Yoga for Gabe ~ Yoga Unites! (Niika writes)
Posted by: gabesalive on: December 7, 2009
Amy Pizzarello, a yoga teacher from New Jersey– and the wonderful community at Prana Yoga in Pottersville, NJ – offer all the proceeds from Amy’s classes to charity. Yoga means “yoke” or “union.” A main purpose of physical yoga is to re-unite the body, breath and mind. And yoga can also be a great way to come together – to unite in community….!
For the months of December 2009, January 2010 and February 2010, Amy’s yoga classess will raise funds to help Gabe unite with a new set of legs!
- Amy Pizzarello
- (Showing affection to an elephant friend in India)
To learn more about the fundraiser classes for Gabe, and the Prana Yoga studio in Pottersville, NJ,
click here: http://www.pranayoganj.com/
- Gabe Tries Headstand Pose at his Aunt Kaitlin’s House
Here’s what Amy wrote when announcing this special series of classes devoted to Gabe:
Dear Students and teachers of the Prana Yoga Charity Class (held Monday mornings, 9:30 – 11 am)
Over the next three months, we will be raising money for The Gabe Fund, to help a family who have been wonderful members of the local yoga community for many years, and are now in desperate need.
Niika Quistgard is a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner who lived and practiced in Hunterdon County for many years, during which time she also founded a clinic in India (Rasa Ayurveda Healing Center for Women). She is a single mother, without medical insurance, who has dedicated her life to healing others. In May, her only son Gabe was involved in a tragic motorcycle accident, which came very close to taking his life. Fortunately Gabe survived, but he lost both of his legs mid thigh.
We chose Gabe’s cause for several reasons: Obviously, any parent can imagine the horor of watching an only son go through this pain and torment, and fearing that one may not be able to provide him with the very best care and/or prosthetics because of financial reasons. Additionally, we are drawn to the idea of supporting a local family… particularly such a giving member of the yoga community. As we all know, it is very difficult to make a living as a yoga teacher / healer… particularly for a single mother. Those who do it do it to serve others, to share the beauty of the gift of these ancient practices. And in their time of need, these teachers and healers deserve our support.
Hope to see you in class! Amy Pizzarello
To learn more about Amy Pizzarello’s yoga charity work, click here: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090708/GETPUBLISHED/907080328/Local-Yoga-Studio-Works-to-Help-Those-in-Need
To Amy and the folks at Prana Yoga in Pottersville, NJ –
Thank you so much for caring for Gabe’s future!
With love,
Niika
Raffle Players & Winners… We’re Grateful for YOU!
Posted by: gabesalive on: December 2, 2009
So much to be grateful for...!
Guess who Gabe’s been feeling thankful for, days after Thanksgiving???
… Well, how about all his supporters who created, helped organize and participated in raffle fundraisers in New Jersey! ? ! Words can never express our appreciation!
We just got the final total raised by the Clinton, NJ, raffle, created by Bethe Frazer at Coldwell Banker
$2,764 !!!
And who won the fabulous prizes?
Laurie Petro from Annadale won the Taste of Hunterdon Gift Basket!
Angela Passe from Bethlehem, PA won the Amazon Kindle!
Debbie Walker of Annandale won the Net Book PC!
We hope each winner enjoys their prize, and that every contributor enjoys the feeling of knowing they have contributed directly to Gabe’s recovery and progress. Just thinking of your support really does bring us strength, and puts smiles on our faces!
With love and appreciation~
Niika
UPdate Mid-November (Gabe’s video & Niika writes)
Posted by: gabesalive on: November 21, 2009
Niika writes:
Isn’t Gabe looking good?
It’s amazing to see him doing so well, especially now that I have taken a few weeks to return to my clinic in Kerala, India – Rasa Ayurveda – and like you, I’m watching Gabe on the screen and not seeing him in person this week!
What has been accomplished so far can never be fully explained, but I’m feeling really grateful and satisfied to see that Gabe has not only survived, but he’s now in school, driving, set up with a good medical support team… There is a long path to tread still, to get him up onto legs and fully back into life, but he’s really made enormous progress and I’m sure he will continue.
In this last month before leaving for Kerala, while juggling work responsibilities and Gabe’s care, I was able to hire and train an assistant to help out with things Gabe can’t do just yet – Suzy (She’s great!), and also rented an accessible house (This was not an easy task!) near Gabe’s college for us to share for the next year or so, while Gabe faces more surgeries and healing and hits his stride in attending college.
