Vol1, Issue12

Welcome

 Volume 1, Issue 12 - December 2001

2001...It’s A Wrap…

By Vinny Distefano

Wow. Another year in the can. I mentioned last month, we have made many contacts on the internet. I would like to end this year with a directory of all that we have found useful. I hope some of these links can be helpful to others. Before I get started, let me say have a Happy and Safe New Year to everyone. Some of the links listed thru out the year in this newsletter, have stopped working. The links below have been tested as of Dec 2001 and are OK.

Hyperbarics at Complete Wellness Medical Center - These are exciting times for The Complete Wellness Medical and Hyperbaric Center of Winter Park. We are proud to introduce the area's first Hyperbaric Center for Alternative Medical treatment, one of approximately 24 centers throughout the United States.

Ocean Hyperbaric Center - The Ocean Hyperbaric Center is believed to be the original center specializing in the neurological applications of hyperbaric oxygenation and the potentially recoverable brain.

H B O T Online - This site is designed to give both the expert and the lay person a clearinghouse of information for the benefits and applications of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Head and Brain Injury Rehabilitation Resources from FINR - The Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, Inc. (FINR) is dedicated to excellence in the provision of rehabilitation, education and vocational services to both children and adult survivors of brain injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Guide - The purpose of all rehabilitation programs at the Centre for Neuro Skills is to reduce disabilities, maximize independence, and achieve the maximum possible quality of life for clients who have suffered brain injury within the client's existing financial constraints.

Rancho Los Amigos Coma Scale - The Rancho Levels, as they are called, are an assessment tool or scale that does not require cooperation from the patient. Rather; they are based on observation of the patient as he responds to environmental stimuli.

Glasgow Coma Scale - Physicians and other health care professionals frequently use the Glasgow Coma Scale; to evaluate the patient's level of awareness, which indirectly indicates the extent of a patient's Neurologic injury. 

Traumatic Brain Injury - Common Vision Problems from Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain Injury Guide - The Brain Injury Guide evolved after my own brain injury and cognitive rehab at Mesa College in San Diego, Ca.

Jason Sykes - I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me. I see it in your eyes…

Mandy Bradshaw - Mandy Bradshaw is an amazing young woman who has touched many people's lives. She was severely injured in an automobile accident in August 1999 and continues to touch many people even now as they minister to her. Please pray for her complete recovery. . .

CRA - Contact Reflex Analysis and Designed Clinical Nutrition - Contact Reflex Analysis is a simple, safe, natural method of analyzing the body's structural, physical, and nutritional needs.

Hospital Santa Monica - In the past 17 years, we have treated over 15,000 patients with an alternative, holistic approach for cancer, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, candidiasis and other chronic degenerative diseases…

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center - Rancho Los Amigos has been one of America’s rehabilitation leaders for more than half a century.

Recovery Awareness Foundation – Surviving Brain Injury

Welcome to Jodi House - Jodi House is a nonprofit corporation established to provide services to brain injured adults.

Brain Injury Association of Florida - The mission of this Association is to improve the quality of life for persons with brain injury and their families by creating a better future through brain injury prevention, research, education, support services, and advocacy.

MUMS National Parent to Parent Network - MUMS is a national Parent-to-Parent organization for parents or care providers of a child with any disability, rare or not so rare disorder, chromosomal abnormality or health condition.

Quackwatch Home Page - Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Decisions

Coma Recovery Association - We are a not-for-profit organization for coma and brain injury survivors, family members, friends and professionals.

Brain Injury Association USA Home Page - The mission of the Brain Injury Association is to create a better future
through brain injury prevention, research, education and advocacy.

Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine Society - The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) is the primary source of information for diving and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide. 

EurekAlert! – The premiere Web site for science news since 1996.

HealthAnswers - HealthAnswers.com has a new look with more health info than ever! Visit our Library for our Encyclopedia and Drug Finder. Click on News for what's current. Or try Health Topics for articles, videos, and more.

