cool because whenever I use it, I realize how tall I really am since now, I always look up at people from the chair.

Massage. I've had 2 therapeutic massages. It sounds cool, but actually kind of hurts. They said that because of all of the additional stress that I impose on my upper body because of the injury, I am extremely tight and I need a lot of work for maintenance and fluid mobility.

Cold-laser treatment. I've gone a few times to try an unproven treatment called cold-laser therapy. This is conducted by a doctor off-site and we actually have to drive 30 minutes to see him. They are simply lasers aimed at my head, back and legs that supposedly have very good therapeutic results in cell regeneration. Although I've gone a few times, I have not felt any changes or improvements directly related to the treatment.

Reiki therapy. I had this done twice in Hawaii and plan to have it done again here in Colorado. This is a very spiritual healing that channels energy throughout the body to heal. We also found out that Ivette's grandma was a Reiki master (performed Reiki). This is supposedly a very powerful healing treatment. When the Reiki master came in Hawaii, she also worked on Ivette's cut and her cut was visibly improved.

So, that's a brief synopsis of my daily life. I do my best to find time to rest in all of the craziness. I'm usually exhausted at the end of the day, but I fight through it. Here are a few more pictures. More to come!

My first week in the hospital... Since I was bed-ridden from Monday, March 12 through Friday, March 16, my lungs were really weak and I had to exercise them using this breathing toy.

This is at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Hawaii. Since Ivette and I were supposed to be in Hawaii on vacation, I wasn't about to let my injury stop me! So I prepared an ice cream date for her and me at the hospital and dressed up and everything.

My parents and me with some of the flowers sent to me in Hawaii.

When I arrived in Colorado, one of my best friends, Anthony, coincidentally had a layover my first weekend there. So we picked him up at the airport for a few hours, went to Outback for desserts and then dropped him off again.

Here's us at Outback. When we came to Colorado from Hawaii, my mom and Ivette came directly here with me. My dad stopped at home in LA for about a week to take care of some things and then he drove up the following week in Ivette's car with my brother, James. When I was traveling from Hawaii to Colorado (commercially), I actually had a layover in LA and was able to see my Uncle Joel and my brother and sisters and their families, including my nieces and nephews! Thanks so much to my cousin, Efren, an LAX security officer who helped coordinate everything there.

Starting my blog...

2007-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am a relatively technically savvy person, but this is my first blog ever. The first two posts below are the e-mails I sent out previously.

Again, I cannot thank you all enough for the support, cards and gifts. Things are still very crazy around here as those who have visited can attest to with therapy from 8am to 4pm daily with droves of doctors, nurses and others stopping by after that.

My physical status is relatively the same, with no movement from the stomach down and impaired sensation. A little sensation has returned in my stomach area, but so far, it is minimal. I am still very patient, taking each day as it comes and thanking God that I am alive with such great people around me.

I cannot wait to write about all of my experiences here from playing competitive wheelchair games with friends, family and other patients to scuba diving at a local scuba school. However, with the limited free time I have and the energy that I have left after expending it during a long day of therapy, I will keep up with updates as much as possible and include pictures.

But for now, know that I am doing well and staying positive and accepting life’s challenges and moving on. There is no point in moping or being sad about what is going on, as that is simply a waste of energy. I am focusing my energy on coping with my current situation and getting ready to live a normal life again.

My tentative discharge date has been set to May 11. I should be returning to Southern California around this time. I will not return before this, but if I show motor improvements, it is possible that I will stay in Colorado for longer as they will keep me here as long as I show improvement and there is additional aid that they can provide.

That is all for now. As I said, I will try my best to post pictures and updates. Feel free to pass this site on to anyone that I may have missed.

Lots of love…

My parents and me at the wedding in Hawaii...

Ivette and me enjoying the beach in Hawaii...

Paying our respects at Pearl Harbor...

Great view of a live luau from our hotel room...

In our wet suits getting ready to surf...

Second E-mail created on March 28, 2007

2007-04-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

March 28, 2007

Hello-

I want to start by saying thank you so so much for the kind words, thoughts, stories and prayers. Each one really means so much to me. I am still in very good spirits, and I truly attribute that to the support and prayers that I have received.

I apologize for making this e-mail so impersonal and for not responding sooner. I will make every attempt to reach out to you personally.

I sent the last e-mail when I checked into the rehab hospital in Hawaii on Friday, March 16. The therapists performed various evaluations on Saturday and started therapy sessions on Sunday. After hours of conversations with my family and friends and prayer and lots of coordination by my girlfriend, I transferred to a specialized spinal cord rehabilitation hospital in Denver, Colorado called Craig Hospital on Wednesday, March 21.

Since my arrival, they have performed a number of tests trying to gather more information about the nature of my injury. The MRI taken last Friday showed a decrease in the swelling in my spinal cord, but some abnormalities were still present.

There really have been no significant improvements or changes to my mobility or sensations since the last time I wrote. However, this is consistent with the doctor’s prognosis that this will not be a short recovery process.

