Hi All

Just a very quick one:

- Mike did type ALL of his second post

- he has new party tricks for his bash on Sunday

- we have been advised by the hospital that it is a dry-premises … rah, rah, rah, boring snoring but anyway, Mike needs every bit of his nervous system so no wine is good for him. Just wanted to make sure that everyone knew. Maybe we can have ginger beer — or I suggested going and sitting just outside the boom gates to have a quick tipple

- Mike wants to catch up with people, not receive presents.

Welcome all to my second post.  In this post I wanted to try and thank everyone who has helped me get to this point.  From the events that have been relayed to me of my first 12 days this would be an impossible task without missing anyone.

So rather than attempt to do this please take this e-mail as heartfelt thanks to the people that helped me including the ambulance officers, doctors and friends and of course family that are the reason that I am here today so thank you, thank you, thank you.  

I have been humbled by the wonderful assistance and the willingness of my friends to move heaven and earth to help my lovely wife and my daughter to manage this ordeal.  I simply have been unable to believe the way people respond to such adversity and help people in need.  I cannot possibly describe my gratitude even close to how I feel so please just take this as thank you as I know you have helped our wonderful family. 

I’m not yet familiar with the full response of the community of my cycling friends, work colleagues, mother’s group friends, triathlon friends, university friends, and school friends but I’ve certainly had communication and some wonderful encounters with friends I have not seen for years.  It has been overwhelming and wonderful relief from the daily grind of getting this wretched body going again.

I’m now well settled into the rehabilitation routine and am enjoying the small improvements that my body is making everyday.  There are some wonderful signs with my body with some movement in my legs, abdominal muscles, and even my thumbs.  I’m aiming to make the most of any movement I get in any limb.  It requires a lot of effort and most of all patience.  You would not believe the concentration it takes to move a muscle that used to move of its own volition just 1 mm.  it is so rewarding when you focus your mind and get something to move that has not moved for two months.  This condition is about setting a new baseline for your body and celebrating every little achievement like it is the biggest achievement in your life.  It has been very helpful to have some past achievements of mine to compare this to. As silly as my small achievements seem, they must be celebrated.  I’m not trying to pretend that all these achievements are my own.  Despite breaking my neck in two places, I certainly have been a little lucky with my injury.  My injury is giving me a chance to use parts of my body again.  I intend making the most of this chance.

Before completing this message, you would not believe the thanks owe to my family.  My wife, has been simply amazing as a lot of you already know. Quite simply I owe her my life.  My lovely mother and father and my parents in law have basically given their lives away for long enough for me to get back on track.  The love I feel for all of them is amazing.  Families are wonderful and don’t forget your own as you read this message.  During this ordeal my grandfather has passed away.  My grandfather died at the age of 96.  Certainly a very full innings to say the least.  He lived life to the absolute fullest and everyday was a fantastic day.  As sad as I am to have missed his funeral I’m taking the spirit in which he lived his life and applying it to my own.

This Sunday is my 36th birthday and to celebrate my first bonus birthday we plan on having a nice quiet barbecue at the rehabilitation center.  If you would like to attend please feel free to drop in from 11:30 onwards.  Come and say hi and have a snag and maybe some cake if there is any left. 

Regards,

Forbesy.

email: Michael@monichael.com.au

Monday 25/08

1 – 2 – FES cycle

2:30 – 4 – massage

4 – 5 – OT

Tuesday 26/08

12-1 – OT

1:30 – 2:15 – Drs round

3:30 – 4:30 – PT

4:30 – 5:30 - reflexology

Wednesday 27/08 -

11:30 – 12:30 – Kinesio

1-2 – PT

Thursday 28/08

11 – 1:30 – OT outing

1:30 – 2 – Margaet

2 – 3 – PT

3 – 4 – TAC

Friday 29/08

1-2 – OT

2-3 – PT

Saturday 30/08

1-2 – Cranio

6:30 – 7:30 – Kinesio

Sunday 31/08

Mike B’day. BBQ and stuff from 11:30 if people want to drop in.

Catering not promised but there will be snags and bread and Ash and I will try for a cake!

All,

A big, big day! I hope no-one came in to visit ….. b/c we weren’t here!

A huge thanks to everyone here ….. especially Nina and Jenny for organising our impromptu and very rushed ‘day leave’ education, to Erin for the ramp and Theresa for the physio tick!

Mike has been missing his eggs provencale at Babble on Babylon in Elwood. Marty had offered to send some in, but Mike maintained that he wanted to eat them himself hot straight from the stove-top!

Needless to say, it rained on his parade … literally! As we sat down outside (b/c that way there were no steps) it started to rain. We got inside without a drama – a huge well done to Mike!