The Trauma - What is Brain Injury - The most widely accepted concept of brain injury divides the process into primary and secondary events.

Never Give Up – It was December 6, 1990. I had sustained a severe brain injury in a car accident, leaving me in a coma. Over the next 3 months, I gradually emerged from that coma into a strange world that was very different from what I had known before.

Florida Dept. of Health – Health and Human Services

The National Academy for Child Development (NACD) – The National Academy for Child Development, is an international organization of parents and professionals dedicated to helping children and adults reach their full potential.  

Comas.net - Links

Coma Recovery Association, Inc - To provide information and referral to families and survivors of coma and head injury, so that they can make informed choices regarding treatment, rehabilitation and socialization alternatives.

FindADoc: Find Doctors, MDs, PhDs,Physicians, Dentists, Research Scientists – Where Doctors and Patients Interact.

Medscape – Medical links

As we continue into 2002, we will update this list. If anyone comes across a link we should add, please e-mail it to us and it will be included in the future. To the Hobbs family, all my love and continued support and prayers. To Angie, I love you, Sweetie. One day we will be working together again as we build this site and foundation to help you and others.

  

Till next Year, be safe…

 Visit “Angie” and “…For Angela” at www.Angel-Hawk.org and click on details “To Help Angela”. And send your comments and suggestions to: newsletter@Angel-Hawk.org. They are always welcome. Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx

Vol1, Issue11

Volume 1, Issue 11 - November 2001

Winding Down 2001…

By Vinny Distefano

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I know this is a “bit late” this month. We’ve had a very busy November this year, so I wasn’t able to see Angie as much as usual. I kept thinking, though, how much she has changed this year, physically and mentally. We don’t have the medical tests to show these improvements in her mind and body, but you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to see it. Something is going on up there. All because we won’t throw in the towel as the “professionals” told us. She, - goes home, has gone “shopping” with her Mom & Dad, is make more sounds, moves her head, arms and legs, especially her right leg and can relax so much that it is hard to lift her. Her two+ year detour is slowly merging back to its original path. That path will now take different turns now, but I believe she has a special purpose and mission to fulfill. It answers the question, Why?

Where We Stand

The Answer Is Out There… Somewhere.

We have learned so much this year. I don’t know how many people are injured in this way, but what I have found out is that a great many more would benefit from personalize, one-on-one therapy. This is not conjecture or wishful thinking. This is based on our observations. For instance, Angie receives a whirlpool twice weekly. The stimulation to her mind and body is so evident. You could almost see the “thank you” on her face. She is so relaxed afterwards, she will be sleepy for a while. No drugs, just a simple whirlpool bath. ( The fact is, she needs considerably less medication. She maintains her blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, etc. All of the functions we were told she would not be able to control because of the injury to her brain stem.) This is a simple therapy that needs to be done daily. It only takes about a half hour. A half hour that helps her in ways we can see. After she wakes, it is so easy to work with her. Her fingers, her wrists, her toes, etc. are more relaxed and can be straightened and exercised without causing her discomfort. She’ll let us know when it’s gone too far and she’s had enough. But now give her another half hour the next day. And the next day…

Here’s my take on it. The only logical reason it’s not happening is that we don’t have “documented proof” to show the benefits of such a program. The only logical reason a program doesn’t exist is that we are fighting against the original diagnosis. The government programs that could help with the costs of therapy and rehabilitation don’t cover person like Angie. She has been place on a shelf with any number of other people with similar challenges. I would like to work with the nursing home to see if we can come up with such a program. It can’t cost any more money. They wouldn’t be able to implement it. Their hands are tied as well. Perhaps we can start with a 30-day,intense study. We can take range of motion measurements before and after. Document changes in concentration, movement and muscle tone. I am confidant we can show at the end Angie will be measurably improved. We notice these changes after just one whirlpool. Could 1 times 30 be better?

