A nice quick post to let you know that this Sunday night on the show called Sunday Night on Channel 7 at 6.30pm I will be featured in one of the stories.  Channel 7 just happened to be doing some filming at Project Walk whilst I was there and they were quite interested by this Australian guy who could walk a bit on sticks!  I am hoping that it is a nice positive story about working hard and what Project Walk has to offer.  It should be, the interviews that were done seemed positive so I am hoping it is a good show.  For those of you who attended the benefit dinner and others it will hopefully give a good overview of what you helped me do.

There is so much more for me to achieve to become useful, as what I’ve achieved so far really is just a set of party tricks!  The next thing will be to turn the use of the sticks into something I can do myself without needing to be strapped to them.  If I can pick the sticks up to get out of bed or out of the chair and make my way to the car and sit in the drivers seat then look out!  How many willing passengers will I have to take a ride with the c4 quadriplegic?  This is a long way off but it is something I am aiming for and it will take a lot of therapy on my hands, arms and wrists to get to the point that I can do this.

Anyway, it is great to be back and getting some therapy again, and I will be back in the gym in the next day or two.  If you are bored on Sunday night, feel free to tune in to Channel 7 to watch the show.

Cheers,

Mike

A Night with Mike – Benefit Dinner

Today is the last day to show your support for Mike – and get him some much needed equipment – we need your forms TODAY! If you have paid electronically, could you please ensure that you have registered your payment with Monica by Email.  If you have not sent a form or emailed Monica (monica@michaelforbes.org), we don’t know that you are coming  —- and you won’t have a seat or food!  The final numbers must be confirmed with the venue by the COB today. For last minute registrations – please get the form below or from the fundraising page or e-mail monica.

Supersprint – Triathlon Raffle Winners

Wrapping up a great weekend, several michaelforbes helpers sold many raffle tickets at the St Kilda Triathlon.  The raffle raised about $2000 and will provide Mike with an extra week of active rehabilitation in the States during May.  Thank you to all who donated through the raffle and those helpers who kindly gave up their valuable time over the weekend.  The winners of the raffle are:

• 1^st prize – Giant DEFY road bike (valued $1190): D. Richardson, Sandringham
• 2^nd Prize – Free entry in Supersprint Great Ocean Road Ride 2010: J. Bradley
• 3^rd Prize – 2 Wilson tennis racquets: C. Matthews

All prize winners not already contacted will be contacted shortly.

I had been gone for less than 24 hours when I spoke to Mike on Wednesday afternoon and he had met with TAC and was getting sorted for a mid-December discharge. Apparently this followed a meeting with a private re-hab clinic in Ivanhoe earlier in the day! I thought I was going to get a rest when I got home from NZ – apparently I have been very, very wicked (as they say no rest for the wicked!).

The private clinic is interesting as they didn’t want a bar of Mike when I rang 3 months ago and begged them to take him but now the Prof at Talbot has put in a query we get a different response. Will followup more. Mike very keen to be an “out” patient as opposed to an inpatient and Ivanhoe is further from home but will check out the program and facilities – if it looks good then off he will go!

The land of the long white cloud (and cold temperatures and biting wind) was good. Didn’t really get out much but the conference was excellent – nice to see that there is research going on all the time and all over the world and that they are making good progress. Hoping that the recommendations from Canadian research about early surgical intervention and also the vocational work from NZ on early community integration get picked up here quite quickly. Also got a chance to do lots of reading while I was there so feeling highly motivated, very well informed and all a bit clever really …… well except for the surgical talk over b’fast that I nearly lost and all of the research papers that used words and acronyms that I need to go back to uni to understand!

Have lots of highly inspiring, humbling and interesting quotes that will have to go in the next post as it appears that I will  be late in for MIke’s appointment this morning unless I stop rambling shortly!

Another fantastic and very busy weekend at the blue house with Mike’s sister and parents down – lots of kids playing, lots of great food and plenty of relaxing for me which was great. Mike had lots of good therapy sessions too which was awesome. Although, we might have tired him out – I popped him on the trampoline for some stretching but by the time I went inside to grab something Mike was fast asleep! Anyway, he had a lovely alfresco nap which can only be good for the soul! And for the record, when we put Mike on the tramp, we lie him down and do some stretches and move his back around to release it — he is not up doing supported jumping!

Enough, lots more to say but will try again for another post tomorrow.

Really glad to hear that Will is doing well, can’t wait to see him on his visit back to catch up on his news – we keep using him as an example of how fit and well you can get to some of the new para’s in at Talbot (so I  hope that is OK! …. you better be looking great when you come in Will!).

Thanks to Jules who is doing an amazing job (made harder by my e-mail dramas, inability to make a decision or have all the right pieces of paper with me at the same time) with the cycling kit. She clearly needs some sort of medal (or a free entry to mental asylum for working with me!!) Kit goes off for production this week, very exciting!! I can’t wait to get some pics of it up on the site — maybe you can all get it as a new years present instead of a christmas one!

Support Forbesy and grab a piece of sporting history
If you’re coming along to the Track World Cup sessions on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights (Or even if you’re not), you can place your bid to take home one of these great sporting memorabilia items.

All items have Certificates of Authenticity, other than items 6 and 7.

These items will be sold via Silent Auction during the evening of Track World Cup sessions. If you can’t attend, please email your high bid for the item to Monica. The highest bidder on each item from those in attendance or from email pre-bids will win the item. All winning bids must be reach the Reserve Price.

Don’t miss out. Make your bid now!

SuperSprint Degani Kinglake Ride is on this Sunday.  Come on up and join the fun.

Many of you will be aware that over many years,Mike has been a regular participant (and podium finisher!) in the SuperSprint Gatorade Triathlon Series. The team at SuperSprint have very kindly offered to help Mike, Mon and Ash through the upcoming Degani Kinglake Ride, a new recreational ride to be held this Sunday 21 September.  Many of Mike’s friends will be taking part in the ride and will be around at the finish at Whittlesea Showgrounds. 

Monica and a few others will be up there on Sunday selling Raffle Tickets in support Mike’s Projects.  Not only will tickets help Mike and Mon move towards these project goals, it will also give someone a chance to win a Giant OCR-1 Road Bike worth almost $1300.   Many thanks to Giant Bicycles for donating this great bike and helping us out.

We’ll be hanging out near the CBD Cycles tent and will also be wandering around the Showgrounds chatting and urging you all to dig deep.  See you Sunday.