tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869033164792881182024-03-19T03:42:28.553-07:00Brian Keeter's RecoveryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-77070610018926936602020-10-29T11:45:00.002-07:002020-10-29T13:20:52.313-07:00Update 2020 & How You Can Help <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSVqoKEp7jWVj-3yOtVlJD6mFqMqGqS17TtwZlBhXmj86EljxmRfEw7qsYiPNfsgRW7_K_iueCwcAWnvjRsvGqlMW-60Q9IGJxjXea1A4ypXzCgwqNl19vZknVxuv1DitZe-rBE43Yf8/s2048/IMG_1655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1641" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSVqoKEp7jWVj-3yOtVlJD6mFqMqGqS17TtwZlBhXmj86EljxmRfEw7qsYiPNfsgRW7_K_iueCwcAWnvjRsvGqlMW-60Q9IGJxjXea1A4ypXzCgwqNl19vZknVxuv1DitZe-rBE43Yf8/s320/IMG_1655.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Webbs!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span> </span><span> </span>It’s hard to comment on how things are going in my life without talking about COVID-19. In March, when it first became clear to the public that this was a virus to be taken seriously, I was able to leave Louisville and spend a few months at my parents’ house in North Carolina. There was a lot of uncertainty at the time about how long people would isolate themselves, and I don’t have a family or a large support network here in Louisville, so the transition made sense. I enjoyed being with my parents for a while, and I think I was a welcome presence in what has become their mostly shut-in lifestyle to minimize infection risk. I was fortunate to be able to work from my parents’ home before the University of Louisville instated a large furlough in May. To make the most of a less than ideal situation, and since I had a lot of free time, my sister Myra and I planned a trip to visit our sister Leah out in Denver, Colorado.</p><p>Originally, the plan was to drive to Louisville, spend the night and then get in a large rented SUV and drive 16 hours with Myra’s two kids under the age of 3. As it goes with little sisters, things didn't go as we planned and she actually flew with the kids out of Louisville and I drove the trip solo, with all the “needed” baby/kid stuff. I’m an extraordinary vacation planner, I know. However, I must say, I spent about 10 nights in Denver, and really liked it. The weather was great and allowed us to spend most of our time outside, which was the intended plan due to the concerns with COVID. While I cannot speak on the winter weather, I get why people have been moving and continue to move to that area, which is evident with prices of real estate. </p><p>We timed this trip to be back in Louisville for the end of my furlough, but it did not go as I expected. Shortly after getting back, I was notified that my furlough was extended. From a monetary standpoint, the furlough was honestly not that bad for me. This was especially true when the CARES Act was giving people an extra $600 a week. Although this ended back in July, I am lucky that I do not have kids, live a fairly frugal lifestyle and have family support if I ever needed it. However, I cannot imagine what some families, especially single parents that have been laid off, are doing to get by without support like the CARES Act. Meanwhile, I think it’s safe to say that it seems that those in Congress are far more concerned about their power and political gain, than helping the people they are supposed to represent. This crisis has only further exposed how corrupt and broken most of American politics have been for decades. We all deserve better.</p><p>So, while I have had some quality family time this year, and I have had a lot of free time to do some learning and self-development on my own, COVID-19 has really delayed-if not totally wrecked-some opportunities I have been excited about and a few things I have been trying to take care of for a while. I’m trying to coordinate 2-3 surgeries in the near future. One surgery is more of a hope and what I originally came to Louisville for, but the other two are for things that could immediately improve my comfort and health. </p><p>The first of these two surgeries is about removing the bone/calcium growth in my right hip. I described how I developed HO (heterotrophic ossification). HO is a condition where bone grows in muscle, tendons, or other soft tissues in the body, and unless things have changed recently, no one has really discovered why. My case is pretty severe and I have a very large chunk of bone or calcium present in that hip (as evidenced in the image below). It is a significant source of daily discomfort and pain, but maybe most frustratingly, it really limits my range of motion, which impacts a lot of things and is the source behind the discomfort. It doesn’t serve to elaborate on it here (perhaps a later post), but it’s possible that this condition has hampered my progress in treatments or research studies, as well as general efforts to stay in shape. It might have made me a less than eligible candidate for research studies I want to be a part of. Ten years ago, I explored heaving surgery to remove some of this extra bone, but mine comes with even more risk, due to its location. For this reason, I’ve been referred to an orthopedic oncologist. Orthopedic oncologists have more experience cutting out tumors in that area and are more comfortable working with my hip, that is so close to main arteries, etc. I had updated images taken in March but then COVID-19 happened, and it has not been until this week that I have finally been allowed to go back in for the follow up to discuss options. Plus, COVID-19 might make a risky surgery even more risky. Hopefully, my follow-up goes well and the doctor and I can see the risk is worth it. </p><p>My newest hopeful surgery came as a surprise. About a month ago, I had an updated MRI done that revealed I have a potential cyst or excess scar tissue that is causing compression on my spinal cord. I have had MRIs done in Charlotte, Miami and 2-3 here in Louisville, but we have not been able to get a good image of my injury site due to shadowing from the spine stabilizing hardware that was put in at the time of my accident. One of the many smart people at KSCIRC had the idea to use a different MRI, with a weaker magnet, with the hopes for less image distortion, and she was right. Cysts on a spinal cord, especially after a traumatic injury like mine, are not all that uncommon, but the problem is the compression on my cord. This means that it is pressing on my spinal cord, and possibly preventing communication signals from crossing to their intended target, which could cause paralysis or loss of function. How long has it been there? We are not sure, but knowing exactly where the cyst was, we were able to go back and see that it has been present at least since my Miami MRI from 5-6 years ago. In theory, this means that removal of that cyst and relief of the compression could lead to something positive for me in terms of recovery. It also might mean, sadly, that all the things I have done in research, and all of the funding that went into it, might not have been used for maximum effect. While it is very disappointing that this was not discovered until now, I am glad it was found. Removing it may benefit me and it likely would have needed to be removed if I am to get that elusive implant. </p><p>So, I am hoping to figure out what my options are and formulate some plan or timeline, if COVID allows one. I am hoping that these things bring me some much wanted or even needed relief and also give me some hope for some positive news. I have been waiting for the day to share something substantially positive with my friends and family for years with regards to my recovery, and hopefully those days are approaching.</p><p>While this post has been way more about me than I like, I write it with the recognition the last 7-8 months have been a tough and interesting time for all of us. There has been so much stuff going on, from protests (including ones right outside my door in Louisville), to the continuing ugliness and craziness of politics that is amplified in an election year, and obviously, managing a new reality with COVID-19. The last thing I want to do is draw more attention to myself and bring up my birthday, but this Halloween means another year of my life has passed, and I have so much left that I want to accomplish. Since COVID impacted my opportunity to do another annual fundraiser for The Walk On Foundation, I am trying to embrace this, my 41st birthday, and encourage people that are motivated and able to help to consider making a donation. </p><p>While we usually raise money for just general research, this year I am being more specific. The funds we raise will be used to help support the participants in these various research studies. Being in studies is financially tough for many participants. It entails moving here for many months, even years, and often at their own expense. Often, these participants need to bring family with them to help them with day to day living. This can make research participation very difficult or even impossible for some. I am looking to use money raised by the foundation to assist participants that would experience financial hardship to find housing, transportation, or caregiving. </p><p>This global pandemic has impacted and continues to effect so many aspects of our lives, and sometimes it feels like there is no end in sight. I am hoping and praying that, as the next few months unfold, things become less ugly and chaotic, and we gain clarity about this virus and treatments for it. More than that, I hope we can come together as a country to look to see how we make things better for all, regardless of who is in the White House.</p><p><br /></p><p>Click <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UQ4JDYPGNX4Z8" target="_blank">HERE</a> to help. Thank you!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQAEoA9w7qCx0IlIgYfvrizBSPi32KR-cKz_0TZ71nmQ6QiJniuOGTR_FC7QHgJEeuLkCR8MDa_wA5UCZkwQuymG8I1D1A8EF3Y0dV0D2ZfxB5JrmxfX3u7l7hG8uhg7kdKxeeFN6IXg/s2048/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQAEoA9w7qCx0IlIgYfvrizBSPi32KR-cKz_0TZ71nmQ6QiJniuOGTR_FC7QHgJEeuLkCR8MDa_wA5UCZkwQuymG8I1D1A8EF3Y0dV0D2ZfxB5JrmxfX3u7l7hG8uhg7kdKxeeFN6IXg/s320/image0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Halloween! Kidding, it's just my HO. Scary!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-27233229299880449532018-12-04T16:02:00.002-08:002018-12-04T16:02:47.759-08:002018 Yearly UpdateIt is kind of hard to believe, but the end of July means that I have now been here in Louisville, KY for over 2 years. I have not updated in a while, but have been staying pretty busy. This includes working out, finally getting involved in research, putting on my first fundraiser in Louisville and working for Dr. Harkema at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Research Center (KSCIRC). <br />
<br />
In June The Walk On Foundation held the first ever Cornhole For A Cause fundraiser in Louisville. Here, with help from many people, we were able to net and donate over $10K to benefit spinal cord injury research at KSCIRC. While I had hoped to raise a lot more money, it was successful for the first one, especially in a city you are not from and have pretty limited connections in. Trying to connect people to the world of spinal cord injuries and why they should care is a challenge. I am not surprised by this, as I knew nothing about it until I got injured. Connecting people to it is something I hope to continue to get better at it and can only help me increase my impact by raising money and awareness.<br />
<br />
I have been working at KSCIRC in the finance department for over a year now and I must say that I am in a pretty good work situation. I get to work for a group that is working to make the lives of people with spinal cord injuries better and it also just so happens to be in the same building where I work out and am involved in research studies. I cannot say enough about my department supervisor and team; they have been great to work with and for. They have been extremely understanding and accommodating to my somewhat odd schedule that is full of workouts, research assessments as well as medical appointments. They also tolerate my bad jokes and constant sarcasm, maybe even enjoying some of it.<br />
<br />
Several months ago, I FINALLY got involved in my first ever true research study. For the last 5 months I have been doing standing with electrical stimulation, which means I do assisted standing with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) all over my legs. I have two people help me lock my knees, as well as a bungee strap and person supporting my hips as we stand. We do about an hour of various exercises, including standing, weight shifts and assisted squats. The NMES sends electrical currents to contract or fire the corresponding muscles for each activity. We are looking at how this affects muscle and bone health, which are both negatively impacted once you become paralyzed. This is usually something I arrive to do every weekday about 7:45 am before work. While this study may not be that exciting and does wear on my upper body, I appreciate the opportunity of getting treatment at no cost and also even feel a slight sense of accomplishment finally being in a study. I am advocating being in one for about 9 years now, but until now; I have been excluded from them. My hope is that this will possibly lead me to some better opportunities.<br />
<br />
It is no secret that research consisting of an epidural implant is what led me to Louisville. It has been just about 10 years since KSCIRC implanted the first patient here and he was able to stand up and moves once paralyzed muscles as well as recover or improve lost body functions. As some of you may have seen in recent news, this work has progressed:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/24/health/paralyzed-woman-walks-again/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/24/health/paralyzed-woman-walks-again/index.html</a><br />
<br />
As you can see from the story and video, the work here has been progressing. We now have had a patient that was able to recover independent walking. While it is not that smoothest or prettiest walk, it is a big sign of progress made and hopefully things to come. This was a patient that prior to getting this implant had no motor function or movement below their injury level. While in the past, there have been several other implanted participants to recover standing and movements or functions, this outcome of patients stepping independently are new and exciting. This is something that is occurring or takes place in the building where I am most of the day throughout the week. I have known to some degree about the success here sooner than the press release, but had to keep that to myself due to confidentiality agreements. For months, I would even see the patient featured in the link above will take steps in or outside Frazier Rehab and have the occasional conversation with her about how things were progressing.<br />
<br />
