March 15, 2016
EB Forst Cozumel Disabled Dive Trip Fundraiser
2 Weeks prior to EB's accident she received her Advanced Diver certification in Thailand.
EB has been invited thru Craig Hospital to attend
the A-1 Scuba Guided Disabled and Able Bodied Diver Trip June 11 - 18, 2016 in Cozumel, Mexico.
Help EB to attend and Overcome her Limitations!
Go to the Fundraiser link below: fundly.com
to learn more and make your donation.
Thanks again to everyones love and support for EB!!
June 12, 2015
In between crazy hail, thunder and lightning storms that are very representative of the springtime in the Rockies, it is time to update on my progress as many exciting things are happening here in Denver and in San Francisco the next couple of weeks. In-store for this blog is information pertaining to the fundraiser activities in Los Angeles and upcoming in San Francisco, a new exciting opportunity I have undertaken with the Christopher Reeve foundation, recent news on my spinal cord injury condition/therapy and some exciting tidbits about The Forst Family.
First and foremost, this last week presented itself as very bittersweet as my mom returned to Charleston, South Carolina to settle into her new house to finalize her unpacking job that has been on hold for the last year as she has been my main companion, loving caretaker, and mother extraordinaire. I will miss her greatly yet I know it will be a fantastic time for her to get some well-deserved R&R, reacquaint herself with her new community and enjoy the wonderful, sunny and beachy summer in the beautiful South. She will also get to spend quality time with my brother Chris, his wife Carolyn and their new baby Madalyn Elizabeth who was born three months ago. Our family is so excited about their news – Carolyn, Chris and baby are doing beautifully. In my mom's absence this summer, I am delighted to have my niece Rachel stay with me as she takes a summer break from her nursing program at Chaminade University in Honolulu Hawaii. She is already proving to be a great companion and roommate for me, and I look forward to spending a couple months of quality time with her and teaching her everything I know.
Some exciting news on the job front is that I have been offered a position on the very first Public Impact Panel within the Christopher Reeve Foundation – along with eight other very impressive individuals of various ages and socioeconomic backgrounds dealing with paralysis. Our focus is threefold: research, advocacy and quality of life for those individuals in similar situations. I represent the newest injured individual of the panel, the highest level of injury and with a background in healthcare, yoga and meditation. We will have our first in-person meeting in early August as the foundation is flying us to New Jersey to the foundation headquarters to discuss our future work together to coordinate efforts. The position is unpaid at this time, yet is a wonderful way to get my foot in the door with a great organization and hopefully potentially grow into something larger in the future. Little did I know that when I was at Craig Hospital staying in the room that Christopher Reeve actually stayed in that I would I be following in his footsteps to be part of the revolution to find a cure and treatment for spinal cord injuries. It was meant to be smile emoticon. I am ready to start my public speaking career, lobbying DC, continuing to teach and educate and be part of this grand plan that I somehow found myself in a year ago this summer.
Now onto the fund-raising updates. This past weekend, my very dear friend Joey Soto single-handedly organized an unbelievably successful fundraiser called Forst Fest Sun and Splash 2015; part fundraiser for my healing efforts and also a celebration of her 40th year. 2 full days...going into the nights at an ultra plush mansion on a private estate once inhabited by Frank Sinatra. Alongside awesome DJ beats, poolside fun, gorgeous vistas, live art, fire performances, friends from all walks of life and most importantly creating community –minded support – the event was a huge success with over 200 people attending. Thank you to all who made the trip to celebrate both of our lives; the outpouring of gifts, auction items, volunteer time and excitement to support for such a cause was overwhelmingly amazing. All I can say is wow! There is already talk about this being an annual event so stay tuned for 2016! This is what it's all about people… Community community community.
Very exciting news – The highly anticipated Norcal fundraiser is planned for June 25 in San Francisco at Tres, formally Tres Agaves, in the south of market area from 6 to 11 PM. The event will be yet another opportunity to gather friends and family in support of my healing efforts Including live music, dinner, drinks, live and silent auction items with great prizes, DJs and more! You would not believe some of the auction items coming in – including weekend trips to Vail Colorado, Orlando, Tahoe California… Private movie showings, catered dinners, DJ events, dog walking services, sports tickets for the Giants, warriors and San Jose earthquakes, bluegrass tickets, super expensive wine, gift certificates to high-end restaurants in the bay area, burning Man tickets, donated art from all walks of life, and on and on and on. The most exciting part of this event for me is that I will be in attendance – as this will prove my very first attempt at travel and what a better place to go but the city by the Bay. I hope to see all of you there, and please spread the word to all of your family members, friends, and to whomever would like to join us in the celebration. It is going to be a super fun event, especially since my brother Jon, his wife Amanda and his whole trademark events crew are helping plan the affair – thank you TM events, you have always been a major part of my cheering squad and I look forward to this amazing event.
It will also represent myself fulfilling a lifelong dream of traveling and circling the globe… I started this journey one year ago in May with my trip to Bali, then to Thailand, back to the East Coast where I was injured then on to Denver for rehab and finally fulfilling this journey one year later back to San Francisco. Little did I know how I was going to make this around the world trip with the bumps in the road along the way, but excitedly I will be fulfilling this. Please see event information below – I attached a few different ways of how to attend. It is important to RSVP so that we know how many will be in attendance and can plan accordingly with the venue – we are expecting over 100 people!
To reserve your ticket in advance go to bit.ly/1ImMVJB
Here is the Facebook events invite page – please RSVP:
www.facebook.com
Here is the Evite page if you choose this route:
www.evite.com
If you cannot make it, but would like to make a donation, please go to:
helphopelive.org
All levels of support are most appreciated!
And finally… My health update. I still regain very slowly more movement back in the shoulders and forearms. I am desperately working on becoming more functional, and with great patience this will happen I know. I continue to stay positive, keep an open mind, work very hard every single day of my life in and out of rehab at physical therapy and I also keep my eye and mind on meditation and yoga. I am currently investigating participation in clinical trials, yet I wait patiently for a safe and effective attempt which is more likely in the future. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as always, thank you so much for all of the continued support, cards, Facebook posts and visits. Keep them all coming, as you are all my cheering squad near and far that help me get to the finish line. You are all my glue, thank you thank you thank you. See you in San Francisco where I left my heart
love and light, EB/Elizabeth
