Yoga Rediscovered
Posted on: January 18, 2016
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Yes, it’s been a while. I’m really glad to be blogging and connected with you again.
There’s a lot to share with you, so I’m gonna get started!
Over the summer I had a couple of very fortunate opportunities to do special trainings.
My first destination was Omega Institute, in Rhinebeck, New York.
I got a ride from where I’ve been staying in New Jersey into the gigantic Port Authority bus station in New York City. That place is so complicated, tunnels running in all directions, a strange numbering system that makes no sense – what a trip to find my bus! The bus was supposed to be wheelchair accessible, but it wasn’t. So I got out of my chair, climbed the stairs and slid down the aisle to a seat for the long ride.
My chair got stowed under the bus with the luggage. It’s always a little unnerving to be separated from my means of independent movement, but I wasn’t going to let that keep me from getting to my training!
After a few hours riding into the New York countryside, finally, there it was–Omega Institute!
I was surprised to see how big the Omega campus is, so many buildings, people, meetings halls, dining room, a cafe, library, bookstore and an expanse of hills all around. Steep hills, I soon learned.
I couldn’t help but notice the extreme diversity of people all around me. It seemed like every kind of person was there, from rich, fashion moguls to young adventurers working for room and board between stints of hitch-hiking across country. (The staff was AWESOME, by the way. They helped me with everything I needed all week.)
•••
All summer long, thousands of people travel to Omega from New York City and beyond to attend the wide variety of workshops, trainings, concerts and events. Everyone comes from unique backgrounds and this creates an amazing feeling of utopia made real, everyone getting along and living in unity.
So what was my own reason for being at Omega?
It all started when I saw this video about three young men from the “hood” in Baltimore. They came home from college to try to help underprivileged kids. And they decided to do it with yoga. Seeing who these guys are and what they do, I got really excited!
These three amazing guys–Ali, Atman and Andy– founded the Holistic Life Foundation to teach the peace and power yoga can bring to kids, and teach others how to bring yoga into schools, too.
So I traveled to Omega to attend a training led by these dedicated fellows called, YOUTH YOGA & MINDFULNESS – Teaching Yoga & Mindfulness to Today’s Youth.
I’ve always been an athletic guy, but I hadn’t realized how steep the hills were going to be at Omega, and how much of a workout I was going to get going up and down to my room, to meals and to our workshop meeting hall. And once I’d make it to the hall- wow, lots of steps. I got out of my chair and bumped up the stairway to join everyone for the morning session. I’d climb back down the stairs for lunch. I’d climb back up the stairway when we reconvened for our afternoon session, and–surprise–back down the stairs for a guided meditation outside the classroom! I was catching quite a workout, which could have been annoying, but I was so into my whole experience there, that is just became part of meeting the challenge.
The training showed us to make yoga accessible and fun for kids who might not otherwise be interested, so they could get the physical and emotional benefits.
Growing up, my mom always taught yoga classes in a special room in our house. In the years she home-schooled me, she pretty much forced me and the other boys who joined our “class” to do yoga every morning. Sun Salutations were required curriculum!
To be honest, while I was on my yoga mat bobbing up and down the required number of times, my mind was somewhere very different. I was dreaming about being on a pro basketball court, not a yoga mat!
True: My heroes weren’t yogis. They were sports stars! My mom seemed more like a hippy to me, than someone on the cutting edge of our modern culture.
That was then, and now yoga is a LOT more popular. (I guess my mom was onto something.) Still, a lot of kids haven’t caught on. So one thing I thought was really great that the guys from Holistic Life taught us was this trick. If you are trying to introduce yoga to a kid who thinks yoga is kinda weird and out there, pick up your laptop and just type in the name of their favorite athlete + yoga. Almost always, up will pop about a hundred pictures of just about any famous person, getting their yoga on. These days, almost everyone in the world of professional sports does at least a little yoga.
Pretty convincing and motiving for those kids! (I still love sports, so yeah, me too I gotta say!)
Like I said, I’ve been around the yoga world for a lot of years, but I hadn’t truly grasped how amazing yoga is at helping a school kid or anyone get connected with their breath, their body, and just being here on the earth in a grounded way. Such a simple way to let tension, anxiety and general stress just fade away.
This training taught me how to emphasize the value of yoga from a evidence-based, instead of spiritual or religious, standpoint. We practiced teaching yoga, mindfulness practices and breathing in small groups. Fascinating and really inspiring. I’m ready for more!
A lot of people had really emotional experiences during our training. We were getting trained to help others, but our training seemed to be helping us, too. I am such a people person, so just connecting with everyone was super. My favorite part of the training was getting the nickname “Brother Wolverine” from Ali, who loved my superhero tattoo.
