|
Every update
that my mom has sent out to everyone- since the very
beginning.
See below for
the most recent updates-
March 21, 2005 -
November 4, 2005
Noveber 28, 2004
- March 11, 2005
September 13,
2004 - November 22, 2004
August 13, 2004
- September 12, 2004
July 27, 2004 -
August 12, 2004
December
20th, 2006
Hello
Everyone, and Happy Holidays!
I
wanted to write a quick update and just let everyone know how we’re
doing, and what we’re up to. Darren & Ari are busy finishing up
their final exams, and I look forward to having them back home
either tonight or tomorrow. They’ll be finishing up their Christmas
shopping, but I’m happy to say I’m finished and even did all the
wrapping by myself, since Ari wasn’t around to help.
L Oh well,
hopefully she’ll have time to help me with some baking! As always, I
look forward to the holidays and our traditions of gathering with
friends and family to celebrate Christmas. With all of the
preparations, it just all seems to go so fast! But I look forward to
enjoying all that the holidays
bring.
This
year, I am thankful that Darren has completed his first semester
living at college, has done well with his classes (at least I hope
he has!), and has had no secondary complications to his SCI. He has
managed all the details of living away and going to school on top of
everything else, and I am so very proud of him. He continues to do
more and more, and will be interning in NYC next semester at a bank
2 days a week while taking his required courses. What a wonderful
opportunity and a gutsy decision to take on this challenge. I know
he’ll do well.
Arianne has struggled with her biology
course, but she seems to have pulled off a passing grade with a lot
of hard work and determination. Her other classes were all easier
than bio! She especially enjoyed her Understanding Disabilities
class and has been busy with campus activities. All in all, she
seems to have adjusted well to college life, but is looking forward
to the break!
Darren will be returning to Project Walk on
January 1st for 2 weeks. He is very much looking forward
to this trip, determined to work hard and take advantage of new
training techniques that have been developed there in recent months.
I expect him to come home exhausted, but rejuvenated in his desire
to do as much as possible for his own recovery. His two friends,
Greg and Chris, will each be in California for a week with Darren,
so I can stay home and focus on the new business (more about that
below). Our good friends, Al and Linda Wilson, have generously
agreed to host Darren and friends (again!).
Ari
will be skiing with Ithaca Ski Team, and will be going back a week
early to practice and train for the upcoming season. Needless to
say, she is excited about the team, and will be anxiously awaiting
snow and cold weather!
So our new
business, Push to Walk, has officially been incorporated as a New
Jersey Non-Profit Corporation, and now the fun (and work!) begins.
We have signed a one year lease in Bloomingdale, have painted the
whole place, and will continue getting it ready to open as soon as
possible. Our accountant will now file the necessary paperwork to
get our 501c(3) designation, so we can start fund raising. It is
very exciting to think that we can not only give Darren the best
possible training right here, but that we can offer services to
others as well. It is a huge undertaking, with all that starting a
new business brings, but we are optimistic that we can make it a
success. You can check out our website, which is still under
construction, at www.pushtowalknj.org.
(Don’t forget the “nj” at the
end!)
I know it’s
not a great time of year to ask for “stuff,” (Santa – are you
listening?!) but we are still in need of a few things that would
greatly help us, and keep our costs down. As we are operating on a
shoestring budget, every little thing helps! We have had several
wonderful items donated already, and you will all be thanked in
these updates or on the website, whether you like it or not! We are
so grateful to all of those who have offered to help. The items we
still need are a small kitchen table and chairs (the smaller the
better; there’s not room for much!), a boom box or stereo system
that we can hook up to ceiling speakers, a working vacuum cleaner, a
couch or 2 chairs to use for guests and a small table, and the
biggie – an “all-in-one” printer/scanner/fax machine. If you have
any of these items that you can donate to a worthy cause, we would
be very, very appreciative. Please let me know by calling
973-492-1654 or e-mailing me directly at cynthiat@optonline.net.
I
wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a happy and
healthy New Year. May you enjoy your families and friends and all
that the holiday season brings. I am blessed to have all of you in
our lives, however near or far, and am thankful for all that God has
given to us in the past and will continue to give us in the future.
As Pastor Sandy Hull said in last Sunday’s sermon, “Do not be
afraid. With God, nothing is impossible.” (Luke 1:30,
37)
With
love, prayers and hope for miracles in this Christmas
season,
Cynthia
June
12th, 2006
Hello
Everyone!
Plans
are well underway and we are finalizing last minute details for the
upcoming “Run for Darren” which will be held this Saturday,
September 16th at Kinnelon High
School. It will be a 5K Run/Walk &
Fun Run for Kids. If you have volunteered to help, you should be
getting a phone call or e-mail to tell you what time to show up. If
you’ve already registered, come early to get your number and packet.
