I wrote here previously about our plans to travel to Florida for Deb to receive biofeedback treatment for her condition at the Bruckner Biofeedback Center in Florida (http://www.mjhh.org/spservices_bio.html). The center has worked with many individuals to teach them to more effectively use motor cells in the brain and spinal cord. Our intention is that Deb will regain control of the nerves and muscles that are still active in her body and that she will eventually walk again. Check out the link to learn more about what they do.
We learned that our insurance will not cover the treatment because they consider it to be "experimental". Not to be deterred, we decided to raise the necessary funds ourselves. The treatment itself will take 3 weeks at the cost of $3000. Deb's three week session is scheduled for the first week in March, and with the end of the year approaching, time is running short for us to generate the money for the treatment and the hotel stay for our family. To help us reach our goal, we have established the Deborah Akbar Treatment Fund to which our friends, family and well-wishers can donate to help us defray the expenses. We ask that anyone interested use the "Donate" button on this blog to donate. We really appreciate and are most grateful for any and all help and the good that it does will be chronicled in detail at this site.
We hope for much Peace, Happiness and Abundance to you!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Deb's Family
I got to spend time with Deb's extended family this Saturday and it hit me where it is she gets some of her positive spirit and inspiration from. It was a clambake hosted by the patriarch of family that fostered her from the time she was 12 until she left for the Army at age 17. I always thought it was a blessing that Deb was brought into a family that truly loved, cared for and accepted her at a time when she could have started making choices that would have led her down a number of paths all too often travelled by young women with troubled childhoods. I found that her situation was more than just luck or coincidence, though I truly believe she attracted herself to the situation through her own imagination and faith. But her case was not unique in the family that I got to know a little better this weekend.
I learned that at least four of the cousins that Deb grew up with were also adopted or fostered into at least 3 different households in this clan. I guess the reason I had never heard this news before was that once accepted into this family, there is no distinction between how one is brought into this family, through birth, marriage or simple heartfelt embrace. Somewhere, this entire clan was instilled with the idea that sharing as much love as possible didn't end with blood ties.
The patriarch of the clan is an executive at NASA with a ton of community involvement and recognition. He greeted everyone at the clambake as if they were the guest of honor. He even remembered that I was fasting until sundown because of the Muslim observance of Ramadhan and that I didn't eat pork. He set aside some all-beef hot dogs cooked separately just for me. It was only the second time he had met me.
Deb's Mom is a very sweet and level-headed woman full of caring as well as grit. Though no one is perfect, she gave my wife just what she needed at a critical point in her life, a stern hand applied with love and caring. She continues today, letting my young adult son stay with her while he gets his life on track. I'm sure she can handle this challenge just as well, if not better, being wiser than before.
I am very grateful to everyone who helped to guide my Deb to be the woman I have come to cherish.
I learned that at least four of the cousins that Deb grew up with were also adopted or fostered into at least 3 different households in this clan. I guess the reason I had never heard this news before was that once accepted into this family, there is no distinction between how one is brought into this family, through birth, marriage or simple heartfelt embrace. Somewhere, this entire clan was instilled with the idea that sharing as much love as possible didn't end with blood ties.
The patriarch of the clan is an executive at NASA with a ton of community involvement and recognition. He greeted everyone at the clambake as if they were the guest of honor. He even remembered that I was fasting until sundown because of the Muslim observance of Ramadhan and that I didn't eat pork. He set aside some all-beef hot dogs cooked separately just for me. It was only the second time he had met me.
Deb's Mom is a very sweet and level-headed woman full of caring as well as grit. Though no one is perfect, she gave my wife just what she needed at a critical point in her life, a stern hand applied with love and caring. She continues today, letting my young adult son stay with her while he gets his life on track. I'm sure she can handle this challenge just as well, if not better, being wiser than before.