All in all, it felt really great to be part of the extreme diversity of people that make up the Omega culture. I came away realizing how much power yoga has to help me and how much I could help others if I could learn to teach yoga well. One of my goals is to help otherly-abled people–like me–do their own kind of yoga.
I’ve been doing yoga and meditation pretty much daily, and they make such a big difference in my life.
The combination of yoga, breath work, meditation – and positive community – are probably the very best medicine I could imagine.
I really want to share and give back to my community and the world around me by sharing these skills and telling stories to inspire more people to give it a try.
Keep it breezy. Keep it easy!
See you here soon,
Gabe
Boot Camp Boost
Posted on: June 24, 2015
One day several months ago, I met a man who would bring me hope. I didn’t completely recognize it when I met him, but his personality, dedication and his invitation to a special event would make all the difference in my mind set.
I was visiting my prosthetist’s office one afternoon for a routine visit, and Honestly, I wasn’t making much progress. My legs were changing shape a lot, and my sockets weren’t fitting well. Getting them on was just impossible. I’d get so worn out and sweaty spending more than a half-hour just trying to get my residual legs INTO the sockets, if I got to the point where I could stand in them at all, I’d be too wiped out to take many steps! And, inevitably, one would be slightly turned at a strange angle, and I’d have to start all over again.
Feeling disheartened, I was sliding off track in other areas of my life, too. I wanted to move forward, but I just couldn’t get going. Lucky for me, the day that was meant to be a routine (and probably disappointing) appointment, things turned out differently. I got to meet world famous prosthetic wizard Kevin Carroll, who came into the room for my appointment.
Mr. Carroll said many things to me in his British Isles accent. He was more of a sports coach than a doctor, and he seemed part “dad,” too. He told me I really needed to get out of my chair, stand tall for a good part of each day, and get moving on what’s left of my legs. He looked closely at my right residual leg, which is shorter than my left and plagues me with doubt a lot. He felt the uneven contours, poked and prodded the muscles that had been shredded, then surgically rearranged a few years ago.
Then looked at me and said, “You can do it, Gabe.”
Mr. Carroll showed me a video on his cell phone of a patient he was helping in another country to help me understand how I might be able to get into my sockets a little easier. Before the appointment was over, he said, “Gabe, I want to see you at Boot Camp this year!”
I thought – what kind of boot camp is he talking about? Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago, and there I was, one of a large group of double above-the-knee amputees from all over the world, gathered together for the annual ‘Bilateral AK Bootcamp’ at the Hanger Clinic in Oklahoma City.
We learned all about the latest approaches and options for living with no legs. But the best part of it all for me was to be part of a diverse group of amputees from all over the world. We all came from different cultures, economic and social lives, but this was the first time I was around so many people that have the same body like me, double amputations above the knee. What a strange but good feeling!
Because for a long time, I didn’t want to be defined by the shape of my body, post-accident. I wasn’t ready to be part of the “amputee world.” While I still don’t see myself as defined by my limitations, I am seeing the value of participating in the amputee community of people overcoming obstacles and living well, meeting the challenge as gracefully as possible, every single day.
Carroll and his crew took us through the steps to walking. Some people were on short prosthetic called ‘stubbies,’ some in full height prosthetics and everything in between. Everyone was encouraged to use the equipment that improves their lives, whatever that is for them.
On one of the days, we were taken to a shopping mall to practice walking in a real life situation. It was quite a scene to see at least 40 amputees from wheelchairs to prosthetics going through the mall as a big mob. We obviously got a lot of attention from unsuspecting shoppers, and we got to joke together a lot. People were falling and learning to walk up slopes and go down stairs and step on to escalators. It was the best part of boot camp for me, because one of my fears has been how I would feel being viewed by the public, as I struggle in my stubbies with an awkward gait, that I would be embarrassed or ashamed of myself.
Getting to see a big group of people that look a lot like me struggling but overcoming their fear and learning from their struggle has made me very excited and inspired to continue my own path to become a full time prosthetic user. I have realized the only thing holding me back has been me.
I was assigned to share a room with a man named Trevor, who was born without legs so he has been a full time prosthetic user basically his whole life. Seeing his level of comfort and the ease in which he functioned was truly inspiring and has given me a lot of hope as to the level of comfort i could have in using my prosthetics, over time. He even drove a normal car without hand controls, wearing his prosthetic feet and legs. I hope I can do that someday!