I know that some of you saw this news, once it hit various sources, I got a few texts or emails asking me why are you not doing this or when will you do it? The short answer is, I really do not know. I do know that I am seeking an opportunity like that for about 9 years now, but have not been able to break through or convince someone to give me one. While this would be frustrating to anyone, I admit that it frustrates me a little bit more since I have seen and met others that have gotten to do it, as well as trying to raise money to help advance things on top of even working where it is happening. While I am happy that there are people working on this and for the people that have gotten it, make no doubt about it that I want and even think I deserve a shot.<br />
<br />
Right now the type of injury I didn't fit their inclusion or exclusion criteria and while I do think that eventually my type of injury will get a shot, again I have no idea of the timeline. I have learned over the years how painstaking slow medical research can move in most cases. Before I came to Louisville, I had never worked at or been this involved in a research facility at a university and while I work with a lot of well-educated and smart people, it is just a much different world or mindset than anything I have ever been a part of. There are a lot rules or regulations and red tape that slow things down; while there are a lot of factors for why this is the case, sometimes I find it very hard to understand. Getting a medical device from research to clinic is not easy; it is an expensive and long process. You have to work closely with several regulatory agencies like the FDA, device manufacturers, research participants and staff, journal publications, a budget as well as other groups I am either leaving out or maybe not even aware of.<br />
<br />
While research plays a big role in figuring things out or what does or does not work and how to make things better, I believe that ultimately it is usually up to a private company to take something to market or to the clinic to make the lives of people that want or need it better. In this case we are talking about a medical device company, like Medtronics or Boston Scientific, etc. Like most companies, they are mostly driven by profit, so showing that there is money to be made, is the most likely way I think that this treatment ever becomes a reality. While KSCIRC has been a leader in this research, I have been pleased to see that other groups are doing this as well, we have a couple of groups in Minnesota replicating the research and even putting their own spin on it, as well as a group out of Sweden. While it is good to see other groups are doing it, the reality is there have been less than 30 patients implanted in a decade. Since, I have been told this needs to show that it works effectively and safely in hundreds of patients to get this close to coming to market, so we have a long ways to go, so the more the better.<br />
<br />
I admit that I am in an interesting situation these days and my thoughts are a bit all over the place. I know that once I woke up from a coma in the hospital in Charlotte and realized what was going on, I was quick to ask my father what we were going to do about it. He even told me I asked him this as I pointed to my legs. Since my accident, I have been up and down the east coast to meet with researchers and get treatment at various places all in the name of recovery. I have been to Baltimore, Rutgers, Atlanta, Miami and now Louisville. While I may be overly simplified things, it is hard not to think about how there is a device out there that in its current state has been able to significantly improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and millions throughout the world and unless you are fortunate enough to get in a study, you cannot have it. Also that while this device is being used in an off-label or different manner than it was intended for, it is based off of technology that has been implanted safely in people for back pain for about 30 years. So in theory, that should help expedite the process. I understand that they want to and maybe think they even need to make the device's technology better, but I think to myself, why can’t they just take what they have now and get it to help people that want it so badly, all while simultaneously working making a better version. That is what we see with tons of consumer products like, such as cars or smart phones.<br />
<br />
I have mentioned numerous times how a spinal cord injury can potentially impact every system, muscle and body function, we have, including the body’s ability to regulate body temperature. That means someone might often or always be too hot or cold and in a constant state of uncomfortableness. I mention this because I have a friend that is paralyzed from the chest down once tell me that if he could fix or correct anything from his injury that body temperature regulation would be it. Think about that, someone who cannot stand or walk or even have full use of their hands or arm muscles would choose fix that. That is one of the secondary issues that this implant corrects or vastly improves, so that one benefit would make his life significantly better but he cannot have it. I find this to be extremely frustrating for him and for countless others.<br />
<br />
December 14th marks my 10 year anniversary of my accident. It is still very hard to believe that it has been that long. While I think I have done a decent job of handling things or making the best of it, I have always had my moments where I question if the path or direction I have taken has been the best, or what ultimately will come from it. I find myself having a lot more of these moments lately. I see a lot of advocacy or support groups using slogans such as “my disability does not define me” and while I understand the mindset that they have and that they do not want to labeled or want people to see that they are more to them than their physical limitations or a wheelchair. However, for me, I fully recognize that my injury has and continues to impact pretty much every aspect of my life. This has been mostly all my decision, but it has impacted where I have lived, where I have worked, finances, social interaction, relationships and how I spend the majority of my time. While I am tired, I am not planning on giving up because that is just not me, but admit that it can be challenging to stick with. In some ways I feel I am so close, I am in the building where people are getting implanted and making gains or improving their lives to advance the cause, I also work for and am even on the same floor of researcher that has and continue to lead these efforts. I am trying to remain confident that I will eventually get a shot here, but also recognizes that maybe I need to be open to that fact that it might not come together until there is superior technology or maybe I will get my shot in a different location or even end up being some treatment I do not even know about yet.<br />
<br />
Until then I plan to continue working to stay in decent shape and ready for my chance as well as continuing to use my foundation to help the overall cause. I also need to focus more on just how fortunate that I am. I am not a fan of the saying it could be worse, but I know that it can, I have met a lot of people on this recovery journey that have it worse and would love to have the physical abilities that I do. I am able to work and live on my own and take care of the majority of things myself. I have also been fortunate to have the support from friends and family to help me get to this point and not everybody has that. I still hope that it will all come together, hopefully sooner than later for the spinal cord injury community.<br />
<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-9410427072994224112017-10-13T07:47:00.000-07:002017-10-13T07:47:30.433-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
So it has been quite a while since my last blog update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to believe but I have been in
Louisville, KY for over a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I came
here at the end of last July, I really did not know how long I would be here
and it is actually a little hard to believe that at the end of October, I will
have been here for 15 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not dislike it at all, but I do miss many things in NC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the things that will make things a
little more interesting here is that my friend and former teammate, Archie
Miller, took the head coach job at Indiana University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am excited for him as it is considered one
of the biggest jobs in the country and it is only 91 miles from my door. I
am confident that he will be successful at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I went to a lot of games while he was at Dayton and IU is about an hour
closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still trying to wrap my
head around wearing IU gear to support him but I am sure I will come around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will be honest that at times I am really unsure about
continuing to be here and at times even wonder if down the line I may even
regret it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I knew staying here would
get me back some of all that I lost in 3-5 years, I would feel a lot better
about things. At the same time, if I knew I would be in the exact same shape in
3-5 years as I am now, I would think differently about what I am doing. It is
very difficult not knowing at all what the future holds. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the one hand, I am at one of the few locations in the
country where there is some promising research taking place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have mentioned before, they have been
putting an implant inside patients that excites the nervous system and allows people to be able to stand up, gain back or improve upon lost body functions,
move muscles on command and even take steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sounds pretty amazing right? However, I also can tell you that they
first put this on a patient in 2009 and it is largely based off of technology
that has been around since the 1980s. It is 2017 and it is beyond frustrating
that something which could possibly help me and significantly change the lives
of a lot of people is still not available, even though I am told that they have
positive results in 10 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
still trying to make sense of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
been told that part of my frustration is that I am moving from more of a corporate
or business background or way of thinking into academia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rules and regulations, as well as the
steps taken to validate research can be frustrating and hard to
understand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that a lot of it is the FDA and the insane amount
of regulations they place on things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I understand the fear and challenges of working with or on human
subjects, if you gave me one day, I promise you that I could sign up 100s of
people with spinal cord injuries that would assume any "risk" and wave
liability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways, it is almost
like the FDA chooses to decide what they consider the quality of life and what
QOL is not worth risking? Sure, you can say someone with an injury like mine can live a meaningful and purposeful life but what about someone that has no
use of their hands or cannot breathe without a machine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I know is that I am frustrated as well as
many people I have met along the way. We are tired of waiting! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My current routine over the last few months has been pretty much
the same. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been working about 30
hours a week and working out or receiving treatment every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am pretty much in more of a holding pattern
than anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am trying to keep
my body and muscles in the best shape I can to be ready for these treatments
when they finally do become available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
spend a lot of time and money doing just that and try to keep the faith that
one day I will look back and say it was worth it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I think this post may come off a little more negative than
my others but some of that is just the reality of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often remind myself of the many ways that I
am fortunate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am able to drive, work
and live by myself and almost never need help with anything. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I cannot forget that I have also
been allowed to pursue opportunities to get better with the support of some
generous friends and family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also
in many ways in a good spot here in Louisville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition to Archie being closer, I also work a job that allows me to
be around people and part of the team working to make treatments available to
help those with spinal cord injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is something that is very convenient for me as I live 0.3 miles away from the
building I work out at on the 9<sup>th</sup> floor and go to work on the 15<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also cannot ask for a group to be more flexible
or understanding with my appointments or treatments and even my desires to make
trips back to NC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, I wanted to let you know that my sister is offering to <b>donate $10 to The Walk On Foundation now through the end of this month </b>for anyone who joins<b> <a href="https://www.theproducebox.com/" target="_blank">The Produce Box</a> using her referral link (which also gets you $10 off your first order).</b> She's been a member for years & just started working for them as a Neighborhood Coordinator in Raleigh. It's doorstep weekly deliveries to most addresses in NC consisting of local, in season produce along with locally produced artisan products such as cheeses, baked goods, honey, nuts, along with higher quality meats & seafood. <b>All you have to do is sign up <a href="http://members.theproducebox.com/index.php/signup?referral=16833" target="_blank">here</a> for $10 off your first order along with a $10 donation to my foundation</b>. Thanks for considering! </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-42132535803142411772017-04-11T11:56:00.002-07:002017-04-11T11:56:55.725-07:002017 Update <div class="MsoNormal">
It has been quite a long time since my last blog
update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still here in Louisville