Our move in date is December 1st, but dear friends in New Jersey are sponsoring Gabe’s travel back there for the holidays. I’ll meet Gabe there for Christmas on my way back from my “other home” in India.
Come January 1st, it’ll be time to set up the house as a functional and healing environment for Gabe and myself. We’ve been so fortunate to be cared for by so many friends, but it will be a special kind of restoration to settle down in a place of our own.
Just FYI - We are in real need of furniture for the house! If you live in Sonoma County and have items you don’t need anymore, please call our assistant Suzy at 707-484-1754. We need pretty much everything!
Gabe and I send you blessings for a very peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving, wherever you are. One thing is for certain – while Gabe will celebrate the holiday at Grandma’s house, and I’ll be here on the other side of the world – maybe sipping a bowl of pumpkin soup – We’ll BOTH BE OFFERING OUR PRAYERS OF GRATITUDE FOR THE SUPPORT WE’VE RECEIVED FROM ALL OF YOU THRU THIS DEEPLY CHALLENGING PERIOD OF THE LAST 6 MONTHS.
BLESS YOU ALL!
With love,
Niika
P.S. – Two fund-raising raffles sponsored by dear supporters in Clinton, NJ and Cherry Hill near Philadelphia are nearing their drawing dates! If you’d like last-minute tickets, it’s not too late! Click on How You Can Help for info… We’ll be announcing winners here on the blog… Good Luck and Thank You for Supporting Gabe!
November 1 UPdate (Gabe’s video)
Posted by: gabesalive on: November 4, 2009
- In: Gabe Posts| Movies
- 1 Comment
Due to Mom’s technical difficulties, this post is a little late! And a little unsynched…
All the information for the fundraisers Gabe mentions can be found right here:
http://gabesalive.wordpress.com/having-fun-raising-funds/
Thank you all for your kind involvement and support!
The Video Rebirth (Gabe shoots, talks, edits….)
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 28, 2009
- In: Gabe Posts| Movies
- 3 Comments
Driving and Rain (Gabe writes)
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 19, 2009
- In: Gabe Posts| Movies| Photos
- 7 Comments
Things are Lookin' Up!
Hey people out there – I just wanted to drop a line on ya and say - How’s it going?
I’m doing well except for having the flu the last few days. Life has been a little crazy lately!
I started driving again and it was sweet. Driving is amazing it has changed my life. its so nice to be able to get myself to places i want to and need to go and go off and visit friends or what have u. My mother’s birthday happened recently so we went up to the town of Quincy where I lived when I was a little kid. I drove down the huge Feather River Canyon with a lot of crazy turns and I figured if I could drive that, I can drive anywhere! One really cool thing I noticed when I’m driving is that I don’t really ever have phantom pains when I’m driving, and I can tap my toe to the beat of a song even though my feet aren’t actually there. It’s nice to feel like I still have them.
I started to play basketball again which is fun and we get to travel and play other teams and is kinda fun. I’m getting ready to get all my school stuff set up for next semester so I can start going to school as a full time student.
One thing I’ve figured out is that rain in a wheel chair is terrible. I could only imagine snow – ugh! Rain is so terrible because when you’re outside in it in a chair, it’s as if you’re not moving at all, so your legs get soaked and your chair gets crazy wet and squeaky. And the worst part is that it takes a long time to set up my chair and when its raining. It’s a very annoying process. I was going to wear a poncho but I look like a rolling green blob ’cause it covers my whole chair.When I get a new chair, I want to get rubber grips where my hands grab and push, because mine are metal now and when they get real wet when its raining or what have u, they get very slippery and that can actually be rather dangerous when I cant stop easily, like when crossing the street.
At the Disability Technology Expo in Santa Rosa, CA
On Friday I visited a Disability Technology Expo with my mom and grandma. My Grandma tried the hand-cycle and I checked out a motorized wheelchair attachment.
I will write again soon and I love every one out there and thank you for your support
love, Gabe
P.S. Scroll down to see the last two entries – all about cool raffles people are doing to help me out.
Computer & Kindle Raffle for Gabe~Drawing November 25th!
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 19, 2009
Raffle for Legs
Bethe Frazer happened to see Gabe on the roadside, just after his accident. To all passers-by, it appeared his end had come. Seeing this affected Bethe deeply, and since the day of Gabe’s accident, she’s embraced life more fully, spending more time with her family and knowing that life can end at any time!
She became a devoted supported of Gabe’s survival and now, rehabilitation. With a few other wonderful women, Bethe arranged a fantastic raffle, to help raise money for costly prosthetics. We all want to see Gabe standing tall again!
