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.

Vol1, Issue6

Volume 1, Issue 6 - June 2001

Where We Left Off…

By Vinny Distefano

Last month I probably sent a few people off wondering if I had completely lost it. The fact is I really believe there are alternative ways to communicate. Mainly because I have experienced them personally. A number of times in my life, in fact. Of course, I don’t mention them to many people. I know I won’t look good in a straight jacket.

Where We Stand

The Answer Is Out There.

When I was eighteen, I moved in with my cousins in the Bronx to work a summer job in NYC. We were getting ready for bed one night when one of us had the bright idea to see if any of us could read minds. Brilliant! There were no clues given and we were each allowed one impression. The only parameter was it had to be a real person, dead or alive. No one said anything for almost a half hour. Then I said to one of my cousins, the letters “T.J.” His face almost came off of his skull. Then I said Thomas Jefferson. He let out a yell of “Holy Sxxx” He said he was thinking of Tom Jones, but when I said T.J. and Thomas, he got a little creeped out.

Some years later, a friend said I couldn’t guess her middle name. I didn’t even know she had a middle name. We sat holding hands for about ten minutes and then I said “Belinda”. Her face went blank. She was speechless. She asked if anyone else had told me. I swore to her that I hadn’t heard it before. It just came to me. She just gave me an uneasy smile like something was wrong with me.

I have a photo hanging on my wall of my nephew picking apples at an orchard back on Long Island. In the next row over is the figure of a man, partially hidden by the trees, but clearly to all who knew him, this man is my Dad. So what. We always went apple picking there for the holidays. The only catch is that the photo was taken one year after my Dad had died. Children grow up so fast when they are young. My nephew was not that big when my Dad passed. I’m not even sure if he was even walking yet much less standing there picking up apples. My brother, who was there at the time, says there wasn’t anyone else in the field. I have inspected the negative for double exposures. The image is clearly on the negative with no trace of a double image. Was my Dad sending us a message that he’s OK and with us?

Pilots won’t say “UFO” in an incident report for fear of being laughed at or grounded. I hope you checked out remote viewing. The United States and Russia have, for many years, been experimenting with it with reported positive results from the participants. Our minds are truly the final frontier. I’m sure everyone has experienced something like these events before and just passed it off as a good guess or coincidence or a hoax. I think not. Something else is going on.

How To Get There From Here?

Finding The Keys…

So what’s all of this got to do with Angie, you might be asking? I’ve been searching the Internet for signs of life, life after an accident. So many of the phases she’s gone thru, seem to be new territory to the medical community. They won’t admit that they don’t know what will happen in the future. They look to the years of cases that have come before. Surely they must have seen miraculous recoveries, one’s they couldn’t foresee, one’s that the text say couldn’t happen. I think the last thing a doctor should say in his/her oath, is that if I don’t know the answer, I will admit to the patient’s family, “I just don’t know” and leave it at that. Let us decide what to do without the entire history lesson. Just give us the facts, please. And unless I’m buying a bottle of snake oil, don’t tell us what works and what doesn’t. If we had listened to the doctors, in the beginning, Angie would not be here. Yes, it is very hard to see her trapped inside herself, but none of us believes she will stay there. She has a long recovery for sure, but her mind is working. Perhaps there’s a way to tap into it…to reach her where she is and help her out. No one believed we could fly until it was done.

I remember “receiving “ a message returning home from the hospital on the first nite. He simply said, “She’s OK, just be patient”. It wasn’t audible words, but more of a feeling that came over me. But I clearly understood the message. From that nite, I have dedicated my life to finding a way out for her, and to help others with what we’ve learned. Angel-Hawk will be a foundation some day and Angie will be the spokesperson for it. I always remind her that she will recover to teach others. It may seem unusual, but I tell her I need her help. After all, asking her to help me when we worked together, always got her up and going. I’ll try anything to reach her mind and  “jump start it”. As long as it doesn’t hurt her, E.S.P, remote viewing, heck, I’ve even asked my Dad to see if he has any pull over there.J I’m sure The Big Guy is doing his best Archie Bunker every nite when I talk to Him, “Geeze, not you again?” There’s so much work to do. So much for me to learn. So much love for my friend. I said back in March, that it was clear another Force is guiding Angie’s recovery. That same Force has now put additional challenges in front of Angie’s family. I will do everything I can to help them, and lobby God for a “cease fire”. Enough already! He and I have some serious talk to get to. Perhaps I just need to rattle the doors of His house a little and pay Him a visit. Help has been coming in though, to Dr. Rhodes’ office to keep Angie’s HBOT treatments going. Thank you to everyone. Anyone can stop by to see her and talk to her. Just get in touch with us for directions.

