Hello all!
Intern Janelle is my name and Online Writer is my game... or position, if you will. I would first like to introduce myself before posting some of the fun and fancy stuff I have come across.
I'll be graduating from Montclair State University in December. I was one of those high school seniors who thought I knew exactly what I wanted, where I wanted to go, and was stubborn about leaving my options open. Four years later, I'd like to think I finally got it right. I'm happily graduating with a BA in Communications Studies and a minor in Journalism. I have plans of immediately studying towards a Master's degree within 6 months of completing my undergraduate education.
I am interning at the Reeve Foundation for two reasons. One - the obvious reason is for school purposes. Receiving credit and experience in journalism, and learning about a different style of writing, reporting, and journalism. And two - I'd really like to believe I am helping those who might feel out of place by living with paralysis. Long story short, I was only born with one kidney and often have an "out of place feeling" because of it.
Outside of education, I'm an avid dancer. I could go on and on about my interests in that, but I'll keep it simple and just say it is my passion and keeps me sane! I also love sports. Football is a religion to me (Sundays don't mean sitting in church for me, they mean sitting in front of the tv watching the games for hours on end.) Hockey is a close second. I am proud to say I'm a fan of the Miami Dolphins and New York Rangers!
So there you have it - the 'short' version of about me. I'm not what you would call shy by any means, so I will try my best to post some interesting stuff in hopes you will keep coming back for more!
Happy 2nd of July! Great day, great day... the anticipation of the 4th of July holiday is building. The real reason for the 4th is not to have an extra day off of work, not to barbeque, and not just to watch fireworks. After all, it is really called Independence Day, we just remember it as the 4th of July, well, because that's the date it falls on.
So during this holiday weekend, in which we celebrate in the midst of the summer, let us not to forget two important things:
1. Our independence, and all the troops fighting for our country. I send a sincere thank you and appreciation to them all!
2. During all the fun and cheer, our summer safety! Here's a checklist to remember all the important tips to remember this summer... You might remember to put your helmet on when you ride your bike; but, do you wear it properly? When you go swimming or diving, do you check how shallow the water is? Do you enter feet first?
Read more.
Hey everyone :)
Like the awesome Janelle I also have the privilege of interning here at the Reeve Foundation. I am currently working on building the Reeve Community and finding fun and interesting outlets with great information for everyone to share...quite an exciting job!
Just some facts about me, I'll (hopefully) be graduating in May 2010 from James Madison University in Virginia, a place I like to call my second home. From the first days in college I dove right into my majors and have enjoyed every class with great teachers and friends and am sad to see it all coming to an end. Starting in the fall I will be working towards finishing my two majors: Marketing and Corporate Communications. Upon Graduation the plan is to enter the business world but traveling the globe or joining the peace core are two other options that I like to dream about.
Except for Sunday morning, which is spent at church, you will be able to find me out in the sun or involved in some form of action. Growing up I played every sport possible and followed 3 teams religiously. I still try my best to keep active and avidly follow the teams I love. There are plans in the works for possibly running a marathon come October with Team Reeve in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. I simply can not live without the BEST TEAMS in sports: Yankees, NJ Devils and the GMEN (ny giants).
Over all I am pretty laid back and like to say I’m up to try anything at least once. I feel lucky to be working here and am here to help in anyway I can. Keep an eye out for future post, both Janelle and I should be able to keep you guys entertained.
Any suggests, comments or questions are always welcomed!
Enjoy life to the fullest
Michelle
I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend! The weather cooperated and gives hope that the rest of the summer will be twice as nice.
With that unfortunatly comes the next topic I am soon to begin writing about.. back to school.. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know, eech! Those words arn't exactly ready to be said yet.. it's okay we have time.. but I wanted to get a jumpstart on what it means to go back to school if you are living with paralysis.
In doing some research yesterday, I came across an area of back to school I hadn't even thought of... going off to college. There are certainly some extra factors to be considered, (aside from picking the right school and major, to live away or commute, etc.)
This fact sheet from the Paralysis Resource Center is the perfect starting off point of doing research for my next story, but if anyone else has advice or avenues to look into, please feel free to reach out to me! All suggestions are welcomed!
Happy day!
Mahalo! (That's hi in Hawaiian)
I had a feeling I would like my internship when I first started, but what I didn't know is how much information I would come across that would actually interest me. Being a journalism minor in school, I was more worried about getting a good grade or making sure I had all the facts, so I didn't enjoy/embrace what I was writing about as much as I would have liked.