Tickets can be purchased by calling 908-735-8080 (Ask for Chris Butler, Bethe Frazer or Kathy Cederberg) Or, stop into the Coldwell Banker- Clinton Office, 186 Center Street, Clinton, NJ (near Dunkin’ Donuts in Clinton). Each ticket is $2.00. $5.00 buys 3 tickets. A book of 12 tickets goes for $20. Prizes are a notebook computer, an Amazon Kindle, and a dinner basket donated by Hunterdon County restaurants…!
Try your luck and support Gabe’s recovery!
Philladelphia On-Line Raffle for Gabe – Drawing November 9th!
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 19, 2009
On-Line Raffle for all who live in or near Philadelphia!
~Prizes include~
Bar Ferdinand Gift Card • El Camino Real Gift Card • Juju Spa & Organics Gift Card • Penang Malaysian Cuisine Gift Card
Yoga Classes at Saraswati River Yoga • Structural Integration with Brian Stern • Aromabliss Ayurvedic Skin & Body Care Gift Certificate
To purchase tickets, click here!
“I have a story to share with you that will allow you–where ever you are in your life–to facilitate deep, lasting, healing, change, for the better. A dear friend of ours, Niika, an amazing Mother, a radiant being whose life work has been helping others manifest deep health, transformation, and peace, was recently met with tragedy.
Niika, who recently made India her home, journeyed back to NJ to help her 19 year-old son Gabe, a vibrant, magnificent being with a joie de vivre exemplifying youth in its prime, move to California to begin his adult life. A mere few days before embarking on their journey west, Gabe was in a horrific motorcycle accident which cost him both his legs. This is an experience that we, as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, relatives or friends, shudder to imagine. We feel the impact in the core of our beings. It’s unimaginable for most of us, and something we only “hear about” but never really touch, thankfully.
Gabe and Niika need help. There are so many costs associated with Gabe’s new reality. For instance, Gabe needs prosthetics which are expensive– about $45,000 per leg!
Sean and I humbly ask for your help on behalf of these wonderful beings in the full throes of an intense life. We have created a raffle with the HUGE support from many loving and caring beings to whom we are very much in debt, for opening their hearts and for their unwavering generosity. We ask you to participate.
Each ticket is $25, and we encourage you to purchase as many tickets as is comfortable. If you can share this note with another person, we would be in your debt, as our friends are in a state of struggle to acquire funds for the quite costly prosthetics. We ask if you can forward this to all the caring beings in YOUR world. Our list is limited, but with your help, our contacts may be far reaching, facilitating GREAT change, and providing great help for a teenager in desperate need. We can make the world a better place. We absolutely CAN change a life for the better.”
Winners will be drawn November 9, 2009. Your raffle number(s) will be emailed to you once your purchase your tickets!
Dr. Ehmen is our man! (Thank you for your prayers!) (Niika writes)
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 13, 2009
Dr. Nathan Ehmer and Gabe
By the time I went to bed last night, I already felt good about how things would unfold today. So many sweet and heartfelt messages came from so many of you, I knew the power of your positive thoughts for Gabe would pave the way for a great doctor meeting! I even got an early morning email from my brother, Sanju, who is keeping Rasa Ayurveda going in Trivandrum while I’m here with Gabe ~ “Dear Chechi, Just arrived after the temple. I offered some oil to the Lamp in front of the Goddess for today’s Gabe’s things and I am truly believing the Grace will be there and all go well.”
As I made some morning tea, Angela – my dear friend who is hosting Gabe and I in her house these days – came into the kitchen and said, “It’s been raining for hours. What do you think about Gabe wheeling all that way across the lawn and in the mud? Maybe we can figure out a better way. If he could just get down the garage stairs…….”
She cleared the landing leading to the garage stairs, and went down to move cars around. And Gabe was thrilled to slip out of his chair, move himself along the floor and then down 12 wooden stairs. I had his chair waiting for him downstairs. He hopped in it, wheeled over to the car–waiting for him in the dry garage–and hopped in. No rainwater on Gabe or his chair! And especially great–no mud on his wheelchair tires. Thank you Angela!
Gabe drove us into town and to Dr. Ehmer’s office. Rene Yoder– a longtime friend of my sister, Kaitlin– was waiting for us. (By great good fortune, Rene dropped by yesterday to visit Gabe and I. Rene is a nurse anesthetist at a VA hospital in San Francisco, so she’s a wealth of information and support. We had a great visit, and she offered to accompany us to the doctor’s appointment today. With her offer and presence yesterday, I felt Grace coming on. I have to believe that the good wishes and prayers out there starting working their magic even yesterday!)
