Since my last post, I’ve been practicing walking without crutches (still on a leash though) when I’m at therapy and taking on the challenge of stairs (only if it’s 2-3 steps though) when out and about. Walking without crutches, even if the safety blanket of the leash is attached to me, is still very nerve-wrecking. Stairs are really difficult as well. And my left knee (my actual knee) has some issues that make walking without crutches and walking up/down stairs difficult. One of the issues is that my knee doesn’t fully bend. We won’t make a decision on if I’ll need surgery for this problem until I’ve been walking on the prosthetics for at least 6 months. I really hope I won’t need another surgery..but if I do…then I guess I’ll deal with it then. What’s another surgery when I’ve already been through 12, right?…The other issue, is part of my knee cap, on that same knee. My prosthetist has tried a few different ways to try and relieve or alleviate the pain on my knee, but it seems like it may not be a prosthetic problem. So, my prosthetist said that I should bring it up with my plastic surgeon. I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon in 2 weeks and we’ll see what he has to say…whether he can address it or if I’ll have to visit a orthopedist. Ugh..hopefully no surgery. Surgeries…not a fan.
So, remember that trip to Seattle I went on last month? The program is officially live! Check out the below links to watch! First link is about the program. Second link is about “my story”.

http://jetblueflyitforward.com/?utm_source=TripShare#!/teenas-trip

The Mullen Agency did a really great job of putting this together. They were a really great crew!

Together with my friends, Doug and Wade, we put together a fundraiser a few days ago. On 10-30-14, we had “A Nice Night for a Walk”. We held the event at Doug’s office space. There was an outdoor space and an indoor space, which contained a bar, a ping pong table, a shuffle board table, an indoor basketball hoop arcade game, and TVs. Awesome. We had a really great turnout and sold almost all the auction items. It was a really successful night, all around. Thank you Doug and Wade for helping to put everything together. We were a pretty good team! Thank you to everyone that made it to the event, to those that donated items for the auction, to those that bid on the auction items, to Doug’s staff for all the help, to my family and friends who helped out at the event, and to those that donated but were unable to make it out that night. Here are a few pics. My PT (Phil) helping me walk without crutches, me trying to shoot some hoops (with my brother standing watch, in case I fall…), and me taking a break. =)



Last night, my cousin (Annie) and I went to see the 50 Shades Musical Parody of 50 Shades of Grey. My PT’s girlfriend had the winning bid on the tickets but was unable to use the tickets, so she offered them to me (Thanks Dana!). With the horrible, wet, and rainy weather, I decided to leave the wheelchair at home…very brave of me. I figured since we had door-to-door drop pick-up and drop-off (THANKS Danny!), I’d leave the wheelchair at home and just take my crutches. Rainy weather and wheelchair do not go together so well. Annie just had to walk next to me with an umbrella and be patient…We experienced a slight hiccup once we were at the theater, but stopped to figure it out, and dealt with it successfully. I knew I was going to end up at destinations where I’d be able to sit and rest, so it all worked out in the end. My next step at therapy is to show up without my wheelchair…so I figured I’d better start getting used to not taking my wheelchair around all the time. Big step for me.


Show was very funny. You need to know a little about the book and characters in order to appreciate all the jokes from the show. And yes, there were men in the audience. It was a good laugh and the show was short and sweet.