Wednesday May 30, 2012

Last night a friend brought over a piece of cloth called Farabloc that was specifically designed to treat phantom limb pain. He’s been wrapping his left stump with it as much as possible all day.

This morning we spent 45 minutes using touch therapy on his stumps. I brushed them with a bristle brush, iced them, poked them, and rubbed them with a towel. We used to do this last summer, but stopped. An email yesterday reminded me that this is a good method to retrain his brain that his legs stop at the stumps; that his feet aren’t there.

Prior to his Project Walk session today, we booked Nick a last-minute Acupuncture appointment with a traditional Chinese doctor. He’s seeing her again tomorrow too.

He did a 30 minute guided meditation specifically for phantom pain on the way down to Carlsbad in the car. He’s been doing this twice a day for the last week, along with specific affirmations throughout the day.

Oh, and he’s been wearing his electrical pulse thingy (TENS unit) on his leg almost all day long for the last few weeks.

After Project Walk, our 90 minute drive home was painfully silent. Nothing is working.

Tonight we have already spent four hours separately researching various options to try next. I’ve made an appointment request to see a therapist who specializes in coping with trauma and chronic pain, and uses hypnotherapy as one of the tools to help her clients. I’ve also requested an appointment with a therapist who specializes in a technique called Biofeedback. This procedure helps to reassociate brainwaves… or something like that.

I’m pooped. Emotionally exhausted. Tired of what this phantom pain is doing to our lives.

To those who have reached out to help us: Thank You!!

Tuesday May 29, 2012

These phantom pains are infuriating.

Hey, do us a favor. If you know someone facing an amputation, have them do research on getting a nerve block prior to the operation. We’ve read that having a nerve block for 72 hours before the amputation can greatly improve that persons chances of not having severe phantom pains. Please share this info if the situation ever arises in your life.

…because phantom pain fucking sucks!

Horse therapy 5/24/12

Nick and I had the opportunity to hang out with some horses on Saturday. I did a fun ride while Nick meditated in the shade.

There is something so beautifully powerful about being around these massive creatures. It really is therapeutic!

This old man is 22 years old and was so easy to ride (good thing because I’d only been on a horse once before).

Not sure if Nicks back and tailbone will ever tolerate riding a horse again, but petting them is good enough for now.

Flyin’ a plane… Look Ma! No feet!

Nick in the co-pilots seat, driving the plane. I was grateful to have a parachute!

We went to the dropzone today so I could skydive, and next thing I know Nick is getting on the same plane I am. Something as simple as climbing the loading stairs, ducking through the fuselage, and squeezing into the tiny cockpit, would have been impossible just two months ago. It was a breeze for him today. He climbed the stairs like a champ and made his way to the front of the plane easily, even before I could get onboard.

He took control and flew the plane for a bit, and when it was time for the jumpers to gear up, he turned and told me how hard it was to not be getting ready to follow us out. Only a few short months young grasshopper, and you’ll be in the air again.

This whole year has made a mess of time-reality for Nick. Time feels long to him. His old life feels so far away. But being in that plane today, was the first time he has felt that it hadn’t been forever since he was there. He said it just felt like yesterday that he was in the plane getting ready to jump. It felt really good for him to get up there again, even if only as an observer, even if only for one load.

It was so awesome to be in the plane again, AND have my man with me! What a great day.

Friday May 25, 2012 – phantom pain

On the quest to crush Nicks phantom pains. They’ve been so bad lately that Nick has expressed he can’t live this way much longer. It doesn’t help that most of the research he’s done says the pains never go away, especially if they are still present six months post-op.

So, we will sit still no longer. There must be a solution, and it most likely lies within Nick. Phantom pains are basically a perception of the brain. If Nick can change his brain and the way it perceives the signals it’s receiving from his stumps, then we believe he can beat this.

Having that belief is half the battle.

Wednesday morning he saw a world renowned psychotherapist in La Jolla who specializes in hypnotherapy techniques and energy healing. I won’t mention how much that cost.

Nick had a strange experience and left with a recording of the session, a book, two audio guided meditations, and a host of daily homework assignments to release the pain. I believe he has been armed with some powerful tools to begin the process of rewiring the way his brain works after the trauma. For few hours after his session he said he felt like he was floating.

Today he saw a shaman, and I got the chance to sit in on his session. We didn’t know what to expect, so we weren’t technically “let down,” but it isn’t something he’s likely to run out and do again. She had some important messages for him, but nothing new or earth shattering.