We’ve seen changes in her before and after her HBOT as well. She used to need a sedative to go into the chamber. She doesn’t require one now. Most times she’ll just close her eyes and relax, take a nap, or just “kinda chill” looking around. There’s a TV in her line of sight. Does she watch it? You tell me she’s not!  If she gets her right leg in an awkward position, up too high or behind the pillows in there with her, most times she’ll correct it herself. Once again, when she comes out, she’s almost always relaxed making it harder to transfer her from the chamber to her chair for the ride back to the nursing home. And when she gets back to her bed, most times she’ll just relax and go to sleep for a while.

How To Get There From Here?

Changing The Future…

The short answer - I don’t yet know. That won’t stop her family or me, though. We just have to find someone out there who will listen. To that end, we’ve been searching the internet. Don’t get me wrong. We have some great people helping us here in Orlando. Dr. Rhodes and her staff have been wonderful at the Wellness Center. And we need the continued help of the nursing home staff. But I have found so many families plagued by the same questions and still no definitive answers. Why is this so difficult to get someone to listen? If so many people are experiencing the same problem, doesn’t that mean that one exists and something must be done about it?

 So, it has become obvious…just do it! We have to convince the established medical community that its solution for people like Angie is outdated and needs to be overhauled. It’s time to listen to the families and find out what’s working and expand on it. This fence is going to start squeaking. Not in an adversarial way, but in an effort to combine resources and really make a difference in the lives of people with a traumatic brain injury. The time for “let’s wait and see” is now over. It is so difficult to see some you love, so close to a break through, being held back by an antiquated system. There have been extraordinary gains in medicine and stem cell research will take us to an unbelievable future.

Somewhere, one person or a small group of people got it all started. This is the path I mentioned at the beginning for Angie. God has altered the future she had planned. She is the one person who will bring about this change. We, her friends and family, are the small group to implement these changes. The New Year is upon us. We have over 700 hits in this website since we started last January. Not bad for word of mouth. The documentary, begun this past summer, will continue. I envision the end of part one having a “Thank You” from Angie. We still need your support with the HBOT treatments. Thanx to those who have helped. We’re still waiting for the follow-up report on the HBOT conference held during the summer. That could be a large hurdle overcome if the consensus shows what we already know…It Works!

To all, a Great Holiday Season.

Till next month, be safe…

Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx

Vol1, Issue10

Volume 1, Issue 10 - October 2001

Here We Go…

By Vinny Distefano

Starting this month, we’ve setup a Guest book on our homepage. Angie’s Dad & Mom had the idea to add it. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. Even when I can’t get to see her, I’m thinking about her and her family. I’m always on the lookout for something or someone new who can help them. I think I was looking too hard and missed the obvious. Anyway, stop by and send a special message to Angie.

Also, there is another person for you to meet. Mandy Bradshaw. She had arrived in the I.C.U. about the same time as Angie. We met her folks, Pam and Rick and many of their family and friends as well. Her website is Pray4Mandy.com. It chronicles Mandy’s struggles and triumphs. They have photos, poems and letters from those who know her. All who have had a friend or family member, who has been hurt in this way, tell the same stories. The professional rejection of anything positive. The pain of not knowing, but believing in miracles. And the deep pain felt from the immeasurable love for your son or daughter, your sister or brother…your friend.

We live thru their lives. What do they feel? What do they see? Are they in pain? What are they trying to say? It all hurts us. Yet as much as we cry, as overwhelming as it sometimes seems to get, it can only be a trivial pain in comparison to being trapped inside one’s self. Every time I get tired at work and don’t go to see Angie, I feel I’ve let her down. It is rare that a few days will go by that I don’t see her. If even for just an hour or two. I’ll tell you, though, there is nothing in my day to day life, work, bills or any of the normal stressors that will ever again get me down the way they used to. When ever I’m feeling sorry for myself, I think of Angie and her struggle. It really puts life into perspective. None of that really matters if you stop and think about it. All we have is each other. It’s why we’re all here. Our faith, our family and our friends. As seen as a result of September 11, 2001, our toys or status don’t matter. We’re all in this together, no colors…no races. Just people. This is over eleven years old, but wraps it up…

Go Away

words and music

©1990 Vin Distefano

I've seen in my lifetime, too many people cry…

   While others close their eyes hoping it might

   Go Away, Go Away, Go Away out of sight.