I am now working to get back into ‘stubbies,’ hoping I’ll soon be using them full time. While I wait for insurance approval for the special shrinkers I need to start the process, I am holding onto the inspiration and motivation I found at “Bilateral AK Bootcamp,” and transferring it into other parts of my life to move forward and continue to be UPRIGHT in every way.
Even though I often wish I didn’t have to lose my legs, I still get to feel fortunate, too. It is pretty amazing that Mr. Carroll personally invited me to participate in the boot camp. Did you know he was played by Morgan Freeman in a popular movie? I just saw it, and it’s actually really touching and entertaining. Since I have spent time with the REAL Kevin Carroll, it was amazing to see how Morgan Freeman acted out some of Carol’s actual characteristics, his attitudes and how he focuses on certain things when he’s engineering prosthetic solutions. The movie is a reenactment of the true story of how Mr. Carroll helped Winter, an injured dolphin who lost her fin in an accident to swim with a prosthetic flipper tail.
If you want to laugh, cry, be inspired and get an idea of what amputee victims and their families go through in an uplifting and fun family flick – definitely see Dolphin Tale!
If you want to meet Kevin Carroll, click on his Facebook Page.
I’m super grateful for Mr. Carroll, my fellow amps, and all the good people out there who still care.
Thanks so much for visiting GabesAlive.com.
Here’s to moving forward!
Gabe
Healthy & Handsome
Posted on: January 9, 2014
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Celebrating holidays with family.
During my earliest recovery days in Florida, I became VERY overweight. I had more chins than should be legally allowed! At the youthful age of 23, I was weighing in at about 240 pounds! (And remember, people – this is with no legs!)
When I came back to New Jersey last spring, I felt pretty disgusted with the state of my body. As I began to get my life in order, I became more and more convinced I had to do something to get my health back.
Now, my weight is at 168 pounds! I bench press 315 pounds! I’m stronger now than I have ever been. I’m well on the road to a very healthy active life, eating well and feeling great.
How did I get here?
In the first few weeks after I arrived in NJ, I started edging into physical activity by doing pushups on chairs in my room, shooting baskets on my neighbor’s driveway, and pushing my wheelchair up and down the hills around my mother’s house. It was very tough to make myself do this at first, but I just kept pushing myself forward. I started to enjoy the way I was feeling from exercise.
I had fallen into a typically poor diet of junk food 24/7, but I started making changes, eating more vegetables, cutting out simple, processed carbohydrates and lowering my sugar intake.
It wasn’t long until I could tell my weight was starting to come off.
In a couple months, I was able to sign up for a gym membership. This is where my real change started happening! I didn’t have a car, so transportation was dependant on my mom and friends over the summer – but that turned out to be a good thing. I’d be dropped off at the gym in the morning, and just stay all day long until I could get a ride home at night. I had nothing to do but work out, so I would force myself to continuously exercise throughout the day. By spending lots of time learning from other guys and pushing myself, I learned how to truly work out and train.
I did this from June until September! I lost about 70 pounds of fat and gained at least ten pounds of muscle. Looking good, yeah!! Losing that excess weight is a big help in moving forward with walking on prosthetics, as you can imagine. I continue to work out steadily and have begun spending time on my prosthetics regularly.
Another huge health issue was smoking. Most people in recovery smoke for a while. It seems to be part of the ‘recovery club,’ and when you are a member of that club it feels like smoking is almost a requirement. Everyone in rehab would sit around and smoke. I was never happy with myself because I knew better from the get go NOT to smoke!–but I still let myself feel part of the group around me, and took up the smoking habit at the time.
As I started to get back in shape, I knew I HAD to quit smoking. I was smart enough to know for sure that I would never reach my exercise goals while smoking cigarettes. I overheard two guys talking at the gym about how they had quit smoking, and I realized that if they could do it, I could do it! So I decided to stop. It took me a little while, but I went from a pack a day to zero. I just quit without any aids, which I think is the best and easiest way, instead of fussing with gum, patches, or other half steps. Just stopping was the best way for me to quit.
Thanksgiving was a real joy, because I had so much to be thankful for. I thought back to where I was a year ago, and wow – I came a LONG way! I spent an amazing Thanksgiving Day with Greg’s family, and feel honored to be getting to know new family members and build relationships. I felt so blessed to also have been invited to friends houses for the holidays, too. I was also lucky enough to see what seemed like my entire Voorhees High School class the night before Thanksgiving. It was such a fun night, and so great to see everyone. It felt good to simply be myself, inside and out, and for the first time since my accident I felt comfortable in my skin and proud of what I am becoming.
Gabe heads off to the gym.