I am very grateful to everyone who helped to guide my Deb to be the woman I have come to cherish.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Deb is busy at a frantic pace
Sorry I haven't updated in a while, life is still wonderful, if not better. Deb has been busier than George Foreman with a coupon to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Since I last posted, she has gotten involved with 2 online businesses and started a job that was offered to her, in part based on this blog!
The businesses both involve debt relief or debt clean-up. The first one she found because we started out as clients ourselves. She started hounding the agent to let her get involved. It’s not MLM, so he wasn't looking for 'down lines' or anything, but she was so persistent that he finally brought her in and even sold her some of his expensive leads at ½ price to get her started. She did in a month what most new agents with the company take 4 to do. She was on the phone from morning until night, calling emailing, explaining and closing. Deb even came up with her own ideas about networking and prospecting, using networking sites that are usually over-used and abused.
Many people were impressed with her fresh approach to contacting them directly through these sights and some agreed to send business her way when the opportunity arose. This is how the second business came about. Its a network marketing credit repair business. When the guy decided to exchange leads with Deb, he said, "You might as well join and get the credit for any leads you send me." He actually paid the nominal start-up fee for her, saying he would get it back on her first sale. Everybody wins!
The job she started is commission based. She had approached another mortgage broker, this one in New Jersey and he initially said he wanted nothing to do with her. I guess on hunch, he decided to Google her and found this blog. It changed his mind and he decided to call her back. She had mentioned what a great cold prospector she was and he told her, "You know, the last part of my business plan that I have not put into place is someone to contact the leads I have for refinancing ARM loans." He offered a generous commission schedule, 401k, website and a VoIP-hosted PBX phone that is essentially a New Jersey number operating here in Cleveland. WOW! There she goes again, attracting the right people, resources and circumstances to herself. I can't make this stuff up people.
Next time, I'll tell you more about what the goal toward which she is working so feverishly. Until then and beyond, much Love, Peace and Abundance to you all!
The businesses both involve debt relief or debt clean-up. The first one she found because we started out as clients ourselves. She started hounding the agent to let her get involved. It’s not MLM, so he wasn't looking for 'down lines' or anything, but she was so persistent that he finally brought her in and even sold her some of his expensive leads at ½ price to get her started. She did in a month what most new agents with the company take 4 to do. She was on the phone from morning until night, calling emailing, explaining and closing. Deb even came up with her own ideas about networking and prospecting, using networking sites that are usually over-used and abused.
Many people were impressed with her fresh approach to contacting them directly through these sights and some agreed to send business her way when the opportunity arose. This is how the second business came about. Its a network marketing credit repair business. When the guy decided to exchange leads with Deb, he said, "You might as well join and get the credit for any leads you send me." He actually paid the nominal start-up fee for her, saying he would get it back on her first sale. Everybody wins!
The job she started is commission based. She had approached another mortgage broker, this one in New Jersey and he initially said he wanted nothing to do with her. I guess on hunch, he decided to Google her and found this blog. It changed his mind and he decided to call her back. She had mentioned what a great cold prospector she was and he told her, "You know, the last part of my business plan that I have not put into place is someone to contact the leads I have for refinancing ARM loans." He offered a generous commission schedule, 401k, website and a VoIP-hosted PBX phone that is essentially a New Jersey number operating here in Cleveland. WOW! There she goes again, attracting the right people, resources and circumstances to herself. I can't make this stuff up people.
Next time, I'll tell you more about what the goal toward which she is working so feverishly. Until then and beyond, much Love, Peace and Abundance to you all!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
I want to share with you some of the books that Deb and I (mostly Deb :) ) have read and enjoyed over the last six months or so. As you can see, they are primarily about self-improvement, peace of mind and attracting abundance (only a part of which is wealth ;) ). I started to give a brief synopsis of each, but I figured that would make it long and boring (and take yours truly forever.) Not all positive thinking books are just alike, so Google each author and/or title and I'm sure you'll find something to your liking. I highlighted my favorites in orange.