If you plan on walking or running, but haven’t registered yet, you
can do it that morning. Registration tables will be set up at 7:30
am. The run/walk is scheduled to start at 9 am and the Fun Run is
scheduled for 10:00. We are anticipating a big crowd, so come early!
If you are not participating or helping, come anyway to cheer on
those who are. We would love to have as many people as possible!
So
this is Darren’s first full week at Ramapo. He is all moved in to
his dorm now, and classes have started. It will take him some time
to adjust and figure everything out, but knowing Darren, that will
not take him long! I am so proud of him! I know he will do just
fine. He is still trying to figure out how to maintain his workouts,
and where he can keep equipment, but I am also confident that will
come together, too.
Arianne is all settled at Ithaca
College, and
each e-mail and phone call confirm that she is having a great time.
Hopefully, she is managing her school work as well as she’s managing
her social life……..
Hope
to see many of you on Saturday. Stop by the Information Table -
that’s where the Templeton gang will be.
With
love and prayers,
Cynthia
May
13th, 2006
Hello
everyone,
Everything seems fairly routine around here. I guess that's a
good thing!
As
Darren's semester winds down, he is looking forward to a less hectic
schedule. But he still has his tests and exams to get through, and
knowing how conscientious he is to do well, he is, of course,
studying hard and preparing to get good grades. Soon it will be
all over, and he'll be able to relax!
The
summer schedule will probably consist of pool and land workouts with
Eric, deep tissue muscle massage, continued participation in the FES
(stim bike) at Mountainside Children's Hospital, and hopefully some
down time, too!
Our trip
to Project Walk in California is pretty much planned. Darren will be
there for 3 weeks in July. John & I will be there for one week,
Eric for 2 1/2 weeks and Ari for one week as well. It's taking a lot
of coordinating and planning, but I'm hoping it all comes together.
Since I won't be there with him the whole time, I need to
arrange help for Darren in the morning, and that has me on
edge a bit. We'll be staying at our friends' house, which will be
wonderful (THANK YOU Al and Linda!!!), but the idea of bringing
someone in to care for him is a tricky situation. So I'm still
working on that. Otherwise, Darren is very excited about returning
to Project Walk, and so are the rest of us. I know it will be
another great experience, and we just hope and pray for more
recovery, more good results and a productive three
weeks.
One of
the young men that we met at Shepherd was just in Portugal for a
surgery with Dr. Lima that holds promise for a lot of spinal cord
injured people. Paul lives near Rochester, NY, and traveled to
Portugal with his Mom and Grandpa for 2 weeks. During that time, Dr.
Lima harvested olfactory cells from Paul's nose, and used them to
inject into the area of the spinal cord injury. Olfactory cells are
considered ideal to use, because they have the ability to regenerate
themselves. I hope I have this explanation correct. If not, I think
it's close! Anyway, this surgery is very promising, and we are
anxious to see how Paul's recovery goes. He's home now, but he'll be
going back to Shepherd Center in GA for some intensive rehab and
therapy in 2 weeks. If you want to know more about Paul's situation,
you can check his website at www.paulspath.com. Click on updates on the
left, and follow the progress as outlines from his Mom go in
chronological order. While we know that all people and injuries
are different, it is encouraging to learn more and follow the
progress of a procedure like this, especially in someone we know.
This is only one of many exciting things that are happening in the
field of SCI research and treatments, so we continue to be hopeful
that a "cure" is in sight for the future.
As
Arianne winds down her senior year, and all that goes along with it,
we are looking forward to spending some time at the shore house this
summer. Ari & I went there for a day a few weeks ago, and it was
our first time back since Darren's accident. I honestly didn't know
how I'd feel pulling up or going in, but I was very happy once
I did. I've missed that house! The house, the view, our belongings -
all of it! It was like looking at a lot of things for the first time
- again! We made a project of cleaning it, which it needed, but also
gave me a reason to be there, to work and think at the same time, to
remember why I loved being there, and remember lots of good
memories. Funny, but I don't think I cried that day, surprisingly
enough. But now, thinking back on that day, and looking forward to
Darren going, too, I am crying. Strange how emotions can get the
best of me, when I least expect them to. Anyway, I was really glad
that Ari and I went together. It was therapeutic and productive at
the same time. And we spent the whole day together, which is rare,
given her busy schedule these days! I look forward to being there
for a few visits this summer. And Darren plans on going not only
with us, but having time there with his friends, too.
