A Post from Sister Mary

In Jenny's recovery, there is a long road ahead and much need for love and support. But it is, of course, Jenny and her interminable spirit that is making the progress, doing the work, withstanding the challenges, and pursuing all the aspects of her rehabilitation with tenacity and determination day after day. Jenny's sister, Mary, is visiting her once again from New York, and posted to her CarePage about all of the changes she is witnessing in Jenny in this most recent trip:

October 01, 2007 at 04:13 PM MDT

Hi! This is Jenny's sister Mary writing...I'm visiting Jenny for a week to help celebrate her birthday and she asked me to guest blog for her to let people know all the progress she's making...

I think one of the biggest challenges for Jenny is to recognize all the advances she has made. She makes steady improvement in small ways on almost a daily basis. But because the increments are so small, it is hard for her to remember how much she has accomplished. She takes prior accomplishments for granted and forgets how much she has progressed from her injury date.

Since I haven't seen her since she first checked into Craig in July, I was in awe of how much independence she has recovered in these two months...When I last saw her, she was still a prisoner of her neckbrace, couldn't move on her own at all, and was completely dependent on others for all her needs. Her only way of controlling her environment was through asking others to help her. She had some movement in her upper and lower body, but none of it was functional.

When I arrived at Craig from the hospital, she was not in her room. She had left a message for me that she had gone to the laundry room. I headed out and met her part way. I was so moved when she was able to give me a hug! Although she still needs assistance getting in and out of the wheelchair, she is able to direct and participate in that process, using her recovered strength to help shift her body into position for transfer.

She can put her glasses on and off, feed herself using an adaptive apparatus, respond to e-mail using her voice activated software, and get herself around the hospital and beyond. You can't go anywhere with her in the hospital without a staff member or fellow member stopping to greet her. I don't think she realizes how much everyone here cares for her. The restoration of some of her prior independence seems to give more confidence to her movements. She still has many challenges and can become discouraged, but overall, she continues to show great strength of spirit. Her sense of humor continues unabated...

Today I saw her standing for the first time since the accident, practicing getting up and sitting down with the help of some equipment. Later, in physical therapy, she was able to kneel and balance herself with minimal assistance, do the equivalent of a baby cobra (yoga folks will know what I mean), and roll herself from her side onto her stomach. During her occupational therapy, she worked on getting dressed, and although she could not get a shirt on completely by herself, she was able to start the process. Even in the few days I've been her, I've seen her improve so much, that I am amazed. It is hard to believe that her accident happened only three months ago.
Well, Jenny just got back, and we're due to go out and run some errands! I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support they have shown to Jenny and her family during this difficult time...

Mary

24 Hours for the Jenny McCune Benefit Fund

On October 20th-through-21st I will be running the San Francisco One Day 24-hour Race to support Jenny in her rehabilitation and healing. As she comes to the end of her stay at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado and prepares to relocate to Florida for a time to pursue intensive physical therapy and recovery in a more hospitable climate than Montana-in-Winter, the Benefit Fund will become a key factor in what resources she will have available to her; for one full day I will be pursuing as many miles as possible towards strengthening her Fund for that purpose.

The racecourse is a 1.017 lap around Chrissy Field in the City, with great views (even at 1 in the morning!) of the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Presidio, the dome at the Palace of Fine Arts... you find much to look at going round and round in circles for 24 hours! There will be a live Webcast of the race so that those far away (or those who wish to remain in the comfort of hearth and home, wise buggers you) can watch the crazies running round in circles looking for their tails in the dark...! It was great fun last year, and this year it will be even better if it will help make a difference for Jenny and Ed. I will be accepting sponsorship per mile: whether it be 5 cents, 50 cents, 1 dollar or 10 or more -- whatever you feel you are able to pledge will go so incredibly far, farther than you might be able to fathom, toward facilitating Jenny's therapies, meeting her needs, and helping her achieve her goals in building her life from this point forward.

Three ways to help, any or all!:

#1 - Sponsor my 24-hour run with a donation per mile. To do this, please email me at gypsyvegan@gmail.com, Subject: SF 24-Hour Sponsor (<---just cut and paste this into the subject line). Please list your name, postal address, email address, donation amount per mile, and any messages of support you would like posted on the list of sponsors (please indicate if you include a message if you would like it to be recognized by name or as "anonymous").