The most important thing she told Nick was to give thanks for each pain-free moment he is consciously aware of. He says he’s been doing this, but a friendly reminder sure doesn’t hurt.

Next step will be to continue the homework and daily affirmations, and seek a skilled acupuncturist who has experience with phantom pains. Apparently there is research about needling specific points on the ear to produce results.

We’ve also got a reiki master in our arsenal who comes highly recommended. Will be seeing her as soon as she gets back from vacation.

Everything is going so great right now except for the excruciating pain. We must find relief for him. He just can’t take it anymore!

Playin’ the git-fiddle 5-24-12

Nick decided today would be a good day to start playing guitar again.

In two hours he learned a song from the one-album wonder Kansas.

I love the way an acoustic guitar sounds on a sunny afternoon. It’s soothing like a lullaby.

His poor fingers will be so sore tomorrow!

Planking at P-Walk 5-23-12

Using the TRX attachments, Nick got one hell of an abdominal workout on Wednesday!

Comedy Show – of course there were fart jokes!

Micah’s name in lights!

I can’t remember the last time I went to a live comedy show. And after going to The Comedy Store in La Jolla on Tuesday night for Micah’s fundraiser, I don’t understand why we don’t do it more often.

I laughed so hard, so often, that my sides were sore the next day. The dozen or so amateur comedians were cracking jokes about the pitfalls of marriage, about farting, about being fat, about any and everything. It  was raw and riotous… just my sense of humor!

The turn-out was pretty great for a random Tuesday night. Many of Micah’s friends were there, and everyone was buying raffle tickets and bidding on the cool donated auction items. Tandem skydives, beautiful paintings, skateboards, jewelry, stones… there were so many beautiful (or thrilling!) items to win. I didn’t win anything, but I bought a bottle of Micah’s home-grown, homemade Peach Habinero Crippled Hot Sauce. Wow. It’s absurdly delicious!

I have no idea how much money was raised for Micah on Tuesday evening, but I have a feeling that it’s enough to at least repair his vehicle. If you weren’t able to make it on Tuesday, but would like to help Micah get a new van, you can donate through our Paypal account, and we will get it to him. Thank you everyone for your support.

Nick and Micah at The Comedy Store, La Jolla.

Bionic Man + Loch Ness Monster = Nick Fener SCUBA diving

Nick and Linz in the water, ready to embark on the first descent.

Phew! We made it. One year down… a lifetime of adventure to go.

The week surrounding Nick’s one-year anniversary has been extremely challenging. There are two overwhelming elements making it feel like we are swimming upstream: his phantom pain is out of control and reality of the permanence of his injuries is setting in.

I am so grateful that we decided to charter a boat and celebrate with our friends and family for the one-year anniversary. Being in good company and living a familiar life of adventure is surely the only thing that kept Nick semi-sane. He wasn’t himself this weekend. He was emotionally tattered and hanging on by a thread. I give him a gold star and A+ for effort. He’s stronger than I imagined.

Don’t get me wrong, he had a blast! With 23 friends on board how could he NOT? We had a celebration dinner the night before, a below-deck-bunk-bed slumber party, delicious meals GALORE, and several peaceful, pain-free SCUBA dives. It was ridiculous – in a good way! So many laughs, lots of sunshine, and at least 3 epic naps for Nick.

The Fener crew… Thanks everyone for posing for us, twice! There are only 22 people in this picture. Who’s missing?

Nick perched on the upper deck, sandwiched in a row of awesome chicks.

Despite a month of preparation and planning for the dives, there were a few technicalities we didn’t think of. The gear-up was not pre-planned. In fact, if it wasn’t for our friend Kate, I don’t know what Nick would have done. She took great care to make sure Nick made it in the water safely, because, well, I was already in the water! Ooops. Next dive trip we will definitely be discussing our needs with the deck hands ahead of time and creating a plan of action to make the gear-up go more smoothly.

Nick’s entrance was easy, he just fell backward off the side of the boat. And once underwater, his pain was nonexistent! We dove for 50 minutes on the first go, followed by our friend John with a Go-Pro. Nick opted to go without fins for the first dive and immediately realized that his weak legs were making it much more difficult to maneuver underwater than ever before. We zigzagged through the towering kelp forest, saw an abundance of beautiful sea life, got a little lost, and started feeling the chill of 60 degree water toward the end of the dive. The visibility was decent and the overcast skies cleared to make it a beautiful day.