Besides
Project Walk, this summer will be filled with plans to send Ari off
to Ithaca, and Darren to live at Ramapo. It will seem strange to
have them both go at once, but I look forward to it, too. Not how we
planned for this to happen, but it is happening nonetheless. More
details on that in the next update, as that's when things will
really start coming together. It will be a busy, exciting
time!
For feeling like I didn't have much to say, I managed to
write a lot, as usual! I hope you continue to enjoy these updates,
as sporadic as infrequent as they've become, and that you check out
the website every now and then to see if Darren has posted anything
new.
Oops,
almost forgot - there's going to be a 5K Run for Darren fund raiser
here in Kinnelon on September 16th. We'll be looking for volunteers,
runners and walkers, and donations, so I'll be telling you more
about that in the coming weeks. Keep your eyes open for more
information and details!
Until
next time, with love, prayers and hope,
Cynthia
March
24, 2006
Hi
everyone,
Well, it
looks like I've gone to monthly updates - for better or worse! Even
though the schedules are busy, and a lot is going on, I can't say
there's much "new" news. But I'm sure as I start writing, I'll find
more than I thought I had to say. Funny how that
happens!
Yesterday was Darren's 20th birthday. Since his college
spring break was this week, yesterday was a good day to go the Y and
get back into the pool. He had been wanting to do this for awhile,
but the schedule just hadn't allowed for any time, until this week.
The fact that we chose to do it on Thursday had nothing to do with
his birthday; it was just a good day for scheduling - free time,
pool time, and Eric's schedule too. Then we went to our favorite
restaurant, Segovia, for a wonderful dinner.
The time
in the pool was interesting - Darren's legs and whole body, really,
were quite active with spasms. It made doing a lot of his exercises
he did this past summer more difficult and frustrating. But we just
did what we could, tried new things, and just wanted to see how he
would do. Maybe its the new movement he has in his legs? Maybe it
was the water temperature (a little cool)? Maybe just the fact that
he hadn't been in the water in such a long time. But anyway, he was
glad he tried it and happy about the overall experience in the
end.
In
preparing for his upcoming birthday, I tried not to dwell on the
fact that this was NOT how Darren's 20th birthday should be spent.
How so many things have changed, how we have all lost so much
(especially Darren), and how we are still grieving over these
losses. Of course, these thoughts are always present in my mind,
just sometimes closer to the surface, other times further below.
What I tried to think about was celebrating Darren's 20 years of
living. In the past 21 months, Darren has shown all of us what his
first 18 years taught him - determination, a willingness to work
hard to reach a goal, the ability to stay focused and motivated when
it would be so easy to give up, the mental toughness to deal
with something that for most of us is unimaginable, and more. How he
does it, I honestly don't know. But I do know that he has helped me,
and many of you, too, get through the low points and the little
things, and focus on what's truly important in life. He is here, he
is with us, and I am so grateful for that. So yesterday (and
everyday, actually) I celebrated all that Darren has given to all of
us, through his spirit, his humor, and his wonderful smile. He is a
gift from God, as are all our children, and he brings immeasurable
happiness and joy to us as his parents. That has not changed, and
neither has he. So here's to his 20th birthday, and we wish him many
more!
As
Darren maintains his workouts with Eric three times a week, he
is continuing to participate in the FES bike study at Children's
Hospital in Mountainside. The length of the study is 9 months, and
hopefully Darren's schedule would allow him to continue for the
whole time. There have been such good reports lately of people who
use this kind of stim bike and the results shown, that we are
hopeful Darren will see some positive results himself. Time will
tell. The fact that he has access to this type of equipment, using
it twice a week, and especially at no charge, is so wonderful. We
will keep you updated on any progress in this
area.
So
that's it for today's update. As Darren continues to work on and
improve his website, check it out every now and then to see what's
new. In addition to providing all of you with pictures and detailed
information, I hope that other people and families in similar
situations will find it helpful as well. I think part of
our purpose now is to inform and educate others about
spinal cord injuries and treatments, and offer support to those
who might be in need themselves. I hope the website helps us all to
do that.
With
love, hope and prayers - and looking forward to spring, warm
weather and flowers,
Cynthia
February
23, 2006
Hello
Everyone,
Now that
you're getting an update, I'm sure you're all thinking - well, it's
about time! It has been awhile, hasn't it? I apologize for that, and
will try to get everything in here without writing a
novel!
Well,
it's good to be home, back together as a family, and getting settled
into a routine of a new year, new school semester for Darren, and
preparing for the last half of Ari's senior year of high school. A
lot going on!
Since
coming back home, Darren has been able to maintain his workouts here
with Eric, back to three times a week. He also uses the standing
frame quite a bit, and is starting to use his "e-stim" unit
more, also. He got back into that while we were in California,
mostly stimming his abs. But he wants to use it for his legs, too.