#2 - If you have been directly touched by Jenny's light or simply inspired by her, run or walk the race yourself -- there is a 12-hour as well as the 24-hour length, or come join me for a few laps, I would LOVE the company!! -- and obtain sponsorship from friends and family for your own miles.

#3 - Purchase a Jenny's Tour de Cure bracelet for yourself and for those who you know who would be inspired by Jenny's story to show her she is loved and supported both near and far, help bolster the Fund, and raise awareness about spinal cord injury and the need for better access to research.

A big thank you out to all who have been a part of this ongoing effort to come together as a community for Jenny and Ed at this time of great and difficult change, and thanks too for the great energy and spirit as we continue to compete along the path toward Jenny's Twenty 2008!!

Racing for Jenny?

Will you be competing in any events any time soon and feel moved either to raise donations towards Jenny's Benefit Fund or race as a show of support to Jenny or in the name of awareness of SCI (spinal cord injury)? I know there have been several people who have raced in Jenny's honor or to raise money for the Fund, and have been asked by many about whether or not there would be "anything" between now and Jenny's Twenty 2008. While there is nothing organized through the Jenny's Twenty crew, if you or your team or group would like to race on your own behalf for Jenny in any of the above capacities, please let me know so that I can post something about your efforts here on the blog.

The "Jenny's Tour de Cure" Bracelet Project

The annual occurrence of the Jenny's Twenty will help to give a much-needed boost to the Benefit Fund, making it possible for Jenny to have access to the care she needs and the security to devote her whole mind and self to her healing process... but the Jenny's Twenty will only happen once a year. In answer to that dilemma, a few of us honored friends-of-Jenny (thanks Sandy and Kelly for the awesome post-yoga brainchild session!) cooked up this idea for a project that would provide for a steady income for Jenny's Fund: these silicone cause bracelets, baby blue to promote awareness of spinal cord injury (and reminiscent of a certain women's cycling team's flying colors, anyone...?!?), and emblazoned with both the official appeal to "cure sci" on one aspect, and the name of Jenny's recovery effort, "jenny's tour de cure", on the other. Bracelets are $5 each, and are available for sale at a growing number of businesses around Bozeman (see the sidebar at right for an updated list), or beginning October 10th may be purchased through the Jennys20 blog for $5 per bracelet plus shipping & handling (waived if you opt to pick up your order from a set list of locations provided when you check out). 100% of the profits go directly to Jenny's Benefit Fund... and as long as bracelets continue to be sold, those profits will keep adding to her ability to build her recovery.

Blog-in-Progress

Dear friends of the Jenny's 20 Blog--
The webmaster is in and out of the world of Wi-Fi, but the posts from Race-Day, the Raffle (along with a list of the winners, there are still a few of you who have not gotten your prizes!!), and more are on the way; subscribe to this blog or add it to your GoogleReader to be alerted of any updates. In the meantime, catch up with Jenny's news here or on her Craig CarePage.

Jenny's New Wheels, Eating Gymnastics, and A Plea for Air Miles

Jenny is just making amazing strides -- although still classified as a quadriplegic, she is able to do so many things that her medical team was uncertain she would be able to do at this stage. She is, as those of us who know her are already aware, phenomenal and sensational and kickass! Share your thoughts with Jenny directly; it can be easy, when one is so far from home and so deep in the middle of something so very difficult, to feel every inch of the distance between yourself and the ones you love: your friends, and your community. Jenny's contact information can be found on her Craig CarePage.

Definately take note of the call out for air miles: with Jenny and Ed facing an imminent 2,344 mile separation when Jenny leaves Craig to spend Winter in Gainesville, Florida and after an already stressful, painful and incredibly difficult several months, as much time as they can spend together will do wonders both for Jenny's healing and for each of their morale and faith in her recovery. More information on how to trasfer miles to Ed will be available soon on the Bozeman Yoga Center website.

September 07, 2007 at 07:50 PM MDT

WHAT'S NEW IN PHYSICAL THERAPY

This week, I finally got my manual chair. This means I can pedal around the third floor of the hospital using my legs. It is very slow going, but I truly believe getting to exercise my legs will help me walk again. It also lifts my spirits alot.