Gabe filled out the new patient forms and we chatted in the waiting room, a little nervously, I guess. After quite a wait, we were shown to an exam room, and waited quite a while longer, but we all enjoyed our chance to visit.
Rene and Gabe chat while waiting for Gabe's new doc...
Finally, Dr. Ehmer came in. He asked Gabe questions, connecting with all of us in a relaxed, kind, upbeat and personable way. Thank goodness! He looked over records, asked more questions and explained his clinical approach: We are going to wait for the heterotopic ossification to calm down. This will take at least a few more months. In the meantime, Gabe will take excellent care of his skin graft, and if more areas become compromised, they will be spot treated in some way by Dr. Ehmer. The bony mass should not be disturbed until it has completely stopped growing. In this way Gabe can avoid the possibility of exacerbating a dramatic outgrowth which can happen when the bone is re-disturbed by surgery prematurely.
Gabe can swim, he says, as long as he washes well with anti-bacterial soap afterward. And even shoot hoops, if he avoids knocking chairs with other guys and keeps his leg protected. This is GREAT news!
In a few months–once the bone growth has calmed completely–Gabe will have surgeries on both legs. He will lose some length in both legs, but will gain the kind of closures that will allow him to be much more active and be fit with prosthetics.
Dr. Ehmer seemed to love Gabe’s proactive approach to getting on with his life. He had some great suggestions for finding other active amputees Gabe can connect to, and also knows about other surgeons with extensive experience in this area of trauma recovery, and gave us contacts who should help us understand how to move thru the health system.
He asked Gabe to come back in 6-8 weeks, and to call in the meantime–anytime–he has questions, or if his skin needs attention. He also said, “Even though I may not see you for several weeks, I’ll be researching your case and learning all I can about your situation.” He gave Rene and I each a little research homework, wrote some scripts for Gabe, and we were finished and RELIEVED!
Dr. Ehmer seems to be fulfilling all the things I hoped for! (Just have a look at yesterday’s post…) Gabe and I are both feeling a sense of freedom and security, knowing a competent and caring doctor has accepted a shared responsibility for Gabe’s healing. Hallelujah! And our morning was all the more wonderful for having Rene with us to witness and share the meeting, and join us for a celebratory breakfast afterward!
Blog readers and supporters – We can’t thank you enough for your care, prayers and good wishes… I am SO completely convinced–thru this process of Gabe’s journey–of the power of all of us to bestow blessings on each other. So, once again, we appreciate you for turning your energy toward envisioning a good doctor/patient relationship for Gabe today. It looks like we got a great one!
With love, gratitude and appreciation!
Niika
PS – Someone asked about Gabe’s root canal… YES – The pain is over. Gabe drove himself into town for a root canal last week, given by Dr. Clinton Weaver, a wonderful endodontist in Santa Rosa who was very caring and generous. Another blessing thru the flow of Grace…
PPS – Gabe and I both receive lots of FaceBook and email messages of support and care, and most are never posted here. However you contact us, we love hearing from you!
Gabe is at the Wheel (& We need your Prayers …!) (Niika writes)
Posted by: gabesalive on: October 12, 2009
First, a fantastic news flash: Hand controls were installed in our new (to us) 1999 white Honda Accord last week and Gabe is driving!
Carlos is wondering: Where are We Headed?
The sense of independence Gabe’s feeling is a tremendous relief. After nearly 5 months of dependence, to drive on his own is clearly a joy, even a delight! (He’s struggling with a very heavy, awkward wheelchair each time he gets in and out of the vehicle – but he is determined to do it! We need to purchase a new titanium wheelchair, but at over $4,000, it’s not quite time for that yet, so I’m always pleading with Gabe to safeguard his arms and shoulders as he will depend on these for all the basic functions of his life from now on.)
Hand controls are great, and Gabe is a pretty smooth driver…! We visited friends in our old home town of Quincy, CA over the weekend, where we were drenched in love, support and that ireplaceable feeling of home… While we were there, we took Carlos–our friends’ dog–for a ride…!
• • •
Since my confession–(The Whole Truth )– our roller coaster ride has continued. And as I predicted, we DID get a spot of good news just after my crumble. But the news folded in on itself, leading us into another waiting period, and now, we’re hoping for good news to manifest in a more solid way tomorrow.
Gabe’s primary care physician, Dr. Shaw, referred his case to the UCSF/SFGH Orthopaedic Trauma Institute at St. Mary’s – PROS Center.