Things have been excellent and very professional here at Craig Hospital. I am very patient and look forward to positive results while keeping myself grounded in what is currently happening. My mom and Ivette are out here with me right now and have been such a blessing. My dad and brother are driving up as I type. I was able to meet up with one of my best friends, Anthony, during his layover in Denver last Sunday.

Again, thank you for the love, as each message, call, text, e-mail and support really means a lot and gives me even more strength and courage to persevere.

Hasta pronto and lots of love,
-Joe

Mark 2:11-12

First E-mail created on March 16, 2007

2007-04-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

March 16, 2007

Hi Everyone,

As you may or may not have heard, I suffered a serious injury on Monday, March 12 and currently have no mobility from the waist down and am hoping to begin the process of walking again in hopefully a few months, although nothing is guaranteed.

I left for Hawaii last Friday (March 9) with Ivette to join my parents for my cousin’s wedding on Saturday in Honolulu. There were other wedding festivities on Sunday as well. Ivette and I set off on our own Sunday night. On Monday morning (March 12), we decided to go surfing close to our hotel in Waikiki. It was my first time surfing while Ivette (being the cool super hip person that she is) had gone a few times before.

That is when I suffered an extremely rare and scarcely studied injury called "surfer's myelopathy". There was no "accident" in the sense of a bad fall or crash. I was simply laying on the surfboard stomach-down look up for waves, paddling and standing up on the board. My first try at catching a wave, I caught it! Somewhere in that flow of movements, I apparently cut off blood circulation by hyper-extending my spine. When I was jumping off the board at the end of the wave, I noticed a sharp pain in my lower back. I assumed this a normal pain incurred during the course of surfing. Since it was my first time surfing, I assumed the pain to be a result of muscles that I had never used before. I was wrong. I was actually very good at surfing. I caught my first four waves and stood up - in the first 20 minutes! However, I could not catch any other waves for the rest of our time in the water, a total time of about 60 to 90 minutes. Ivette and I were cut and scraped from the rocks in the water; Ivette with a cut on her foot that was almost “stitch-worthy”. I actually also had a sea urchin stuck in my foot that will supposedly dissolve into my bloodstream. We stopped by the lifeguard to whine about the pains of surfing and after his blessing, we limped back to the room. We cleaned our wounds and I could not get comfortable, sitting, lying down, standing or whatever. We went to a Mexican restaurant to catch lunch and drink margaritas to make our pains go away.

Unfortunately, my pain persisted and it was soon after that, I limped into a doctor’s office. Once he heard of my complaints, he told me to lie down immediately and they transported me to the hospital right away in an ambulance. My parents were about to board their flight back to LA when I called them. They immediately rushed to the hospital and are still here in Hawaii with me.

They took an MRI and easily diagnosed my injury. Before I went into the MRI, my leg strength had already considerably decreased and after the MRI, I had no mobility from my waist down. I could feel if someone touched my legs or vibrations were set on my leg, however, they are quite numb and I still cannot differentiate very well sharpness.

I am currently still in Hawaii and was transported today to a rehab facility (with internet!). We are in the middle of arranging for my return to the Southern California area for additional therapy. I hope that I will be back in the LA area sometime next week.

Since the majority of victims of "surfer's myelopathy" are not from Hawaii, there is very little follow-up for the other few cases that have suffered this injury. Doctors are not sure what the best treatment is nor how long recovery will take. This injury occurs approximately one to two times per year in Hawaii. I said, “Why couldn’t I have had that luck with the lottery?”

But you know what, I am very optimistic, upbeat and not really down. I am very much taking this event in stride; it could have been worse and there was nothing wrong on my part or anyone’s part – it was just God’s will, and I am ok with it. I spoke with one of the neurologists and asked that if I instead went surfing for the first time at a different time (i.e. next week) instead of Monday, would I still have suffered the same injury. He said most probably yes, because the injury is the result of the way my anatomy is set up. With that in mind, imagine if I had taken my first surfing lesson in Malibu and decided to drive home. With my decreased leg strength, I very well may have driven off a cliff.

Again, I am in good spirits, here in rehab and making VERY FUNNY jokes with the nurses (as always). Right now, my dad, mom and Ivette are here taking the best care of me. And my brothers and sisters have pulled together and have been making every attempt to ensure that I get the best treatment as possible.

I know some of you have contacted me and I am truly very sorry that I have not yet responded. Doctors and nurses have been coming in about every 5 minutes and it has been exhausting, to the point where I almost lost my voice. I want to thank each and every one of you who have told me directly or indirectly that I am in your thoughts and prayers. You are also in mine. I truly am grateful and lucky for such loving friends and family for the amount of support.

Oddly enough with an injury this rare, another student at Chaminade High School suffered this exact same injury while vacationing in Hawaii not too long ago. I will not mention his name because I did not ask his permission but please also keep him in your prayers.

It is very possible that I may have forgotten some people on this e-mail or no longer have people’s current e-mail addresses. I am sorry for those missing, but please feel free to pass this on.

I know this is a shock to everyone, but please do not be mad, sad or discouraged. If anyone should be mad, sad or discouraged, it should be me, but I am in good spirits. God has a plan for all of us and we don’t know what the next day will bring.

With TONS of love,
-Joe