and have been since the end of July 2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is definitely different here than Raleigh, Charlotte or Atlanta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I do not mean that in a bad way, I
would prefer to be in a city where I was closer to friends and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am currently living in a tiny 402 square
foot studio apartment, which is interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I did not even bring a lot of my stuff and barely have room for
everything that I did bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also
the first time that I have to do laundry in a common laundry room, there is one
on each floor and it requires quarters and oddly they do not have change
machines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this means I am constantly
asking for quarters on trips to the grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned pretty quickly that paying to dry
towels is not the most economical way to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paying $4 to dry towels is not something I want to do, so I air dry
pretty much everything but I do really miss having a dryer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I miss the convenience and I am a hater of
wrinkles, so I have always used that to get them out of things I did not want
to iron. The good part about where I live is that I am 0.3 miles from Frazier,
so unless it is pouring rain, I usually just wheel myself here and many weeks I
only drive once a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I do not
spend that much money on gas or put much mileage on my car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The biggest news since I last wrote is that I finished grad
school at the end of October and have earned my Masters in Health Care
Administration (MHA).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was definitely
glad to be done, as most of my weekends and a few nights a week were spent
reading and writing papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bad part
about finishing up is that I have to start paying on my student loans six months
after graduating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The student loan stuff
is very frustrating and I have a very hard time understanding why the interest
rates are so much higher than a lot of houses and cars!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I have said before, the treatment I have been receiving is
something that I can only do here in their clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just Neuromuscular Electrical
Stimulation (NMES) but with settings that are not yet FDA approved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day I put multiple electrodes on my
legs and stand in a standing frame, while the electrical current contracts my
muscles in a pattern they would if I was standing voluntarily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea or the hope is that the electrical
current will excite the nervous system and lead to the return of function or
sensation by causing the signals to cross over the injured area of the spinal
cord or to create a new pathway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far
the gains have been minimal, with them only coming in some increased sensation,
better and stronger muscle contractions from the NMES, as well as more sweating
below my injury level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some gains
are better than none, it is not the type of gains I was hoping for but maybe
those will still come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In addition to this treatment, I came here with the hopes to
possibly get involved in some of the research going on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the most promising research is here in
KY. They have been implanting people with chronic spinal cord injuries with a
neurostimulator that was designed to help people with low back pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have put the device in the lower spine
and the electrical current it produces excites the nervous system and has
resulted in people that were injured years ago being able to stand, move
muscles voluntarily, and even get the return of some of the body functions that
people can lose with SCI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
patient they put this in was able to stand the very first day they turned it
on--the very frustrating part is that this was all the way back in 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the FDA for you, things move painfully
slow, but sadly here we are eight years later with over 10-15 people implanted and
it still is not FDA approved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the device
was already in use for back pain, believe it or not, the process has been
expedited due to being an existing technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A big part of this is funding, as well as proving safety and effectiveness. They need to show the cost of the surgery and implant would justify the ROI for
insurers to pay for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The unfortunate
part for me is that my injury is, in part, at the bottom of the spinal cord,
where, in theory, it may be harder to fix. I do not meet the current inclusion/exclusion
requirements to be a part of the current research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is not to say that eventually I will
not be able to get it and benefit from it but just not right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they are dealing with limited funding
and trying to demonstrate effectiveness, they have to be strict about the
patients they take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot lie that
this is not in many ways, maddening as I have met several participants and even
seen several of them stand or take steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am trying to look at the positive as sometimes it is better to wait
for a second or third version as it is often they will have overcome issues or designed an improved
version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know the group here and few
others around the country or world are working on improved implants.<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is the main research effort that my foundation is
supporting right now, as I see it as the most tangible and realistic treatment
to benefit people soon.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Speaking of my
foundation, we are doing the 8</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> annual Hope To Walk golf event on
May 22</span><sup>nd</sup><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> at Devils Ridge!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are switching it up a bit with all the money collected at the event. This year, the auction items will benefit the foundation and not my own recovery
efforts.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">My plan was to eventually make
it 100% about the foundation but after discussing things with Dr. Harkema, the lead behind the study in KY, she
wanted me to make sure that I continue to take care of myself and keep my body
ready to benefit as much as possible when my time comes to benefit from the
implant.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So while I continue to be
fortunate to have the support, I am going to try to do all I can to stay ready.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In fact, the initial plan was to be here for
a few months to use the NMES system with non-FDA approved settings and as soon
possible buy one for home use.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Unfortunately, as it seems with everything, the FDA it is taking much
longer than we expected and the price tag on this device is only about $17K!
When it is released, we will try to have insurance to cover it or at least help with it, but that can be hit or miss.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lastly, as of two weeks ago, I started working for Dr.
Harkema’s group, which is located on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor and is called
the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center (KSIRC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan is to move me around a bit but currently I am
working in the financial department but will also be involved in
fundraising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a good thing as it
gives me income, has me around researchers to continue to advocate for
including my type of injury and will be good for my resume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be working 30-35 hrs a week and they
are being amazingly accommodating and allowing me to work around all my
workouts or treatments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can try to
work most of my hours anywhere between 7 am – 7 pm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means for some long days but I enjoy
being busy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am looking forward to coming to Raleigh in May and hope to
see a lot of people that week and at The Hope To Walk golf event!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-59295378353371845022016-06-29T11:57:00.001-07:002016-06-29T11:57:23.080-07:002016 Update <div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
This is my first post of
2016!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
My posts have not been frequent
due to there not being much to say and that I have been pretty busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am busy doing my home therapy workouts or treatments,
school, and working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spend about 2
hours a day, 5-6 days a week doing my Austrian Estim while I stand in my
standing frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is pretty important
that I keep this up since it is helping keep my leg muscles tissue
healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I want to be able to
regain the use or control of muscles one day, it is vital that I keep them
healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to keeping the
tissue in good shape, it also helps keep my legs from getting too grossly
skinny and helps my pants and shorts fit a lot better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to doing my stim at home, I also
try to do some upper body work with dumbbells and even crawl around my house to
work my core and hip flexors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
I have also now
completed 32/36 hours in my Masters in Healthcare Administration program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I somehow still have a 4.0 GPA with only 2
classes left until I am finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, the 2 classes I have left are not offered this summer, so
I will have to wait until late August to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Learning this was a little frustrating since I felt I was in a good
routine and really wanted to just knock it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The 2 classes total 4 credit hours and are accelerated so it will only
take me 10 weeks, so I expect to finish in late October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I am excited to finish, this also means
that the clock starts ticking and I have 6 months to start paying on that
dreaded school loan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while I am
working some now, in the not too distant future, my work will become a more
important, larger, and necessary part of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
May also brought on
another Hope To Walk golf event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
year we changed it up and did it at Devils Ridge in Holly Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it was enjoyable to make a change and
we had nearly perfect weather, which was a large part of the reason many
commented that it was the best one yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had another great turnout and the motivation behind this year was my
upcoming move to Louisville, Kentucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start
treatment there on July 18th so I will move on the 15th.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have made some short term trips there but
this one will be for 6 months and is something I have been waiting on for about
a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am excited about the
opportunity, but when I started my recovery journey, I never expected it to take
me to Louisville, KY.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
I will be working for
the same group that has put an implant inside 6 patients that have led them to
be able to stand, move paralyzed muscles and regain the lost body functions that
some SCI injuries cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been
pushing on them to put this implant inside me and I do think I would see some
good improvements or gains but getting it done is complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have said before my injury is a little
more complex than most with less than 20% of all injuries being like mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of my damage is at the bottom of the
spinal cord, where it roots out and provides the connections to the muscles of
the lower body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The six with the implant
all have their damage in the long straight portion of the spinal cord, which, in
theory, is easier to fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it may
not benefit me, this is one of the treatments <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/">The Walk On Foundation</a> has worked to
help fund and nudge along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Though n</span>ot a homerun cure, the benefits alone would be life changing for a lot of
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
What we will be doing,
I am told, is trying to duplicate the implant but doing so from an external
source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will hook up every muscle in
the lower body to electrical stimulation and we will be using stim settings
that are only allowed to be done at Frazier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The settings are designed to allow the stimulation to go deep enough to
excite the nervous system, as well as the spinal cord itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could lead to more and stronger signals passing around or through the injured areas, which could lead to gains in
function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not sure what will
happen, but we do expect something positive to occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If my time there justifies doing so, I will
be trying to purchase the device to continue it at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been delaying this trying to time it
