Friends,
My last two weekly e-mails were kind of downers. Sorry about that! COVID was settling in a little too close to home. We had too many people close to us with too many symptoms. Thankfully, most people I know with it are doing somewhat better now again.
We still have a family that I grew up with as neighbors that has it. They are more than challenged. The husband, wife and two kids have it and they just lost the husbandâs brother from it. The same family just lost a daughter to cancer this past year. It doesnât sound like the husband is going to make it. They just took him off a ventilator and they feel heâs brain dead. The wife and two kids are doing pretty well with their COVID. Theyâre out of the hospital now. Please keep their family in your prayers and do your part to stay safe.
We will not be getting together on Wednesday and Friday again this week. We need to let the COVID activity settle down a bit. Weâll be getting back together as soon as I feel we can do it safely. Hopefully soon!
Do you want some good news? I have some of that to share this week. We all know how hard Wendy has been working to get back to walking the past 3-1/2 to 4 years. It has not been an easy journey for her but she just kept working through or around her challenges. She hasnât used her wheelchair for a few months now. On Saturday, her husband Nino sent me a video of Wendy walking with her son down the isle at his wedding. I cried. Tears of joy. Thanks for sharing Nino! Way to go Wendy, you looked beautiful! Congratulations!
Who wants to test an e-wheel chair? I had the privledge to meet Dave Ziegler this week. Dave developed a transport wheel chair and is looking for some people to try it out and give him some feedback on it.
Hereâs a message from Dave:
New transport chair for disabled people
I am looking for people who are either partially or fully dependent on a transport chair or traditional wheelchair to test a new electric-assist motorized transport chair. It is designed to be operated by the person pushing the transport chair and not the seated person. Its electric assist will allow you to go up inclines and over bumps smoothly and easily. It has front shock absorbers to smooth out the ride and a novel handle grip to make it easier to maneuver.  These features will allow you to even travel smoothly over grass and gravel surfaces so you are not limited to smooth floors only.
I am a local eye doctor who developed an interest in mobility for disabled people when my wife became unable to walk easily. We have used many versions of transport chairs and found them to be unsatisfactory for many reasons. I have partnered with the University of Wisconsin to develop this transport chair and am currently doing user testing. I will come to your home with a protective mask and the transport chair will be disinfected. Iâll have you use it indoors and outdoors and ask you for your impressions. It would take about an hour and there is no obligation to buy anything, since it isnât available on the market. The only requirement is that you weigh less than 250 pounds.
If this interests you, please email me at daveaziegler@gmail.com or call 414.704.2020. The testing will be limited to 40 people on a first come basis.
Dave Ziegler
Please contact Dave if youâre willing to try it out and give him some feedback. Itâll be fun for you and the person pushing it! Dave has a video of it too but Iâm not tech savy enough to link the video in the e-mail. If you contact Dave, heâll send you the video.
Bonnie was looking back at MS bike ride videos and ran across this video from the 2011 bike ride. Iâm not sure who put this video together but Iâm thankful they did. This was the year they asked me to say a few words at the celebration in the tent Saturday night. The song that was used is very fitting for the times weâre going through today. This was also the year the route went on a road with fresh blacktop filled with ground up glass and there were litterally hundreds of flat tires. Great memoriesâŚlots of energy! Watch the video by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sSNfooTTp4
Letâs be thankful for our National MS Society that makes these events possible along with funding such needed research for all of us living with MS. Thanks also to all who rides with us and makes donations to support us as we ride. Hopefully we can do this ride together again next year. For all who canât rideâŚweâre riding for you!
It looks like itâs going to be too cold to ride at 7:00am Friday morning so we will not be getting together for our bike ride again this week. I encourage you to get together yourselves later in the day after it warms up a bit and ride together. Itâs important (critical) we keep moving. If youâre able to, going on walks or runs is also very good for us with MS this time of the year. It doesnât really matter what you doâŚJust Keep Moving!
Our Zoom prayer group on Wednesday mornings are a great place to get together virtually, catch up a bit and give thanks. Even though we canât get together physically, itâs so nice to see all who joins us virtually. I really like the good things coming out of this group. Itâs awesome seeing so many of you there laughing, listening, sharing, giving thanks and praying!  Even in this pandemic, we have a lot to give thanks for, donât we?
Weâll be doing it again tomorrow (Wednesday) @ 11:30am. Weâll get together either via phone or computer (your choice) and share, talk, listen, give thanks, and pray in however God leads us. Itâs a way for all of us to get together virtually to catch up and be there for each other and with each other. I hope youâll join us!
Hereâs a link to our Zoom Meeting that Ashley provided for us. Thanks Ashley! Just click or call @ 11:30am Wednesday and youâll be connected. I hope to âseeâ you there!
You will need a password now because zoom tightened up itâs security.  The password is: keepmoving
Topic: MS-Just Keep Moving Prayer Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
Password:Â keepmoving
Meeting ID: 786 859 505
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My heart goes out to all the people and families of the people that have been affected by COVID-19. This is really getting serious and close to home. Whether actually having it, being exposed to it, being affected by businesses being shut down, losing your job, working on the front line, etc. These are tough times and we really need to take it seriously and do our part of practicing social distancing and all other recommendations. I hope you and your family are safe. Letâs keep everyone affected in our prayers and pray we all get through this as safely as we can.
As we all go through this pandemic together, I encourage you to share a smile with someone. Perhaps you could give someone a call that you havenât talked with for a while just to see how theyâre doing. This pandemic is tough in many ways. We all could use a little extra love and encouragement during these times.
Letâs be thankful for all the doctors, nurses and everyone in the health care that are putting themselves at risk every day and every night as they serve those with the Coronavirus. These are amazing, selfless, courageous people! Letâs also give thanks to all the people in the world that are working diligently to develop testing equipment and ways to treat this Coronavirus. Letâs also give thanks for all the people that are working diligently to produce protective gear, respirators, and any other medical equipment to help us get through this pandemic.
We may be inconvenienced in many ways but others have it much worse. Letâs be thankful we have each other. I know Iâm thankful for you!
Letâs stay calm, focused, healthy, flexible, have faith and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day and make good choices.
See you soon!
Dan