I would not be here today if it was not for all the support I have always been blessed to receive. I am so grateful for your interest, and I am reminded of how lucky I am during this holiday season.
If losing weight or improving your health is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, I’m here to tell you: Go For It!
If I can get the job done, so can you! And it feels so good, so worth it. Don’t let anything stop you!
In my next post, I’m looking forward to sharing my career path. You’ll see how my experiences so far are leading me into wanting to help other people…
Thanks for reading, see you back here soon.
–Gabe
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Gabe at Global Mala, NJ 2013
photo by Jillian Pransky
Hello at last! This is my first update in about two years. I’m finally ready to share with all of you. I’m back!
The truth is that the full impact of losing both of my legs took time to hit my core emotionally. I have a really strong mind, and I relied on my mental strength to keep my hopes up in all kinds of ways after my accident.
In spite of all the support I had, somewhere inside I couldn’t fully accept how much I lost. It was too strange and devastating to let myself realize that I was never gonna dunk a basketball again or run around on the lawn, or carry groceries for my mom.
When I had to undergo revision surgeries to both of my residual legs, it didn’t go well. My body was not properly prepared for the surgeries to be successful, and the first wounds would not close. I had to go under the knife once again, and this time the surgeons cut more bone away and I lost more leg length. After keeping up my hopes for so long, this was too much for me. I had to face the pain of surgery all over again, and to seeing my body look permanently destroyed and different from everyone else. It was too much for me to really let in. No more working at Abercrombie or looking like the coolest guy around (even modeling in fashion shows!). I couldn’t figure out how to get any kind of job, since I always did physical work in the past, like construction, waiting tables or running around taking care of kids. I couldn’t get my mind straight on how to go forward in my life.
All this lead me to go through some seriously hard times in the last two years. I chased distractions as long as I could, ‘till I finally fell into the dark and dangerous world of depression and pain medication abuse. I was determined to get off all pain meds when I was finally released from the hospital after my accident, and I was completely successful. But more than a year after that, the revision surgeries really took me down, and doctors gave me so many prescriptions for oxycodone, I became physically and mentally dependent. I was trying to fight off the pain and confusion in my body, heart and mind with these dangerous pills. They turned out to cause much more pain and confusion than I could ever imagine.
Opiate addiction is a very big problem today. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says at least 52 million people have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. Users are getting younger every year. At least 1 in 20 high school seniors say they have abused Oxy. Money made by pharmaceutical companies selling opiate prescriptions more than doubled to reach more than 8 billion dollars a year. But these drugs are a very sharp double-edged sword that can cut fast and deep.
I didn’t even want to think about writing a blog post until I was ready to share some solid good news! Here’s the beginning of my good news these days:
I am extremely happy to say that I have been clean for 14 months, and my life has done a complete 180 turn around. I nearly died when I suffered the accident that cost me my legs. It was a miracle I survived. And now, it’s a big miracle that I have my life back after leaving opiate addiction behind.
After trying to overcome my addiction in different miserable and unsuccessful ways, I was fortunate to get a month’s addiction treatment at the Hanley Center in Florida, where my mind and body began to heal. I realized how addiction had been leading me to make choices that made my pain worse instead of better, and was badly affecting my life and the people who loved me.
After treatment, I stayed in a transitional living situation, where lots of people in recovery live together as they try to save and stabilize their lives. It’s sad, but a lot of people don’t stay clean. Many don’t even stay alive. In some ways this experience just brought me more trauma, because I witnessed lots of horrible behavior and even overdose deaths. But watching all the chaos around me helped me understand exactly how I did not want to be.
In April, I came back to New Jersey to clean up my life, and things are going so well! I have stayed clean, gotten super healthy (read more in my next post), started healing my relationships and I am back in college again, truly enjoying the challenge and my new-found ability to do well academically. In the past I struggled in school, but I earned a B+ average in the summer semester which gave me a lot of confidence in myself. In the past I always struggled in school, so I am so happy to see I can get good grades when I apply myself and give time to my studies. I am now in my second semester working towards a degree in Exercise Science. I love the subject and it is working into my life beautifully. (more on that in the next post, too!)
I couldn’t be more grateful to still be on this planet and still receiving the love and support I am so lucky to have. There are so many I am grateful to for all they have given me all my life, and especially during this time.
– I would like to thank Debi Walker for allowing me to stay with her while I was truly lost, and for making the hard decisions that helped me so much. Thank you Debi.
– I owe so much to Gregory Frick who has helped emotionally logistically and financially. Greg has also been there for my mother who suffered during this period in my life more than any one, most likely more than even I did. Thank you Greg.