It's good for getting the muscles going and for strengthening them,
too. He also bought a chin-up kind of bar that goes into the door
frame, to assist him with standing. Instead of mounting it high like
you would need for chin-ups, its mid-level, and he uses it to pull
himself up and stand. He needs 2 people to get him up and block and
spot him, but once he's up, he can hold himself for a few minutes at
a time. While standing, he tries to maintain good posture and trunk
balance. As he does this more often, he'll get stronger and more
balanced, and will then be able to stand unassisted for longer
periods of time. At only $25, this piece of equipment was a
bargain!! And a very productive one to use.
So his
current routine is about 3 hours per session, with work on the mat,
Total Gym, floor exercises, standing and spin bike. Eric could
really see the difference when Darren returned from Project Walk, so
that was very encouraging. He continues to do "squats" on the Total
Gym, like he did in California, and is able to control his leg
movements on a fairly consistent basis. All good
stuff!
We are
talking now about returning to Project Walk for 3-4 weeks this
summer. When, who, how - all details that need a lot of advance
planning. I'm hoping that if we start the process early enough, we
can figure out a trip that makes sense for all of us. We're hoping
that Eric wants to continue his training at Project Walk as well, so
he will be part of the planning and traveling,
too.
Darren
found out about a clinical trial going on at Children's Hospital in
Mountainside that involves use of a "stim bike." He has gone twice
now for evaluations and will start using the bike twice a week (I
think). He has done all of the research, talking to the people
involved, making the appointments, etc. himself. All I know is that
use of a stim bike for SCI patients has been getting a lot of
attention lately, and some good results are being seen. Since a bike
like this costs about $15,000. and requires training for home use,
being able to use one at a facility with trained staff, at no cost,
is an excellent way to start using one. The premise is that you are
hooked up to the bike with stimulation pads placed on the legs, and
the electric current, in low doses, makes the muscles contract,
thereby turning the pedals of the bike. It gives you feedback as you
pedal. Hopefully, you become more in control of the movements as you
pedal. I worry about the time and travel distance of participating
in the study, but it could be very worthwhile to Darren, and to the
SCI population as a whole. We'll keep you informed of his
progress.
We've
had a few frustrating setbacks with necessary equipment, but
hopefully things will work out. I bought a used pair of e-motion
wheels for Darren's manual chair, and the batteries had to be
replaced. One day he was at school and they just ran out of juice.
They are much heavier than his regular wheels, which doesn't matter
if they are working properly, but when they don't work at all, the
chair is very hard to push. When working properly, these
wheels give him a power boost and don't require as much effort
to push. They are great for going up inclines, hills, uneven
terrain, and for getting back into his van. So hopefully, the new
batteries did the trick and he'll be back in business. We'll know in
a few days, when the batteries have been through a few
charge/discharge cycles. Meanwhile, his power chair wheel gear
broke, making that unusable. That is in the shop now, and will most
likely take more than a week to repair. The downside of that is that
he can't drive himself anywhere. So we are chauffeuring him around
this week, and it's lucky that Ari has off from school to help us
with that. Hopefully, this too will be resolved quickly. Never a
dull moment........
So, we
are back to a routine of sorts, and happy to be home! Thank you for
keeping in touch, and as Darren keeps updating his website, be sure
to check back often, and see what's new! Continued thanks for your
prayers and good wishes.
With
love and hope,
Cynthia
January 19,
2006
Hello All,
There is a special guest
writer for this update. Yes, I, Darren will in fact be informing you
of our recent activities.
We’ve been pretty busy
out here, taking advantage of the weather and free time. Our recent
activities include going to the Wilson’s this past weekend to watch
some football, checking out the mall, going to some museums and
eating in San Diego, and going to the movies. We’re planning on
going to see San
Diego’s minor league hockey game this Friday.
The rehab at Project
Walk is going really well. I’m getting a chance to use some unique
equipment that allows us to find out more about what I’ve gained and
what I need to work on. There is always plenty of help around so it
is never a problem to try something new that may require additional
help in the beginning. We’ve been trying to hit every part of my
body hard since strength throughout my body is essential to
progress. We’ve been moving from arms, to abs, to back, to legs
pretty fast to keep everything in shape and active. Some of the
things I’ve been doing are continuing to use the bike, standing
holding on to something, partial squats in the standing frame, and a
whole lot of other exercises. We’re concentrating on using equipment
I won’t be able to use at home, as well as figuring out changes I
can make to my home workout program.