up for when there will be no delay between my stay at Frazier and my ability
to purchase the device to continue it at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It falls in the hands of the frustratingly slow-moving-FDA. While I am
looking forward to starting this treatment, I have already told the Director of
Research that I plan to remind her weekly that I need to be given the implant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
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So, there you have it...I have been busy
trying to find a place to live and trying to coordinate packing things up and
making that move here in a few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
will plan on doing an update shortly after I get moved in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thanks again as always for your interest & support in this journey!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-85113474247321014652015-08-29T18:10:00.001-07:002015-08-29T18:10:30.153-07:00August UpdateIt has been a pretty busy last couple of months, starting in late June with a trip to Miami to have my final evaluation to be in a trial at <a href="http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu/" target="_blank">The Miami Project</a> for their first chronic injury trial. I try to stay on top of research, which lead me to read about it and reach out to them to see if I qualified. I was excited to make it through some early qualification forms and pass a couple of initial phone interviews but ultimately they needed an MRI to so see my actual injury site and if it met the size criteria that they had set with the FDA.<br />
<br />
An MRI is usually not done after having a spinal cord injury, which is frustrating since it can be helpful to learn about your injury and a requirement when pursuing new treatment trials. This is not done because insurance does not want to pay for it and does not deem it as medically necessary, since it is a pretty expensive imaging technique. So I started calling around pricing MRI’s and was getting most quotes between $1K-2K! Once I relayed this to Miami, we decided that it might just be best to come down and let them do it at no cost. Unfortunately I would be responsible to pay for travel and accommodations but figured it would almost be a wash by not having to pay for the MRI.<br />
<br />
I knew going in that the likelihood of me qualifying was minimal, especially after hearing it could not be bigger than 3 centimeters. Since I would not know unless I tried and that having an MRI would likely be required for any other trial I wanted to try to get into, I decided to make the trip. My father and I decided to make the long drive down to Miami, stopping in Jacksonville, which is about halfway, on both the way down and the way back. It was a long drive!<br />
<br />
The trial I was trying to get into consisted of injecting <a href="http://www.themiamiproject.org/page.aspx?pid=871" target="_blank">Schwann Cells</a> into the injury site, along with some exercising and monitoring for a total of 3-4 years. This would be an FDA Phase I trial, which means that it is mostly about safety and while they do monitor and look for functional improvements it is not until phase II and III where they look to optimize the dosage and methods of physical therapy used in the treatment. Since the Schwann cells actually come from my own body, the risks would be limited and since these trials move painfully slow, I decided it was worth trying to get into phase I.<br />
<br />
After meeting the research team and discussing a few things, I was taken to have my MRI, which was not the most enjoyable experience. They put me in a tight tube and I was in it for about an hour. I have no idea how they fit some people inside it, since even for me it was a real tight squeeze. It also got hot and uncomfortable in there so I just closed my eyes and dealt with it the best I could.<br />
The next morning we found out that my injury site was a bit over 4 cm, which was too big for the trial. While this was disappointing it was also expected and finding people with thoracic injures like mine that meet the requirements is not easy. Most thoracic injuries come from high impact injuries from things like an auto accidents so finding an injury that small is not common. In fact, one of the research doctors in Miami likened it to searching for a Lithuanian short stop in MLB that bats left and throws right, in other words, there might be one? Why the FDA would choose to set an inclusion criteria that is so hard to meet is hard to understand. While I know that they seek to strike a balance between safety and progress, I feel that they tend to go a little too conservative, especially for spinal cord injuries, which do not have any proven effective treatments. I have met several people in research that feel the same way.<br />
<br />
As disappointing as this was, I knew I had to give it a shot. I was glad to not have much time to dwell on it, since I finally had to be in Louisville at <a href="http://www.kentuckyonehealth.org/rehabilitationcarefrazier" target="_blank">Frazier Rehab</a> for most of July. I left on July 5th with my mother and made the drive to Louisville. What was supposed to be a 7 hour drive turned into a 10, due to July 4th weekend traffic and construction delays. Since I was running behind, I decided to call the extended stay I was scheduled to stay at and let them know I was running late, to which they said was not a problem but when we arrived they gave my room away and the wheelchair would not fit into the bathrooms of the rooms that they had left. So I had to scramble at 9pm and find a place to stay the night and worry about it after my first appointment in the morning.<br />
<br />
After my appointment I hit the phone and drove around till I finally found a place just 6 miles from Frazier and for only $39.99 a night. I think I got the manager to take some pity on me and it was not the nicest hotel in the world but not bad. My mother flew back after the first week and I stayed for another 3 weeks for treatment. I had been waiting to go to Louisville for about 15 months but things got delayed far longer than I ever could have imagined. I was there to work with Dr. Susan Harkema, who is behind the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/24/health/paralyzed-patients-stand-again/" target="_blank">implant trial</a> that has been in the news recently. This is one of the most promising things going on in SCI research and something I have been keeping an eye on for a couple of years, which lead me to reach out to her.<br />
<br />
If you watched the videos or read the article it is an implant that has allowed people paralyzed from the waist down to be able to stand as well as gain back voluntary movement and significant improvement to some of the body functions impaired by SCI injuries. I have said this before but part of my injury is at the bottom of the cord where it branches out from the long and straight portion, which starts at your brain. I never would have thought this but apparently fixing or repairing a low injury like mine, is much more complex and complicated than a higher injury. So right now the implant is not an option for me, which as you can imagine is pretty frustrating. While I do not have some of the body issues that higher injuries like the ones who have had the implant might have, I continue to be limited by my level of injury when it comes to the trials or potential treatment I seek.<br />
The good news is that they want me to come back for 6 months or so in mid-January to use a prototype device that attempts to excite my nerves and the cord itself. I will be the first to use this device and Dr. Harkema believes that this could lead back to regaining some function, which is what I have been trying to do. I was using a similar device the few weeks I was there and was getting a good response but we need more time and more power to have a better idea of how it will benefit me and others. The hope is that I will know by the end of my next stay if it the treatment will lead to gains and if it something I should try to secure the funds to purchase to continue using at home.<br />
<br />
So I am excited about my return there in January and until then I will keep do my home workout routines, working on my foundation, doing some part-time work, and working toward my Masters in Health Care Administration.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-9210240378584543362015-06-12T13:55:00.003-07:002015-06-12T13:55:44.982-07:00Long Overdue Update<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I have not updated the blog since March but I have had a lot
going on! I am still doing the grad school thing. It is a lot of reading and writing, but to my
surprise I have actually have yet to get anything below an A in class. I have
never been a straight A student, but I think the combination of being older, more
mature as well as actually having a true interest in most of the things I am
learning about, that helps me to do well. I am in summer school right now and
at the end of the summer, I will officially be half way through the program.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 6<sup>th</sup> Annual Hope to Walk golf fundraiser was
held on May 4<sup>th</sup> and it was another success. It is always a humbling
experience for me and hard to believe that this was the sixth one of these that
has been done. I am a little behind on the thank you cards and emails I usually
send out but cannot thank the volunteers, sponsors, participants, organizers
and donors enough. I also want to thank Dave McGee for taking this on once again
this year and he always does an amazing job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am still trying to do some things with <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/">The Walk On Foundation</a> and actually
exploring expanding our mission from not only funding cure research but
possibly trying to raise money to open up my own neurological recovery center
in Raleigh. I would love to get back to Raleigh and think it would do well there
since there is nothing in the area. It would be great since it would help
people with spinal cord injuries, MS, strokes, brain injuries, and other
neurological injuries or conditions. It is going to take a lot of hard work and
some lucky breaks to make it happen as the amount I have been told to get it up
and going is $250,000. Admittedly, that figure a pretty big and scary number
but not impossible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
FINALLY have a date to go Louisville, KY for the therapy I
have been trying to do for over a year at <a href="http://www.kentuckyonehealth.org/frazierrehab">Frazier</a> and I am
excited about it! I will just be there
for the month of July with plans to continue the therapy on my own and back at
home. I am not sure how it will all work out but I but from what I understand,
I will be standing for 60 mins with newly FDA approved electrical current
through my lower body, followed by 30 mins of over ground walking, that I
believe is also done with the electrical stimulation. I believe I am supposed
to do this twice a day for 5 days a week while I am in Louisville. I am really
looking forward to trying something new and modifying my routine on the therapy
or rehab front.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also am actually headed to Miami in a couple of weeks to
the <a href="http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu/">The Miami Project</a> for my
final evaluation for a trial I applied to be in. It took several emails and
phone interviews to get to this point and this first step is going down for
some testing and an MRI to see if I qualify. If I get in, I would have the
opportunity to move to Miami in August and have a surgery to inject <a href="http://www.themiamiproject.org/page.aspx?pid=871">Schwann cells</a> into
my spinal cord followed by several months of rehab and monitoring. It would be
a big commitment with an initial stay of a year in Miami, with follow up visits
for four years. We will see what happens, it is not like an interview to get
in, it is more a black and white qualify or don’t thing. They will look closely
at my injury with the MRI and see if it fits the inclusion criteria. I will
know about that trial by the end of the month and before leaving for
Louisville. I definitely will have to share what I learn in Miami and
Louisville soon. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks, as always, for the continued support!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-11727465949552522782015-03-17T12:10:00.002-07:002015-03-17T12:10:31.638-07:002015 Hope to Walk Golf Tournament!<div class="MsoNormal">
Hope everyone’s 2015 is off to a good start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am staying pretty busy with school, my
workouts and working on some foundation stuff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am taking three classes
accelerated classes this semester and just finished my first seven week class about
a week ago. I ended up getting a low A, which I was pretty happy with, since
the class was Health Care Law and reading about laws and tons of court cases is
not the easiest reading to understand. I am thinking and hoping that should be
one of the tougher classes, but only time will tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do have some good news!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am FINALLY getting down to figuring out a
date to FINALLY go to Louisville, Kentucky. It has been almost a year since I first
visited the <a href="http://www.kentuckyonehealth.org/rehabilitationcarefrazier">Frazier
Rehab Institute</a> and still shocked it has taken this long for things to come
together. We are not quite there yet but discussing dates is definitely progress.
It is looking like mid to late May or June, but we still have to firm up the
date and figure out where I will stay during my visit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You also may have heard but it has been decided that the <a href="https://m.helphopelive.org/campaign/2003" target="_blank">6th Annual Hope To Walk Golf Event</a> will be on Monday, May 4th! It is hard to believe that this is the sixth
one and I never imagined we would still be going strong with this event. I
definitely do not take this event for granted and know how lucky I am to have such an amazing event with amazing support. I hope we can make this one the
best one yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am also looking into making some changes with <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/">The Walk On Foundation</a>. I have been
thinking about changing the focus of its mission, which has lead me to doing some research into
what it would take to open up my own neurological recovery workout facility in
Raleigh. A project like this is definitely more a labor of love then a money
maker but I think it would do well since there is nothing like it in Raleigh and having <a href="http://racetowalk.org/" target="_blank">Race To Walk</a> is one of the reasons I have continued to live in Charlotte.