– I owe so much to my mother. She has always supported me in every way possible. If I listed all the ways she has made my life better, it would take a lifetime just to write! The biggest help she gave me during the terrible time of addiction and recovery was her unwavering belief that I could get better, and that there had to be a light at the end of the tunnel. She believed in me when many told her not to, that I was a lost cause and she was wasting her time or money to try to stick with me, and keep trying to help. I am glad to say I am making her proud now and have not only came back from rock bottom but am doing better in my life than ever before. This feels great for me to know I am in control of my life and that my mother’s belief in me has paid off and that she can start to be proud again. Thank you Mom.
I also learned to connect way more with God’s grace during my recovery, and I am so grateful.
My plan is to keep posting on my blog, and if you keep reading my posts, I think you’ll see that I’ve made a lot of progress. There is MUCH, MUCH more I want to do to make my life great and to make up for past mistakes and turn around any hurt feelings I caused anyone during my struggle.
I will continue to keep pushing forward and building my life into something I love, that is useful and helpful to others in some way. This will be a great pride for me and hopefully to all who love me and are there for me.
I can truly say, now, maybe more than ever before that the title of my blog is accurate – Gabe’s Alive!
Thank you for reading and caring.
May your day be great!
Gabe
Two Years, Two Legs (Gabe writes)
Posted on: May 19, 2011
Hello to all my friends, family and supporters out there-
It’s been two years since the day my accident took place. I will never forget the day it happened and how scarey it was. But these days when I think back, sadness is not the emotion I feel. I have overcome so much, I actually feel a sense of accomplishment, not sadness. I now know for sure no matter what I am up against, I can overcome any challenge life wants me to face.
I don’t want to say I’m happy I lost my legs or that I don’t miss them every single day, because I do. But I try to look on the positive side as much as possible to see the silver linings. I now have more willingness to try new things that interest me than I did before my accident. In the past I would let anxiety and fear prevent me from going out into the world. Now I have new experiences that make me a better person. I find myself doing things I never could before, and might never experience if I hadn’t undergone such a tragic accident.
I think my accident actually gave me the opportunity to get involved in sports in a way I never would have been able to, and it is such a blessing. I’ve been really enjoying the opportunity to play hockey on a high level for the New Jersey Freeze.
On the Ice at Half Time
It is sort of amazing how the circle of life works. When I was a little kid, my mom taught yoga, so I knew about it but I was never super interested until three years ago, when I decided to learn more. I wanted to know about the different styles of yoga, and I have the good luck that my Auntie Kaitlin is editor for Yoga Journal magazine. She helped me get a job volunteering to be a badge checker and door monitor at the Yoga Journal Conference in Boston in 2008. My On the last day, I was assigned to help set up the class and watch the door for a class taught by Mathew Sanford. He is a yoga instructor in a wheelchair, and one of his main teaching styles is for teachers who are working with people with a wide range of disabilities and how yoga can be tailored to such individuals needs.
with Mathew Sanford at the Yoga Journal Conference in New York
Last Sunday I got to attend the Yoga Journal Conference in New York city, thanks to my aunt and the conference director, Alana. So it was very interesting and sort of funny because when I attended this year, I was in Mathew’s class again, but this time I was not the door monitor. The main focus was on me, as Matt was able to use me to show other students what adjustments can be helpful for a double amputee, and how certain yoga positions could be adjusted for people in my situation. I really appreciated getting to be in his class and what he showed me about working with my energy in ways I didn’t know possible. The students seemed to really appreciate my willingness, and I was very glad I could be of help to Mathew’s class and that at the same time I got to learn so much from it.
I got to see some yoga teacher/ friends I had not seen since my time in the hospital, like Seane Corn, and it really warmed my heart to see these people again and be in a much healthier situation where I could show how much I appreciated them.
with yoga teacher Faith Hunter
I also got to meet some amazing yoga teachers I didn’t know before, like Bo Forbes, Faith Hunter and Elena Brower. All of them had truly fantastic careers and beautiful souls, attitudes and words for others. I felt a lot of love and admiration.
Other good news: I am very proud of my progress in school last semester, because I was committed to getting good marks no matter how much focus it required. All my work paid off. I passed my class with great marks in all of my subjects – even German! (That class was much harder than I expected!)
More great news: I got a dog! The people at Golden Hearts rescue looked for a dog for me that was calm, intelligent and easy to train. A dog that might help me with small things, but mainly be easy to manage from a wheelchair and be a great companion. I am so happy with Lulu, and she is healthy and so much fun to have around. Acquiring her and getting her set up at the vet was expensive, but I think she is a great investment in being happy every day.
