Friends of Tony UpdateJanuary/February 2007 |
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Tony Returns to the SkiesWith the help and support of his friends and family, Tony realized his goal to fly again last month. It was the moment he had been waiting for since being grounded 28 months ago.
As friends lifted him out of his wheelchair and into the cockpit of a Marchetti SF-260 at Fullerton Municipal Airport, a few television cameras and reporters were on hand to cover the story of his remarkable return to flight.
Tony's dad was also there to lend his support.
Friend and fellow pilot, Mike Blackstone Sr., worked the foot pedals of the Marchetti, while Tony took control of the flight stick.
Late last year, Tony had his twelfth surgery, allowing him enough range of motion to work a plane's hand controls. What would have seemed impossible just a few months ago was now a reality in the airspace over Orange County. After spending the past 40 minutes going through a series of aerobatics, Tony was back on the ground contemplating his next flight. Good friend, Jackie Rossetti, is seen here congratulating Tony after his first flight since he was severely injured in a 2004 plane crash. Longtime friend, Jeff Seraphine, and his daughter are seen in the background walking towards an ebullient Tony.
With plans to fly again soon, God willing, Tony hopes to take his first solo flight in a plane specially equipped with hands-only controls. For those who know about Tony's do-it-yourself disposition, they know that he will find a way to make it back in the air. And when he's ready, he will do it his way. To keep up with the latest developments, check out the calendar area at the bottom of this page for weekly updates. Tony's Current Condition
The first step towards Tony's independence was realized last year with the purchase of a specially equipped wheelchair van. It has a retractable ramp and space in the main cabin area for Tony to position himself in his power wheelchair. There is also a conventional drivers seat in the front. Although he can't drive the van, Tony is glad to have a set of wheels that he can finally call his own again. The van provides him with easy access to get to his doctor's office and other appointments; he no longer has to schedule trips days in advance or pay for expensive wheelchair lift cabs. There is even seating in the back for a couple more passengers. Amidst all of its functionality, the uncanniest feature to Tony's wheelchair van is the license plate it came with that reads: TAS904. This can easily be interpreted as Tony Albanese Survived, and the numbers eerily refer to the month and year of the plane crash: September 2004.
Tony Albanese Fund
To help pay for the wheelchair van, generous donations from extended family members and friends along with contributions from those in the community have amounted to a little over $4,000 collected to date. Tony's parents made up the $27,000 difference for the one-year old van by tapping into a nearly depleted reverse mortgage on their home. Since a full time caregiver must care for Tony, his elderly parents have little choice but to pay for a professional caregiver to care for him at home while taking the equity out of theirs. This expense is not covered by his medical insurance; it is a direct cost to Tony and to his family,
which is over $5,000 per month, leaving a shortfall of several thousand dollars each month. With his assistance dog on hold for the time being, Tony has set his goal to help cover the monthly shortfall faced by his family. In order to do this, we are proposing a number of creative financial solutions that would place everything under one large umbrella, or more appropriately stated, under one roof.
Under One Roof would operate through a "United Way" approach. That is, where a small deduction from each paycheck could add up to a considerable amount if multiplied by hundreds or even thousands of participants. With the express goal of having a large base from around the world to help Tony's cause, a small weekly amount of as little as .99¢ per participant could provide a considerable amount of financial relief, helping to end the shortfall currently being faced. It would be like pennies from heaven in a heavy downpour. Other possible ways to help out could include the following:
Acknowledgements to Friends of TonyPower of OneLean on Me Stephanie Stiles knows her purpose in life. Ask her what it is and she will probably tell you that it's to serve her Lord. With the power of her faith so strong, some have called her "Church Lady", but she is also one of the funniest and kindhearted people you could ever know. Ask Tony about Stephanie and he will tell you that she is a faithful friend and a tremendous inspiration to him. 
A friend for over ten years, Stephanie has taken it upon herself to help Tony and his family in many ways. She led the recruitment effort to get volunteer movers from Yorba Linda Friends Church (www.ylfc.org) to help move Tony to a new apartment in the summer of 2005. At the time, a sudden heat wave was upon the country, but this didn’t stop Stephanie and her fellow Friends Church parishioner, Fred Murkle, to take up the challenge. According to Stephanie, there was never going to be a problem finding a small group of movers and a truck. She simply thanked God for helping out.
As told in the inspirational poem, Footprints in the Sand, Stephanie relates to Tony about the experience of walking with God on a beach. In our darkest times, when there is only one set of footprints in the sand, the poem explains how God is actually carrying us. And just like the lyrics to the popular song, Lean on Me, Tony has friends like Stephanie, her family, the many friends at Friends Church and God to help him carry on. With her own lean on me experiences to draw on, Stephanie says that, "Time heals all wounds, and a close walk with my Lord does wonders for my soul." She also said, "Tony has so much to look forward to as he heals emotionally, physically and spiritually." According to Stephanie, "Tony is catching on." Thank you for your faith, Stephanie. Thank you for your strength. If we could all be a little more like Stephanie to our families and friends, the world would surely be a better place! To read about other special people in Tony's life, click here for the Power of One page. Tony's Prayer Circle
A couple of new members were added to Tony's prayer circle this month, including Rebecca and Valerie Perez. The Perez's are the mother and daughter who were on their way to a doctor's appointment when the tri-motor plane that Tony was a passenger in sideswiped their Hyundai on September 25, 2004 (as seen in the picture below).
Both Rebecca and Valerie were treated for cuts and bruises and released from the hospital the same day as the plane crash.
According to Valerie, she and her mother pray for Tony everyday, and have kept in touch too. They are very glad to have communication with him. Valerie says, "I am in awe everyday by his continuous progress. That is the power of prayer." Also saying, "We heard he flew again and are so very very proud of him!!!" If you would like to be part of Tony's Prayer Circle, check out the prayer page for more details.
Previous Friends-of-Tony UpdatesYou can read previous FriendsOfTony Updates by clicking on the links below.
More Friends of TonyA 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 2007
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April 2007
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Week of March 4 March 9, Tony's birthday. |
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