On August 2, 1998 Daniel Condon’s life was changed
forever when he was involved in a violent rollover auto accident near Santa
Barbara California. Daniel and his three-year-old son were driving along in
their truck when they accidentally headed off a cliff/embankment causing the
vehicle to roll over several times. As fortunate as Daniel was to survive, his
three-year-old son did not. Daniel himself had sustained a broken neck &
spinal cord injury at the C-6,7 & T-1 level that left him paralyzed from
the chest down. After a 6 week hospital stay, he finally made it back home. If
attempting to recover from a tragic event such as this wasn't difficult enough,
approximately a year later he then lost his wife in a separate auto accident. Understandably,
most of us would have lost all hope and completely given up at this point. Dan
chose to fight and push forward instead. As his faith in
God, and his will to survive had carried him through in the beginning, his will
to recover is just as strong today. The prognosis for Spinal Cord Injury is
rarely positive. The doctors always seem to say the worst. You’re routinely
told “You will NEVER walk again… Period.” Once again, understandably, the
average person may fight in the beginning only to eventually give up overcome
by despair. In spite of this there are some who REFUSE to accept their
prognosis and will NEVER give up. Daniel Condon is one of them…
At 38 years old & like most of us, Daniel enjoyed many activities
before his accident, but the main thing he loved was surfing.
Since first trying it at the age of 9 he was hooked! Even today it's the ocean,
under the sun and among the waves where he feels the happiest.
With a monumental challenge like Spinal Cord Injury
Recovery there is a physical and mental aspect. Some would say the mental
aspect is 80% of the battle. With physical therapy, walking is obviously the
ultimate goal but the mental recovery that occurs when you regain the ability
to do the things you love is absolutely priceless. Dan has been working hard
towards his physical recovery for years and has even occasionally been able to
return to the waves where he belongs. With no use of his legs however, surfing
is every bit as difficult as one would imagine. Dan has been able to tough it
out so far though… He's even handcrafted a couple of adaptable surfboards for
himself. They’ve worked well enough and done the job, then a while back a
friend showed him a Wavejet surfboard. A Wavejet is basically a motorized
surfboard. AWESOME. As with
most adaptable equipment they can be a bit pricey. Even though the Wavejet is
technically not an adaptable device, and not designed specifically for the
disabled it CLEARLY would be a HUGE benefit for someone like Dan. Being able to
hit the waves again independently? Absolutely PRICELESS!
SO!! For all these reasons we thought we would begin a
campaign to get Dan back out into the water on a Wavejet! We aren’t shooting
for a college scholarship or anything here, the Wavejet runs about $3500. It's
pricey but $3500 is completely doable. We are asking for anyone interested and
willing to help get him there by a simple donation of any amount… It’s a heck of a challenge, but if we get enough people
to kick in we can do it, AND YOU CAN HELP!!
Thank you VERY MUCH for taking
the time to read this. And if you could forward the request to anyone who you
think would be willing to help us that would be great! Let’s see if we can do
this!!!
To read more about Dan’s Spinal
Cord Injury recovery journey and Project Walk, please continue reading:
In the past
there hasn’t exactly been a wide array of options for Spinal
Cord Injury Recovery therapy. The facilities and programs that do exist are
generally geared more towards getting you used to “life in your shiny new
wheelchair.” For those who are too stubborn to accept their new “life in the
chair” there are places like the Project Walk facilities in Carlsbad Ca. and the
newest facility in Claremont Ca. that are getting people ready for when the day
comes for “life back out of the wheelchair”… and the day will come.
Project Walk is a Spinal Cord Injury
Recovery center headquartered in Carlsbad California that specializes in
exercise based recovery. Utilizing TheDardzinski Method™ their approach is
much more aggressive than traditional SCI Recovery facilities. For one example,
where most doctors & therapists would give you another pill or a Baclofen
pump to suppress body & leg spasms that SCI clients typically experience,
Project Walk attempts to actively recruit the spasms & assist the client in
learning how to use the spasms to their favor. Promoting & strengthening
movement instead of discouraging & actively suppressing it? Imagine the
concept!
Project Walk’s facility in Carlsbad Ca.
was the first of its kind & only 5 years ago was the only facility in the
world to offer this treatment. Since its inception their clients have had
success & improvements at many levels. From increased strength &
improved overall health on the low end, to actually getting up out of their
wheelchair & walking again. As of May 2013 Project Walk has opened its
first franchised facility in Claremont California and now has multiple
affiliated facilities throughout the U.S. including others in Canada, Brazil,
Australia, Europe and Asia.
Project Walk's approach is not considered
“traditional” Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Therapy and is therefore not covered
by insurance. Because of this it can be extremely expensive so unfortunately
it's not a viable option for everyone suffering from a Spinal Cord Injury.
Because of a generous sponsorship from the Be Perfect Foundation and money out
of his own pocket Dan was fortunate enough to attend Project Walk for a few
months and even in that short time was able to see noticeable improvements.
Dan is a Survivor and a Warrior. He’s not
looking for a handout, just a chance. Let’s help him get there!
Thank
You again for reading and God Bless…
John 3-16
John 3-16