Two year Anniversary of the Accident - with Mom and Lulu
My prosthetics progress has not been moving forward at an acceptable pace. I need help and I’m looking for a good prosthetic doctor here in New Jersey. It’s hard to imagine exactly what is possible for me on prosthetics, and what I need to do to make my body cooperate fully, but I have great equipment and I think with some professional adjustments and support, I can be out of my wheelchair some of the time.
I was checking out people who got help from the Hangar prosthetics crew, and the success they were able to achieve. One person who really stuck for me was Laurens Molina. He was born with no bones in his legs below his knees, and had them amputated at an early age. He now runs in races and does everything a normal person does, wearing his prosthetics. I think his ability to never give up and to get to a point where he is truly comfortable on his prosthetics is truly inspiring and I aim to be like him. Even though I did not loose my legs at birth – which seems to make it easier to adjust – I believe I can be just as effective in my situation.
Check out Molina’s profile here.
If anyone has any suggestions about a good prosthetist who accepts Medicaid in New Jersey, I’d be grateful for any introduction.
SO much has changed in the last two years. Even with everything I have gone through and the struggles I have faced I would not take any of it back and I am so happy and grateful for where I am in my life, and especially for all the love and support that I have found people are capable of. All that happened is truly a blessing. I love and care about all those out there who have helped me and been there for me. I won’t ever give up knowing I have people behind me that love me.
Take care everyone out there and enjoy life every day!
Peace-
Gabe
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Dear Friends,
With his residual legs healed from Fall’s surgeries, Gabe sets out to make more progress in wearing his amazing prosthetic legs. On Friday, Gabe documented his effort to get started walking again, and created this message to share with his cherished supporters and friends.
I am so proud of his determination and positive spirit!
~ Niika
So Cool 2 b On Ice (Gabe Writes)
Posted on: March 10, 2011
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In Central Park
I have been dreaming of playing ice hockey for a long time. In the last two weeks, I have had the amazing opportunity to try out Disabled Ice Hockey – or ‘Sled Hockey’ as it is more commonly called. (Also sometimes called “Sledge Hockey.”
I was invited to join disabled hockey team sponsored by the New York Rangers professional team. To be honest, I’ve always been a New Jersey Devils fan. But I gotta say – I love the Rangers for this incredible chance to get myself out on the ice!
And I’m excited to find that I enjoy hockey even more than wheelchair basketball. It’s great exercise, very challenging and super rewarding. It’s much more physical, and that is great for feeling the intensity of being alive. Slamming into the other players is great for letting out aggression and even transforming mental pain. I really love playing this hockey game as much as I dreamed I would!
Great to be on Ice
How can a guy without legs play hockey? Instead of standing up on skates, I strap into a small sled, basically just like sitting on skates. Instead of holding a long hockey stick, I hold two shorter sticks, one in each hand. Each stick is about the length of a yardstick, or half the length of a regular hockey stick, and has 3 or 4 spikes on one end which I use to dig in and propel myself across the ice — at some pretty decent speed.
Just like in regular hockey, one end of the stick is used to shoot/slap the puck. Here’s a photo. You can see the metal attachments at the bottom, for jabbing the ice and getting traction to push forward.
- Sled Hockey Sticks
Very unlike the Basketball team I was on in California, this hockey team is very organized. Twice a month we get to practice at the Rangers’ practice facility. The other weeks we meet on Thursday or Friday to practice whenever there is open ice – anywhere in New Jersey, New York or Connecticut. Tournaments are once a month.
Last weekend I got to participate in a hockey showcase in New York City! Wollman Skating Rink is right in Central Park, an open-air ice rink that was truly beautiful. It was a really great time. We got to skate around and give a demonstration of what sled hockey is. We got our pictures taken with some retired professional Rangers, too.
Involvement is expensive. To be on the team requires quite a bit of driving every week to places as far away as Boston. The equipment is also very pricey because most of it has to be custom-fit to the body for safety. When you have a life that depends on using your hands and shoulders to move around, you have to protect them. When the ends of your legs are delicate, you have to protect them from assault. And when your face is down low close to the ice where the puck is flying, you better protect that too!
Ice Action
I’m borrowing what I can because I’m so passionate about getting out there. But soon I’ve got to put together my own gear: shoulder pads, a jersey, a solid helmet with clear plastic face guard and mouth piece, elbow pads, padding to protect the ends of my legs, gloves, sticks that match my arm size, and of course, a sled.
It could be really great to be involved in something like this because I will also have the opportunity to meet people and do things that I would not get a chance to otherwise.