Till next month, be safe…

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

Vol1, Issue5

Volume 1, Issue 5 - May 2001

Welcome

Surfing the Country…

By Vinny Distefano

This month has got to go down as one of the busiest so far. After having seen a documentary on TV and contacting their website, we’ve been in touch with folks from all over the country. More on this later in this issue. Angie is continuing to receive HBOT treatments and still progressing. That is, she is not staying in one place or losing any of her gains. Her attention seems to be more focused, at times, better than in the past.

Baby Steps

One Connection at a Time…

It seems clear that she recognizes either voices or faces or both. I judge this by the way she reacts when I visit her. If I “sneak up” on her and don’t let her know I’m there, I catch her alone with her thoughts. Unless she’s uncomfortable or in need of attention, she’ll usually stays pretty still. When she hears voices though, she tries to interact by moving her head and mouth. But when it’s someone she knows, she’s even more deliberate. I’ve done the following “experiment” over and over, and I always get the same results. If the CNA’s or nurses are in attending to Angie, I won’t let her see me and I won’t speak to her. I just observe her with the staff. She may fidget and fuss because she knows something is going on. I hope she understand they are trying to help her… to fix what’s wrong and make her comfortable again. When they’re done, she usually settles back down. She still hasn’t heard my voice or seen me. That’s when I tell her I’m in her room and walk over to her. I always tell her she’s not dreaming and I’m right next to the bed. I’ll tell her where I am, left or right, but I don’t get in her line of sight. Then, I tell her to turn her head and look at me. I keep talking to her reminding her, very slowly, to “…Stay in your room. Don’t run away from me. Don’t be scared. You’re safe here. Come and talk to me.” I watch her expressions. They’re different from when the staff was there working on her. Nothing she does happens as fast as her reactions to just talking to her. She struggles, but she will turn her head and she will find me. Now I move to another spot and do it all over again. Same results. I always tell her to go slow, to take baby steps and not to get upset. I tell her how great she is doing. I work with her only when she “feels” like it. Everyone has days when they don’t want to be bothered. On those days, I’ll just hold her hand and talk to her about “stuff”. Last week, I was moving her pillow and my arm was supporting her head. She turned her head into my arm and stopped moving. It was almost like I was hugging her. She was so calm. I just left my arm there and talked about her getting better…each day…getting closer and closer to her breaking thru. We stayed like that for a good 15 minutes, until she started closing her eyes. I laid her head on the pillow and rubbed her head till she nodded off, just telling her not to be afraid and how much everyone loves her. The calming reaction to her Mom and Dad’s voices seems to show a level of comfort and security in her face, too. We’ve all noticed these changes. As long as she keeps taking those baby steps, we have to believe she will win this battle.

Friends from the Left Coast

Heidi’s Story.

One nite, I came across a “True Hollywood Story” about a young stuntwoman who was hurt badly in a stunt accident. Her name is Heidi Von Beltz. Her website is www.FollowYourHeart.org .Her story is somewhat similar to Angie’s. Her doctors telling the family, “It’ over”. Medical and legal struggles. I wrote to them asking if they knew of a doctor who would listen and help us with Angie getting real physical therapy. They told us of the doctor working with Heidi. He is in California, but he might be able to direct us to someone in Florida. Together, they are determined to getting Heidi walking again. She has come a very long way, twenty-four at the time of the accident, sixteen years of therapy, I believe, and she is proving the doctors wrong.  Her site is also an organization that helps others as well. My goal is that Angel-Hawk will some day follow in that path. Ok, so Christy & Heidi then led us to Melanie Griffith’s web site Melanie Online- First Peek Home which took us to www.OneWorldLive.com. A great deal of information, but still not definitive answer to our question. So back to Christy I went and from there a link to Dr. Cory in Ft.Lauderdale. I’ve been in touch with Dr. Cory to explain to her Angie’s situation. We’ve e-mailed each other and I hope to speak to her soon. I know Barbara, Angie’s Mom, has spoken to someone at the Doctor’s office, but she could not get thru to Dr. Cory herself. I know Angie is not the first person to be challenged in this way. Somewhere out there is the help we’ve been looking for. And if Angel-Hawk needs to lead in this area, we will.

