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Mary and Shannon celebrating Red Nose Day!

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#traumaticbraininjurysurvivors

#TBIawareness

#whatbraininjury

#staystrong

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Today is the International Day of Happiness!  Whatever obstacles come your way, remember to take them in stride and stay happy!!

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Are You Aware?

Are you aware that March is Brain Injury Awareness month?  Well, if you have a brain injury, and you are aware that you have a brain injury, the fact that is Brain Injury Awareness month might be of interest to you.  People may be aware that you have a disability, but if they knew what kind of disability you have, they might have something up their sleeve to assist  you. 

  - Jay D.

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Did you know that March is Brain Injury Awareness month? SPREAD THE WORD on what you can do to prevent a TBI.

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take the world by the hands. whatever you want in life is within your reach, regardless of a disability.

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Top O' Morning

On March 9, 2013, was one of the happiest days of my life. It was like a Leprechaun finding a pot of gold over the rainbow. My morning was filled with anticipation of what to come. Kareen Duffy arrived with John Gilbert about 12;30 pm. I was waiting fully dress in my leprechaun attire, including my new shamrock glasses; I was ready to hit the streets. It was amazing not only did I attend the parade, I was a part of it.

  My fellow Leprechaun and I from my day program got the opportunity to introduce Ability Beyond Disability to the Mt. Kisco community. Steve Finklestein, owner of Kisco Trucks, and an Ability Beyond Disability board member was able to get us a spot in the parade.

“ At the last minute, I was able to get Ability Beyond Disability in the parade through the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce. Next year, I hope to organize a bigger group of us and get us into the parades roster book. I want the community to know that Ability Beyond Disability is here in Mount Kisco, and that we provide wonderful services to people with disabilities.”

 The community was very receptive. They cheered us while we strolled through, and my Shamrock glasses were the talk of the town. We made quiet an entrance. I was extremely happy. I never thought in a million years, I would participate in a parade. It was special to me because it was the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  It was the top Of My Morning.  I loved it. “Go Irish” until next time..

love

Mary Elizabeth Breslin.

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Why I Quit Smoking? by George Groot

 I was a smoker for about five years, before my accident. Because of my head injury, and the effects of cigarettes’ has on the brain, my mom decided to not let me smoke anymore. I eventually did pick up the habit again though, and went back and forth with it for years. I would smoke for like a month or two, and quit again. I quit for good in February of this year.

  I have noticed since I quit, my ataxia is a lot better, and because smoking made me shake and lose my balance, and I am determined to walk again. Due to my ataxia, I kept burning myself. It made me sluggish, and it effected my self-esteem. After treatment, you need to breathe or be able to breathe during therapy, and I couldn’t.

 One day, I had smoked my last cigarette in the pack, and said to myself “No more.” I called my dad, who lived in Florida, and would bring cartons up for me when he came to visit, and told him I couldn’t keep smoking. I said, “I can’t keep doing that to myself, so do me a favor, and do not buy me anymore cigarettes’.” I just got sick of seeing the commercials about the effects of smoking, and it bothered me to think that I was doing that to myself.

 According to the CDC, more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.1 Please quit if you still smoke. I would suggest to try to have something on you, like mints or gum, to freshen your breath or to control the urges of nicotine. If the urges are too strong, I would suggest Zantex, or nicotine patches. I personally have not tried either, but I have heard a lot of good things about both.

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Mount Kisco: Street Sale, By Mary Breslin

On September 9th 2012, I went to the Mount Kisco street sale, with my house mates Christopher Trottier, Ryan Sullivan, Carrol Difalco and George Murnane, as well as the staff that worked with us on that day. My house mates decided that they wanted to go to a garden ceremony that was being held, but I did not want to stay for that, so staff member Maria and I continued on our way. I came upon John Gilbert at the street sale and we talked for a little while but we then went our separate ways. The first table Maria and I visited was the Venture Photography table, where we came across Pearl and Mitchell Cohen. As we went on, I saw a spinning wheel that was apart of the Applebee’s display. The deal was, spin the wheel and you could win a coupon for a percentage off your food purchase on your next visit. I spun the wheel and I received a 10% off coupon, which I have yet to use. I received a free orange bag from the boys and girls club that I now keep on the back of my chair for carrying certain things.