| count your blessings | john f. demartini |
| you can heal yourself | louise hay |
| wealth beyond reason | bob doyle |
| excuse me your life is waiting | lynn grabhorn |
| quantum success | sandra oconnor |
| happy pocket full of money | david gikandi |
| spiritual marketing | joe vitale |
| think and grow rich | napoleon hill |
| easier than you think | richard carlson |
| science of getting rich | wallace wattles |
| science of being well | wallace wattles |
| silent language of peace | heather macauley |
| attracting abundance with EFT | carol look |
| acres of diamonds | dr russell conwell |
| beyond positive thinking , power of intention | dr. robert anthony |
Monday, February 26, 2007
Doing Voice Overs
My apologies for taking so long to get back here. With the getting set up in the new home and dealing with the severe cold spell in NE Ohio, I kind of got away from my blogs. My wife is up to all kinds of stuff as usual, with several things to keep both of us busy. Her newest focus is doing voice over work for radio and TV advertising, voice messaging recordings, books on tape and website introductions. She figures she has always loved to talk, so she might as well make a living doing it. She is putting a lot of energy into getting things off the ground. We have our computer set up with a professional microphone and recording/editing software so that she can do demos. So far, she's doing voice work for a couple of independent filmmakers and a book of poetry she is recording. I figured out how to embed one of her demo clips in the blog, so you can see for yourself how professional and smooth my baby sounds.
On the healing front, it is amazing how God sends people into your life when you ask Him sincerely for guidance. We had an old chair that we wanted to get out of the garage, so my wife put it on Craig's List (a local trading website) for free to whoever would come and get it. The first person to respond was a young lady named Lisa who recently moved her from Lithuania. She needed furniture for her home/office. She just happened to be a massage therapist and when she saw my wife in her wheelchair, she offered to "pay" for the chair by offering her a therapy session. She has been back several times at no charge because, she says, she likes being able to help someone who is so positive and upbeat about their situation.
On the healing front, it is amazing how God sends people into your life when you ask Him sincerely for guidance. We had an old chair that we wanted to get out of the garage, so my wife put it on Craig's List (a local trading website) for free to whoever would come and get it. The first person to respond was a young lady named Lisa who recently moved her from Lithuania. She needed furniture for her home/office. She just happened to be a massage therapist and when she saw my wife in her wheelchair, she offered to "pay" for the chair by offering her a therapy session. She has been back several times at no charge because, she says, she likes being able to help someone who is so positive and upbeat about their situation.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Driving Again
Let me tell you about Debbie learning to drive, getting her license and buying a customized van that allows her to drive with her hands. She had gotten so fed up with trying to catch city buses where only perhaps one in five where wheelchair lift equipped, and of those, the driver often claimed the lift wasn't working. I always thought that they just didn't feel like bothering with the assisting her and attaching the safety straps to her chair. In fact, one did once leave the straps off, saying they weren't on the bus. Sure enough, upon turning a corner, Deb's chair tip and she crashed to the floor of the bus. Shaken and bruised, she was eventually OK, and it wound up costing the transit system for physical therapy and damages; they eventually wound up paying for a big chunk of her van.
There were alternatives. The community responsive transit, could be scheduled, but good luck trying to get to an appointment on time with them, or getting back home in time for dinner after a 1:00 doctor's appointment. Private services were more prompt, but at $80 or more for a round trip, it was prohibitive.
So Deb decided she had to drive again. First she had to get an assessment as to whether she could control even a customized vehicle. Then she had to find a vehicle that was in suitable condition to customize. If you thought a used car dealer might try to take advantage of a single female looking to buy a van, imagine when they thought they had a single female in a wheelchair buying a van. Of course Deb was too stubborn to wait until it was convenient for me to go with her to shop for her van (this was before we were married). It was funny to see how a van that was "a great deal" at $16,000 when Deb was by herself, dropped like a rock to $15 then to $11 thousand when I went with her to look at it, and I don't even consider myself a hardened negotiator.