With the continuing growing population and with all the health organizations in
and near Raleigh, I think a facility like this is a much needed and welcomed addition. It has the potential
to help people with all types of neurological issues, not just spinal cord
injuries, but also those suffering with MS, stroke, brain injuries, among many others. While I think it would do well in Raleigh, it is
going to be quite a challenge to make it happen, beginning with the need for around $200K just to get
things up and running. I really like the idea of being involved with something that there
is such a need for and that could help so many people dealing with the daily obstacles I face. If you have any idea or
suggestions for raising this kind of money please let me know! I hope I can
make this happen and continue to use the momentum and support from the Hope To
Walk golf events to become an annual event to help support opening a facility like this in the near future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Please be on the lookout for progress with this and ways you
can help as we try to make this a reality. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I look forward to seeing everyone in
Raleigh in early May!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-62799796277908899672014-12-28T07:28:00.000-08:002014-12-28T07:28:08.257-08:00New Years Update 2015Hate to admit it but it has been since April since I wrote an update on my blog!<br />
<br />
I have been pretty busy with things. In addition to still working away at therapy and working part-time in Medical Sales I enrolled in graduate school a few months ago. I had been thinking for quite a long time that with all I have been through and all I have learned that pursuing work on the business side of healthcare would make a lot of sense.<br />
<br />
It took me a little while to commit to school since I wanted to be certain I was ready to get back into "school mode." Finding a school with a good reputation that fit my schedule and did not cost an insane amount also was not the easiest task.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately my trip to Louisville continues to be delayed for delays with FDA approval. I do not fully understand exactly what that means so I will not attempt to explain it, but as you can imagine it has been terribly frustrating. It is something I am still excited about but I really thought I would have gone by now. I really hope it will happen in the first quarter of 2015. I want to say that it has something to do with proving the therapy is safe but since it is something I have personally done and not a radical or truly new technology, I just do not get these delays.<br />
<br />
This eventual trip to Louisville had me reluctant to commit to any school that would require significant on campus time so I decided to go the online route. Most schools do programs totally online these days, including state schools like NC State but I wanted to attend a school that does the majority of its programs on campus. I ended up being accepted into and enrolling in a Masters of Healthcare Administration program at Letourneau University in Longview, Texas. It wasn’t by design but I find it pretty funny to be in school in my birth state and about two hours or so east of the Dallas/Fort Worth area where I was born. It is a small non-denominational Christian school with under 3,000 students and they compete at the smallest level of athletics NCAA Division III.<br />
It has been quite a different experience being in school for something you actually have an interest in. I did have a lot of fun and enjoy my time in undergrad at NC State but was mostly there in an attempt to play basketball and had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated. My classes consist of a lot of reading, writing papers and timed exams online. While a lot of my classmates have years of healthcare work experience to help them in assignments, I often rely on my experience from my injury and accident. The program will take me 18 months or so to complete. I just finished up my first semester and got A’s in both classes, so I am off to a good start!<br />
<br />
I am on a break from class until January 12th, and am enjoying my time off and Christmas at home with the family. I want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and New Year and hope to get back on track with some more frequent updates on the blog in 2015!!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-82019906713508631522014-04-28T17:37:00.000-07:002014-04-28T17:37:05.741-07:00Bowling Fundraiser!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCfFmqDAaVsRwgWt2WqYEvchSETGG5UuMRAuMTw73hBY5J58cIMuZC5BKo2U60ihzbJvpb8CdAEWR7PjpBtMrFN4f-ZD2mNhwOwsuq4q7TdYWtqnDjgE2N8rT2JS0kBUjoYXg7MAebAs/s1600/TheWalkOnBowlingEvent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCfFmqDAaVsRwgWt2WqYEvchSETGG5UuMRAuMTw73hBY5J58cIMuZC5BKo2U60ihzbJvpb8CdAEWR7PjpBtMrFN4f-ZD2mNhwOwsuq4q7TdYWtqnDjgE2N8rT2JS0kBUjoYXg7MAebAs/s1600/TheWalkOnBowlingEvent.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
The day before the upcoming Hope to Walk Golf Tourney, please come out & bowl with proceeds going towards The Walk On Foundation. We hope to see you there!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Flyer courtesy of <a href="http://89ideas.com/">89ideas.com</a></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-47191933795418463322014-04-06T17:12:00.000-07:002014-04-06T17:12:54.970-07:00What's Happening in 2014<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Sadly, this is my first
update in 2014, which were not my intentions but I have been pretty busy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do post a decent amount of things on The
Walk On Foundation Facebook page but do not really say much about my own
progress and story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
For a while now I felt that I needed to figure out how I can use all I have learned from what I
have been through to translate into some type of work or career. Initially I
thought maybe <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The Walk On Foundation</a> could be that but since I want to continue to make 100% of what is donated go
to the cause of curing paralysis that was not going to do it. I have told people
that I feel like I should be a doctor at this point and while I am mostly
kidding I have learned a lot about things that I only could learn going
through this experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I decided since I have
spent so much time talking to doctors over the last five years I might as well
try to get into something that would allow me to capitalize on some of my
knowledge and potentially on some of these relationships. After I finished
earning the graduate Certificate in Project Management, I came across a test you
could take to become a Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative (CNPR)
and decided to pursue this career route. You can take the classes at a lot of different universities or community colleges but since I saw that takes some time and
costs about $1800 I decided to just pay for the book and exam and try passing
the exam without paying for the class and thankfully I did it! A CNPR certification says that you have a decent
grasp on pharmacology and the pharmaceutical sales process and ethics. I had
read about people have pretty good success with it and figured that combined
with my real life experience, could make me a pretty good candidate for getting
into the industry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I started studying in
December and passed the test at the end of February and have since been looking
into jobs. Ideally I would hope to get to sell a type of drug that I
could potentially benefit from or one that was related to other neurological
disorders, since I have such a personal connection. So I began the process and did get a few follow ups but nothing much
past that. I honestly was not really sure what direction to go with it because I
did not know how flexible this positions would be and knew that I was okay with
cutting back some of my time working on my body but not all of it, as the workouts are so beneficial for my overall health and well being. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I reached out
to an old high school friend/teammate that I knew had worked in the industry
for about a decade. I met with him and he told me that a lot of things in the
industry are holding while they see how the Affordable Care Act plays out over the next few
months. He knew several people over the last couple years who had gotten
laid off and so in addition to owning <a href="http://www.mammamianc.com/" target="_blank">Mama Mia's</a> in Apex he also
started managing people selling prescription compounds pain creams and gave me
the opportunity to do the same. It is a little different from most
pharmaceutical sales jobs since it is a 1099 job (commission based or you make
money per prescription), but it gives me a lot of flexibility with trying to
stick with my workouts and work on my foundation. So for just a couple of weeks
I have been a sales rep for Specialty Pharmacy out of Cary. I am currently
focused on pain cream for inflammation pain (arthritis, tendinitis, etc.) and
neurological pain (nerve pain from MS or spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia,
neuropathy, etc.). The creams can be customized but typically come in one for
inflammation, a few for neurological pain, or versions that combine both. One
of the many advantages is that instead of taking 3-5 oral meds you take one
cream that combines them all. I am excited about it
since I have personal experience with both types of pain and I am around a lot
of people that do as well and might provide them with a new option for relief.
