Hello Everyone,
I'd like to thank Simon for allowing me to post the following. A bunch of you know my story...T4-incomplete with Brown-Sequard. You can read my profile for the rest. Over the course of my recovery I have many of you to thank both for kind words and for sharing your stories as I went through my recovery. All in all, I'm doing pretty well. I have bad days as everyone does, but I'd consider myself more of a near miss. My two year anniversary is coming up. 1-1.5 years was tough, but at the end of year two, things are starting to seem a bit more clear. Tomorrow, I'll be riding a 100 mile bike ride for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Buoniconti Fund. Last year, I did it by myself. This year there are 6 riders and I already have more committed for next year. I'm hopeful that I can use my experience to raise awareness and push for research to limit damage and quicken recovery. Please my reply to this message for how to donate. Thanks for the consideration. If anyone is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and sees me meandering on a bike gasping for breath and hallucinating, please...just let me ride!
If anyone wants to ride next year, let me know!
Kevin
Dear Friends,
October 14th will mark the 2-year anniversary of my spinal cord injury. It has been a long and lucky recovery. Most things that didn’t work are generally working at present. There are still difficult days, but the “permanent” damage and I have at least agreed to disagree.
Over the course of my recovery I have had the pleasure of meeting many individuals who have suffered spinal cord injuries that have come with much greater life-altering ramifications. In an effort to try and assist these very regular, yet amazingly resilient and brave individuals, I will be participating in the 100 mile Seagull Century bike ride on the Eastern Shore of Maryland…ON SATURDAY!!! Cycling was a huge part of my recovery and this year I will be riding with 6 others (5 more than last year!) in an effort to raise funds for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and The Buoniconti Fund.
The Miami Project is the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. With over 23 years of experience and more than 200 scientists, the Miami Project’s research and innovations continue to improve the individual recovery process and reduce the damage caused by spinal cord injuries.
I encourage you to visit their website www.themiamiproject.org and to reference the below for donations. I’m always looking for more riders for next year…So, stop what you’re doing (c’mon, it’s FRIDAY!!), DONATE, then go buy a bike! We thank you all for the support.
Sincerely,
The McDonalds,
Kevin, Heather, Dixon, Jack, dog, fish
DONATION INFORMATION
http://www6.miami.edu/campaign/gift/online...ng.html?unit=07
For “Gift Designation Area” choose The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Please make sure in the COMMENTS section to put “Ride to Walk”. No need to fill in the “honor of” unless you wish to do so.