The Bionic Man + Loch Ness Monster = Nick Fener SCUBA diving

Underwater posers. Nick and Kim in the back, Cassie and Linz in the front.

It was so incredible to see Nick underwater again. I was briefly reminded of that same day exactly one year before. Never in a million years did I think we would be SCUBA diving so soon. And never mind the diving part, Nick walked around on the boat the whole day. The wheelchair was on board but rarely used – there was nowhere to wheel around, it was too cramped. He walked up and down many stairs, and even climbed up to the top deck for a nap with the girls. The boat had a wench that could lift him out of the water, but do you think he used it? Not a chance. He climbed out of the boat on his own both times. He really is my hero.

He gave every ounce of himself to having a good experience on Sunday. When we got home, he slept for 11 hours, and then took a 2 hour nap, not actually getting out of bed until 4pm (and that was only to have a meal). He was sore and exhausted. We joked that Monday never even happened. He woke on Tuesday feeling like a champion though!

With the success of our trip, we are beginning to think ahead to the next dives. We want to dive the wrecks in San Diego, the Coronado Islands off the coast of Northern Baja, and the Santa Barbara Islands where the sea lions gather. Who’s in?

The Bottom Scratcher Boat, our home for a super cool 24 hours!

Seth, Nootbaar, Nick, PaFart, Dan – in the galley during one of many feasts.

Nick about to doze off for nap #3… with Blue, Cassie and Linz

Radical boat video!!

Totally awesome video of our whole boat experience! Thank you Cassie Hero for the great edit! You can read more of her adventures at Camp-Hero

SCUBA trip video

The beautiful underwater world – this video was taken over the course of 3 dives off of Catalina Island, all from my point of view.

We went SCUBA diving for the 1-year anniversary of Nick’s accident. What an amazing experience!

If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on the YouTube page.

I’m not supposed to post this…

Comedy Show – La Jolla – Tues May 22 – Let’s go!

You are officially invited to a super cool comedy show. We’ll be there! C’mon, it’ll be fun, and it’s for a great cause.

Next Tuesday, May 22

The Comedy Store in La Jolla, CA

7pm

$20

All $$$ goes to our friend Micah Retz to repair his wheelchair accessible van. Micah has raised thousands of dollars for spinal cord research, so now let’s raise some money for him!

There will be raffles and silent auctions with lots of cool prizes, including skin care treatments, skateboards, art, skydiving passes, and more!!

Micah and Nick have been friends for years. They used to skydive and rock climb together until Micah got hurt in 2008. He broke his neck jumping into a shallow body of water and is now a quadriplegic. He has three beautiful children and is very active in raising funds and awareness for spinal cord injury research.

Below is the video Micah helped produce that details the significant advances made toward finding a cure for spinal cord injuries.

Micah and Nick climbing Big Rock at Lake Perris – September 2006

In the frigid January air, Micah was surprised how cold his neck was while falling at 120 MPH. Nick took Micah on a tandem skydive just five months before Nick’s accident.

And here is the video of Nick and Micah’s jump. Skip the intro, and go right to the 2 minute mark to see Micah talking.

Tuesday May 15, 2012

I couldn’t believe my eyes today. Nick pulled up to the house after going to the gym, and as I went for the door to go outside and help him, the door swings open and in he walks, no crutches, no spotter. He made a beeline to the bed and safely plopped down. While not the safest thing for him to do, it was certainly exciting to see. It helped me remember what Nick used to be like. I love that, because those images are difficult for me to recall.

Sweet and Sleepy

“I love you honey, no matter what I’m saying when I’m not saying I love you.” –Nick’s sweet, sleepy sentiments this evening

Monday May 14, 2012

A beautiful afternoon in Carlsbad. Nick is passed out on the lawn chair, drifting to the sound of the waves.

Nothin’ like a spontaneous trip to the beach. What’s better is meeting up with friends at said spontaneous beach trip. Our Project Walk appointment was changed today, leaving us with a critical decision: drive home at rush hour, or burn time in Carlsbad. And that’s how it happened. Next thing you know, Benji and his daughter Iman are sitting with us. It was beautiful!

 

Nick walking laps with Eric and Dom at Project Walk. Pretty soon he won’t need two spotters.

