Written by Administrator | 06 August 2011

Unfortunately with June arriving meant that Kate would be leaving to continue her own year long adventure overseas. However as one chapter ends the arrival of great mate John Dutton another began. June was a very busy month where we saw more improvements and goals reached in rehab at the center. I also had a surprise visit by one of my closest friends Angus MacInnes which really caught me off guard but was fantastic to catch up with him. Gus arrived unannounced on a Friday morning and stayed for two nights which was a lot of fun and allowed him to see what I have been up to.

Over May and June we saw even more consistency and improvement in my walking. Now back in April my best effort was 10 independent steps well by June and Kate’s departure I was just shy of walking a full lap of the court on a good day in my frame. The other exciting improvement was that we were finding that often the walking was easier without the use of electricity. This has previously and still is at times used to assist me in holding my foot up when stepping. Though towards the end of a session I would fatigue a little and find it harder to swing my foot through. This progress has allowed me to be able to set a date in which I will return back to Australia. As now with a frame and one person helping I will be able to practice walking at home.

With this improvement we are now starting to really focus on going from sitting to standing as this procedure I still need a fair bit of assistance. But by conquering this it would really give me a lot more independence and make the whole walking experience more realistic. At present when on a mat and half way we can pop easily but it is very inconsistent due to strength and spasms. Hopefully with a bit of hard work over the next few months we can achieve the goal of being able to do this action.

Now with summer in full swing here in the south we get the opportunity to head to the lake for some water skiing. Each summer the Shepherd center will hold three water ski clinics were you are taught how to use an adaptive waterski. John was quite excited to see how this would work as we had spent many a weekend at Glenbawn dam skiing before my accidents. Well I was able to pop up straight and pick up a fair bit of speed, though I still need a little practice crossing the wake. However Dutto seems certain that we will be able to master that this summer back home at Glenbawn.

Written by Administrator | 06 August 2011

Unfortunately with my time here in Atlanta I haven’t really done a great deal of trips. For first reason you are often just to tired from therapy and secondly there is just so much to organise when you are a quadriplegic. Will the destination be wheel chair friendly, do they have accessible accommodation and then all the different things that you need when in a wheel chair. So Kate decided to change this by organising a trip a trip down to Savannah which would be one of the more historical cities in America. It is situated four hours south east of Atlanta and made famous through the cotton barons in the years gone by. A city full of plantation homesteads, beautiful squares and the trees lined with Spanish moss. It was the easily one of the prettiest cities that I have visited in the world. It gives you a feeling that you have stepped back in time with Spanish moss making everything look a feel older than it actually is.

The hotel we stayed at was plum in the middle of the historic district of Savannah, with the square that Forrest Gump sat at whilst waiting for his bus during the movie just around the corner. One of the attractions is River Street which a beautiful yet bumpy cobble stoned street that runs parallel with the Savannah River. The street are filled with Irish pubs, restaurants and boutique art galleries all overlooking the river. Once you reach the end of the street you are able to board an old paddle steamer to ferry you back. They also host one of Americas biggest St Paddy’s day celebration with over half million people piling into the city. However if the water isn’t your scene there are horse and cart tours consistently taking tourist throughout the city.

Written by Administrator | 06 August 2011

Well May was definitely a very busy month both socially and physically at the center. On the first weekend while everyone was watching Will and Kate’s royal wedding a few friends thought it was a perfect opportunity for a trip to the south. Angus Sippe a good mate from London and Henry Parry Okeden and his wife Sarah who live in the states all flew in. I had missed Henry and Sarah wedding earlier in the year so i was quite excited to see them. We settled into a couple of lovely dinners, a few too many drinks and watched a baseball game that really we may have all been a little to hung over to enjoy. It was also a great opportunity to show them the Shepherd center where I spend my days and the machines that make it all happen. It was fantastic to catch up with them all and to have a weekend with friends.

The following weekend was the running of the Kentucky derby, which in conjunction with the race the junior Shepherd committee holds a race day fund raiser. This is an event not to be missed and with everyone in seer sucker suits and summer dresses it is a lot of fun. We were joined for the weekend by Sarrah and Bruce King from New York who are good friends back home. Unfortunately we weren’t able to pick this year’s winner. However after a few mint tulips which are southern cocktail tradition and one of the worst drinks you have ever tasted. It didn’t really matter if you were winning or losing as it all was going to a good cause, that being the Shepherd center.

This month also saw Kate slowly soften me up and introduce some culture into my life through a night at the ballet. Now I am the first to admit I was very sceptical of this little adventure and didn’t mention it to a soul back home. Concerned with what people may think has happen to their straight shooting, rugged country boy. Though after going to watch Ignite at the High Museum I would go again at the drop of hat and recommend others to also watch a show live. I just had no idea how strong, athletic and skilled one needed to be to do that for a profession. Anyone that can stand on their toes, move from side to side and do a squat all in time with the music will have me applauding every time.

