Help for Rhonda

I created a YouCaring donation page for my friend Rhonda.  Rhonda is a quadriplegic paralyzed from the neck down who needs 24/7 around the clock care (like me).  Rhonda recently lost both her Mom and Dad in the span of 11 days.  Rhonda's Mom (Jackie) was her primary caregiver for basically the last 21 years and shared an apartment with her.  If Rhonda cannot find the funds to keep her apartment and afford her care, she will end up in a nursing home.  She is 46 years old.  Even the smallest donation will help.  Thank you for your consideration and potential generosity.

Here's the link for Rhonda's YouCaring donation page:

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/Help-for-Rhonda/37633

In Rhonda's Own Words (pictures below)...

Imagine your 25 year old daughter becoming completely paralyzed from the neck down in a car crash.  She now requires 24 hour care and you have to decide if she goes to a nursing home or you give up your job, friends, & life in another city to provide that care.  For my Mom, Jackie, there was no hesitation, she was going to take care of her child!  That was in 1991 and up until August 4, 2012 (21 years and one day after the anniversary date of my car crash) she provided that care.

My name is Rhonda.  On June 19, 2012, my Mom (Jackie) started having issues walking and with her balance.  After many trips to doctors, x-rays, scans, biopsies, etc, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  Battling constant nausea for months, she very weakly underwent one round of chemotherapy on Oct. 3.  She became more ill and it was apparent to her that her body wouldn't allow her to get better.  It was her wish to come home from her two month hospital stay and be with family for her remaining days.  Bravely, Jackie lost her battle and passed away on Nov. 7, 2012.

Throughout her years of caring for me and most especially during her illness, Jackie worried constantly about who would care for me when she was no longer here.  Her ultimate wish for me was that I would never have to enter into the care of a nursing home facility.  I tried to assure her that maybe by the grace of God, I would never have to reside in a facility.  I desperately didn't want her worrying about that at such a difficult time.  I am hoping with all hope and everything in me that with help from others I can make Jackie's wish come true.  She deserves that peace of mind even though she is no longer here.

If enough caring people are willing to help me by donating towards my care and future stability, then Jackie's wish could be granted.  I would be forever grateful!  All monies will go into a trust and will be used for my care.  I thank you for even considering helping me.

Contributions can be made online via this YouCaring page (no PayPal account is required to donate) or directly via PayPal using this email address: ForRhonda@yahoo.com.

Or here's the bank info:

Rhonda's Benefit Trust Fund
CITIZENS FIRST (Bank) OF THE VILLAGES
1050 Lake Sumter Landing
The Villages, Florida 32162
352-751-2100

* * * * *

Personally, I've known Rhonda for roughly the last fifteen years and I've never once heard her complain about anything.  She has such a kind, caring heart.  Please consider helping her if you can.  Thank you and God bless.

Sincerely,

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Belated Thanksgiving Thoughts

It's still November and I want to use this blog entry to share some belated Thanksgiving thoughts.  I especially want to mention how grateful I am for the many blessings that the Good Lord has given me.

Yes, I'm a quadriplegic, and yes, I'm ventilator dependent, but I'm also blessed in many ways.  I'm thankful to my family because I'm able to live at home (and not in a nursing home).  I have no pain (some people and some quadriplegics in particular have a tremendous amount of pain).  Despite quadriplegia, I have meaningful things I can still do and have been blessed to be able to achieve quite a bit, and I have a good life, which I share some about in this six-minute "Meet Bill Miller" video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiVonbXUWcU

I have learned that we're all blessed in different ways, and that regardless of how tough a situation may seem, there's always someone in a tougher situation.  A good friend of mine, Rhonda Reese, is also a quadriplegic, but she's blessed to not be vent-dependent.  She too has also been blessed to be able to live at home throughout the duration of her paralysis, which has now been for over 21 years.  But she recently lost both of her parents, and may need to move to a nursing home.

We're going to setup an online donation page for Rhonda, to help keep her out of a nursing home for as long as possible.  And I'll be sharing more about Rhonda's situation on this blog.  But the point here is that we all have blessings that we should not take for granted.

Since becoming a quad, I've learned that good health is relative.  Almost everyone has some type of health issue, whether it's a bad knee, frequent headaches, or something more serious.  But if it's bearable and we're in decent shape otherwise, I'd call that relative good health.  Cherish your (relatively) good health and cherish your loved ones, for they are two of the most precious blessings we can have.