Nick lost his balance a lot while walking during therapy today. This means he’s found his limits, and is flirting with them. He’s pushing hard, and his poor lower back is really paying for it. He’s using every bit of strength he has to keep his upper body from falling forward and folding in half. But sometimes it does, and that’s okay. I’ve decided to make a compilation video of all his catches and saves. Stay tuned, Summer 2012.

Sunday May 13, 2012

What a beautiful Mothers Day with Mom Fener and the Soggy Bottom Boys. Nick and Mom took off for a surprise full body massage (she was so excited!), and I stayed home and made a Moms Day feast of seared ahi salad and ginger-glazed mahi mahi. It was so nice to finally treat Mom to a home cooked meal and no dish-duty!

Nick has been practicing his walking for everyone. He showed Jamon at the gym, he showed Erez and Melody after breakfast this morning, and practiced again for Mom and Seth after dinner tonight.

It’s so damn cool to see Nick up on his feet again. There are no words to describe the feeling. This was such an excrutiating unknown for so long, and now we finally know. Of course, we had hopes and goals of him walking again, but never knew for sure if his glutes, hamstrings, and lower back could support him.

We never spent much time talking about the unknowns. Sure, the fears of never walking without some form of assistance would show their ugly faces at times, but never for long. I can’t say that I believed with all certainty he would walk without a crutch. I just didn’t know.

We are now experiencing the lightness of relief. A comfort in knowing his hard work is paying off, his body is repairing itself, and his life is being pieced back together. A few critical unknowns have been exposed, leaving only a few remaining stragglers. Fortunately, the personal unknowns that linger are aspects of Nicks life that he has already made peace with. He hadn’t yet made peace with the unknown of ever walking again. Thankfully he will never have to.

Friday May 11, 2012

My life is therapy, that’s all I do. –Nick answering a question from an old friend he hasn’t talked to in years

I appreciate this attitude from Nick. In fact, I know that’s the only reason he’s come so far, so fast.

The quality of his walking at Project Walk yesterday was much improved from Wednesday. He looked much more relaxed, swung his arms with each step, and even did backward walking and side steps.

Walking Crew 5/10/12

Taken just after Nicks epic walking session on Wednesday. Good friends, good times! Thank you Bri, Brandon, and Khoa for being part of the best memory ever!

A short haiku

This haiku was a beautiful collaboration between me and Nick.

Four foot eight inches,

The height of the man I love.

Midgets are sexy!

Thursday May 10, 2012

You know how I felt today? I felt like the luckiest guy in the world again. I felt pretty normal. –Nick, as I was kissing him goodnight

I felt like I was chauffeur to the President today. Nick received so many amazing phone calls, texts, and emails from so many people all day long. People were laughing, crying, screaming, cussing. It’s amazing. He was on the phone almost all day catching up with friends who had just seen his walking video and couldn’t NOT call to congratulate him. Nick’s spirit was soaring.

Thank you!

This morning we had an appointment in Moreno Valley at the hospital where Nick was first at. He’s going to volunteer there and needed to fill out some paperwork, do a fingerprint background check, and get a TB test. We can’t believe what they require just to volunteer there; just short of an arm and a leg. It’s a good thing they didn’t ask for that… he’d be a bit short. More on the volunteer stuff later.

After we got back from the wetsuit place, Nick had to try out his new swim shorts, so we went to the gym for a swim. He loves them!

You can tell from this action shot that he is really hauling ass. I don’t recall ever seeing him swim that fast. For the first time, he simply looked like some dude swimming laps in the pool, instead of a guy with no legs trying to move about.

New Wave Wetsuits 5/10/12

Nick is getting ready for the big day. We spent the afternoon with a special wetsuit seamstress in Fullerton.

She cut the legs off his old wetsuit, installed 22 inch zips all the way up the side of each leg, and built him a special pair of shorts that are connected to his prosthetic socks to wear under the wetsuit. Now there is no possible way his legs could fall off while diving unless he got eaten by a shark (and that would just be bad luck, dude).

She brainstormed, fitted, customized, and built everything while we waited. The whole process was about three hours.

If you know someone with special needs who would like a wetsuit to get going with water sports, we highly recommend them. New Wave Wetsuits 714-744-1365. They are extremely reasonable… and good!

Oh My God! Watch this!

I can’t get enough of these videos. If you have trouble viewing them on this page, click the links below and you’ll be taken straight to their YouTube pages.

