Friends of Tony UpdateSeptember/October 2007 |
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In The Driver's Seat AgainTony received his California driver's permit in August and is now able to drive his recently renovated wheelchair van with another licensed passenger. He has been determined to get his driver's license for a while now. However, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, Tony will have to wait just a little longer. He's planning to take his driver's test in October. Tony's van will need a couple of minor upgrades to better accommodate him in his power wheelchair. For those who have driven with Tony recently, he is driving like his old self again. It's heart-warming to see him accomplish another goal as he continues to learn to do many things under new circumstances.
Over the past couple of months, Tony's wheelchair van underwent a major retrofit. It is now equipped with a hand control system that allows his left hand to control the gas and break. The other new feature is an EZ Lock (http://www.ezlock.net) wheelchair docking system, placing Tony securely behind the steering wheel after guiding himself in with his power wheelchair. This mechanism also allows the van's driver's seat to be easily removed and returned to position should someone other than Tony want to drive it. Most likely though, you'll see Tony behind the wheel in the driver's seat. On the MoveThere have been a number of changes for Tony this past summer. The biggest is his address. Tony made the move to Nevada at the end of August to be cared for by his family. With his dad in the passenger seat, Tony led the moving caravan (from California). Along to help out was Tony's life-long friend, Kevin Davis, and his wife, Pat, in their car, followed by Tony's brother Steve, and another friend, Jim Levandovich, in a fifteen-foot U-Haul truck. Jim and Steve drove the U-Haul that was very generously paid for by a sponsor from Friends Church in Yorba Linda. The sponsor would like to remain anonymous. A lot of other friends also came by to lend a hand with the move. Tony would like to thank everyone for their help. You can write to Tony at his new address:
After spending a total of about four hours in flight training in the Sky Arrow 600 Sport aircraft, Tony mastered the controls. 
He's met FAA-mandated standards for the Sport Pilot certificate and just needs his driver's license in order to be certified to fly solo. Once he has his driver's license, Tony will be allowed to operate at the sport pilot level using a light sport pilot certificate. A driver's license is used in lieu of the FAA medical certificate. The Sky Arrow 600 Sport aircraft is a light sport airplane with factory-equipped hand controls that is quickly gaining popularity with disabled pilots.
Tony already knows how to be a safe pilot; he's just learning how to do it again under new circumstances. With the full support of his family - and so many dedicated friends both in and out of the aviation community - we are firmly committed to helping Tony realize his goal of helping other disabled pilots fly again. To keep up with the latest developments, check out the calendar area at the bottom of this page for other updates. Tony's Current Condition
When Tony was in California, his wound care team at St. Jude's did their best to treat a chronic skin ulcer on his abdomen. Unfortunately, it didn't heal properly and the ulcer continues to be a problem today. Tony's condition is unique due to the severity of the burns he received over his entire body, and the affected area is where he's been outfitted with a colostomy bag. Tony is expected to see a burn specialist soon. While he no longer requires daily wound care, Tony receives it, as needed which is about every couple of weeks.
To read more about Tony's condition, check out the FAQ page. Tony Albanese Fund
Caring for Tony is a 24/7 job. His elderly parents currently provide around-the-clock care for his most basic needs. To handle the more difficult responsibilities, they've hired a professional caregiver who helps out for a couple of hours each day. Tony's caregiver bathes and dresses him and transfers 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 any additional assistance. While not a perfect solution, having a part-time caregiver is expected to save Tony's family thousands of dollars each month.
Last year, a group of Tony's friends started a corporation called The Fullerton Chair Force to help train disabled pilots who are in wheelchairs. Some of the profits from this business would help Tony pay his medical bills. More on this story to follow soon. Plans for Tony's assistance dog have been on hold for a little while now. With the move in August, and having to find new doctors, he's been focused on just getting settled in. To find out what you can do to help Tony and his family, check out the Fund page. Acknowledgements to Friends of TonyPower of OneThis special Power of One acknowledgement goes to two families, the Jessee's and the Hughes. Their commitment to helping Tony and his family runs through two generations.The Jessee Family Family Values Mark Jessee is a former classmate of Tony's younger brother, Steve. A friend to both Tony and Steve, Mark grew up in Whittier just a few blocks away. 
He and his family have maintained a life-long friendship with the Albanese's over the years. Like the good neighbors they are, the Jessee's have responded to help Tony in their typical fashion of thoughtful acts of kindness.
Mark's mother, Donna, would send gift certificates to Tony for his favorite foods, and Mark would often visit Tony in the hospital or at home and would keep in touch by calling and through email. Mark's sister, Keri Odum, commented on the Orange County Register website, where an article about Tony's return to flight was featured, "My brother, Mark, has been friends with Tony and his brother, Steve, since high school. I remember Tony as being quite the character and now I will remember him as being quite an inspiration." Mark and other members of his family have also responded to help Tony when he was at UCI's intensive burn unit. They were part of the record-breaking blood drive held on Tony's behalf. With an ever-watchful eye on the medical frontier, Mark and Donna have sent newspaper articles and pages from magazines about the latest developments in stem cell research to Tony's family. They would include yellow post-its with personal messages like, "I hope this helps." Like the Jessee's, Tony's family prays for a medical breakthrough that will help to restore some level of mobility to Tony, further adding to the quality of his life. The Jesse's maintain their life-long friendship with Tony and his family even though they don't see each other all that often. The Hughes Family Turning Lemons into Lemonade The Hughes family has made a difference in Tony's life ever since learning about the plane crash from Tony's parents three years ago. Sympathizing with what their friends, Sam and Mary were going through as a result of Tony's accident in California, the Hughes responded with a help thy neighbor call to action from their home state of Nevada. 
Consisting of Rodger and Cathy and their two sons, Charles and Carson, the Hughes have responded to Tony's financial needs and helped through the power of prayer. The Hughes warmly welcomed Tony to the Las Vegas community this month. He finally got to thank them personally for all of their efforts.
Last year Rodger and Cathy made a very generous contribution to Tony's fund on behalf of the entire family. And for his First Communion project, Charles gave Tony's mom and dad a prayer book that included a prayer for Tony to get well. More recently, the two brothers, age 9 and 5, and a couple of friends ran a successful lemonade stand to help with Tony's assistance dog this past June. According to Cathy, "They had such a lovely event for Tony. We had Charles, Carson, Teddy and Brenna on staff. The kids worked hard selling lemonade and fruit snacks." Cathy further stated, "People were very generous when the kids explained the cause and they raised $98!!!! Pretty good for the first try!" As the story goes, shortly after paying one dollar for a glass of lemonade, a customer asked who Tony was. When Charles told the story about the plane crash, the dollar bill was very quickly replaced with a twenty-dollar bill. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! Sam and Mary are considered family to the Hughes'. Sam and Mary continue to be involved in the lives of Charles and his younger brother, Carson. Thank you Jessee's, thank you Hughes' families for reaching out and saying that you cared. There is a quote from Mark Twain that is very fitting here, "Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see." To read about other special people in Tony's life, click here for the Power of One page. Tony's Prayer Circle
Suzy Olson sent an inspiring message to Tony this past summer. Responding to the series of recent events and newspaper articles chronicling Tony's return to flight earlier in the year, she said, "Love that you are doing SO well Tony. I have you on Saddleback Church's prayer list and I thank God every day that you are doing well."
Suzy is someone who has never met Tony, yet she's been making regular prayer vigils on his behalf since the day of the accident. A prayer or thoughtful "Thinking of you," goes far. 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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October 2007
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