"There but for the grace of God go I."

May God bless us all -- and may we continually appreciate His blessings.

Sincerely,

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Donations Matched at Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

- Donation-Matching Deadline Extended until November 15th - 

This blog is about empowering wheelchair users, and one non-profit organization striving to do so is the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF).  They use donations to fund both quality-of-life grants and "cure" research.

Until midnight on November 15th, all donations are being matched dollar-for-dollar -- with the goal of turning donations totaling $250,000 into $500,000.  And all CDRF donations are tax deductible.

So if you have the ability and desire to help people who are paralyzed, this is an opportunity to double the impact of your tax-deductible donation.

This link has the details.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Wheelchair Bowling Records

For anyone new to this blog, you might not be aware that I also maintain a wheelchair bowling records website:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com

The purpose of the site is to share the record achievements of various categories of wheelchair users.  The reason for wheelchair use and the method of chair control describe the people in the record categories at the website.  For example, I use a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury and I operate my chair with my mouth, via sip-and-puff control.  And I'm male (we have male and female categories also).

The cool thing is that with an IKAN Bowler, as long as people can safely operate their chairs, it doesn't really matter why they use a wheelchair, how they operate it, or what their gender is.  But we try to recognize the top achievers in each category.

Please feel free to share the website (or this blog) with any wheelchair users you know.

Thanks,

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

IKAN User Profile: JR Harding, Ed. D., Florida

I know "Dr. Harding" as JR.  He is a rare two-time quadriplegic.  JR has contributed to national, state and local disability policy as a two-time U.S. presidential appointee, seven-time gubernatorial appointee, and a community volunteer for all things related to the quality of life for persons with disabilities.

His community work secured $3.5 million of accessibility enhancements to Billy Joe Rish Park, a desirable and affordable vacation location designed with wheelchair users and people with disabilities in mind.  It's on the beach in Northwest Florida (www.RishPark.org).

JR's book, "Now What?" (available in paperback and ebook versions) chronicles his early journey from high school football star through two different spinal cord injuries.  It is an intense personal sharing of tragedy, triumph, failures and successes.

He's also had some fun and success bowling IKAN-style.

Here are JR's IKAN User Profile answers...

Name: JR Harding, Ed. D.
Age: 45
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Reason for Wheelchair Use: Two-time C5 Quadriplegic (1983 & 1998)
Onset or Injury date: (above)
Wheelchair Operation Method: Joystick for power chair primarily; I use a manual chair occasionally
High Bowling Score: 179
Approx Bowling Average: 130
Bowling Frequency: Every other month
Bowling Ball: 15 lb ball
Quote from JR: "Don't sit on the sidelines, get back in the game of life."

Thank you for your many contributions JR!

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

New Record for a Female Using Sip-and-Puff!

My friend and fellow Quad Squad member Rhonda Reese set a new record for dynamic-style wheelchair bowling by a female driving her wheelchair by sip-and-puff. Rhonda bowled a very impressive 195 -- beating her previous best by whopping 25 pins!

Rhonda & I have been friends since long before the IKAN Bowler was invented, and I know she loves having upped the record to a lofty 195. I also know that she has wanted to beat me for the afternoon's high score for quite some time (I think she beat me once previously, but she doesn't recall doing so).

But she'll certainly remember the outcomes from Quad Squad Bowling on July 14th, 2012 (she has the scoresheets to prove it). Yes, she beat me. Technically, she beat me twice that afternoon (although highest overall game is what we go by).

Brenda, Lilian, Melissa, Aaron, Rhonda and I were the IKAN-style bowlers that day, and while everyone had fun, the high score competition would come down to Rhonda and me. I started with a solid game of 157, which Rhonda promptly topped with a 159. In hindsight, that appears to have been a harbinger of what was to come.

So I knew I had to at least beat 159 in order to have the afternoon's top score, and in my second game, I bowled a 194. That's not exactly shabby. I looked over at Rhonda, who was still finishing her second game, and (though I should've waited) I said, "Sorry, Rhonda" for beating her 159 by a good bit and taking over the high score.