At the internship though, some of the things I am finding out are unreal and I want to learn more just for personal interest.
For example, recently, I had the chance to write a story for the Foundation about service dogs. At first I was excited simply because I am a huge dog lover, but the more I read about service dogs, watched videos, and spoke to service dog owners, the more I enjoyed writing! I titled the piece 'Service Dogs to the Rescue!', because whether you are living in a wheelchair or not, I really do believe dogs (and animals in general) have that certain something about them that just adds happiness to your life.
Make sure to read the story here! I love my dog, Bruno, immensely, but even I wish he could do some of these tricks I would never even think to teach him! But even aside from the tricks, I was pretty intrigued when I found out some of service dogs are raised by prison inmates, the dogs and service dog owners must go through a great deal of training, and how much the dogs can truely impact someone's life.
Woof, woof! Happy reading!
Hey Janelle,
In your service dog research, did you find any information on service monkeys? I saw a story on The Today Show several months ago about service monkeys. While maybe they could be helpful, the care of the monkey looked overwhelming to me. These people in the story had this huge wall to wall cage to house their monkey plus the monkey itself required a lot of care.
My husband is a C3-C4 quad and requires a tremendous amount of care, but I would rather care for him than change monkey diapers for the next 20 years. Dogs are wonderful...we have 2, but monkey diapers...no way for me.
This past Thursday I spoke with Nicole Marquez. I don't want to give away too many details, but just wait until you read her story. Talk about someone with a positive attitude! I'll be working on her story this week, but I just have to say how inspiring she is. She was injured in August 2006, so almost 3 years ago, breaking ribs, her back, and puncturing her lung.
Everyday I am amazed by some of the feats people accomplish after going through such serious injuries. I was particularly drawn to Nicole for two reasons. 1. She was pursuing her dream of being on Broadway... being the dancer I am, I had to speak with her. and 2. She told her therapists on the first day, "I want you to treat me like a football player. Don't take it easy on me." Clearly, she wasn't looking for her recovery to be a slow process.
Pretty soon you'll be able to read Nicole's story in the Tell Us Your Story section of website. In the meantime though, take a look some of the other stories posted there. All of the people featured prove that life doesn't stand still for anyone, and they kept on pushing!
Happy dancing to all!! Keep on leaping through life!!
Friday night I'm out to dinner with my parents and the place we were at had ESPN on. My eyes were glued to the TV; and surprisingly, not just because it was Sports Center that was on, but because of the story they were featuring.
Sports Center was featuring the Yankees and a program called HOPE Week they had running all last week during games. Ironically, I was at a Yanks game last Monday and saw this program but it didn't dawn on me until I saw the story about it on ESPN and online. Here's a little blurb of what it was about...
"The New York Yankees are proud to introduce HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel), a unique week-long community program that will bring to light five remarkable stories intended to inspire individuals into action in their own communities. The creation of HOPE Week is rooted in the fundamental belief that acts of goodwill provide hope and encouragement to more than just the recipient of the gesture."
Check out the rest of the itinerary of HOPE Week
A little bit of hope goes a long way...
I was eating dinner with my mom and dad last night, when I looked over at my dad and said, "Hey daddo. (I call him daddo sometimes). Did you see that awesome dish Giada made today?"
Giada De Laurentis on her Food Network show Everyday Italian, made a super simple ravioli dish with browned butter, balsamic vinegar, parmesean cheese, and toasted walnuts on top. Here's the recipe!
Now while I loveeeee to watch Food Network, I barely ever cook . (I make a mean bowl of cereal though. I like to mix types, like this morning for instance, I mixed Chex and Kix.) Even this Giada recipe seemed easy enough to make, so I might actually try it if I can work up the courage and promise myself I won't burn anything.
But that got me thinking a bit, more often than not, you are standing when you cook, so what are some challenges of cooking in a wheelchair? The stove, for instance, might have to be at a lower level to cook on top? Or what about ingredients, are they in lower level cupboards? Any ideas? I'd be glad to hear them!
In the meantime, checkout this brand new site, Erin's Cookin' -- she has a new book Erin's Cookin' with One Hand Behind My Back, and here is a list of Cookbooks and Cooking for People with Disabilities from our Paralysis Resource Center!
Christmas in August! Not quite.
