Arrival and Visitation at HealthSouth Rehab Hospital of Tinton Falls, NJ
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Arrival and Visitation at HealthSouth Rehab Hospital of Tinton Falls, NJ
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We arrive with our escort of two fire trucks and narrowly
avert disaster as James tries to run Joe off into the bushes. |
 James is seen here hitting on a young staff member while Lukas demonstrates his ability to thumb wrestle with himself. |
 Joe appears triumphant when told that Healthsouth is providing the rooms and he no longer has to room with Lukas. |
 Joe, Abel, James, and Doc are seen hear celebrating their arrival by giving Lukas a group noogie. Lukas is wearing his dark glasses because he has heard that Candy Stripers have a great attraction to the blind, deaf and dumb. |
 Doc is remarkably versatile and shows a recent amputee how to play tic tac toe on his leg. |
 Robert, a fan of a non functional football team, is consoled by Joe, an avid fan of whatever team is playing Dallas. Robert waits till the picture is taken and then shows Joe what he thinks of him by giving him a wedgie. |
 We tell our stories over a great meal. |
 Lukas is shown here enjoying his meal and recounting how he bested Denice yesterday in a water gun fight and won the battle with a negotiated truce. Believing Joe, that the only remaining water gun fell off the truck, Luke feels safe. |
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The picture above shows a surprised Luke when the first drops of water hit his neck. With a look of total disbelief that Joe would lie to him, Lukas goes down in a blaze of glory at the hands of a woman and Joe, the Elderly.
Our thanks to Linda Savino, CEO, who presides over the
inmates of HealthSouth Rehab Hospital of Tustin Falls, Jill Garaffa,
Marketing Coordinator for Tinton Falls Rehab, Mary Clarke , leader of the
marketing team and her band of marketing marvels, and all of the staff and patients who
made us feel so welcome and yes, idolized. We love you. You make
the good happen for your community and for the patients and staff of your
facility. You all know how special you are and we thank you for all
that you are and for all that you do. See you next year.
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Postscript |
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Every good thing has its beginning and every good thing has its end. Our arrival on the road traveled in 2008 is one of bittersweet emotions. One of sadness that it has ended and one of uncontained joy that we have grown in our capacity to touch others and that we have been able to change lives. And yet, the inspiration we give to others pales in the light of the courage, perseverance, and determination of others. The thousands of patients who have not given up but demonstrate each and every day the indomitable human spirit; the therapists and medical staff who have not given up on any patient but demonstrate each day that miracles do happen, and the thousands of family members, visitors, every man and woman on the street who have honked their horns and given us a thumbs up and have supported us in so many ways... they have demonstrated that we all are linked with a common bond and a sense that what is important is not what we can do to better our own lives, but what we can do to better the lives of others. Our ride is a celebration of heroes. Riding a bike, whether 50 miles or 5,000 does not a hero make. The real heroes are those who are physically challenged, who do not give up but continue to live each moment to its fullest and strive to get better rather than bitter. These patients are the heroes. These patients are the role models for others. These patients are the ones who have the hope of what is possible and cling tenaciously to life and in so doing achieve the impossible. We finish this ride exhausted but refreshed. We finish this ride with sadness. But we finish this ride with renewed purpose and energy, to return to the ride next year. Our heartfelt thanks go to HealthSouth for their unflagging support of our ride over the past seven years. Without whose support this ride would never happen. We thank you HealthSouth for letting us help with your message of hope and your message to all of your patients of what is possible. We thank you for the love of healing and the magic of the human touch to help those who hurt that is so evident in all that you do. And despite the fun, despite the time away from family, despite the long days on end, if what we do changes just one life, then our journey is worth the effort. Thanks to all who give us this opportunity to show our appreciation to all who serve and to all who heal. We look forward to doing it again next year. Joe Sapere and his traveling circus |
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