We've all heard stories of kids needing to be loved.

    While others close their eyes hoping it might

   Go Away, Go Away, Go Away out of sight.

Nightly reported news, the morning’s front page blues.

We're all the same, no one's to blame.

Maybe it's just a dream to live in harmony.

   But if we close our eyes we all just might…

   Go Away, Go Away, Go Away out of sight.

Where We Stand

Getting Closer…

Angie has her family and neighbors checking up on her daily. Some new friend, too. She is still being challenged with staff changes and having a new CNA that hasn’t had a patient like her before. I don’t know why. So we teach them Angie-101. We request of them to follow their own guidelines: Pillows here, wedge there and switch in two hours. Put her braces on her wrists and remove them in two hours. Alternate with her leg brace so they’re not all on at once. Check her tube feeding is not empty. Make sure she doesn’t have air in her stomach. Don’t pack pillows all around her. She wants to move her right leg around. Be sure to crank the bed up high enough, 30 degrees, so she is not lying too flat. Don’t put blankets on her and don’t turn off the air conditioner! She can still get hot if she’s covered too much. We can kick the covers off, she can’t yet. Don’t work on her as if she wasn’t there. Try to be careful moving her. She can’t complain of pain. Don’t let that fool you. She feels everything. And don’t put a towel around her neck in case she vomits. It drives her crazy. She hates anything around her neck.

Please get her up and out of bed each day and put her in her chair. Tilt it back a bit so she is not sitting straight up. Please don’t let her slouch with her head hung forward. She can’t swallow in this position. And she does swallow! I don’t want to see saliva dripping from her mouth. That drives me crazy! Imagine how you would feel if it was you and you couldn’t tell anyone you were uncomfortable. Talk to her. She loves to hear voices. She “perks up” when she hears the family come in. She really mellows out when we take her out for a “walk”. She loves to feel the breeze in her face. I’ve told her parents I want to take a spray bottle of water out on these walk. That way I could “spritz” her and tell her it was a big wave on the beach. She loves the beach. She can yell at me and call me whatever she wants later for tricking her. I’d really like to get her a wet suit and take her to Discovery Cove to play with the dolphins. Hmmm, sounds like a plan…

So the next time you think it’s all too much and you can’t take anymore, think about helping someone who would trade places with you in a split second. (In NY, that’s the time it takes for the traffic light to go from red to green and the guy behind you blows their horn. Hey, the President said to get back to normal!). It’ll help you and it will surely help them.

Till next month, be safe…and please…

Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx.

Vol1, Issue9

 Volume 1, Issue 9 - September 2001

Here We Go…

By Vinny Distefano

On August 8, 1999, all of the lives that Angie and Larry touched changed. It seemed we had cried as much as humanly possible. And the world went on as if nothing had happened. Holidays, birthdays and anniversaries pass. September 5, Larry’s birthday, just passed. Certainly not a day to celebrate as it once was, but still a special day. Family and friends pause again to wonder what might have been. And the world went on as if nothing had happened. We learned this month another friend, Deanna Henderson, also a head trauma victim, has emerged to be able to communicate with us. She can now point to a chart of letters and spell out words, put sentences together and convey her wishes. A major accomplishment! And the world…

So why should the world notice all of this? Countless numbers of families are going thru the same things. All of us in the same pain and asking the same questions. But it’s not news. Not in a local, national or global sense. On September 11, 2001, all of that changes. The tears of individual families are being viewed by the world. No one will be immune from this. Terror and tragedy has touched everyone and everyone wants to help in some way. Even people, whose friends and families were not affected by this, now feel it personally. What was once a private, personal emotion, a single family’s pain, coping with an injured loved one, has become a global concern. If only we could find one more person alive in the rubble of the World Trade Center…The Pentagon. If the hero’s aboard the jet that crashed in Pennsylvania could have somehow landed that plane. Just one more person. All of the hero’s, …please God, just one more person…