Project Walk is a pretty
busy place, and a lot of their clients have made tremendous
progress. Whenever I get discouraged or doubt myself, all I have to
do watch some of the other people in the gym. There is almost always
someone walking across the room, maybe holding onto a walker or with
the support of some trainers, but they’re doing it. They were once
where I was, but have stuck with it long enough to get to that
point. Sometimes it gets really tough, and it’s sooooooo slow, but
I’ve made progress and refuse to stop. I know I’ll make it
eventually.
This Monday will be 1½
years since the injury. It’s been a long 18 months, but I’ve come a
pretty long way and at the pace I’m going I hopefully won’t need my
chair in another 18 months. I don’t want to set a timeline, but that
would be a realistic goal. Things will never be like they once were
but with a lot of hard work I can put this whole thing behind me. I
thank you all for your support and interest in my progress.
This in fact will be the
last update sent in the mail. All of the updates will be posted on
my site, www.DarrenTempleton.com. We plan on sending out
an email letting you know an update has been posted, with a direct
link to it. Since the last email I have put a bunch of new things up
on the site including video, all the old updates, a page about a
cure, and some changes to the other pages as well. Thanks again for
the support and take care.
Darren
January 12, 2006
Hi
everyone, greetings again from Carlsbad, California! The weather here has
still been wonderful, warm and sunny. This weekend its supposed to
rain, but hopefully the sun will return
soon!
The
picture I've attached is from New Year's
Eve.
I
have to correct some mistakes from my last email. You know how the
newspapers bury their corrections on a tiny corner of page 7
somewhere? Well, not me. Mine are front and
center!
The
first apology to Al, who was so insulted (jokingly) that I referred
to his beautiful Infiniti automobile as a "truck." Well, I meant to
write that we were watching a TV in the back of his "trunk" so even
spell-check didn't pick up my mistake. Sorry,
Al!
Second, the website for the other rehab place we went
to check out in Solana Beach was "www.awakeningshealthinstitute.org." I left part of that out last time.
Sorry.
We
have been busy since our last update, and I'll try to give you a
summary of our activities - we had a nice bonfire, oops I mean
barbeque, at the Wilson's last Friday. His grill was
just a wee bit stronger than I'm used to, and when I placed the
chicken on it, the flames were out of control! But it turned out OK,
and we had a nice dinner. Didn't we, Al??? We went to the movies to
see "Munich," had an entertaining and
filling sushi dinner, with the Wilsons, of course (is anyone
seeing a pattern here? Eating? With the Wilsons?),
rented a few movies, and Darren is catching up on past episodes of
The Sopranos so he is ready for the new season in March. Yesterday,
we took a very nice 2 hour boat cruise of San Diego Bay, then ate at
Anthony's right on the water. It was really nice, and good food,
too.
Today I went to Project Walk with Darren so I could
take some short video clips for him to put on his website. So look
for them in the near future. I have asked Darren if I could have a
"Mom's Page," and he said "you do, the updates." But I want more
than that! So if anyone out there wants to support my cause, e-mail
him and tell him so! (darrentempleton@optonline.net) Thanks! I am
very proud of him for putting that all together, and look forward to
future ideas and additions. Linda Wilson came to observe, today,
too, and she was quite impressed with the facility, the equipment,
trainers, and of course, Darren's hard work. With all the pictures
and videos, there's nothing quite like seeing it for yourself.
This
week, I went for an hour long Swedish massage at a nearby spa, and
boy, was it wonderful! I'm going back for a facial next week! So the
money I saved by not joining a gym (since I use the treadmill at the
hotel) is getting spent anyway. And it feels good,
too!!
Tonight we are going to see King Kong, and tomorrow
I'll head to Carlsbad Beach for a nice long walk
while Darren is at training. Then we'll head to the Wilson's for -
what else? - dinner! What would we do without
them???
Each
day at Project Walk, we see the results of healing, hard work and
miracles in the clients there. No one knows which of those three
things helps these people walk, but it gives us so much hope. It is
such a positive place, with people telling you that you CAN do it,
that good things are bound to happen. Darren is doing the hard work,
now we have to pray for continued healing and recovery - our very
own miracle. I know you are praying with and for us, and for that I
am very grateful. Thank you.
Staying strong in California, with love,
Cynthia
January 5,
2006
We arrived in California, safe and sound, with
just some turbulence and bumps during the flight. It was so much
easier this time, flying direct. When we arrived, our friend Al was
there to pick us up at the airport. He already had our bags and the
van was waiting. As we headed to the Marriott Residence Inn in
Carlsbad, he told me that his wife,
Linda, was picking up some groceries for us and would meet us at the
hotel. What a wonderful way to arrive, with friends there to meet us
and think of the little things that really make a difference. It was
a great start!