Although my daily life is already demanding and full of struggles, I really want to dedicate time and resources to hockey. It’s going to require my full commitment to participate on the level expected by my team and my self. So, even with all the driving, expense and commitment I have to say hockey is the most fun I’ve had since my accident took place and I hope it will continue.
I hope you enjoy the photos of sled hockey in Central Park. A huge thanks to Dana Jensen for cheering me on and taking the pics…!
I gotta play!
Take care everyone –
Gabe
Real Life (Gabe writes)
Posted on: February 22, 2011
The day I turned 21
Hey out there, all of you out and about in the worldwide web….
So the last time we spoke or I wrote to every one, things were very different. The last time I wrote, I was 20, living in California, and I had a girlfriend.
Now, all that has changed. First of all, my mom got us moved back to New Jersey because I really wanted to move back here, and even though she is in India most of the time, she likes the East Coast too. I’m happy to be home again.
And I turned 21 last month. I guess I am now considered an adult! But sometimes I feel like I have further to go to reach that status.
My personal life has shifted a lot, and has gone through a turbulent change I really wasn’t expecting. I was in a long-term relationship that I was looking forward to enjoying when I got settled in New Jersey. It was a rather serious relationship, and it came to an end in an abrupt and very surprising fashion.
Change has always been an extremely hard thing for me and it is a big adjustment for me for face this change. But as life has taught me, you have to be patient, have faith in life, yourself and the future, and you can’t let anything stop you from reaching for your goals and making progress in life. This is often easier said than done, but I try to always be positive and hopeful.
I am attending Raritan Valley Community College. I’m giving a try at studying German and taking some prerequisites in English and Math, also. My major is Communications.
My prosthetics progress has been very slow, and it gets me very down sometimes because it’s hard to stay motivated. its painful and I can feel like I won’t ever be able to walk. Moving away from my great prosthetics doctor in California does make things a little harder because he was a great inspiration and was always ready to help me “take the next step” forward. I know it’s really important for my health to get my body upright and out of the wheelchair. And I really do want to walk again, so I do make myself practice on my own.
I am hoping to find a coach or just a helpful person who can walk with me, help make sure I don’t fall, and cheer me on a little bit to help me stay motivated. I have a great set of parallel bars in my living room to hold onto and keep my upper body straight when I practice walking in prosthetics. I’m looking forward to the possibility of someone stopping by once or twice a week to “spot me” and watch me walk.
I also am looking for a yoga class to be in because I believe working on my flexibility would be great for my prosthetic usage so if any one around the Sommerville area knows of good yoga classes that may be able to take a disabled student, I would love to know what is available.
Some times living on my own is very hard. Not as far as getting around or being able to handle chores really, but coming home alone all the time can bring a depressing and isolating feeling. So, I am looking for a roommate and I am hoping I can find someone who has the qualities I aspire to in my life. I want to find someone to live with who will help bring out the best in myself, which is really what we all want. I know myself very well and when turbulent things are happening in your life or relationships, its easy to turn to the wrong types of things to calm yourself and fill that emptiness. I’m ready for a new way.
While I’m still adjusting and trying to find my way forward in life, for the most part life is good and going along. Some parts are hard but that is true for every one in this world we live in. I am really thankful for the opportunities I have had recently and that I am still alive and on this earth everyday.
It means a lot to me that people are still reading my blog posts…!. I hope every one is doing great, that your life is full of happiness and love. For all my people in NJ – I would love to see you!
I love you all and thank you for reading.
Gabe
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Hello Everyone Out There!
A lot has happened in the last few months! I am happy to say, though, that I am once again healthy and happy. 🙂
As most of you probably know, I underwent two recent operations on my legs. Even though it was traumatic to have two surgeries at a time we were not planning, and have to repeat the surgery even after that, and take weeks of healing each time, and especially have one leg come out shorter, I am happy to say that I think I healed very well.
Gabe went to visit family before the Surgeries and took a Walk with Uncle Kris
In the last few days I was able to stand up in the prosthetics Dave Krupa gave me once again, after going through the healing process and having them re-fit to my new leg shape.
I have not been able to try walking yet, but from what i can tell so far, they feel much more comfortable. There’s less pain on the ends of my legs when I stand, so I am am really excited about this! Because eventually, I know I will walk again.
Of course, a wheel chair will always be part of my life. But just knowing I could have the ability to get up and walk out of the front door with nothing but my prosthetic legs is really exciting. I feel that all that stands between me and being able to do this is practice, so I’m very excited to get back to practicing and moving forward with this part of my life.