Then I proceeded to watch Rhonda bowl a strike in the 9th frame, which gave her the possibility of catching me with another strike (at least) in the tenth frame. She got it. And with her second ball in the tenth, she knocked down 7 pins, giving her 195 regardless of what she did with her bonus ball -- and securing a likely victory over me and our Quad Squad friends on the afternoon (I managed a 184 in my third and final game of the day, which obviously fell short of her 195).

On a day of excellent bowling for Rhonda, the only "bad" news is that she was left to try to pickup a nasty 4-7-10 split with her last ball of her record game. That spare attempt, for us IKAN Users, is makeable probably one-percent of the time, if that. Rhonda went for it but missed. If Rhonda had an easier three pins remaining, she would've had a much better chance to break 200 (the three pins would've been added to her strike, essentially counting double, and would've given her 201), which she lamented later.

Nonetheless, Rhonda was (and is still) quite pleased with her 195, her new record, and with beating me (by one pin!:). And, though I'm quite competitive and don't like to lose, I'm quite happy for Rhonda too.

Click HERE for Rhonda's scoresheet.

CONGRATULATIONS RHONDA! :-)

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Quad Squad Bowls Over Adversity

Our local newspaper did a nice story on our Quad Squad Bowling group.

There's also an online photo gallery with the story.  But, I must say, I don't think the face I am making in one of those pictures is my typical "strike face" (smile:). I think I'm cringing because my ball is probably going to hit the headpin too squarely on the nose, which often results in a bad split, but apparently I got lucky and wound up with a strike.

Here's the story:

http://www.dailycommercial.com/News/LakeCounty/061312bowlers

Here's a PDF printout of the story in case the link above stops working.

Thank you to writer Theresa Campbell, photographer Victoria Aldrich, and the Daily Commercial!

Bill Miller :-)

C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game

Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT

Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com

Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Records Set for Males Driving by Head Array Control

Brian Keefer's 159 Sets the Pace for Males Driving by Head Array Control

If the name Brian Keefer sounds familiar, then perhaps you're a fan of the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  The Keefer family was featured on the show on October 21st, 2011. I wrote about it at this blog entry.

Anyway, Brian has had opportunities to bowl in the last few months, and has set the record three times for male wheelchair users who drive via head array control.  He currently has the record at 159 (scoresheet HERE).

Brian's Dad Steve said Brian "loves bowling" and wants to bowl often.  So I'm thinking that the 159 won't be Brian's last record.

CONGRATULATIONS BRIAN and GOOD LUCK BOWLING! :-)

God bless!

Bill Miller  :-)

C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game

Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT

Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com

Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Meet Bill Miller (Video!)

I learned that people like blogs because they are like having a conversation with the author.  With that in mind, I recorded a 6-minute video to share some about me and to show some of what is possible as a high-level quadriplegic, even while requiring a ventilator:

Here's the direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiVonbXUWcU

For the record, doing that video, I was thinking back to when I was newly injured and wondering what life might be like.  Hopefully the video will be encouraging to other people, especially other newly injured quadriplegics.

God bless all.

Bill Miller :-)

C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game

Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT

Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com

Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

C1-2 Quadriplegic Is Engaged!

The purpose of this blog is to encourage and empower wheelchair users, which I primarily try to do by showing what is possible when people get involved with a fun, social, recreational sport like bowling.  The benefits of having success bowling can give the user confidence that can carry over to positively impact other areas of their life (so says therapeutic recreation experts).

However, one aspect of life that people who require power wheelchairs may feel like they have to forego because of their disability, is the prospect for love and potentially marriage.  While I never gave up on the possibility that I would find the right person for me, I knew that it would require a special person who could see past the wheelchair and accept the additional challenges that paralysis adds to having a relationship.

I eventually learned that what many women most want is someone who will treat them very well, give them plenty of positive attention via frequent communication, and to be loved unconditionally — by good guys.  A wheelchair doesn't prohibit that, and there are quite a few good guys who happen to be wheelchair users.

From a thousand miles away, I connected with the person that I believe God intended for me, with the help of the Internet and many thanks to God.  It was actually a blessing to meet from afar because it "forced" us to establish excellent communication, which is a huge key to success for any relationship (one reason why is because good communication builds trust, which is the foundation for a healthy relationship).