This is an excellent facility offering every hope for Gabe’s clinically complicated and vulnerable legs. In spite of our longing for the emotional support of our more established New Jersey digs, the PROS Center could be a huge reason to stay here, near San Francisco, in order to move Gabe’s healing forward. The day the referral was made, I called the PROS Center for an appointment. I was told they were processing the referral and would call back with a date for Gabe’s intake. I breathed just a tiny sigh of relief, knowing that after waiting here in Sonoma County for months of uncertainty, we’d found the next “clue” that can lead us to the treasures we need: first: information we can organize our lives around, and second: healing and functional legs for Gabe!
The following day, Gabe and I drove to San Francisco to take our friends to the airport, and since we were so nearby, we made our way in to the PROS Center at St. Mary’s to introduce ourselves and make sure they had Gabe’s rehabilitation discharge summary. We were nervous and excited to find ourselves back in the hospital setting, this time in a place that could offer much hope to Gabe’s future. We met the scheduling nurse, who gave me her card and said the surgeons were away for a week of conferencing. She said it would be at least 3 weeks until an appointment could take place, that she’d call no later than Monday with a date and time.
I took Gabe out for a meal of Chinese on flat, wheelchair-friendly Clement Street, and we talked about hopes and fears, about surgeries and prosthetics, about the possibility that we could soon know what might unfold over the next several months, and where. We drove up to Sebastopol knowing we had done all we could to move things forward for the moment.
Monday afternoon came and went. At day’s end, I phoned the scheduling nurse and listened to her outgoing message informing all callers that she’d be away all day Monday. I left a message anyway. Tuesday morning, my phone rang and there she was. “Sorry, it looks like Gabe’s address is out-of-county, and we don’t take Medi-Cal from out-of-country residents. We can’t see Gabe here, so we are trying to find someone in your area we can refer Gabe to.”
My heart should be used to sinking by now, but I can’t tell you how hard it is, watching Gabe truly do his best to embrace all possible positivity in his new, uncertain world, and to experience these ongoing uncertainties. I inhaled and exhaled. I can settle myself more skillfully now, but I don’t always have quite have enough calm left in me to keep myself steady AND be as dependable and fortified a support for Gabe as I know he needs. Can you imagine being buffeted about by the system, with no information, and no idea when you can GET information? It’s a extra little layer of trauma which this blog has not really even touched, but it’s a very real challenge nearly every day, and I while I need to be accepting, and help Gabe accept limitation, disappointment, and have patience for the not-knowing, I really do feel he has been so incredibly responsible, proactive and loving thru all this, Gabe deserves a kind response from the Universe right about now.
For a few days, we had no clue about what would come next, but finally, Gabe was was referred to Dr. Nathan Ehmer. I was confused, thinking the referral was for the wound care specialist Dr. Shaw wanted Gabe to see, to address the bony growth which is causing the skin graft to bleed, while we waited for the UCSF opening. (When we thought that’s what we were waiting for.) Eventually I discovered that Dr. Ehmer is an orthopedic surgeon who recently joined the Santa Rosa Orthopaedic group. Ehmer is a clinical faculty member at the Department of Orthopaedic Trauma UC San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital, which is aligned with the PROS Center. He specializes in orthopaedic trauma, complex fracture care, and pelvic and acetabular reconstruction.
SO, so, so…. after phone calls to Ehmer’s office, and waiting out his week’s vacation, Gabe has an appointment. And this COULD possibly be a great and real connection to information and an actual path forward.
Tomorrow morning at 8:30 am, Gabe will meet Dr. Ehmer. I have been banishing fear from my heart, and PRAYING that Dr. Ehmer will look at us thru kind, intelligent eyes and say:
“Welcome to my practice. You are not alone. Gabe’s legs look good. Gabe’s legs can be fit with prosthetics. I have the knowledge, skill, connections and compassion needed to make sure Gabe will be healed and functioning at a higher level again soon. I can provide skilled surgeons, a prosthetist, trainer and a good counselor for Gabe’s recovery. We’re going to get thru this together.”
Now wouldn’t that be grand?
Stoicism and determination – with a side of hope and happiness
Gabe is anxious and feeling his loss deeply these days. I’m wary, but hopeful. But in spite of this tremulous moment, I am ready to take the next step forward alongside Gabe, who is ready to roll.
Your good wishes have surely helped to turn the tide at some of the critical junctures in Gabe’s journey so far. PLEASE pray for us, for Gabe’s legs, for a positive doctor/patient relationship beginning tomorrow morning at 8:30 am Pacific Coast Time.
I PROMISE, we’ll post the news right away.
Love,
Niika
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