I actually already have a couple of Charlotte doctors agreeing to use me for any
patients that they have that are using it or want to give it a shot, as they are already prescribing it as needed. So if you
know any folks that deal with this type of pain or doctors that might prescribe
it please let me know! Though it is best out of Cary we can ship for free
anywhere in the USA in typically 1-2 business days and often the copays are
$0-10.</div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
On another note, it is hard to believe
that in just over a month we are having the 5<sup>th</sup> Annual Hope To Walk
golf event on May 19th. This has grown to be something I look forward to and
something that is collection of a lot of great people that I think do have a
pretty good time. I never know what to say when someone asks me about doing it
the next year. I guess we will just take it a year at a time and make the
decision based off of the prior year turnout and where things are in my life
with progress and with medical research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
There are a lot of
promising and exciting things going on in the research community right now, which is what
led me to start my foundation back in October of 2013. I am hoping I can do
what I can to help speed these treatments along to hopefully benefit me and others
dealing with similar injuries or even just to help the future injury victims
recover as much and as quickly as possible. I am actually holding my first ever
foundation event at<a href="http://www.bowlthealley.com/" target="_blank"> The Alley</a> on May 18th, the afternoon and evening before the golf event. I will send those
details out in the next week or two.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In addition to this
foundation event I was recently contacted by a friend and teammates family from
high school that own <a href="http://www.ecopromulch.com/" target="_blank">Eco Pro Mulch &Erosion Control </a>and offered to donate a portion of every mulch job done
from now thru June to The Walk On Foundation. They do both commercial and
residential work and mainly serve the Greater Triangle Area but will go to anywhere
in NC/SC and VA depending on the size of the job. They are a family owned
business that does a great job at a great price so if you or anybody you know
needs any mulch please give them a call and mention The Walk On Foundation!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Thanks, as always, for
your continued interest and support in me and my endeavors. I hope to see a lot of you out at the
golf event and The Walk On Foundation!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-54506667281417194762013-12-19T16:24:00.000-08:002013-12-19T16:24:02.003-08:00December UpdateHope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!<br />
<br />
I had a great time spending several days in the Raleigh area and seeing friends and family. I have been keeping pretty busy with therapy and working on things for <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The Walk On Foundation</a>. If you have not already, I ask you to please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. You can just click the logos you see on the website to do so and don’t worry! I only post things 1-2 times a week tops so if you follow or like us it will not dominate your news feed. Also please ask your friends and contact to do the same.<br />
<br />
I do have some things planned for 2014 I am pretty excited about that I will announce closer to the dates and once the details have firmed up. In the meantime, my plans are to create awareness and do grassroots fundraising for spinal cord injury therapies via word-of-mouth and social media. My hope is to make a big difference by getting a large amount of small donations from many contributors. I also plan to apply for some corporate gifts and I have some leads on some names of folks who could also help me gain some additional press.<br />
<br />
I have been keeping busy with my weekly workouts at <a href="http://racetowalk.org/" target="_blank">Race To Walk</a> as well as doing my home therapy and working on the foundation. I am also working on finding a JOB! I have worked some since my accident and was lucky to have a very accommodating job for a while in Atlanta and I am trying to find something here in Charlotte also. I have been applying for some part-time jobs as well as some full-time. I would really like to end up in some type of medical sales position whether it is selling medical equipment or supplies or even pharmaceutical. I have gained a lot of medical knowledge and formed many relationships with doctors and therapists since my accident that I would like to put to use in a career. I am also working on a certification that should help me get into the industry.<br />
<br />
Also of note is the fact that I finally took my first post-accident flight in late October. It was something I have kind of been avoiding and putting off over the last few years. Of course it was not as bad or as annoying as I thought and I am glad I have gotten that first time out of the way. I was the first one on the plane and the last one off. Getting on first was fine but being off last was a bit frustrating since several people in the back of the plane took forever to get off and I and the flight attendants could not figure out what these folks were doing. Also the gate coming back to Charlotte was quite possibly the furthest one from baggage claim so wheeling that long mostly uphill way was not very fun for my shoulders.<br />
<br />
I flew to NYC to visit my friend and former teammate Carl Lentz. I had a great time seeing his family as well as his church family at <a href="http://www.hillsongnyc.com/" target="_blank">Hillsong NYC</a>. I had been up to see him once before but this was my first trip solo and involving airports. I could not have asked for anyone to make it any easier on me. They really took care of me and treated me so well that I hated to leave. We went to a NY Knicks game, a few dinners, got haircuts and just hung out over the few days I visited. On Sunday I got to see Pastor Carl preach at four of six services that they hold on in Manhattan on Sundays. Watching Carl has been just amazing. He is really good at what he does and has a unique ability to connect and impact all types of people. I invite you all to watch the message I watched <a href="http://www.hillsongnyc.com/" target="_blank">Pastor Carl</a> give that Sunday I hope to make a return trip once it warms up next year.<br />
<br />
I do not know if anyone realizes it, but I just hit the five year anniversary of my accident. A friend of mine text me knowing that we were very close to my accident date but she thought it was year four. She told me how far I had come and how proud she was of that. I replied back saying thanks but that it is actually five years but I that I have basically only been out of bed for about four years on this recovery journey. I have tried to continue to not let that consume my life so much by trying to further my education and working to try to figure out a new career. I know I will not give up on getting back on my feet but I do continue to diversify my focus.<br />
<br />
It is crazy that Christmas is only a few days away. I hope that everyone enjoys Christmas and gets to enjoy some time with friends and family. I will be headed to the Raleigh area for a few days and look forward to seeing friends and family and hopefully an NCSU win or two in basketball. I also want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and look forward to sharing some things with you in 2014.<br />
<br />
Thanks, as always, for your continued interest and support!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-64872750361806255092013-10-31T06:08:00.000-07:002013-10-31T06:08:02.399-07:00Let's wish Brian a Happy Birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQBx2KJMpcrkkA0NiZZx2bOVfesadzb5bYdTKRUDu3YeGuhHcaS_db6QaeFIxKDgjFQb5qvjh1jltk-7S7bVSDVdpmcWarrs6PwTKCxWYrVt29kijvq12MM3Plkuk0pLmUaMNXIUusRM/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQBx2KJMpcrkkA0NiZZx2bOVfesadzb5bYdTKRUDu3YeGuhHcaS_db6QaeFIxKDgjFQb5qvjh1jltk-7S7bVSDVdpmcWarrs6PwTKCxWYrVt29kijvq12MM3Plkuk0pLmUaMNXIUusRM/s400/photo-3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hi All!<br />
<br />
Many of you have expressed such support for Brian & newly-formed <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The Walk On Foundation</a>. Thank you!<br />
<br />
Here's your chance to show even more how much you stand behind Brian & his mission to bring back mobility to those without it--<br />
<br />
Like Faye, Iris, & Owen above, let's show Brian we support him & the cause of helping ALL those with life-limiting mobility issues with a birthday contribution to The Walk On Foundation.<br />
<br />
Brian already has a sizable check for <a href="http://china.rutgers.edu/us/spotlight/faculty-profiles/792-wise-young-phd-md" target="_blank">Dr. Wise Young's research studies</a> ready, thanks to your help & a goal to have another one through birthday gift contributions for Dr. Young.<br />
<br />
There are so many exciting things going on in spinal cord injury research. The right physical therapy alone can do wonders for so many with paralysis!<br />
<br />
So, wish Brian a Happy Birthday & donate today! Let's see how much we can raise with just a $5.00 donation & spreading the word through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkOnFound" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWalkOnFound" target="_blank">Twitter </a>(or just old-school email if you are like me) to our contacts. <br />
<br />
Can't wait to see what we can do!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-56875855145118757032013-10-05T17:50:00.002-07:002013-10-05T17:51:54.520-07:00The Walk On Foundation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1193162282"></span><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16k52gwV4BS5XLfNqmK3_ym__4qdbPG8NNDspLzTP03QsZQoWeJvpmkQUiz00qKWruIgH4gUrd0jwoh8Io8unBA02cwDHL813ZD_UDXl9IeVFFCyVSvVSESYd9lPc7M39gBmMwqKxPsU/s320/logoBK1.jpg" width="320" /><span id="goog_1193162283"></span></div>
Some of you have known for a while but for those who do not, I just finished launching my newly-formed non-profit organization called <a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The Walk On Foundation</a><span id="goog_309106819"></span><span id="goog_309106820"></span>! I sent out an announcement email to most of my contacts this past Monday. Please check out the website:
<a href="http://thewalkonfoundation.org/">http://thewalkonfoundation.org/</a>
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It is something I have been looking to do since this past spring, but, like most things, it took a little bit longer than I expected. There was a lot more paperwork and set up fees than I ever would have imagined. For starters, there was a 41-page application and almost $1,000 in fees to the IRS and the state of North Carolina alone. Fortunately, I was able to have some great people willing to help me out with the legal work, the logo, and even website for little to no cost.
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I took my motivation to start The Walk On Foundation from all the help I have received since my accident in addition to all the exciting a promising therapies being worked on by some of the great doctors I have been fortunate to connect with. With another late summer visit to Kennedy-Krieger and Rutgers University this year, I was able to see first-hand evidence that some of the more promising therapies in the works have participants moving muscles they have not moved in over 15 years! It also became more evident that the largest obstacle in making these trial therapies a reality, like a lot of things, is funding. That is why I decided to launch The Walk On Foundation.
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The first several months we will be counting on grassroots fundraising to help bring awareness and financial help to this cause. Ideally, I want to get all my contacts to become aware of this need and what is going on in the research world. Please take a moment to check out the website and click on the links or logos to follow or like and even donate in any amount in support of this venture. I am confident with your help, we can make a positive impact on many others suffering with paralysis or from neurological conditions.
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Again I think that there is a lot of potential in what we can do through The Walk On Foundation. It is a great opportunity to improve the quality of life of people who have been confined to wheelchairs or may become limited in mobility one day. Thanks again for your help and support!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-23171429749562176802013-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:002013-07-31T17:43:48.728-07:00July Update from BrianJuly has been a pretty busy and eventful month. I have told some people but I decided to move from Atlanta back to Charlotte. The biggest factor in this decision was getting back closer to friends and family. When I was living in Charlotte it was not a big deal to get in the car to come for my nieces' or nephew's birthday or to see family or friends but the 6.5 hour ride from Atlanta to Raleigh was a little much.
I am actually buying a one level town home in north Charlotte. I have rented several places over the last few years and I have seen rental rates continue to rise and have begun to get a little out of hand. I understand wanting to make a profit but I feel some of these apartment properties are getting a little greedy and capitalizing on the lack of purchasing ability many Americans have for now. With interest rates still fairly low I was able to get a small town home with a garage for less than rent of smaller apartments I used to stay at less than a mile away. I am right across the street from North Lake Mall, 7 miles from my cousin, and about 15 miles from Race To Walk where I plan to continue my recovery workouts in a very similar fashion.
I was able to use my experience from helping others buy investment real estate in Charlotte to find something that would be easy to either sell or rent out if I need to or decide to leave the Charlotte area. With a tenant living in this property for the last two years and the rental rates of nearby properties I know that I could rent it out for $250-$400 more than my monthly mortgage with taxes and insurance plus the HOA. I am also lucky to have my wonderful aunt as my broker and she was kind enough to wave her commission which combined with my 2012 tax return accounted for the majority of my small down payment.
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Overall I spent about 20 months in Atlanta and while I did not make the progress I had hoped for, I did get stronger. I am done there with my weekly therapy but will still be going down to check-in every 3 months or so. I am still going strong with the electrical stim trial I am doing with the supervision of the folks in research at Shepherd as well as the Kinesiology Department in Athens at UGA. I have been sticking with it despite the results being slow and uncertain. I did head to UGA for some testing in early July and we were pleased to see that my muscle tissue was converting from mostly fat back to normal muscle. This is important because if I had or will reconnect any signals it will not do much good if the signals connect to fat.
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My experience with the device has been up and down. I made some pretty quick gains in muscle mass which made my freakishly skinny legs look more normal but as I went up with the program and intensity I suffered some burns that really halted my progress. Thankfully a few months ago I switched from rubber electrodes to sponges. It was pretty hard for me to wrap my head around using sponges and water with electric current but it is so much easier on the skin. The device intensity ranges from 0-300 milliamps and with the electrodes I suffered burns at 160-170 and I am at 220 with the sponges and my skin doesn’t even get very red. I am slowly creeping up the intensity and hope that it leads to further gains. The new electrodes and positive testing has definitely reenergized me to stick with the 2.5 hour six days a week training routine.