On Saturday, New Year’s Eve, we just took it easy
during the day, since it was crummy weather, and we knew it would be
a late night. I had to take care of a few minor repairs on the van,
so it took some time to figure that out. We met Al and Linda at a
very nice restaurant for dinner, then went back to their house to
hang out until midnight. It was a nice, quiet evening with the
celebratory champagne at 12. At least we were with friends, and not
alone in the hotel!
On New Year’s Day, we headed to meet new friends, a
family who used to live in Kinnelon and now live in Carlsbad, of
all places! A mutual friend put us in touch with Tania and Kevin
Hurt, and we had a wonderful afternoon with them and their two boys.
It was a very nice day, with a delicious dinner, and talking about
mutual friends and acquaintances from town. I’m sure we’ll be seeing
more of them during our month
here.
Monday brought Darren’s first session at Project Walk,
and we were glad to be back and see familiar faces, especially his
trainer, Margarita. Darren worked hard, showing her all of the
improvements he’s made in the past 3 months, and then they talked
about what he wanted to accomplish during the upcoming month. I
stayed there in the lobby, but was not part of the session.
Afterwards, he seemed very happy to be back, and was ready to begin
his month of hard work. He is even trying to add a few hours, so he
goes 2 hours a day, 5 times a week (instead of 4 times a week). After his session, we went
to Danky’s, a sports bar, to watch some of the college bowl games
that Darren has been
following.
I dropped Darren off at Project Walk for his session,
then I headed back to the hotel to use the treadmill and hot tub.
After I picked him up, we had lunch, did some grocery shopping and
then I had to wait 4 hours for the van to be repaired. But at last
it was finished!
Wednesday brought an earlier session at Project Walk,
so we can head north to the Rose Bowl. We didn’t have tickets, but
our friends did, and we were hopeful that we might be able to buy
some. We never did get any tickets, but we did have a great time
tailgating and watching the game on a TV in the back of Al’s truck!
Al and one son were inside watching, Darren, Mark (Al’s other son)
and I stayed in the parking lot. Quite a crowd gathered around us
and the TV, and it was a lot of fun. Even the traffic in and out
wasn’t bad, but the fact that USC lost was disappointing. I didn’t
care too much myself, but Al is a HUGE USC fan, and Darren had a bet
on it. Oh well. It was fun
anyway.
Today
was a day off, and we went to another SCI rehab place called
Awakenings in Solana Beach, only 20 minutes south.
It was started by a woman who worked at Project Walk previously,
along with her partner who is a “walking” recovered quad herself. We
wanted to check it out, and see what it was all about. You can see
it online at www.awakeningsinstitute.org.”
Well, enough of my “dairy” for now. As I see more of
what Darren is doing at Project Walk, I can write more then. What I
can tell you is that as often as possible, in between using the
various pieces of equipment, Margarita gets Darren up to stand. It
is quite difficult, and requires 2 trainers, but he is able to do it
for a few seconds. Sometimes he is holding onto something or
someone, but the idea is there. Again the philosophy of re-training
the brain, and getting the muscles to remember what they used to do.
Good stuff!!
Speaking of good stuff, I will soon be posting new updates on
Darren’s website that he has up and running. It’s not finished yet,
but he says to check out his work in progress at www.darrentempleton.com. So in the near future,
you can check the website for the latest updates, instead of getting
them via e-mail. Darren has set it up himself and is designing it
all on his own, a good project for our down time here in California.
By the way, it rained our first few days here, but I’m
happy to say that it is warm and sunny now, just as southern
California is supposed to be! It’s
wonderful! That’s all for now. I’ll write more
soon!
With love, hope and prayers for more
recovery,
Cynthia
December
22
Hello Everyone, I hope this finds you all ready for
Christmas and Hanukkah by now. Only a few days to
go!
Darren has finished his exams at Ramapo, and now has
one full semester successfully completed tucked under his belt. I am
so proud of him and all that he accomplished this semester. Going to
and from school by himself, managing his academic requirements,
navigating the campus and the parking (always a challenge), making
friends - all part of a typical college experience, but with
the added difficulty of being in a wheelchair. But that didn't deter
Darren one bit. Since he prefers to be in his manual wheelchair
for a variety of reasons, most of the time he drives from his
power chair (which is the only way he can drive right now, although
he is considering options to change that in the near future) and
brings his manual chair with him. When he arrives at campus, he
transfers into his manual chair and spends his day in that.
When he leaves campus, he asks for help to get back into the van -
he can't quite get up the ramp himself - reverses the transfer and
drives himself home. He has even gone back to campus for small group
meetings on days and times he doesn't have class. He is anxious to
get his grades, and see how he did - still obsessing over his
grades like he's always done. That hasn't
changed!
