2007
TeamWalk Connections - Summaries
California
Florida
Georgia
Massachusetts
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Organized by Moira Franchetti and story contributed
by Karen Johnson
Moira Franchetti started the SPF TeamWalk season off strong
with her third Ohio TeamWalk. A nice bunch of people came
together under the covered Mallard Lake shelter of the
beautiful Oak Openings Metropark, a birder's paradise on the
edge of Toledo.
Included in our group of Ohioans and Michiganders (and yours
truly) were newbie Robert Ellison, Herb and Betty Hipp, Tim
Kolhoff, Rita and Jeff Stenzel and their clan, and, of
course, Moira's husband, kids and sister. We did some
chatting, sharing, and snacking, and then took a stroll
around the lake where folks were fishing and sun bathing.
All in all, it was a lovely day.
Organized by Kathi Geisler with help from Rick &
Janet Green, Bruce Maser and Annette Lockwood, SPF President. Photo at right: Rick, Janet, Kathi
and Bruce
The first TeamWalk event in Florida was a resounding success, with
thirty-four people attending from several different states. The weekend
featured an Arrival Dinner social, a Retreat Connection with several educational
and inspirational programs, a TeamWalk walkathon and an outing to the Spinal
Cord Association Disabilities Expo and Conference.
We were very pleased to have several people from the Ataxia Foundation join
us. Ataxia is a neurological condition with many symptom similarities to HSP and
PLS. One of the featured Retreat Programs was presented by Tom Clouse, MD, who
has Ataxia and has created a dynamic treatment program (see below) that may be
of benefit to people with SPF conditions, as well.
The Retreat Connection
(click thumbnails to see photos)
 Annette
Lockwood, SPF President, kicked off the morning by sharing her personal
story about managing life with HSP, including sharing inspirational
poems written by her and her son Gary. She also spoke about the Spastic
Paraplegia Foundation and it's mission to Share
information, Provide support and
Find the Cure. She brought DVDs of the
2006 National Conference and SPF note cards and magnets. To order the
DVD, visit
http://www.sp-foundation.org/events-conference-summary.htm. To
order SPF note cards and magnets, visit
http://www.sp-foundation.org/store.htm. |
 Representatives
from Florida Mobility demonstrated numerous assistive devices including
canes, walkers, scooters and wheelchairs. They also gave this important
Medicare tip: be sure you acquire devices in a progressive order. Once a
more advanced item is acquired, one can't get approval to order a less
advanced item. The company donated a seat cane as a raffle item and
Janet Green was the lucky recipient! |
 Representatives
from Hanger Orthotics presented a program on the new, FDA approved WalkAide. WalkAide
stimulates the peroneal nerve in the lower leg to cause the foot to lift up and
corrects foot drop. Stimulator trials were conducted on several people,
including Bob, at left, and Annette (below). For information on WalkAide,
visit http://www.walkaide.com |
 Tom
Clouse, M.D., motivated everyone with his Walking with Ataxia program.
Tom, who has Spinocerebellar Atrophy (SCA-14), another degenerative
neurological disorder, developed a therapeutic program featuring
movements and dancing (and a positive attitude) that has enabled him to
greatly improve his ability to walk. "Ataxia" means uncoordinated,
clumsy and is the predominate symptom of his disorder. Some individuals
with HSP or PLS also have ataxia as a symptom. Tom works with Tawny at
left. Read about Tom and his program here:
http://www.walkingwithataxia.com.
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More photos from the TeamWalk Retreat
SPF Board Member Karen enjoys chatting with her partner Jim (at left) and Tom Clouse, M.D., featured Retreat program presenter Tom works with Janet during his Dancing with Ataxia program Annette gets tested for the WalkAide
SPF Board Member Karen enjoys chatting with her partner Jim (at left) and Tom Clouse, M.D., featured Retreat program presenter
The
TeamWalk walkathon
 After
the Retreat Connection programs concluded, individuals walked, rolled and
strolled together in a TeamWalk walkathon on the hotel property. Many of them
gathered for a group photo at left before heading off.
Although it was a typical Floridian hot and humid summer day, individuals
made their way around the perimeter of the hotel parking lot.
Click the thumbnails to see more TeamWalk photos:
The Disabilities Expo/Conference
Several TeamWalk Retreat attendees went to the Disabilities Expo, held at the
nearby Gaylord Resort. The two-day event featured more than 90 booths featuring
products and services for people with disabilities. This major event was the
inspiration for organizing the Florida TeamWalk event so that people could
participate in both.
Jane Anne King delighted in visiting numerous booths:
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