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July was also a time we decided to make trips back to Baltimore and Rutgers to check in with the doctors, therapists and research people we have gotten connected with over the last few years. I look forward to these visits and sharing what we have learned in the coming weeks.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-72731896177291848642013-06-21T17:57:00.000-07:002013-06-21T17:57:14.678-07:00Summer Update from Brian<br />
Things have calmed down for me over the last couple of months. I was pretty busy with finishing up classes and continuing with therapy at Shepherd, along with my electric stimulation device as well as making the trip up to Raleigh for the 4th annual Hope To Walk golf event in May.<br />
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I thankfully finished up with my project management certification program in mid-May. It really was not all that hard just extremely time consuming, which actually led two of my partners to leave the program early. Every week we would have one individual project and one team project due. These assignments ranged from four to 64 pages and really did not include charts or graphs and were typically just long word documents! I now have completed the required class hours needed to sit and take the first level exam for becoming a certified project manager. I actually purchased some practice exam software to begin to prepare and hope to be ready to take it in a few months. I feel the classwork more or less had us acting as if we were project managers and the exam looks like it is focused more on the basic fundamentals and definitions used in project management, so in a way I have a lot of preparing to do.<br />
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A week or so after finishing my final class project I came to Raleigh for the charity golf event that I am very lucky to have had put on for me the last few years. It is hard to believe that this was the fourth one held and as always it went really well. It always brings together such an amazing group of people with friends and family as well as supporters and members of the NC State basketball family. I am not sure how many more times this event will be held but I do expect there to be some changes sooner than later. We may consider moving the event to a different location with the golf course fees at Lonnie Poole just getting a bit too high. Also depending on my progress over the remainder of the year I would like to maybe change the focus of the event. I have shared this with some of you but I am in the progress of starting my own non-profit organization which will focus on raising money to help bring life improving therapies to people with spinal cord injuries. The more I have learned the more it has become apparent that while the science of function restoring therapies is challenging it is the money that remains the biggest obstacle.<br />
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There is a lot of paperwork involved in getting this setup and ready to be put into action. I have had to get incorporated, get an employee ID number, write bylaws, pay a few fees and finish up some lengthy applications. I hope to have this done in the next couple of weeks and I will share more information as soon as I wrap things up.<br />
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I feel like I never show enough appreciation for the continued support I have received over the last few years. I spend most of my time at the Hope To Walk golf event riding around talking to people and especially thanking them for coming out. I have a lot of thank you letters and emails to send out over the next few weeks and with the way some of the accounting is handled it is not always clear who has done what so I apologize if I miss anyone. I do plan to get back to updating this blog a little more frequently since I have a little bit more time now and I will have a lot of things to share over the next few weeks and months. With school and therapy being kind of status quo I haven’t had much time or info to share but I know that is changing.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-44928610732979494472013-05-29T11:28:00.003-07:002013-05-29T11:28:33.362-07:00Thanks to Everyone for Another Great Year!Brian hopes to have an update for everyone soon...in the meantime please enjoy this wonderful <a href="http://www.gopack.com/sports/coachgott/spec-rel/052813aaa.html">highlights video & story</a> from Go Pack.com!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-36895535361318020812013-05-03T17:00:00.002-07:002013-05-03T17:02:54.902-07:00Ruckus Fund Raising Frenzy Monday, May 6th & Tuesday, May 7th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_zmFBakLJXRRKSWgyOqjMGDf1Fefv2kdMWOWHLfRC5Uhv27-DRURx2yK_UKEB9dWxf4T7rWlq0SQBpvIvDM-ByBHWudF0TPmfWiFPWtjeP2l5goyDGTnGvlAnsTN1yzjgyPDf8Ki1U/s1600/Ruckus+Flyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS_zmFBakLJXRRKSWgyOqjMGDf1Fefv2kdMWOWHLfRC5Uhv27-DRURx2yK_UKEB9dWxf4T7rWlq0SQBpvIvDM-ByBHWudF0TPmfWiFPWtjeP2l5goyDGTnGvlAnsTN1yzjgyPDf8Ki1U/s400/Ruckus+Flyer.png" width="336" /></a></div>
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Come on out to either Ruckus location for some great food, great fun, & a great cause! </div>
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Be sure to download the flyer <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/uploads/patient/flyer/ruckus-fundraising-frenzy-2013.docx">here</a> to print & bring with you--we will see you there. </div>
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Again, many thanks again to <a href="http://ruckuspizza.com/">Ruckus</a> for their ongoing support! </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-62473611148514000662013-04-30T04:34:00.000-07:002013-04-30T04:44:29.469-07:00Hope to Walk T-Shirts Will Be Available!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsQCxNMrSBZVAJXE1y7MNM2Bidumz9Te7rDAEWusX3eYJqkiT6Rwl1abvGnDi76getGd6UY7u_D2txNXK7lLyg018b41CjemiyDhSuA-rCIwYP_MMoBl6T2y6G37rtgP8Bv-vipN9O_M/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-03-17+at+1.44.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsQCxNMrSBZVAJXE1y7MNM2Bidumz9Te7rDAEWusX3eYJqkiT6Rwl1abvGnDi76getGd6UY7u_D2txNXK7lLyg018b41CjemiyDhSuA-rCIwYP_MMoBl6T2y6G37rtgP8Bv-vipN9O_M/s320/Screen+shot+2013-03-17+at+1.44.51+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hard to believe that May is upon us! We are once again so excited about seeing you all at this year's Hope to Walk golf & bowling events.<br />
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We will have t-shirts for sale once again this year ($12), similar to the logo/colors above. Last year's design went over quite well & we love this year's even more!<br />
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ALL monies from t-shirt sales (rather than just a percentage cut or profits, which is so often the case with services, venue fees, etc. for non-profit events) will go directly to support Brian's uninsured medical expenses. If you know you would like to order, please send me an email (Kara, klkeeter@yahoo.com) indicating the amount & size & we will hold those for you. T-shirts can be made available in toddler & child sizes & would be great with a Sharpie for autographs from some of the wonderful athletes & coaches who will be out on the course!<br />
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The logo once again was designed, pro-bono, by Joe Warner, who was my "little buddy" (too) many years ago in college. He finished up school in Graphic Design about two years ago & is working to get his name out there & pick up more work. He does great work so if you need this sort of thing, get in contact with him at <a href="http://89ideas.com/">89ideas.com</a>.<br />
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Again, ALL monies go to support Brian AND you will be helping get Joey's name out there too--two great causes!<br />
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Thanks, as always, for all your support!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-91208041617760085082013-04-16T18:29:00.005-07:002013-04-16T18:30:16.851-07:00Just Finalized--Bowling for Brian Once Again This Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuOG_mStV-58ABqSA7gsRy-t_-x3NP5NEKGGNIR-ale4vYYD0o_pzdeqA1igrYTO_cZhV3tZe5MwZxuGYqvcz9X7rUfB628m1T1crDvoWDKI8cr5xgh-UOBFUguIwFIpKILNWAhDRRGw/s1600/BowlingforBrian.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuOG_mStV-58ABqSA7gsRy-t_-x3NP5NEKGGNIR-ale4vYYD0o_pzdeqA1igrYTO_cZhV3tZe5MwZxuGYqvcz9X7rUfB628m1T1crDvoWDKI8cr5xgh-UOBFUguIwFIpKILNWAhDRRGw/s400/BowlingforBrian.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Check the flyer image above for details. Always fun, especially for those of us with littles. Please bring the family out & we will see you there!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-34949089125211737152013-02-16T12:52:00.001-08:002013-04-24T03:27:03.010-07:00Save the Date! Hi Everyone!<br />
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Preparations for the 4th annual Hope to Walk golf tournament are underway!<br />
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This year, we will be teeing off on Friday, May 17th once again at the Lonnie Poole course on NC State's Centennial Campus.<br />
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Links to the <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/uploads/patient/flyer/4th-annual-golf-tournament.pdf">registration</a> & <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/uploads/patient/flyer/4th-annual-golf-sponsorship.pdf">sponsorship</a> forms can be found <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/E7307EE8-A952-751C-B6ABE83CB735D1BC">here</a>.<br />
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Spread the word & mark your calendars! It's a GREAT time every year!<span id="goog_299716496"></span><span id="goog_299716497"></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-27276127815411250712013-01-08T17:42:00.001-08:002013-01-08T17:42:48.000-08:00January UpdateHappy New Year to everyone!!!<br />
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I hope you all had a good time over the holidays.<br />
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I spent about a week in Raleigh/Cary and mostly spent time with my family. I also was able to take my nephew, Owen, to his first NC State basketball game at the PNC Arena. I also had my dad and Owen's dad/my brother in law come with us and I think everyone had a good time. NC State beat Saint Bonaventure pretty easily.<br />
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We got to the arena a little early and got to go to the locker room to meet Coach Gottfried and some of his staff and players. Owen is still pretty young being only five, probably a little too young to appreciate the people he is meeting but that may change as he gets a little bit older and I hope to continue to get him to at least one game a year.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAI0kZYxizbt5kMoSdEhzeX1nrKGfiPywkzj0NcVdmpcpukKfxJt8gyDRGGYJERNOgyUi0wVmiqT4jOf8S6YQciIqCo91eUF6zrEKnxxWFbfhNEYuIsYW-a_FWpgicYAts-PQd9HM6qc/s1600/owenncsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAI0kZYxizbt5kMoSdEhzeX1nrKGfiPywkzj0NcVdmpcpukKfxJt8gyDRGGYJERNOgyUi0wVmiqT4jOf8S6YQciIqCo91eUF6zrEKnxxWFbfhNEYuIsYW-a_FWpgicYAts-PQd9HM6qc/s320/owenncsu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen & me at NCSU game</td></tr>
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The holidays also got me a few weeks off from school after finishing my first semester in Project Management. I earned a B for the semester and was glad to get the first two classes over and done with. We start back up in the middle of January.<br />
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Some other good news is that the burns I suffered on my legs from the e-stim unit have finally healed and I am working on catching back up from the three months I lost, as it took that long to heal. We are being a little more cautious this time around to lessen the chances of the burning occurring again. It always seems like I am doing pretty good, getting a little stronger and making a little bit of progress and then I have a setback. It has been burns, fractures, infections and a few other things seem to pop up from time to time. I have never been one for New Year resolutions but my goal for 2013 is to not have any other setbacks! It is good to get back to the e-stim though. It is still the therapy I am doing that has the most potential for good results. I knew it would be a marathon and not a sprint to see what this therapy would amount to. Even though I have lost about three months I do know it is changing my lower body. <br />