This video is Nick’s “unveiling” to me what his breakthrough was at Project Walk today, followed by Bri’s animated explanation of how it happened. I love her!

I walked in during the last five minutes of his session and he surprised me with this. Apparently I only know three words. Take a guess what they are…

 

This video was his last lap of the day, he was getting a little tired, but still kicked major butt!

Wednesday May 9, 2012 – MILESTONE!

Unbelievable day! Still in shock.

Nick ditched the crutches today and walked unassisted for the first time in almost a year! He didn’t just take a few steps, he walked laps! Laps and laps, back and forth.

Bri wanted to celebrate, but Nick was quietly, and humbly, excited. He told me on the way home that he was fighting back tears and just focusing on her shoes as he made each step.

Bri and Ryan only had to catch Nick 5 times, in about an hours time. The most impressive sight for me was watching him catch his own balance. He was truly owning every step.

We’re both in a complete state of shock. He just recently learned how to walk with one crutch, and never got confident enough with only one to permanently ditch the other. Truthfully, he still isn’t; he needs a spotter.

To go from taking only 2 or 3 steps unassisted, to walking laps, is the bona fide definition of Totally Fucking Awesome!

At the same moment that we’re shocked this milestone came so soon, we’re also not the least bit surprised. He works his ass off, and he deserves this success. His rehabilitation is moving at light speed right now. Can’t wait to see what he throws at us next.

 

Tuesday May 8, 2012

“It’s been almost a year. I know, crazy huh? Honestly, it feels more like 10 years.” –Mr. Fener

Approaching the 1-year milestone, we’ve been talking a lot about how we’re dealing with, and how we’ve dealt with, this whole mess. There are still tears, still questions, still emotions, still disbelief, still pain. On the flip side, there are still smiles, love, friendship, progress, and hope. 

People get hurt, they get sick, and die everyday and people barely notice. When Nick was injured last year, the love and support flooded in from around the world. Friends were moving mountains to help us. I’ve often wondered why.

Why us?

I never had a clue until this afternoon. A friend posted on Facebook “fuck my life”, followed by a paragraph about how terrible his life is. I felt hideous just reading it, and in that moment, I understood why we’ve felt so special this last year. 

From the beginning, Nick and I both adopted acceptance into our hearts. We accepted what is as a starting ground for building a new life. Life was painful and overwhelming, but I never felt or presented anything that resembled the ugly “F my life” mentality. As hard as life was (and still is, sometimes), there was always hope for something better, and the knowing that time will fade the scars.

Time has faded the scars for us.

I feel like we are different people then we were last summer. And I can’t wait to meet the new Nick a year from now. He’ll be stronger, more adjusted, hopefully in less pain, and spending more time living and less time healing. 

If there is one thing that is holding us back in life right now, it’s his pain. He deals with it well, but some days it’s more than he can stand. Those are the days when life feels a little more desperate, a little more sad. When his pain is under control, life is full of hope and forward movement.

In the spinal cord injury world, we’ve heard some good things about using lithium for nerve pain. We’ve done a little research, and will be pressing his doctors to try it. If anyone has experience with lithium, we’d love to hear about it. 

Basically, something has to change, and that something is going to be his pain. The first year of Nick’s accident has been marked by shattering expectations, and caring deeply for one another, and adjusting to our new life. The second year will be full of passion, adventure, feeling good, giving back, and moving forward.

Knees up 5/3/12

Knees up!
Nicks balance is getting so much better.

Sunday May 6, 2012 – SCUBA Trip Details

Epic SCUBA Adventure – Sunday May 20, 2012

We’re chartering a SCUBA boat for the 1-year anniversary of Nick’s accident. There’s no use sitting around and sulking, let’s celebrate!

So far we have 15 friends going (10 divers, 5 non-divers). We have room for roughly 10 more people, they can be divers or non-divers. Cost will be about $120 per person, depending on how many people go. This includes meals all day and air fills for the 3 dives. Divers must bring all their own equipment, same for snorkelers.

We’ll be on The Bottom Scratcher boat. It’s leaving Long Beach harbor at 7am Sunday morning, which means you have to be boarding the boat by 6:30am. We’ll be diving at three separate dive spots at Catalina Island, and then arriving back at Long Beach harbor around 5 or 6pm.

If you’re not into driving to Long Beach at the butt crack of dawn, you can board the boat the night before and sleep on one of the 23 bunks on board.

