Monday, April 16th, I took theson and myfriend John and his mom Claudia to a local basketball benefit. The Pittsburgh Steelers played a local private boys school. And... the boys school actually beat the Steelers.
A girlfriend of mine and I collaborated for months to get the Steelers to present my friend John with "something" as he is such an avid fan - and I must mention he has been a quadriplegic for 17 years, after a high school football injury.
In one pic, Mel Blount former Hall of Famer Steeler, presents John with a T-shirt signed by Ben Roethlisberger (and Big Ben does NOT sign autographs), so John was totally ecstatic. The second pic is with Brian McFadden, former FSU player and that is John's favorite college team. All in all, John had a super evening - although we kept him up past his bedtime, which meant we had to call for help at a later time than usual to get him in bed. This was a treat for my buddy, as he had just spent over 5 months bedridden with a bedsore, and has only been getting back in HIS wheelchair for a little over a week. John is such a smart young man (34 yrs old) and sports enthusiast. His mother, is a constant worry wort - but she has devoted her entire life to seeing that John is cared for properly. The doctors and nurses are amazed at his excellent skin
condition, considering most long term quads have major skin breakdowns. I try to get in to visit them several times a week, and talk to his mom daily. Now that summer is here, we gather on their front deck, so John can watch all the traffic and his friends go by. And a great majority stop to chat with him.
THIS ONE IS FOR YOU JOHN!!! LUV YA BABY!!