The one downside of the manual chair is that it doesn't really fit me. My feet barely touch the ground so I end up having to be scooched forward. I also have to do sort of an abdominal crunch to make it work, so I'm generally staring at the ground as I do my laps around the third floor. The good news is that I can do this and I'm hoping that eventually they will find a seat pad that will lower me enough so that I can use the chair more effectively.

LET JENNY EAT LASAGNA!

I definitely had some adventures in eating this week. The hospital has fashioned a cuff that allows my stronger left hand to grasp a fork at an angle where I can pierce food and feed myself. I had to do quite an acrobatic act to make it work, but it's really satisfying to be able to do it myself. Even if someone had to cut up the food for me...So far I've survived and no food has ended up on the ground or on me.

AIR MILES WANTED

Ed is back in Bozeman and I miss him a lot. We're trying to figure out a way for him to able to come down to Craig on the weekends. It's really too far to drive. In addition, it's looking more and more likely that I will winter in Florida where I can find better physical therapy and not have to deal with getting snow tires for my wheelchair. So I just wanted to put out an appeal to anyone with extra free flight miles, give them to Ed so he can come and visit. Please contact Ed at namaste@imt.net or by phone at 406-580-1922.

Raffle Results:And the Winners Are...!

The purchased entries poured in from all over town; the last of the donations from vendors were delivered; the prizes were amassed and divided into twenty (of course!) comparably-valued packages; and when the end of the day finally arrived, the winning Jenny's Twenty Raffle tickets were finally drawn!! Thank you to everyone who bought tickets (many in bulk!), you are all vital links in Jenny's race to recovery.

Below are the results of the Jenny's Twenty Raffle, and the prize packages along with the names of our generous sponsors. Prizes can be picked up tomorrow, Sunday September 2nd, between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. at the Bozeman Yoga Center, 1716 West Main Street in Bozeman (or will be hand-delivered to you if possible before I leave town for California on Wednesday). Any questions or conflicts with picking up/receiving your prize? Please respond to this post and it will be sure to get through to me.

Jenny's Twenty Raffle Results:

Winner #1: C. Gaffney
Prize Package: fuel belt from Fleet Feet

Winner #2: L. Hellenga
Prize Package: running socks from Fleet Feet, water bottle from Summit Bike & Ski, and a $15 gift certificate to Oak Street Natural Market

Winner #3: D. Muzynoski
Prize Package: race singlet top from Fleet Feet

Winner #4: R. Hartman
Prize Package: Bell bicycle helmet from Summit Bike & Ski

Winner #5: T. Petty
Prize Package: signature Bozeman Yoga Center Gear: canvas tote, hooded sweatshirt, and coffee mug, from the friends of the Bozeman Yoga Center

Winner #6: T. Petty
Prize Package: the "Local Yokel Set": KGLT long-sleeved shirt, 2 $5 gift certificates to the Bozeman Community Food Co-op, and a $15 gift certificate to International Coffee Traders

Winner #7: L. Newman
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to Timber Trails

Winner #8: T. Petty
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to Timber Trails

Winner #9: T. Szenter
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to Timber Trails

Winner #10: R. Schattuck
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to Timber Trails

Winner #11: A. Strom
Prize Package: $10 gift certificate to Old Chicago, $15 gift certificate to Colombo's Pizza and Pasta, and a water bottle from Summit Bike & Ski

Winneer #12: J. Mular
Prize Package: $10 gift certificate to Old Chicago, $15 gift certificate to Rockford Coffee, and a water bottle from Summit Bike & Ski

Winner #13: E. Kitrell
Prize Package: $10 gift certificate to Old Chicago, gift certificate to Great Harvest, and a water bottle from Summit Bike & Ski

Winner #14: L. Strong
Prize Package: $10 gift certificate to Old Chicago, $15 gift certificate to International Coffee Traders, and a water bottle from Summit Bike Ski

Winner #15: J. Hahn
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to the Bozeman Ale Works

Winner #16: D. Diaz
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to the Bozeman Ale Works

Winner #17: E. Kitrell
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to the Bozeman Ale Works

Winner #18: L Newman
Prize Package: $25 gift certificate to the Bozeman Ale Works

Winner #19: D. Diaz
Prize Package: $40 gift certificate to the Word of Mouth group of restaurants -- the Naked Noodle, the Garage, On the Rise bakery, La Parilla, and more

Winner #20: L. Newman
Prize Package: gift certificate to Dave's Sushi


Winner #15
Prize Package