Nick and I will be going to Long Beach on Saturday night, and staying in a nearby hotel and having a group dinner the night before. We would love to stay on the boat, but it’s just not feasible for us at this time. I highly encourage people to take advantage of it though, to avoid being exhausted in the morning and possibly missing the boat. It leaves at 7am sharp.

Since Nick will be paying the boat owner in full this week, we need solid commitments by this Thursday May 10th. Please call one of us, or email, or Facebook with any questions or to reserve your spot. Click here for directions to the boat.

All are welcome, the more the merrier. Let’s do this!

Brewin’ beer

Somehow Nick got stuck with the bitch job of cleaning all the equipment. He loved every second of it.

Saturday May 5, 2012

I can’t tell whether I’m dating Sam Adams or Grizzly Adams. He and Dan have been experimenting with brewing beer today. It’s a good thing, cause I’ll definitely be in the mood for a few brewski’s late next month. Actually, I love it. I love when Nick gets so fully engrossed in something that he doesn’t even feel his pain or realize he’s lost his legs.

This morning Jamon worked him so hard, he almost puked. High five to Jamon! You know it’s a good workout when the world starts spinning and your breakfast comes knocking at the base of your esophagus.

And lastly, yesterday we met “Anonymous” and even went out to dinner and spent the gift card he gave us. Of course we ate too much – because it was so damn delicious – and paid dearly for it on the way home from Carlsbad. Thank you TC!

First Triathlon 5/3/12

The Dude is super sore after a mini-triathlon at the gym today.

15 minutes on the bike.
10 minutes walking on the treadmill.
30 minutes swimming laps with his new legs and mini-fins.

Of course he couldn’t do them in traditional order, that would be too difficult – and too normal.

The bike was a breeze. At the 10 minute mark, he decided to go for an extra 5, because, well, he totally forgot he was doing a triathlon and needed to pace himself.

By minute 6 on the treadmill he was certain he wouldn’t make it to 10. A friendly passerby even asked if he was okay and needed help. He dug deep and pushed hard to get through the last few minutes.

He then got into the pool by himself and swam for 30 minutes with the mini-fins. Guess who could barely move after that?

He’s training hard, just trying to get himself to a place of walking freely without crutches. He’s doing the work, as tough as it is, because that’s the only way he’ll get his life back.

If you’ve been slacking off or being lazy, get your butt outside, or to the gym, or in your garage and move your body. Break a sweat, fatigue your muscles, elevate your heart rate!

You’ll feel better, be happier, have pride in your actions, and maybe even look better or live longer. Now, go – Get Busy Moving!

Thursday May 3, 2012

Long Legs McGee figured out how to make himself taller. It’s the one benefit of losing your legs, if you don’t count your new status as a mistaken-for-military sex-symbol. Seriously, he’s now walking around with an extra inch (get your mind out of the gutter, will ya?) of height. It’s noticeable too.

“I want to go taller, but I can’t. This is the tallest they’ll go.” I love his gutsy curiosity. But the real question is: would you make yourself taller if you could?  

 

Walking one-handed – Video 4/30/12

Nicks first attempt at walking hand-in-hand with Bree at Project Walk. She has slick reflexes and caught him when he tripped. ‘Atta girl!

If you’re having trouble watching this video, click here.

Tuesday May 1, 2012

Nick hasn’t been able to use his swim legs since he went in the pool to SCUBA over a week ago. Did I mention that his left leg got stuck on his leg and we had to pull it off. OUCH!

He got it fixed today, along with some water-proofing, and other minor adjustments. He had a two-hour appointment with his prosthetist. I swear the laundry-list of topics to address was over a dozen items long. Nobody warned us that prostheses would be so much work! Well, actually, one guy did. But only one guy out of a dozen amputees we’ve met. Ever since Nick has had legs again, they’ve been a constant work in progress; just like his RC truck!

I feel bad that Nick hasn’t raced his truck in over a week. Life gets in the way of fun all the time. It never used to be this way.

Sunday night we were at a friends house for dinner, and Nick decided to show off his sexy new one-crutch maneuver. While trucking down the hall, he lifted the crutch and took four good steps before needing the crutch again. Those weren’t punk-ass steps either. He was walking!

Everyday, Nicks excitement is growing as the realization that a life of freedom is right around the corner for him. “I’m so close,” he says. He’s right. He’s so damn close!