In the meantime, I am working out several times a week to keep my upper body strong because I depend on that for all movement now. And I have started playing wheelchair basketball once again, now that my energy is coming back after surgery.
Also as many of you know, I am planning to return to the East Coast and live in New Jersey once again. I have wished many times that I had stayed there after my accident, and had not gone to California. But there have been good things about being out here. I had time to become clear on what I need in my life. What kind of accessibility and help I need to live and make progress. And now I know what I can do myself, and the things I do not need help to handle.
My Grandpa Hunter came to visit
I also got a chance to have family around more, which was a good thing, probably for all of us.
With my grandma, my aunt, my cousin from California and my girlfriend from New Jersey
I am very excited about moving back to New Jersey. I have not yet found an apartment or dwelling to rent, so if you happen to know of something you think might work I would very much appreciate your contacting my mom or me. (We can build a ramp into a back or front door if that makes the difference!)
I am planning to move back at the end of the winter semester, toward the end of December. Brrr…! Jersey cold! Can’t wait! I am really looking forward to being home and being around where I grew up and my favorite place in the world! : ) Not to mention it will be great to see some friendly faces of all the people I miss! I hope every one is doing well.
I miss you all and hope every one is getting ready for a fun and relaxing holiday season. I look forward to seeing all my East Coasters soon. To everyone else, I hope you have a great holiday season!
Thank you for all your love and support.
Gabe
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Going In, One More Time
Hello all ~
Gabe’s just entered the operating theatre here in Santa Rosa with anesthesiologist Dr. Moore, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nathan Ehmer and plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Silberg.
We were up at 4:30 this morning. Gabe had been instructed to cease all intake of food and liquids by midnight, and this morning to wash his hair, scrub his body and put on freshly laundered clothing. We had Gabe checked in at the hospital by 5:30am and found our way to the ICU/Surgery waiting room.
Then, we began what has come to feel like “standard operating procedure” after the 11 trips to the operating basement Gabe made at Morristown Memorial in New Jersey: meet the pre-op nurse, be shown to a pre-op bay. Remove all personal clothing, jewelry and other articles, don the lovely and stylish hospital attire. Settle on the gurney and answer a long list of questions (that were also answered the day before by phone).
Temp taken. Pulse detected. Lungs listened to…..
For Gabe, the next part is probably the hardest – giving blood for tests, getting an IV hooked up. He just doesn’t have the veins for this business. It took four people each several tries to do the job. Ouch.
And in all the gaps is this terrible waiting. The other hard part.
Finally, the surgeons came in to talk for a few minutes, to clarify their plan. The main goal is to remove the extensive calcified heterotopic ossification from his right leg, and find a creative way to close the leg that will allow for more general safety and prosthetic use without excess skin stress and breakdown. Here’s the idea: Dr. Ehmer will remove all the calcification that results from the high level of trauma sustained to the muscle tissue on the right leg. If possible, he wont’ have to reduce the length of the femur much, but will round it some to soften the sharp right angle edge the end has now.
The old skin graft will be removed, then Dr. Silberg will look to see exactly what he has to work with. He has to do some fancy quilt-like piecing to potentially wrap a muscle around the end of the femur, and pull skin down far enough to make a tidy closure that – once healed – will withstand prosthetetic wear.
Dr. Barry Silberg with Gabe last week
Dr. Silberg met Gabe last week. Gabe was NOT too excited about another surgery, but he is looking forward to having this process behind him. Dr. Silberg was nice, seems knowledgeable and interested in Gabe’s case, ready for creative problem-solving, which is just what Gabe needs.
They told me to expect the surgery to take around 5 hours, more or less. There’s a flat screen display in the waiting room listing each patient’s initials, color coding at what point they are “in procedure” and estimating time until they reach the next stage. Is there a layover in Chicago?
Docs say Gabe he may need further skin grafting, but that can”t happen today. If it has to happen, it will be at a later date soon.
We are expecting 3-5 days in hospital, and several days (?) recuperation at home.
One nice thing: We picked up a sweet-natured dog Gabe’s calling, “Sir Henry” yesterday, to take home on trial. A light brown adult chihuahua, Sir Henry isn’t much to look at, honestly, but he has a great personality. Super calm, cuddly and loving.
Pre-op fun with Grandma at a baseball game on Sunday afternoon
A couple of friends said to me – “What? You’re getting a dog? Now?” Sure, it seems like an inconvenient time, but life is surely not always convenient, and little Sir Henry might be the best medicine around in the days ahead!
Thank you as always for your thoughts and prayers. Cultivating good energy is a valuable contribution!
More soon,
Niika
Gabe's Alive 
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