Maria and I met up with the rest of the house mates for lunch, which we had outdoors since the weather was nice. We ran into Christine Faranda and her husband in front of the dance studio that were giving out free dance lessons. Christine and her husband were working at the ABD table at the street sale. We continued on the way down the street and we came to the “Great Clips” table, and I received a card to get a haircut for $8.99!  I also took a picture with the great clips representative. We continued down the street until I arrived at a table with fashion accessories. I bought a nice pair of black drop earrings, those are the ones that hang. That was the last stop in the street sale. We visited Starbuck’s and I had a Mocha Coconut Frappe, which was very tasty!

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Flame Continues to Inspire by Dawn LoPresti

Flame is a great band made up of 11 people with disabilities.  They are capturing the world's attention with a good message.  The message they want to tell people is not to give up on life.  Even though you have a disability, you can still go on with your life, you can still have a lot of fun with people.   You should never give up on your dreams.

  I have a lot of dreams in my head that I would like to accomplish.  Someday, I would love to walk by myself without anyone's help.  That is my goal when I go to therapy.  I also love to horseback ride and I hope one day I will become even better at it.  I feel that anything is possible as long as you try.  

   I believe that this band is really going places and eventually will change the world and the way people think about people with disabilities.  We are no different from anyone else.  We feel, we hurt we love and we care.  

  Who knows maybe someday our group will get the opportunity to go see and meet this band.

  If you are interested in finding out more information about this band you can go to their website:

http://www.flametheband.com/

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My Adventure to the Dutchess County Fair

   It was a sunny hot afternoon in Rhinebeck, New York for the 2012 Annual Dutchess County Fair on Aug. 26, but that didn’t stop-me from having a good time.

   I was accompanied by fellow-consumer John Gilbert and my staff – Brian Bugholtz and Terry Ann Hall – on the bucolic 162-yard fairgrounds. We stayed from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., but right after we arrived I purchased a black-raspberry milkshake.

   Beside the shake, I enjoyed a hot dog, of which I gave the unfinished half-to Gilbert.  He polished it off after eating a grilled chicken sandwich of his own.  According to the fair’s website – www.dutchessfair.com – the fair draws nearly half-a-million patrons.

   “Seeing all the animals and people having fun was great,” Gilbert said.  “But serving as Mary’s personal-garbage disposal was great, too.”

   The fair -- which is the second largest in New York State -- included a variety of booths that had games, cultural exhibits and farm animals.  The grounds, although hilly at times, were accessible.

   The rest rooms, which had accessible stalls, and were kept clean-by working attendants.  One of the afternoon’s highlights was watching the pig race.  One of the day’s final races was won by Britney Spare Ribs.  

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Push Girls: An Inspiration for Peoples with Disabilities, by Dawn Lopresti

                                Push Girls

  I watched a few episodes of this series and found it to be very inspirational.  I can relate a lot to these girls because they are a lot like me.  

 I have a Brain Injury and they have Spinal cord Injuries, but we share the same struggles and pain.  I feel happy because I know that I'm going to be there someday doing things for myself the way they do.  I feel disappointed because I'm not walking yet.

 Seeing the push girls not give up on life even though they are in wheelchairs and will probably never walk again motivates me to get better or at least try.  It made me feel incredible to see them go skiing down the mountain with no fear in their eyes.  I did not think it would be possible for them to ski but, seeing it made me speechless.

Push Girls airs Sundays on Sundance Channel.

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Ask and Ye Shall Receive, by Jay DeVeau

When the T.B.I group needed a logo for rating different establishments on their ability to accommodate disabled people, they knew who to ask. I have done work for them before, and the people in the T.B.I group knew who to ask if they wanted to job done right. Hey, it makes me feel important, like I have a good reputation, or something. People I know who they can count on; a man of his word who will work quickly and dependably.

   You have to like what you’re doing in order to do a good job, and I like painting, and I like doing things for people, especially when they appreciate my finished product. The finished  product involves an international symbol of a wheelchair being slowed down to a halt by an orange. The suspension chords on the parachute white, red, yellow, blue, and black, with a circle on the parachute. The white circle will contain a number 1-5 depending on how well the different organizations are wheel chair friendly.