So a
little down time during Christmas break, although he still has his
workouts with Eric, staying strong before going back to Project Walk
in California. We leave (just he and I) on December 30, and we'll be
there for the whole month of January. Everything is in place now -
flights (flying direct this time), hotel, Project Walk schedule,
etc. We shipped out the van we first used to transport Darren around
in before he started driving, because that was more cost effective
than renting an accessible van out there. Hopefully, I'll be able to
sell it out there, and not worry about shipping it back to NJ. We'll
see.
If
you haven't had a chance to check out Project Walk yet, their
website is www.projectwalk.org. It is a pretty easy site to navigate through, and
you'll see some amazing stories on what they and their clients have
accomplished. If you go to "client video locator" and click on
Darren T. in the Phase I & II section, you'll see Darren's video
that was made in September. He's hoping he can expand upon that
during his time there in January. I look forward to being in that
positive atmosphere again, where they encourage and support your
efforts to strengthen yourself, motivate yourself, and do ALL that
you can do, and then some! It will be good, hard work! As for me, I
intend to join a gym and do some things for myself while Darren is
at the facility. While I was there with him for the entire time
during our week in September (videotaping and learning), I won't be
doing that this time, so will have some free time. Then we'll see
how we can keep ourselves busy and occupied the rest of the time. I
look forward to the whole trip - the possibilities and opportunities
that Project Walk presents, free time to do things I want to do, and
time for me and Darren to be together. And who could complain about
the weather in southern California in January?!
Off
the topic a bit - but as this is a great way to communicate with so
many of you that I would not normally get to talk with personally -
I shall use it to broadcast a bit of news from Arianne - she has
been offered early decision acceptance to Ithaca College in NY, her
first (and only!!) choice. Yea!!! I am so proud of her! She has been
accepted into their Physical Therapy program (a new area of interest
for her since Darren's injury) which is a 6 year Doctorate
program. So that was good news last week - a great Christmas
present!
As
the holiday season fast approaches, and will be over in the blink of
an eye, I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas, a happy Hanukkah,
and a happy and healthy New Year. May you enjoy your time with
family and friends, be thankful for all the wonderful people and
things in your lives, and celebrate all of the special
accomplishments that this past year has brought. I am counting my
blessings for Darren's healing and recovery, for all of you who have
been with us from the beginning, and for your continued care and
concern. May the holiday season bring peace, hope and Faith to all
of us during the coming year. May God bless us
all.
Love Cynthia
December
2
Hello Everyone!
I
hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a very nice day
with family and friends, enjoying each other's company and eating a
lot! Of course! But we have so much to be thankful for, and while I
try to be thankful EVERY day, it is nice to have special day
to do just that.
Now
onto the Christmas season! We decorated the house the day after
Thanksgiving, and realizing we just didn't have enough decorations
(haha), Ari & I did some shopping for more on Saturday. So now
the house is decked out and ready for the celebrations. I love this
whole time of the year. Family, friends, parties, gifts - all of it!
It can be stressful as well, so I try to be careful to balance it
all out and enjoy it before its over.
I
feel badly that I forgot an important item in my last update. When
Darren & I were in CT for the quad rugby tournament, his friend
Kate Crowell and her friend, Jen, drove over from Quinnipiac to
watch Darren's game on Saturday, and then stayed to have dinner with
us Saturday night. They even came back to watch Sunday's game! It
was really great to have them there, and Darren took a fair amount
of ribbing from the other guys since he had TWO cute girls who came
to see him. So, thanks Kate and Jen! I've attached a picture of the
three of them.
This
e-mail will be a short one (I think!), but am happy to pass on some
wonderful news. Darren continues to work out with his trainer 3
times a week, usually 3 hours each time. Well, if all goes well, he
uses the spin bike twice a week, and now he is able to pedal himself
several minutes at a time, in several short spurts! It is labor
intensive - it takes 3 of us to help him on, get his feet in the
pedals and straps, position himself, keep his feet in, and move his
legs. Then after his legs have been pushed for a bit, he starts
pedaling by himself. It is so awesome! Its usually his shoulders
that give out first, they get so tired holding him up. So he'll take
a break by sitting upright, then go at it again. He does this
usually three times. Sometimes his legs don't want to "cooperate"
and have spasms, or pull into the center too much, but Darren and
Eric are figuring out what to do beforehand so his legs are "ready"
for the bike. So each time is getting more productive.