Waz Up?

Lights…Camera…

I met briefly with Tom & Ouida Sykes, and their son Jason, a few weeks ago. We’ve met in the past at the Wellness Center, but now their story will be included as part of the documentary. Jason has a link on the Angel-Hawk Newsletter. Mat Spaulding, who was instrumental in getting this project started, and I, have been swamped with work these last couple of months. While we stay busy in Orlando, Mat also works out of town. We are both committed to getting this film “in the can” by the end of the summer and in the hands of a broadcaster. We meet countless numbers of people coming into Orlando for conventions. Thanx to Ronnie, Angie’s father, we now have cards to handout to folks who ask about her. He has put the Angel-Hawk.org website address on both of his vehicles. I have put it on mine as well. More and more hits are being registered on the site.  As more people find out about it, the word will spread further and further around the country and maybe the world.

 

Where To Go From Here?

God Only Knows… 

If you listen long enough, someone will say, “…miracles do happen”. We’re told we can’t know why things happen, just that they are “God’s will”. And that “…prayers do get answered”. I also know, I can’t sit and wait for the answers. Every day, I’m thinking of something else to try, someone else to call. Angie is never far from me. I “take” her with me were ever I go. I talk to everyone about her. Maybe someone will know someone. I talk to her as much as I used to when we worked together. Not out loud, of course. That would be crazy…J. Maybe I can reach her on another plain. Is it possible for minds to communicate over distances? Twins have been known to feel the others pain, though separated. The government has done experiments in remote viewing. Look it up on the Internet. It might be possible to let your mind drift to another place. Is Angie doing this when she seems to leave the room? Can I meet her in another “space”? I am exploring all possibilities. It has been said that science will not be able to understand exactly how the brain works. It’s like trying to understand the concept of infinity. Space is said to be infinite. That means, every time you think you can’t go any further, you just take another step. It just keeps going on forever. It’s incomprehensible. The brain is just a human organ, like a heart or lung. But add just the right amount of chemicals and some electricity and viola, a person who can think, reason and try to understand its own existence. No one knows its limitations or even if there are any! Things that may seem strange or off the normal path to others, must now be considered and not simply dismissed. I don’t know where I’m being led. I only know I will find Angie at the end of it all one day. I end every nite with a prayer for her and her family. And to show me the path to take to help them.

Till next month, be safe…

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

Vol1, Issue4

Volume 1, Issue 4 - April 2001

Lights, Camera…

By Vinny Distefano

First, I would like to apologize for being so late this month. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to pull the documentary together in between a busy work season.

This month we’ll continue shooting the documentary on Angie and Traumatic Brain Injury. We’ve interviewed Dr. Tracy Rhodes and Dr. Scott Wittmer of the Complete Wellness Center in Winter Park, FL, where Angie is undergoing treatment. We’re also going to meet with another family, probably in May. Their son is also undergoing HBOT and has had wonderful results. We’re waiting for contact from a website in California, where a doctor may be able to help Angie with her physical therapy. He also has offices in Florida, we’re told.