 The T.B.I group asked for a logo and soon they shall receive it-the rest is up to them.

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Aqua Therapy in Practice

I began aqua therapy on April 12, 2012 with therapist Paul Zadowsky at the Gold’s Gym in Fishkill, NY. Upon my arrival to aqua therapy, which usually lasts an hour, I would be assisted out of my chair unto a lift with a harness, a rectangle floatation device that is strapped around my upper torso. Once this harness is in place, I am lowered into the water. I am 6’1 and the pool is four feet deep. After I get into the pool, I begin to stretch so that I may warm up my muscles. After I finish my stretches I begin to do lunges. As I do my lunges, I go down as far as to have the water touching my chin. I usually do lunges for about 5-10 minutes, and then I begin to walk to from one end of the pool to the opposite side. When I begin walking to the other side, the therapist will stand right behind me, just in case I would happen to lose balance. During aqua therapy I walk around the perimeter of the pool and as I get to each corner of the pool I stop and do more lunges. Once my time is up, I walk back to the lift from where ever I am in the water, and strap myself in, with assistance if necessary, and then lifted out of the pool.

I give aqua therapy two thumbs up because I suffer with ataxia, which is a neurological sign that consists of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements and control. Not only is very soothing as well as relaxing, but it is fun too.  Aqua therapy also known as pool therapy consists of an exercise program that is performed in water. It is a very beneficial part of therapy that is used for a variety of medical conditions. Aqua therapy uses the physical properties of water to assist in patient healing and exercise performance. Aqua therapy decreases the amount of joint stress which in turn makes it easier and less painful to do exercises.  For more information, check out.http://www.fitness-forum.com/trainerfinder/websites/60155/fishkill/index.html

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Efthimos “Themo” Maragegias

Efthimos “Themo” Maragegias has always had a positive outlook on life. When he joined the group in January of 2012, he was instant breathe of fresh air. Themo, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and Spatic Diplegia from an early age, sat in on a group meeting, and decided right there and then that he loved it.Themo, who lives at home his parents and younger brother, and graduated from Lakeland High School in 2010, has always been a fan of games and puzzles, especially video games. From first starting with a Super Nintendo to playing Batman’s Arkarm City on a Playstation 3 today, he found that this is a great way to improve his coordination and memory. Thus for the website, he will be looking for, and reviewing games that will help people with disabilities.

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Mt Kisco Street Sale

  The first table at the Mount Kisco, N.Y. Street Sale was from The Burger Joint, downtown’s newest eating establishment.

   And, I was the recipient of an official “The Burger Joint” rubber wristband with “BGR The Burger Joint” emblazoned on it. The new restaurant was also giving away water bottles, which I received, too.

   That was the first table to receive the “What Brain Injury” business cards I passed out at the September 18 affair.  I proceeded-to handout cards at every table.  I also met Deirdre Cole, a woman who signed the website’s guestbook.

   Ability Beyond Disability had its own table at the September 18 affair.  Staffer Marge Marks and consumer, Shaun Smith passed-out water bottles and flowers.

   The Street Sale, which enjoyed great weather, was still crowded when I arrived about 2 p.m.  ABD consumer’s Scott Hollander and Brian Lyons, and staff members Brian Boggles and Erica Hopkins, also attended with me.

   To help Mt. Kisco’s local economy, I purchased three sets of earrings -- black, blue and white.   And, there were games for children and live music to entertain adults.

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My Experience with Bon Jovi

 I recently went to a Bonjovi concert with my whole family, and they are all big fans of his music. My father got me tickets for my birthday,  and he also went with me . The concert was held at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. He sounded and looked so good in person.  I love his voice and music so much. We sat in the front row, and then I got to meet him afterward.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, but I did shake his hand, and it was just amazing for me. I have loved Bonjovi’s music  all my life, and it was my first time seeing him in person. One of the band members played the trumpet.  Richie Sambora and Tito were fantastic on the guitar and drums.  It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and the best birthday gift ever.