A massive thankyou to Marty and his crew for being so welcoming and accommodating. Nothing was too difficult – making space for us inside, holding the door open and even finding a fork that would fit in the palm pocket! Oh yeah, and fantastic eggs and beautiful juice.

A big outing and a huge milestone achieved. We checked out Cam and Michelle’s new place ….. we need some ramp building experts to come up with some ramp arrangements to get us inside …. before heading back for a rest.

As usual, a massive thanks to Cam and Michelle for making nothing to difficult and for hanging out with us as we worked our way around. Not sure whether the girls had better table manners than Mike – his eating is getting unbelievably good!

Now time to watch the swans smash the pies … Cam & Michelle have brought in some much requested indian to watch the game we were all going to go in to watch live.

A busy couple of days so not much time to post anything.

Lots of visitors on Friday and then over the weekend too, so thanks to everyone who came in — especially the lovely Julie who came equiped with lots of yummy treats and who managed to get Ash to play and talk to her! See – Miracles are possible!

A good day for Mike today, he’s still resting his weary shoulders and just trying to spend a bit more time each day in the chair. He has mastered the art of “what’s the time Mr Wolf” even though Ash thought it was a ‘leg game’.

Last Thursday Talbot received a FES bike for trial which we had been looking at for Mike anyway. They use electrical stimulation to trigger muscle groups in an order such that you can “pedal” the bike with your arms or legs. You sit in the wheelchair and roll up the machine, get hooked up and off you go. Mike managed 15 mins on his arms last week – video to follow shortly and 15 mins today with his legs — surely there is some muscle memory there and they will just start peddling on their own???

Suffice to say that Mike felt and looked much better after a spot of ‘exercise’. It must have been good for him – he ate for Australia that night. He has already been hassling the physio’s to get use of it each day. If not, we have to buy one for his room! On another good front, they are doing some tests that mean he might be a step closer to hydro – that damn super bug they gave him in hospital seems to be a bit of a stumbling block at the moment so fingers crossed all.

Most importantly … on to a HUGE list of thankyous: Danny for organising pickup and availability of some fantastic items for auction at the recent SKCC ball, SKCC committee for letting us auction said items at the ball, Spoken for donating a frame and jersey for auction, Giant for donating a bike, Matt Lloyd for signing and sending over a jersey for auction, Firinn (by Chloe Elizabeth) for some wonderful jewellery pieces, the fundraising committee for all their time to date, Jules, Lorian and Pete for whipping up some brochures at the last second, the Belgian Beer Cafe for buying the frame and giving it back for us to re-auction, Pro-Motion for buying the jersey and donating it to Mike — it is up on his wall at the Talbot and gives him a huge lift — youandiride.com for donating a pro-ride day which was a huge crowd pleaser, and Baden Cook for offering to come on the ride day with the highest bidder. Oh, and to the SKCC club champ (who shall remain nameless) who allowed himself to be auctioned off for a blind date! Also a massive thankyou to Inner Circle and ANZ for their amazing and humbling contributions. And of course a huge thankyou to all the people I have forgotten to include here. The usual suspects who just hang out and keep us company so that Talbot doesn’t seem so much like a hospital, to Harri, Chris and Scott for the fantastic work they are doing with Mike, and to those who keep cooking for us. And to all of you who keep posting messages of support – thanks!

Ash and I did our first ‘normal’ think since Mike’s accident yesterday when we took Charli to the park and for a play. She loved it so might have to make sure I do that a little bit more often over the coming weeks.

The OT’s are heading out here on Wednesday to check out what modifications we need to do to the house so better race off and de-clutter! Look out neighbours — stray pieces of furniture and some boxes might be landing at your place tomorrow in an attempt to make the house look wheelchair friendly!

And lastly a confession ….. I had trouble working out how to post messages on the site (to those of you I work with, this in fact will not be at all surprising) so the catchy, journalistic titles are all thanks to Sparky (Mark Mathews) and nothing to do with me. I am sorry to say that I will fail dismally but hopefully Sparky will come over the top and tidy up my poor attempts!

Hi,

Please see below details of Mike’s program for next week….

Monday-
PT – 1-2
massage – 2:30 – 2:30
OT – 4 – 4:30

Tuesday -
OT – 12:30 – 1
Drs ward Round – 1:30 – 2;30
PT – 3;45 – 4:30

Wednesday -
PT – 1:45 – 2:30
w/chair rugby demo – 3 – 4:15

Thursday -
PT – 2 – 3

Friday -
IT consultant – 10 – 12
PT – 1-2
OT – 3-4