Where We Stand

Trying to Make Sense of It All

When I began writing the script for the documentary, naturally, I spoke with Angie’s parents. They wanted everyone to know that this was an accident and that she didn’t do this to herself. I told them I wanted go back to the cross-streets, to show where it took place and to contact Larry’s parents to get a photo of the Harley, before and after. I thought I was prepared to go to the actual scene. After all, I was just going to film an intersection. We would explain what happened there and then move on to Angie’s recovery process. I began getting more and more nervous as I got closer. Trying to separate all of my feelings, i.e., feelings for my friend and her family, trying to compose myself to do a job, and wanting to tell a story and not hurt anyone in the process. Images of what it must have looked like were now flooding my head. And from an eyewitness, we were told then, what had occurred and how she tried to help Larry and Angie. We were also told certain facts that were never documented and so cannot be discussed, adding to our frustration. But errors in the police report will be examined and questioned. All of this will not take much time to tell, but it is important to set the stage.

Going Back

Are We Really in Charge?

Actually being there was quite surreal, like a dream or in this case a nightmare. All of the lingering questions were coming back, too. Why did this have to happen? Could I have done anything to stop it? I’ve tried to be as objective as I can, under the circumstances. So may tiny events had to add up. Imagine the precise timing in order to place the motorcycle and the car at that exact point in time for this accident to happen. There were so many chances that day to change the timing. Just a couple of seconds would have made the difference. But can we really change our fate? Are there simply too many of us on this planet and little space for errors? Or are we not unlike a record groove that follows one chosen path? No one can answer that question for another person.

Where To Go From Here?

She Knows…

During this busy time of the year for me, I can’t get to see Angie as often as I would like too or need to. I get to visit once or twice a week, either going to see her at her parent’s home, or going with the family to HBOT treatments. She is clearly more relaxed at home than at the nursing home, where daily frustrations still go on to our amazement.  We’re convinced she knows when she is home. That’s why I ‘m continuing research into getting a foundation started to help her and others like her. I want to staff a facility that would be able to care for young people recovering from serious injuries. After a person is able to respond, there are rehab opportunities available to them. But the medical community has dropped the ball on Angie and others like her. She will not be given care to prevent muscle spasms, twisting joints, pinched nerves, or any other measures to stop the painful pulling on her tendons and ligaments. Their only answer is to drug her to make her tolerate the pain. In their word, there is “no benefit” to helping her. She knows what they’re not doing and I’m convinced she is counting on us to get her the help she really needs to return to us. We all know Angie from two years ago won’t return. I know we can teach her again who she is and just to be able to talk with her again and hear her laugh would be a miracle.

We’ll catch up in May with all of the anticipate “action”. Till then, be safe…

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

Vol1, Issue3

Volume 1, Issue 3 - March 2001 

Here We Go…

By Vinny Distefano

This month we begin shooting the documentary on Angie and Traumatic Brain Injury. We'll visit the Complete Wellness Center in Winter Park, FL, where Angie is undergoing treatment. We’ll also introduce you to the Doctors and Staff there who are so supportive. We'll take you home with Angie and visit her at the nursing home to show how different she is at home with her family. 

Where We Stand

Bringing It All Together

In past issues, we have touched briefly on a number of different topics. With this issue, I will attempt to bring it all together. All of this brings me back to the accident in August of 1999. Not a day goes bye that I don’t think of how, in the blink of an eye, so many lives were changed forever. I have tried to block out that day and concentrate on Angie’s recovery. But I will never forget getting the call in our office from her Mom, that Angie was hurt. I could hear immediately in her voice that something was terribly wrong. When I asked if Angie was OK, she said “No…”. Over the passage of time though, it is quite clear, that the original diagnosis, “…if she lives, she won’t be able to do anything…”, was just a textbook answer. I completely understand the statistics that would bring a doctor to this conclusion…”The vast majority of people with this kind of and injury…”, yada, yada, yada. It is so clear that another Force is handling Angie’s recovery now.