We all just go on our daily lives never thinking of what might happen. Never thinking of when the last good-bye will be spoken, the last hug, the last kiss. Such things are unimaginable. The sun will set today and it will rise tomorrow. Nothing changes. Those of us that have experienced a tragedy personally know better. Every day is precious. Every hug is special. All of us matter to each other. Anyone who can help is welcome into our lives. Each one is important to the others. We are united in a common goal. Angie!  Her recovery is paramount.

The world’s outpouring of support, with aid and dollars should not have had to wait for a horrific tragedy like this to take place before we helped each other. Maybe there are some thinking there’s nothing they can do. I’m sure on September 10, many thought that. Once again, in the blink of an eye, as on August 8, 1999, lives have changed forever. We must all be aware of others in need around us. It’s personal now. From the man or woman in your building, who is leaving their family behind and is now part of the troops around the world that will take up this fight for us, to the little girl you knew next door who wants so desperately to play again. We can all help someone.

Where We Stand

Getting Closer…

I want to mention Tanna Paris at this time. She is the speech therapist who is helping Deanna. Deanna’s efforts have inspired us anew. I watched Tanna work with Dee one afternoon with amazement and we are hoping to soon secure her services to help Angie. Her techniques for relaxing muscle spasms and awakening oral reflexes is a wonder to view. Angie continues to exhibit an emerging awareness. Her gazing is slowly turning to viewing and the intervals between being either “here or there” in her mind are getting shorter. Of course, we don’t know where “there” is. It might just be a different level of concentration she is capable of, at this time. We’ve been told, though, she is not at an appropriate level of consciousness for the established programs to assist her. This is her and our limbo. And when that time arrives, what will the financial challenges be? Our fight is to find the answers and funding to get Angie and all the others like her, the help they need. Once we do, we will be a resource to others looking for these very same answers. It’s been a little over two years now. Some of what we have learned may have been able to help Angie, if only we had known about it sooner. I will not let others stumble around looking, hitting one dead end after another as we have, when the answers are out there. Cost is always a factor in whether a patient gets “quality” help. I want this to end. So many of us are helping the relief efforts underway now, anyway we can, most in small ways. But it adds up. Dozens of organizations are aiding the victims’ families. They all say the same thing. Please do what ever you can. That’s all I ask. See below how to help Angie.

Here’s an example of an answer. This website was given to me by Angie’s Mom. HospitalSantaMonica. It’s another answer for those with cancer. No one should do anything without talking to their doctor, but people need to be informed about any alternatives. Like the now so distant debate about stem cell research, answers need to be found to help people. And if it is out there, then it should not be buried or difficult to find. It should be available to everyone!  

I will continue to pray for the families of the 9.11.01 attack. Please go to www.Helping.org to help them. I also want to give out a phone number for a company, Summit Products. They are in Mineola, TX 903-569-0731. They are manufacturing bracelets and dog tags similar to the Vietnam MIA bracelets we wore (and some of us continue to wear) from the 60’s. I learned about them on FOXNews. They are no longer making donations, though. We are “the lucky one’s” left behind to wonder what to do next. Please hug a friend today and tell someone you love them. Two years ago my life changed and I stopped taking everything for granted. The only reason I get thru it day to day is because I know I’m doing something to help my friend and her family. I know you’ll feel the same way, too.

Till next month, be safe…and please…

Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx.

Vol1, Issue8

Volume 1, Issue 8 - August 2001

Here We Go…

I’m sure everyone who reads this newsletter is aware of by now, President Bush has blocked federal funding for stem cell research. Here’s the “leader” of the free world, and he simply doesn’t get it. More later. As for Angie, we’ve been practicing responding to commands with her. Simple things, like, having her turn her head to look at someone. Or have her try to squeeze your hand. She’s working so hard, and she’s showing signs that she can do it! Our documentary plans have been revised to wait and see the results of these “tests”. We’re still going to get the message out, but it would be great if Angie herself could add a “Thank You” to it.

