Friends of Tony UpdateSpring 2008This page was last updated on July 15, 2008 |
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March Milestone Surrounded by friends, family and a few shiny balloons, Tony celebrated his 50th birthday in March. 
This milestone event took place at the local Mimi's restaurant in Las Vegas, and it brought together Tony's family with the entire Hughes family for the first time. In attendance were Tony's mother, Mary, his father, Sam, and his brother, Steve, along with Cathy and Dr. Rodger Hughes and their two sons, Charles and Carson.
The birthday p-a-r-t-y got underway as Tony unwrapped his presents that included a couple of model airplanes and a box of glow sticks. To the surprise of the other diners at Mimi’s, everyone in Tony’s party had fashioned their glow sticks into necklaces, headbands and other assorted body glo-wear (see the picture on the right). It was a fun evening capped off by birthday cake. Tony got to take home the balloons, and everyone left the restaurant a little brighter then when they arrived. A month after his birthday night opus in March, Tony enjoyed a day at the car races with some old friends for another birthday celebration, version 50.1 (see the picture on the right). 
According to Lloyd Johnson, one of the friends who had accompanied Tony to the races, "Tony got to talk to some of his idols like National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racer Warren Johnson and his wife." He also saw one of his friends who now works for NHRA award-winning John Forces family as a mechanic, as well as run into Richard Quattrocchi, another old friend from the LA area. It was "all good" said Lloyd. Tony had driven everyone there, giving him more practice to attempt to get his license. Pictured from the left are Tom Salaman, Lloyd Johnson (in the back), Tony Albanese and Tony Jones on the right. Tom is a DHL Pilot who lives in the Las Vegas area and he plans on having Tony help him with an engine for his late model Camaro. Tony Jones is an old friend and was also one of Tony's fight instructors from Eagle Aviation in Fullerton. He is now a B-777 First Officer for Continental Airlines. Tony's Current Condition 
The bone chilling Nevada desert in the winter can be quite challenging, especially for anyone with an aversion to cold and damp weather. As a burn survivor with extensive skin grafts, Tony is prone to getting chilled easily. The areas where he was most severely burned received numerous grafts, making his paper-thin skin impossible to retain body heat. To combat the chilly environment, Tony spent most of the winter months hibernating indoors with the heat on high while also battling a series of urinary infections. Since he is paralyzed from the waist down (T10/T11 spinal cord injury), Tony can't control his bladder so he has been outfitted with a urinary catheter, a tube inserted into his urinary tract to allow urine to flow out of his bladder and into a bag. This system makes him at risk for urinary tract infections.
With the spring warming trend that began in early March, Tony has been much more outgoing and has accomplished a number of his goals. In addition to celebrating his 50th birthday in March, he received a Nevada driving permit. Perhaps his greatest achievement will be later in the spring when he receives his driver's license. Tony is scheduled in May to take his driving test at the DMV. Tony's Prayer Circle 
Since moving to Nevada last September, Tony has had a part-time caregiver come by for a couple of hours each day. His first caregiver was onboard through the middle of January until she abruptly quit. Shamefully, she left Tony and his family in a very difficult position until their prayers were answered nearly two weeks later. Tony's new caregiver is a very responsible and deeply committed professional. She takes care of the more difficult responsibilities like bathing and dressing him, along with transferring him from bed to his power wheelchair by using a Hoyer lift. In the evening, Tony's parents have been managing to get him back into bed without additional assistance.
We ask for everyone's prayers right now to help keep Tony and his parents in good health and in good spirits. Tony is relying on his parents more than ever to provide around-the-clock care for him now that he's mainly being cared for by his family. Thank you for keeping Tony in your thoughts and hearts over these past three-and-a-half years. If you would like to be part of Tony's Prayer Circle, check out the prayer page for more details. Telling His Story and Making History Tony was recently approached by one of the producers of the History Channel's new show Shockwave to possibly tell his story. According to the show's website, they take dramatic caught-on-tape events and introduce viewers to the people who conquered tragedy with their incredible human spirit. 
With ample videotape and numerous photographs of the 2004 Ford Tri-Motor plane crash, the show's producer is trying to track down any footage of the accident that can be used for the show. They are particularly interested in Tony's story because of his determination to fly again. If things work out, Tony is looking at this experience as an opportunity to share his plight with others and raise awareness for those with similar disabilities.
On September 25, 2004, the pilot of a replica Ford Tri-Motor lost control while taking off from Fullerton Municipal Airport. The plane narrowly missed the crowd gathered for an airport event and crashed onto a side street. Tony was a passenger on that plane. He was badly burned and left paralyzed as a result of the crash. It took 20 months for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to complete their investigation of the accident. Their findings concurred with what had already been speculated in the aviation community for some time, that the plane crash could have been easily prevented if the pilot had properly checked the plane prior to take off. A spectator at the airport videotaped the accident sequence, and provided the footage to the National Transportation Safety Board investigators. In addition to the videotape, other spectators at the airport submitted numerous photographs. One such photograph, enhanced by the Safety Board vehicle recorders specialist, clearly showed that a strap connecting the left elevator to the rudder had not been removed. Anyone with video or still shots of the crash is encouraged to contact Steve Albanese at steve@friendsoftony.com. Previous Friends-of-Tony Updates You can read previous FriendsOfTony Updates by clicking on the links below.
More Friends of Tony A few more names have been added to the friends page and to the Friends-of-Tony Update email list. These new and old friends are:
Thank you, Steve Albanese FriendsOfTony.com Calendar |
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March 2008
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April 2008
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May 2008
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June 2008
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Click here
to read about Tony's interview with Shockwave on July 11.
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