That first van was huge. It was a customized Dodge Ram that was probably once someones pride and joy. Pink and grey on the outside, it had a TV/VCR combo (for a 1991 model, that was big time customizing, not the factory DVD jobs of today), a CB radio and tinted windows. We had to take it about 2 hours away to get it customized. They tricked it out with hand controls and a huge lift that could probably crush a compact car if you let unfold on top of it. Now Deb was ready to ride in style! She has had 2 since then, but somehow, that first van that gave her back her freedom (and for us, more places to go together) will always be special.
There were alternatives. The community responsive transit, could be scheduled, but good luck trying to get to an appointment on time with them, or getting back home in time for dinner after a 1:00 doctor's appointment. Private services were more prompt, but at $80 or more for a round trip, it was prohibitive.
So Deb decided she had to drive again. First she had to get an assessment as to whether she could control even a customized vehicle. Then she had to find a vehicle that was in suitable condition to customize. If you thought a used car dealer might try to take advantage of a single female looking to buy a van, imagine when they thought they had a single female in a wheelchair buying a van. Of course Deb was too stubborn to wait until it was convenient for me to go with her to shop for her van (this was before we were married). It was funny to see how a van that was "a great deal" at $16,000 when Deb was by herself, dropped like a rock to $15 then to $11 thousand when I went with her to look at it, and I don't even consider myself a hardened negotiator.
That first van was huge. It was a customized Dodge Ram that was probably once someones pride and joy. Pink and grey on the outside, it had a TV/VCR combo (for a 1991 model, that was big time customizing, not the factory DVD jobs of today), a CB radio and tinted windows. We had to take it about 2 hours away to get it customized. They tricked it out with hand controls and a huge lift that could probably crush a compact car if you let unfold on top of it. Now Deb was ready to ride in style! She has had 2 since then, but somehow, that first van that gave her back her freedom (and for us, more places to go together) will always be special.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Auto Ambulator
Deb and I heard of a rehabilitation program by HealthSouth Rehabilitation using a revolutionary tool called the Auto Ambulator. The machine actually moves the patient around in a walking motion while allowing the person's unused muscles to do as much of the work as possible. My wife wrote to the physical therapist in charge of the Auto Ambulator program in Erie, PA (HealthSouth's nearest location). I believe his name was Sean. He returned my wife's email. He told her to contact a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic hear in Ohio who did some work with Christopher Reeves, and told her to say he referred her. I think its amazing that he responded so quickly. He also said that it would probably take massive amounts of exercise for my wife to walk again but that it might be worth the effort. So, keep us in your prayers and your positive vibrations!
Miracles DO Happen!
I know its been quite some time since I posted here. Primarily, we have been busy with the move to our new home and getting the computer and broadband set up again. I have WONDERFUL news and I just wish I could post video here. Debbie actually moved a major muscle group in her legs, pulling her knees towards each other! This is something she hasn't been able to do for 17 years. The movement was slight but quite visible as she lay on the bed. I tried to get a good video of it, but after I got her sweatpants on (couldn't have it x-rated), it seems her muscles had tire out and the movement wasn't as pronounced on the video, but if you watch closely, it can be seen. We were both so extremely elated that I was jumping up and down like Herman Munster at his birthday party and Deb could barely speak. We shared the good news with her sister, Suzette, who reveled in the excitement as well. The only other person that Deb mentioned it to was her herbalist, who just kind of looked at her as if to say, "ok, that's nice"...almost as if she were not surprised at all that Deb would be making progress.
The kind of buzz that I got from this happening was enough to have me walking on air for days. How easy is it to be joyful and energetic after witnessing such a miracle. I am so grateful and elated for being able to see the love of my life make strides toward something we once thought was impossible. Please join me in giving thanks and praying for her continued progress. Thanks!
The kind of buzz that I got from this happening was enough to have me walking on air for days. How easy is it to be joyful and energetic after witnessing such a miracle. I am so grateful and elated for being able to see the love of my life make strides toward something we once thought was impossible. Please join me in giving thanks and praying for her continued progress. Thanks!
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