By Vinny Distefano

Where We Stand

The Race Is On.

I guess the President has chosen the “If I stick my head in the sand, maybe it will go away” approach to the stem cell controversy. Here’s a great place to start and learn the truth, NIH Stem Cell Information

He may have asked everyone for their opinion on the subject, but apparently, the President chose to listen to the “voices in his head”:

Maybe the people trying to block this research haven’t been told it will go on without them. Major universities and corporations will do it by themselves. If these people would do their homework, and not parrot on the spin doctors opinion, and stop following blindly, they would see the truths. They’re afraid to question anything. They’ll just try to bury and cloud the issue with their own fears. Well as long as the majority of the country is in favor of this research going forward, it will find the answers, albeit later than sooner. Anyway, we’ll be trying to contact some of these research centers to ask for their help.

Meanwhile, Angie is working very hard these days. We’ve been in contact with a rehab center here in Central Florida to see if Angie can be re-evaluated for entry into their facility. She was seen by them early on, but wasn’t ready to go thru the program. Perhaps, now, with her recent accomplishments, she can find the help she needs. We’ve been purposely standing away from where she is looking. And just by talking to her and holding her hand, telling her to turn her head to look at us. She does it time and time again. It’s a very deliberate and intentional motion. There are some other things she can do, which we are working on and will report on in the future. I have made contact with a center in the Sarasota area as well. She is still short of their entry requirements, but not by much. August 8 marked two years since the accident. I think now, we will start to see her improvements coming closer together. Angie is still undergoing HBOT treatments, but still no physical therapy to speak of. A brace has been ordered to fit her right arm/hand in an attempt to help her straighten them out. Make no mistake, though. All of the treatment and rehab is, and will be, costly. So we still need your help. She’s caught in a gray area, not covered by anything but Medicare, which only covers her stay at the nursing home. The Angel-Hawk Foundation (working title) is not yet ready. We still have to form the 501c corp., talk to the lawyers, doctors, banks, etc. She’s not sick enough for hospital care programs and not improved enough for rehabilitation. This is where Angel-Hawk will eventually fill the void for Angie and all others like her.

The Future Is Coming

A Matter of Time…

Stem cells will, some day, be the normal means of treating a whole host of illnesses. I will fight with every breath in my body to get this message out there. I will not allow Angie to be hurt by small minded people tying to make themselves feel good. As soon as it becomes personal for them and they realize they already have the answer, then and only then will they “see the light” 

And sadly, on August 22, 2001, we lost our friend Ashly Nicole Oliver. You can find her web site link on this newsletter’s home page. Just by seeing this page, you can see what a happy, fun loving, wonderful little girl she was. The minister said something that made me pause for a moment. He said that everyone had prayed for Ashly to be healed and for her to no longer be in pain. Well, our prayers were answered. Ashly is now, once again, a happy, healthy, pain free little girl in the presence of God.

We will all miss you very much, Ashly. All of the Hobbs and Distefano families send our prayers and love to the Oliver family.

Till next month, be safe…

Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx.

Vol1, Issue7

Volume 1, Issue 7 - July 2001

Here We Go…

By Vinny Distefano

We’re heading for the stretch now. Filming of the documentary will wrap in August. Editing and getting it on the air will follow soon thereafter. The 2^nd International Symposium on Hyperbaric Oxygenation for Cerebral Palsy and the Brain Injured Child will be held July 25-28, 2001 in Boca Raton, Florida. The HBOT Online web site has articles on the conference and Stem Cell Therapy. Also, check out what’s new at the Ocean Hyperbaric Center website, too. They have case studies which document the advantages to HBOT. Angie continues her treatments and the journey to her recovery.

Where We Stand

The Answer Is Out There.