Also, there has been some new movement in one of his
hip flexors, and his ankles. It is sporadic and inconsistent, but
its there! We can see that healing continues to happen, very, very
slowly, but happening nonetheless. And his trunk/core muscles, abs
and back are all getting stronger, too. So with all that is
happening, we are even more anxious to go back to Project Walk, and
see what happens during Darren's month of treatment there. I'll keep
you posted.......If you haven't checked out their website, it's
www.projectwalk.org. You can click on Client Locator, then find "Darren
T" in the first column of Phase I & II. Its a short, but very
cool video.
Classes at Ramapo are going well. Darren continues to
obsess over his grades, just like he did in high school! He is still
very conscientious, and committed to getting good grades. And that
is a good thing.
Tonight, he and I will drive to Ursinus
College in PA
for a quad rugby game. Then we have a Devils game tomorrow
afternoon, and a Giants game on Sunday. I look forward to all of the
activity!
With
continued love, prayers and hope,
Cynthia
November 16
Hello everyone,
Well, another new adventure to write about. This past
weekend, Darren & I drove to Bristol, CT for a Quad Rugby tournament. We
drove up Friday night, and he had two games on Saturday and two
games on Sunday. His team is the NY Jets, and is sponsored by the
United Spinal Association and the NFL Jets. The whole team was
staying at the same hotel. On Saturday, they played the two teams
from Philadelphia. They are both really
good teams, and they lost by a lot. But Darren got some playing time
in each game. He knew not to expect much playing time, since he is
new to the team, and not a strong player yet, so he was happy to
play the few minutes he was in. On Sunday, their first opponent
(Maine) only had three players, so
the NY team split up, and all of the players got more playing time.
At any one time, each team has 4 players on the court - basketball
court - but they switch in and out to get breaks. Well, some of the
better, stronger players play the whole game. But, you still need
more than 3! Anyway, Darren got more playing time because of that,
so it was good. And unbeknownst to the spectators (at least me!),
the second game didn't count because two of the players on the
opponent's team had illegal chairs (you can't believe the
requirements and restrictions that are spelled out for equipment!).
But they wanted to play the game anyway, so NY won by default. So,
again, Darren got a bit more playing time than he might have
otherwise.
In
between games, the tournament sponsors provided lunch, and we
just hung out and socialized. The tournament was held at a place
called New Horizons Village, an independent living
facility for disabled adults. It was a very nice facility, and
observing the people living there gave me new appreciation for
health and independence. I saw a lot of people with very
serious and complex disabilities, but here they were, living on
their own (some with varying amounts of help, I'm sure), socializing
and enjoying their free time.
The
team all had dinner together at the hotel Saturday night, and while
the restaurant had difficulty making such a large number of
dinners all at one time, we made the best of it, talking and getting
to know the team members and their families. What a great group of
people.
(If
you want to know more about quad rugby, you can check out the recent
film "Murderball" that was out this past summer.)
When
we arrived at the hotel on Friday night, we passed a large complex
with a LOT of satellite dishes.
Knowing we were in Bristol, we knew it had to be ESPN.
The hotel clerk confirmed our guess, and I got right on the computer
to e-mail a high school friend of mine who had worked at ESPN a
long time. I wasn't sure if he still worked there, but I knew he did
at our last high school reunion 4 years ago. Sure enough, I heard
back from Stu Sisco on Sunday morning, and he arranged for me and
Darren to have our own personal tour. It was awesome! We got to see
control rooms, editing rooms, production studios, even the
SportsCenter set. That was really cool, and I've attached a picture
to this update. Hopefully you all can get it. Stu gave us lots of
background and info on what we were seeing, and I was just amazed at
the amount of technology in those buildings. A lot of people don't
realize that everything ESPN broadcasts is done right in Bristol, CT. It is a pretty big place, and
they are making it even bigger. Needless to say, Darren was more
than able to keep up his end of the conversation with Stu about
sports, statistics, and
broadcasting, so it was a great experience. Darren recognized
Michael Erwin (Irwin? Irvin? I was too embarrassed to ask "who") who
walked by us, and we saw Mike Ditka broadcasting from the radio show
booth. All in all, it was a pretty neat experience. Thank you,
Stu!
Darren then proceeded to sleep most of the ride
home!
After my last update, I received quite a few e-mails,
and I apologize for not writing back to some of you personally. Be
assured that I do read them all and appreciate hearing from you. I
do try to write back as much as I can, but sometimes
e-mails are low on the list of things to do. I trust that you
understand.
So
that is our news of late. This might be my last update before
Thanksgiving, so I wish all of friends and their families a very
happy, joyful Thanksgiving. I know I will be giving thanks for all
that I have and am so grateful for.
With
love and prayers,
Cynthia
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