To wrap the month up we organised to go to a hip hop unsigned artists night held by a record company here in Atlanta. Now for both Kate and I this was stepping into a side of Atlanta that neither of us knew much about. With Atlanta being known as the home of hip hop there really was no better city to introduce yourself to it. Now it was a pretty wild affair to say the least with more bling and sunglasses then you could poke a stick at. After meeting P Diddy’s entourage and a few other rappers we soon settled in and through our weight around as if this was just another night in the hood for the two of us.

Written by Administrator | 24 May 2011

On the weekend I took Kate over to Alabama to experience Nascar first hand at the Talladega speedway which is America’s biggest speedway. With the race starting at one o’clock it was an earlier start but once Jordon Bowen who is a therapist at Shepherd and his dad arrived we pile into the silver bullet and headed west to Alabama. I don’t really know how to describe Talladega it is a race track just built in the middle of nowhere with the nearest town twenty minutes away and a service station as your only amenity. But for one hundred thirty thousand rednecks I guess a servo that sells fuel, grog and smokes this is all you need.

Arriving at nine in the morning we meet up a couple of friends from North Carolina got a park and settled into a little pre race tailgating. Now it is never really a great idea to be cracking a beer at nine in the morning but with the crowd already in full swing in the car parks there wasn’t much choice but to join in. With Nascar also being the only sport that you and take alcohol into the grounds it was always going to be a little messy. For one poor old chook in front of us this was definitely the case as she was carried out before the national anthem to sleep it off.

Whilst waiting for Kate to buy a program I was able to witness possibly one the funniest and most excited two fans there. Picture a father and son combo walking through the gates dressed in jorts, there racing team singlets and mullet hair style that would have made most people jealous. They paused upon entering and the father turns to his son and takes a deep breath and says “Son it smells like Dega, it looks like Dega, God dam it we are at Talladega!” They high five and continue to walk in. Well after that comment I could have gone home a pleased man but that was only the beginning of the day.

So with our headsets on listening to car 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr who is a nascar favourite son, a beer in one hand and watching the crowd rise every time he went past it was truly unbelievable. Unfortunately Australia’s only hope and representative Marcus Ambrose crashed out early on in the race. In the end Jimmy Johnson took out the race with our car 88 finishing a close third. It was a cracking day; I think Kate actually really enjoyed her first nascar experience and seeing what the South is really about.

Written by Administrator | 24 May 2011

It is such a bizarre journey that one takes with a spinal injury when trying to relearn everything that was once natural completely from scratch. You are constantly being faced with challenges that now seem impossible, but with a lot of perseverance are very achievable. It is these achievements that have been some of the most satisfying and uplifting moments I think I will experience. During April these moments have been very evident. As I was probably a little flat and exhausted at the end of dads time here in March. We took a small step back and freshened up both physically and mentally. Being able to realise when this is required is one of the biggest challenges you face, as deep down you are inclined to just continually push and flog yourself in to the ground. Having Kate come over to stay with me for a few months has also been a lovely change. It is funny how one good friend’s presence can create the comfort of home when you are so far away.

This month was possibly my best and most consistent since coming to Atlanta oh so long ago. This was seen on all days were my walking sessions showed the consistency that the therapists have been wanting from me. Where over the space of the hour my steps are continually fluent and that all my muscles are firing appropriately. This not only makes easier for the therapist but also me as we aren’t fighting each other. Due to this consistency the boys are allowing me more freedom to work on taking steps independently. The bench mark is now ten independent steps by myself with just the AR-JO for support. Though there is a very clear goal to double this total by the time Kate leaves.

In tall kneeling i was able to show the most balance and composure of any session to date. This was seen by JZ being able to let go of his hands and remove one leg so that the only thing touching was his knee lightly on my right cheek. We would then go through a series of exercises such bending from side to side whilst keeping your torso in a straight line. We would follow this with pelvic tilts were you relax your hips then thrust them back into position. Though the biggest improvement was seen when walking on my knees as previously to take a step with my right leg I would exaggerate the weight so much that my torso would fold to the left. While now I can maintain a straight upright position and achieve an even stepping pattern.

Over the Easter weekend Kate and I took the opportunity to take in a few of the sites that Atlanta has on offer at this time of year. So with spring in full swing and everything blossoming we headed over to the botanical gardens. Located next to Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta it really makes it easy for anyone to visit. They have a sky walk which takes you above some the gardens up in the trees while the rest you just stroll through. It was actually really quiet interesting to see all the different plants and you would quickly forget that you were in the middle of city.

On Easter Sunday Rob Bartrop called in for lunch and a catch up on his way home from Tennessee. It was fantastic to catch up with Barty as I hadn’t seen him since the ball more than a year ago. With the trip being so short we thought it was best to get Barty straight up to Houston’s for some of Atlantas best bbq ribs. I glad to say I think the big fella left pretty satisfied. It was also great to catch up on a bit news from home whilst he was here.