I’m sure, if you watch the news, you’ve heard about the controversy over stem cell research. Everyone, not just the President, needs to learn the truth about this research and the huge potential future therapies. This will be part of our future, with or without the Presidential stamp of approval.

CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--April 11, 2001--Scientists at Anthrogenesis Corporation (AnthroGen®), a New Jersey biotechnology company, announce the discovery of a novel method to recover stem cells from post-natal placentas. This method allows the recovery of a type of stem cell that appears to have the same functions as a traditional multi-potent stem cell but with unique characteristics. These placental-derived stem cells can be harvested in significant quantities and have the ability to evolve into a number of important cell types and tissues in the body.

The discoveries were made by a team of AnthroGen scientists through a proprietary process of working with post-natal placentas to mobilize and recover a broad range of stem cells in large quantities, as well asstromal elements necessary for stem cell differentiation. Post-natal placentas recovered after the safe delivery of a healthy baby normally are usually disposed of as medical waste. AnthroGen's patent pending technology covers both the stem cells derived from the placenta, as well as the technology used to recover them.

The technology promises to provide a plentiful, standardized source of stem cells for researchers developing therapies for life-threatening diseases including Parkinson's Disease, stroke, spinal cord injury and an array of organ failure syndromes. These multi-potent stem cells, which retain the ability to turn into many important cell types and tissues in the body, are vital to the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering because they may be capable of growing new mature tissues such as brain, heart muscle, liver, bone and cartilage. In addition, utilizing the placenta as a reservoir of stem cells will enable researchers to work with an available, reliable, standardized source that will help eliminate the variability among stem cells obtained from various sources, and improve the quality of clinical research…

Stem cells are the master cells for human development and were first isolated in 1998. Scientists believe that these cells could be critical to curing such devastating diseases and conditions as juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injury, ALS, and many others.” (Excerpt from HBOT Online).

The Future Is Coming

A Matter of Time…

Some day soon, I hope, it will be full steam ahead on this research. We all get so excited when Angie does the simplest things. Ronnie, Angie’s Dad told me this little gem. Don, Angie’s brother-in-law happened to lean a cold mug against Angie’s leg. When she felt the cold, she jerked it away. She normally keeps her left leg straight or will slowly straighten it when we bend it or rest it on a pillow. Angie eyes are so much more expressive now, too. I wish everyone could visit her and look into her eyes and see her there trying to emerge. She appears to be able to concentrate longer on being with you when you talk to her. Her pupils change focus more now. She does turn to look at you when you talk to her. I still talk to her the same way as I did before the accident. Sometimes just shooting the s- - t, sometimes trying to teach her something new. For some time we’ve been telling her to blink her eyes two times if she can hear us. I see her doing it more and more and not just when you ask her to. She must understand it’s a way to communicate with us. Her body posture has changed significantly since starting her treatments. Sometimes she is hard to pick up because she is so limp and relaxed. She still shows signs of “posturing”, the involuntary muscle contractions occurring in brain injuries, but this might be due to muscle memory now or what she perceives as her new “normal” resting position.  She certainly does not seem to be uncomfortable when she’s “chillin’”. I tell her about all of the people praying for her and that we’re on God’s timetable now. Only He knows when she’ll be ready to join us again.

I’ve told her I need help with this web site, too. She has e-mails to return, columns to write and other people like her to talk to. When we worked together, I rarely had to ask her for help. She would always be there for me. If something was too heavy for her to help me lift, she would round up hotel staff and tell them to help me! She was always looking out for me, yelling at me if she thought I was doing something that could hurt me. So now, I just tell her to help me again…”Help me move your leg”…”Help me move your arm.” …”Come on, young lady, time to go to work. Help me straighten your fingers”. She will let you know when she’s had enough of a work out, or she just might go to sleep during it. I guess she figures I’ll leave her alone if she closes her eyes…not!  Till next month, be safe…

Pass it on and tell a friend to stop by. Thanx.