Well hockey season is back in full swing! Les and I are looking forward to getting to see many of you throughout the season at the Eagles’ games!
 
Things have been going really well around here!
 
Therapy is going great for Les. The glider finally arrived and everyone has been busy breaking that in at SCI. That is one of Les’s favorite pieces of equipment and he is glad to have it back! The new facility is working out great, there is so much more room to have more clients doing more exercises at the same time, now for the new equipment! His arms continue to get much stronger and he will be back in the rink soon practicing rolling around in his manual chair who knows, maybe by the end of the season he will be in the manual chair all of the time! People who see him out always comment on that, how much more he is moving his arms!
 
Les has also continued with coaching through NCYH. He has been feeling a bit frustrated because he is having a hard time doing as much as he wanted and being as involved as he wanted. Some parents have talked to me about how glad their kids are that Les is coaching, how much they respect him, look up to him and are eager to learn from him. Still, Les feels frustrated when he can’t make it to away games, practices and not being able to get on the bench to coach them in the moment. There are so many people working on modifications though, it just goes to show how much he has to offer!
 
The SCI fundraiser, Hops for Hope, is only a week away! We are looking forward to that. The girls there put together a great video of the clients working out and personal messages from all of their family and friends to show at the event. They are also having Dr. Davies speak; he is one of the leading researches in finding a cure for spinal cord injuries so that should be very interesting as well! There have been some awesome donations for the silent auction! I will be working the donation/merchandise table and Les will be talking with guests. Each client will give a speech telling about their life prior to their injury and after and what SCI has done for them. We are really looking forward to it!
 
Les gave a speech at CSU last week to the FCCLA groups. The theme was “What’s Your Game Plan?” He was able to talk about his “game plan” prior to his accident and tell the students how he has had to modify his “game plan”. He let them know he still has many of the same goals as he did before and told them the steps he is taking to reach those goals. He always plays his video which is a big hit with all students! There were even a few students who left crying saying that they have been following him along his journey. I think it is wonderful what Les can do for these young students! We are very glad that he has had the opportunities to go and share his story and Les says as long as with each talk he gives if he reaches one kid it was well worth it! I hope that his story is something that will continue to interest people and he will continue to have these speaking opportunities!
 
Thank you to all for your continued support, for continuing to read these updates when they hit your inbox, for buying t-shirts and donating and giving Les the opportunity to continue with therapy and working out! We love you and could never thank you enough!
 
Love,
Kara