We’re not decorating any palm trees with holiday lights, but we are currently working on a holiday guide gift for the 2009 holiday season. Yes, it is only August, but we’re asking if anyone has any suggestions of gifts people in wheelchairs have found to be useful.
Please reply with any gift idea(s)! Preferably, we are looking for items that you have used or given, and would recommend based on how well they have worked. The more, the merrier! Mmm, I can smell the ginger bread cookies now!
"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think." -Randy Pausch
Currently, I am reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Some of you might have heard of him, seen the lecture, and/or the read the book. The Last Lecture is by far the most uplifting book I have ever read. Maybe that is ironic considering Pausch, who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and passed away on July 25, 2008.
People say all the time, 'Live every day as if it were last.' But do we ever really do that? Maybe, but probably less often than we should. Pausch, despite knowing his life was ending in a few months, really did live every day to the fullest. A friend I've known for years once told me, 'Things always have to get worse before they can get better.' I pretty much think he's right so that has stuck with me since. For Pausch and his health however, his medical condition would never get better, but his attitude sure did.
It is extremely difficult to explain how motivational Pausch is in this book and lecture. Actually, movtivational is an understatement. The book itself is only a little over 200 pages, and a quick read. Click here to see the actual lecture he gave almost two years ago on September 18, 2007, entitled, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."
I can only speak for myself, but the entirety of the message behind The Last Lecture really made me take a step back, look at life, and appreciate all we have, despite whatever hardships might come our way.
The next big story I am working on is a 2009 Holiday Gift Guide for people in wheelchairs - from youth to adults. A gift for anyone! Please feel free to reply to this post with any suggestions! It'd be more than helpful!
I must say, I have had some serious fun looking at tons of gift ideas, especially the toys and gifts for kids! Brings me back to my youth a bit! While searching yesterday, I came across something that was actually tied into the Back-to-School: What it Means When You're in a Wheelchair story I just finished. (Back-to-school is upon us, so check out the story. There's some helpful hints from parents and students!)
One mother had suggested buying functional school supplies; such as those gripper pieces that can slip on a pen or pencil for a better grasp. I'm assuming you can probaly find them anywhere school supplies, like folders and notebooks, are being sold. I found a bunch yesterday while looking for toys. They just look like fun - everything from the shapes, bright colors, and size of them all!
Oh yeah, and while I'm on a roll talking about pencils, writing, and bright colors... I just got off the phone with Crayola... most of the time people will say, "Have a nice day" when they hang up. This representative said, "Have a colorful day!" Haha, I love that!
Are you ready for some footballllllll ?!?!
There are certain days throughout the year I consider holidays, even though they are not actual holidays pre-printed on the calendar. Take the first weekend of official NFL games, and the Super Bowl for that matter... something tells me I might not be the only fan considering it a holiday. I am quite excited that tomorrow is the kickoff to the 2009-2010 NFL season. (PS: My Dolphins play their first game on Sunday... whoop whoop, go Miami!!)
Aside from pro sports though, there are tons of wheelchair activities and games out there. The Reeve Foundation's Paralysis Resource Center has quite a few videos on wheelchair activities and games, such as golf, tennis and even scuba diving. Instead of turning on the tv to watch something (unless of course, it is one of this weekend's games!), take a look at the videos and be prepared to be inspired, because you might want to go out and shoot some hoops on the basketball court yourself!
If you're a wheelchair athlete, let us know! We'd love to tell your story in the Tell Us Your Story section of the site!
My last post was about adaptive sports and my favoriteeee football team, the Miami Dolphins. Well it ends up that in just 5 days (which will feel like forever to get here,) I will be on a plane headed to Miami to see the Phins take on the NY Jets on Monday Night Football, ahh, a clash of AFC East rivals. I'm pretty certain I will return back to Jersey with zero voice!
So you are probaly wondering how my Miami trip relates to spinal cord injuries and wheelchair users. Easy. At the same time I was in the process of booking the trip, I was also continuing to work on the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide for People in Wheelchairs. Since working at the Reeve Foundation, more things stick out to me, like travel. In the gift guide, one item we feature is the Comfort Carrier. Take a look at it, see videos, and read testimonials from wheelchair users who have used it at www.gimpgear.us. The Comfort Carrier makes traveling a breeze, especially air travel.
So this Sunday, when I'm flying high to Miami, if there is a wheelchair user on my flight, I will be sure to mention the Carrier.
Happy flying! (And Go Phins!)