For many reasons, Lisa & I believe we are right for each other, but perhaps the most amazing thing about her and our relationship is that, all in all, she believes that the many positives in our relationship FAR outweigh the additional challenges.  I was hoping to find someone who was open to that perspective, if we connected well.

Well, Lisa & I share a tremendous connection and I'm gratefully blessed to share that we got engaged yesterday about sunset at a wonderful local park.  You can see some pictures HERE.  (I'm trying to keep this blog tone “matter of factual” but, I could not be happier about being engaged to Lisa!:)

I've been asked by a few wheelchair users about how to potentially develop a romantic relationship with someone, and my answer is that it should start with good communication.  If you find someone who enjoys communicating with you and vice versa, and especially on a daily basis, at the very least that sounds like a good friendship, and it could develop into more.  That's essentially the path that Lisa & I took, and I think it can work for others too — whether disabilities are involved or not.

I hope my story can be encouraging.

God bless!

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

New Overall World Record for Dynamic-Style Wheelchair Bowling

Vent-Dependent Quadriplegic Bill Miller Bowls a 255 in a 674 Series

I, Bill Miller, am blessed to have actually bowled a 255 and 245 in consecutive games in a 674 series.  The 255 is the new overall world record for dynamic-style wheelchair bowling, and the record for wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries, and also for sip-and-puff wheelchair users.  And, yes, I am paralyzed from my neck down and also a fulltime ventilator user.

For other categories of wheelchair bowling records, click HERE.

For the scoresheet, pictures, and details of my new records, click HERE.

Thanks and God bless!

Bill Miller :-)

C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game

Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT

Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com

Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

A New Record for People Who Use Sip-and-Puff Wheelchairs

Bill Miller's 224 and 15th 200 Game -- and 585 Series

At our Central Florida Quad Squad Bowling outing on January 28th, I bowled my highest score to date -- a 224 -- which is a new record for wheelchair users who operate their chairs by sip-and-puff (mouth control). I also bowled my highest series of three games -- 179, 182, and 224 for a 585 series -- and the 224 was my 15th game of 200 or better.

Many people have bowled that well before -- but I happen to be a C1-2 quadriplegic who is paralyzed from my neck down and ventilator dependent. And using an IKAN Bowler (which is legit because it's sanctioned by the USBC) I've now had a 200, four 201s, two 202s, a 203, 205, 206, 210, 212, 221, 223 and 224.

Here's the link to my scoresheet and commentary is below:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Bill_Miller_224_Story_and_Scoresheet.htm

Peggy, Aaron, and I were the three Quad Squad Bowlers / IKAN Users on this day, and we were assisted by volunteer caddies from LovExtension (Connie, Pat, Nancy, and Linda, who caddied my 224 game:). Peggy did well, considering it has been a couple months since she bowled, and Aaron did well too, considering he was using a brand new ball for the first time. We all had fun -- it's always a festive environment with a combination of caddies, caregivers, family and friends cheering us on.

I started out very well, bowling a 179 in my first game, and having only two open frames (a frame with no spare or strike). I managed to stay hot in game 2, bowling a 182 with just one open frame.

So, after just three open frames out of the twenty frames in my first two games, I actually had two open frames halfway through my third game and was sitting on 77 after the 5th frame. That doesn't sound like a start that would beat my previous high game of 223.

But when you roll six-consecutive strikes, the score adds up fast! :-)

Bowling is always fun, even if I don't score so high. But my goal is goal is to have a 500 (or better) series each time I bowl, which is a 166.7 average (or better). That's pretty solid bowling, because such an average usually requires us to have 8 or 9 marks (spares and strikes combined) out of 10 frames. I say that because we have limited ball speed (6 mph) compared to able-bodied bowlers (adult males usually average 15-20 mph ball speed) and the difference equals less "pin action" at impact. That means it's harder for us IKAN Users to get strikes. So I was certainly blessed to get six in a row.

Though I'm quite happy to have bowled 224, a small piece of me is "kicking myself" because had I made the two single-pin spares in my first and 5th frames, and then finished how I did, my score would've been a 246 -- and would've topped Jon Musgrave's 243, which is the overall world record for wheelchair bowlers bowling dynamically (IKAN style).

See, wheelchair users can be competitive too.

All glory to God.

Bill Miller  :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 224 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.blogspot.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net