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Recently I did go back and take a look at a picture of my legs before I started the therapy and one about six months in and you can see that my muscles are getting bigger and more defined--that is a good thing! I knew that my muscle mass would increase but again it hopefully will eventually lead to voluntary movement. We will just have to stick with and see what happens but it will probably be another five to six months until I know and that is without any other setbacks. It is good to sometimes be able to take a step back to see how things are changing because I do get frustrated with things, knowing the progress can be so slow and even feel like it is not occurring. Taking a step back and looking at things like pictures is proof that I have made positive gains and fuels me to stick with it and hope for more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPeC7hwMuK25324dGSVwiE-EcTZLX8pCUsrzAl91u8JfB48tk4w8WJC82TUNBJuhyphenhyphen7lZL8svxwlAAKjfjt_n1x1gh8oBdhLvqhuzfzv6LV3vVsDtjLZgYFh2pm-aHsQQtlgqYh3MWROY/s1600/6monthstim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPeC7hwMuK25324dGSVwiE-EcTZLX8pCUsrzAl91u8JfB48tk4w8WJC82TUNBJuhyphenhyphen7lZL8svxwlAAKjfjt_n1x1gh8oBdhLvqhuzfzv6LV3vVsDtjLZgYFh2pm-aHsQQtlgqYh3MWROY/s320/6monthstim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg six months into e-stim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyegD47lqeO5-OeNG3YniAVhlQXHgTJcv2RgRdC5kKus76oGqcV0d6DfJDR5NNzZlcEEtWi0haFMNYVhEGQcGzCN9h9oGb9NVy4T3p52xuIPAZSsl2KLRn6QL8U0ffPELrBzcWt4FAoM/s1600/prestimleg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyegD47lqeO5-OeNG3YniAVhlQXHgTJcv2RgRdC5kKus76oGqcV0d6DfJDR5NNzZlcEEtWi0haFMNYVhEGQcGzCN9h9oGb9NVy4T3p52xuIPAZSsl2KLRn6QL8U0ffPELrBzcWt4FAoM/s320/prestimleg.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg before e-stim therapy</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-55299750108619711052012-12-13T04:06:00.001-08:002012-12-13T04:06:48.377-08:00December Update from BrianI have not written in a while but have a little more time this week since I wrapped up my first semester of school last week. I am glad to get a few weeks off and I did not expect it to be quite as time consuming as it ended up being, especially with two lengthy projects due every week. Also recently I had the hours cut at my part-time job which for the most part sucks. They lost a couple of big clients and they were the ones I did the majority of my work with. One of the clients was leaving the area for the west coast and the other was going to try to do things a little differently due to money issues. The hope is to maybe bring me back after the holidays but we will see what happens. I was actually going to approach them about possibly cutting my hours back since working 35 a week with 3-5 hours of therapy a day and school was a little much. Ideally I would like to work 20-25 hrs a week while I continue with both school and daily therapy.<br />
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Unfortunately I also had a recent set back with the electrical stimulation I was using for about 6-7 months. As I have said before, the program is to slowly build up to settings that give you a stronger contraction and in addition to increasing the size of your muscles, which gives you a shot a possibly gaining control over them as well. Every time I move to the next protocol I have to figure out what the intensity should be since it does not always remain the same for each protocol. So, I basically turned up the intensity to high and burned myself in a few places, which has set me back a couple of months. It is amazing how much slower things heal the lower on my legs I go. I had burns on my hips and right above my right knee that healed after about two months and I am now finally close to the ones above my ankle healing. Initially, I had to stop stimming for a few weeks but now I am back at it using the previous protocol and we will start to work my way back up to the higher settings. It is frustrating to face these sort of setbacks since it took me six months to work up to a setting that had the most potential and just as I started I had issues with the burns. I think it may ultimately put me four months behind where I hoped be right now. I just have to work thru it but it seems every couple of months I have something that sets me back but I just have to stick with it. I have to remember that there is still the chance of some pretty good results once I get healed and caught up.<br />
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My life currently follows a fairly precise schedule, especially with the therapy stuff that I do every week. I keep a lot of lists and track of a lot of things. I keep track of what I do for at Shepherd, the stim, and time in the standing frame at home. I even keep a list of the fruit and vegetables I eat every day, foods I eat to ensure I have enough protein, and even my vitamins and supplements. I did take a break from some of the routine over Thanksgiving, which I spent with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Charlotte. I also made a trip to the University of Alabama to see Dayton play Alabama in basketball. I saw my old teammate, Coach Archie Miller, and his <a href="http://www.daytonflyers.com/mens/basketball/">Dayton Flyer</a> squad. It was only about a three hour trip and my friend Chris went with me where we met up with our friend Eric, who lives in Birmingham. It was a good trip, it was interesting to see Alabama’s campus, and Dayton won! I have been around enough basketball to know what makes a good basketball coach and Archie has it all. I know he will be at Dayton for as long as he wants and will be on the short list of every big time school looking for a new coach in a few years.<br />
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I am planning on going back to Raleigh for about a week over Christmas. It will be good to see all my family and friends and hope to maybe catch a NC State basketball games as well.<br />
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I hope that everyone enjoys the holidays and wish everyone safe travels!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-86955192250747719112012-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:002012-10-06T18:15:23.875-07:00Fall Update from Brian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTrH45SHHd3a2rB0qrHOxGhHQeiBHKbBDBXVRnRRl5u0hg5M0QYLxvCSViPppG6IKFMoGYKABx7JT1C-6OK-RocKeGsIxgsjvEj17CwhqRH-JCmDgvjCAaYEaITQ_MANwl2FYAVFcTVg/s1600/Wise-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTrH45SHHd3a2rB0qrHOxGhHQeiBHKbBDBXVRnRRl5u0hg5M0QYLxvCSViPppG6IKFMoGYKABx7JT1C-6OK-RocKeGsIxgsjvEj17CwhqRH-JCmDgvjCAaYEaITQ_MANwl2FYAVFcTVg/s320/Wise-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents & me with Dr. Wise Young</td></tr>
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I have not written in a while; I have been pretty busy since I started taking classes online in August. I also have been working about 35 hrs a week with 3-5 hours of therapy a day. Adding school to the mix has made things a little crazy.<br />
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I was not sure what to expect with the online experience but it is definitely more work than I thought. It consists of a good bit of reading and I have two projects due every Wednesday, with one group and one individual assignment. I get the feeling that most the people in the class have more experience and are more familiar with the lingo used in the field than I am. I think the biggest surprise is that I have to learn and figure out a lot of things on my own. There are not online lectures but we are given reading assignments and some other files to read but I spend a lot of time searching online for examples and things to read about what we are learning. It is more self-learning than I have ever done but I am sure that is typical of online courses. I can just try to do my best with the time that I have and luckily I have a good partner.<br />
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The month of August I was on the road a good bit. I made my first trip back to Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore in about a year and a half. I made the six hour drive into Raleigh and my parents and I rode up to Baltimore for the week. It was another long drive but it was good to spend some time with my folks. I really like the doctors at Kennedy Krieger and I wanted to get back there to meet with them and be reevaluated. The biggest change they noted was that I have gained 35lbs in a year and a half. It is some upper body but mostly my legs muscles from using my stim unit. Also my sensation is getting a little bit better. When I am examined for sensation with my eyes closed I can now tell what leg I am being touched on and I am usually right about the general area. Hopefully that will continue to get better. I was reassured that I have been doing all the right things with my recovery efforts over the last few years. I still do not know where all this effort is going to take me but it is clear I am doing about all I can with what is currently available.<br />
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We actually schedule our trip to Baltimore at a time we could get up to New Jersey to meet with Dr. Wise Young at Rutgers. We left Baltimore on Friday around lunchtime to make the three hour ride to Jersey. Dr. Wise Young is one of the best spinal cord injury research doctors in the world. He has been very busy conducting trials in China for the last couple of years, which is where he spends most of his time so we were lucky to get a chance to meet with him. Shortly after I got out of the hospital I was able to get connected to his staff and have spoken to his assistant every few months since. They are planning on conducting trials in New Jersey next year, which I am trying to do all I can to be a part of.<br />
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Without getting into it too much there are three phases to have something FDA approved in the USA. Phase 1 is 100% about safety, Phase 2 is still emphasis on safety but they also look at effectiveness and Phase 3 is all about how effective it is and determines whether it is worth doing. They have just finished up the Phase 2 in China and will publish the results in November. Ethically they cannot say much, but I have had discussions and read things that have me expecting some good news. I do not anticipate this to be a home run cure but do believe it to help people regain levels of function. The timing of the trials depend on the fundraising effort to support the study, which is something I am looking to get involved with.<br />
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I am about six months into using the stim device which was where we expected the potential for the most changes to occur. Since I am pumping so much current and energy we have had to be very careful and conservative to slowly get to this point. As you can see in the video I have finally gotten to the point where the device helps me contract my muscles strong enough to even move my legs. I am excited to see where this goes in the coming months and will be sure to keep posting.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786903316479288118.post-36636508814274238922012-09-04T18:08:00.000-07:002012-09-04T18:10:37.753-07:00Please Come Out & Support David Jeffers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfTsNsm6_uqYq6BG0DStXRvyygPFjq35F-45-h0-2GFHccmqGj8N0npCiLYEmm0XUE-wvlmAZw14NhBpzTZ4YxDqobO8wjnUGopXyjatykW6rvB_cXmZ2pAauGxDxZvnnu6nVVEhc_C0/s1600/David_5k.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfTsNsm6_uqYq6BG0DStXRvyygPFjq35F-45-h0-2GFHccmqGj8N0npCiLYEmm0XUE-wvlmAZw14NhBpzTZ4YxDqobO8wjnUGopXyjatykW6rvB_cXmZ2pAauGxDxZvnnu6nVVEhc_C0/s400/David_5k.png" width="400" /></a></div>
David Jeffers, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down while on family vacation at Kure Beach in 2010, learned of Brian through one of the therapists at <a href="http://racetowalk.org/default.aspx">Race to Walk</a>. You all have been so supportive of Brian, that we wanted to share this event with you all to in case you might be able to attend &/or share it with others. I know we (Brian's sister, Kara & family, hope to make it out!). David & his beautiful wife also have two beautiful young sons.<br />
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Please visit these links to <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/dsp_patient_event_registration.cfm/patient/EF367638-F0DA-D2C6-D23B8349111D292D/event_setup_summary_id/29">register</a>, view his <a href="http://davidjefferscan.blogspot.com/">website</a>, or to <a href="http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/EF367638-F0DA-D2C6-D23B8349111D292D">find out more</a>.<br />
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Thanks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0