Banks of the River of Life

I don't know where to begin. Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and I could use some therapy right now. An analogy for life that's always stuck with me is that life is a river. You can ride the waves, get stuck on a branch, be dragged underwater, or sit on the bank like I have been lately, but the water never stops running. I'm ready to jump back into the flow of life.  Bear with me because it's been a wild ride these last several months, and I will do my best to describe them to you. 

The economic crisis we have all been experiencing has put an immense strain on my ability to build and maintain the nonprofit. Financial concerns continue to affect every household. I've felt morally conflicted about asking for donations, even if it's just the $50 Raffle Tickets. Misguided or not, that's how my heart feels. On top of that, we were bombarded by the news that the golf club overbooked our date for the golf outing, and we had to move the date of The Golf Outing up more than a MONTH to Friday, June 20th. That's a month's worth of sponsorships. A month less of golfers. A month less of raffle donations. Not gonna lie; it was a big kick in the teeth. Two of my long-time withstanding nurses abruptly quit this month, which means I have to train and grow familiar with two new people. A process which, if done quickly, takes several months. At the same time, I'm prepared to do what I have to do to hold on to the amazing care I've received for all these years. Keep grinding, keep fighting, and do everything I can. I have faith that I'll get everything I need to survive this storm.

To do so, I'm going to need a lot of help. My van has had several problems, which you can read about here. If you have time and a passion for helping, please complete this Volunteer Form. I'll contact you, and we can figure out where your skill set fits best. 

I've taken time to reflect and redirect my focus during this period. Every time I do, the answer is clear and plain to me. Keep PUSHing forward towards the ultimate goal, gaining movement, and start walking again. Not that I have ever given up this vision, but sometimes, the effort is clouded by the noise around me. As soon as I lock in, I start to see improvements. So I blocked out all the noise and went all in. Standing up in my chair multiple times a day while running my electric stimulation abdominal belt significantly increased my endurance and stamina. The electric stim therapy I run every night doesn't have the same results it once did, as a lesser stimulator is powering it, but it still does a fantastic job keeping my body healthy. The solution for the lesser stimulator seems to be right around the corner, and I'll get back to being jacked. Everything was starting to look up. Then, just as I started getting stronger, my body started having violent muscle spasms. It is so intense that my body will sometimes extend to stand up while I'm in the chair. These types of spasms are especially dangerous for me, exampled by a scary event that I detail in the following paragraph. I have spent months searching for the culprit. Jumping through hoops to find doctors who are willing to help. Multiple tests are being done. So far, the only thing I've found is a minor kidney stone that isn't obstructing and should pass relatively easily and a third possible UTI that will require IV antibiotics next week. 

The climax of my intense muscle spasms was an extreme beginning to a wonderful ending. I had been speaking to this amazing girl online for a long time, and we decided to meet in person and go on a date. I knew I was having these complications, but I decided to get out of the house anyway. When I pulled up to the restaurant, she was there waiting for me. I got out of the van, and while my nurse was parking the van, I decided to try to walk inside with her. As I start driving my chair, I can feel myself beginning to spasm. My back arched, pinning my head against my headrest (which is how I control my chair), and I proceeded to drive forward uncontrollably. I was approaching the drop-down of the sidewalk at an angle and going way too fast. Unable to turn my head, half the chair drove up the sidewalk while the other half stayed on the blacktop. My entire chair tipped over on its side. People came running out of the restaurant, cars on the road stopped to help, and I was lying on the ground laughing hysterically out of sheer disbelief. The ultimate sigh of relief came when I looked over to my date. A group of six or eight people surrounded me, trying to figure out what to do. My nurse is holding my head up, ensuring I'm breathing because my chair is squishing my vent. While lying on the ground, I looked over to my date. She looked back at me, and we shared a smile. I shrugged my shoulders and made a face. She smiled back and laughed, shaking her head at me. Ultimately, they dragged all 650 lbs of me and my chair away from the curb, flipped me back up, and, to all of our surprise, me and my chair continued rolling on unscathed. We actually went into the bar and continued our date. We've been together ever since, and I am screaming to the world every day how much I love my girlfriend. 

Like I said, life is a river! Sometimes, it's cool and calm, and you're chilling on an inner tube sipping on your piña colada. Other times, you're white water rafting, just trying to stay afloat. Either way, there's always something beautiful to glean from it. 

I love you all. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you'd like to know what you can do to help, you can go to TheDrewCrew.org or email me directly. I hope you're enjoying the ride on the river in your life as much as I am.