Dear Family and Friends,

February 15, 2016

Hello Team Preti,

Well it has been since forever that I have posted anything here so I thought it was high time to do so. A lot has happened in my life since the last time I posted anything. Let's see if I can bring you all up to speed.

At the end of 2014 we decided not to go back to Project Walk. There were several factors that prompted our decision with the first one being that Project Walk had changed. It was not the loving and supportive place it was when I first started attending. They had fired a lot of people and I learned that they had changed to a place that was only concerned about money. They didn't treat the trainers well at all and paid them very poorly. Secondly, it was very expensive staying there and I could no longer keep asking friends and family for money through my fundraisers. Thirdly, we missed our friends and family back home. We were living in an 800 square foot condo which was much better than a hotel room but still very small. There were a couple of other reasons too but they were insignificant. In any event we returned home and haven't looked back.

So what have we been doing since we have arrived back home? Well...living! I have started working out with a personal trainer twice a week and I have been able to maintain my strength. I also started working with Dr. Jennifer Hastings, a physical therapist, who is just amazing. I learned of her from a video of a presentation she gave at the UWMC on proper wheelchair fitting. I had never felt that I had been properly fitted so I sought her out. From there, she invited me to attend the University of Puget Sound where she was the Clinical Director of the school's Physical Therapy department. Then during summer break I worked with her one on one and learned so much.

Back at the UWMC, my spinal cord doctor, Dr Maria Reyes got me admitted to a program where I will get to use an exoskeleton. Although I don't put as much emphasis on the whole walking thing, this opportunity is pretty exciting.

Pauline is recovering from total knee replacement surgery and then had issues with her back. This was in one way a kind of blessing in disguise as I had to not rely on her nearly as much and learned to do much more for myself. She is doing much better now and we hope for her to be back to full strength soon.

It's great being back home with our children and so many friends. Their love and support is a special medicine all its own. Our daughter, Martina, got married on September 20, 2015 and both our sons are planning to get married. Joseph in October of this year and Chris in 2017. So, life marches on.

I think that is it for now. Thank you all so very much for walking this journey with me. Thank you for your financial support as well as all the prayers and love. Please know that I carry all of you in my heart and will always be grateful.

Blessings and much love,

Joe

September 11, 2014

Hello Team Preti,

It's has been a long while since I have posted here at HHL. It is an oversight on my part and I want to correct it right now. First of all, I am doing amazingly well. I continue to work out at Project Walk three times per week and keep getting stronger and have some voluntary movement in both of my feet. I also attended a program in New York at Stonybrook University called Empower SCI. It was amazing! I surfed, went kayaking, hand cycled, went swimming and rode in this amazing power chair that went up and down steps and over walls. It was so much fun. I also received PT and OT three days a week while there and met some of the most amazing people. It expanded my awareness of all the things I could do and for that I am so grateful.

I want to invite everyone, especially those of you in New York, to my annual fundraiser. It will be on October 19, from 1-5 pm at the Nyack Seaport. The Nyack Seaport is at 21 Burd Street in Nyack, NY. Tickets are $100 and include a full buffet, beer and wine and entertainment by ETA featuring Stevan Swann. There will also be a live and silent auction. Some of the items available at the auction include tickets to the Giants vs. 49'ers game at the Meadowlands, a weekend stay at Green Gables in Camden, Maine, a weekend stay at a beautiful apartment in Manhattan, NYC, many gift certificates for lunches and dinners, yoga classes, dance classes, floral arranging classes, artwork and more.

Attending Project Walk and staying in California is an expensive proposition and I need your support. Won't you come out to support my journey of walking again and also to have a great time with great people.

Much love and many blessings to you all...

Joe P