Just a Visit

Now You Don’t See It, Now You Do

It is hard for someone seeing Angie for the first time to get excited. At first you’ll see a pretty young woman. You may try to talk to her, but you won’t see her respond to you. You’ll see a tube going somewhere. It is for food and medications and it’s going directly into her stomach. You’ll see a family taking care of their little girl as if she were a child and not 26 years old. You will see the love and dedication to do what ever it takes to help Angie get back to us. You won’t see anyone giving up on her. You won’t see that Angie does have a way to communicate with us. You won’t see that she is holding her head up or “controlling” her head more. Only a slight change, but it is a change! Explaining things to her, like where she is or if she is wearing her wrist/knee braces, calms her down. We’re sure that it is hard for her to concentrate on one thought even for short periods of time. So it’s clear that her mind drifts. You might be talking to her and it appears she is right there with you. Then, she’ll lose focus, perhaps seeing or hearing things differently and she might become agitated or afraid. All we have to do, most times, is just talk to her and remind her to “Come back to your room, Angie”, or tell her that she is safe. Sometimes she just wants to be moved a bit, and arm or a leg, to be repositioned then she’ll change gears again and return. In the past, when she woke up from a nap, she would open her eyes and almost immediately, become frightened out of her wits. This look of total panic in her eyes would drive chills up my spine and pain in my heart. I’ve seen her happy and sad, disappointed and angry. I’ve seen her emotions emerge on her face and in her eyes. I knew if I was “in for it” even before she would say a word to me. It’s funny, but I used to tell her that she has mood eyes. They change color with her emotions. Well, she not afraid nearly as much as before the treatments. Her eyes will tell us that. We’ve been told that it’s not the treatments, that perhaps, she is just at a stage where she would have done all of this anyway. I prefer to believe we’ve been Led here. I’ll never know why this had to happen to her, but I do know I will go wherever it takes me to see her recover.

Upon leaving, you may thank God it’s not you in there and you may wonder how would you be able to do it. The initial pain of your child being hurt…the countless “professionals” telling you to pack it in and go on with your life…friends telling you to take some time for yourself …having to trust others to care for your daughter, knowing that when you leave, they may or may not be there for her like you would…and on and on. I’ll tell you this. Love and support and faith help to focus us. The  “why” question(s) begin take a back seat to the “how” question(s). How can I help…? That’s all that matters now. How can we make it easier for Angie to emerge?

Is HBOT real? Yes!

The Eyes Have It

We all believe that Angie’s mind is trying to re-map itself. We’ve all heard stories of the unbelievable things the mind can accomplish. I recall a scientist, working on mapping the areas of the brains saying, “The brain will be able to understand everything in the known universe, except for itself.” No one can tell us that Angie will never come out of this. It is out of their hands, now. We believe, as a result of her HBOT treatments, cells that were not damaged in the accident, but became dormant as a result, are being “turned on”. You would have had to have been there in the beginning to see all of the changes. Machines can show the changes in the brain by highlighting the areas that were previously inactive. Tests can show reflexes that had stopped responding, now returning. We believe she is aware of the changes in her body and mind, she just can’t yet get her mind to communicate with her body. It’s as if, and I’ve told her this on many occasions, as she gets closer to beating this, she’ll be getting a Sign that it’s now time.  She may be comprehending her surroundings better as well. It appears she knows when she is at the nursing home and when she is home with her family. She acts differently at home. She wants to be where the action is. It is uplifting and encouraging. We always knew her recovery would take time. As we begin shooting the documentary, we’ll be able to show how far Angie has come. Physically, she has healed. She looks like herself, though the lack of physical therapy has added to the hurdles she must overcome. Deep down in her mind, that’s where the HBOT can reach to light the fire again. There are wonderful miracles being spoken about with respect to this kind of treatment and some of them involve TBI. The June conference of doctors from all over the world, will gather the data from far and wide and should show the benefits of oxygen therapy for a whole list of injuries and ailments. We’ll take you into a day in Angie’s life, the day-to-day regiment of things that are being done to help her and the things that are not. We’ll bring you to “A Dive” and Joe Ford, the Director of Hyperbaric Therapy will show us how it works and ask Dr. Rhodes why it works. There’s a lot to cover and we hope to make some of it available to view on the web as well.

So, we’ll keep searching for the answers and keeping you informed. As always, keep praying for Angie and her family. I know she’ll want to thank everyone herself right here in the future. I’ve told her that we’re still a team, we still work together and I will always need her help. She had asked me a couple of years ago not to leave her behind if I ever left the job. I promised her I wouldn’t.

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