Friends of Tony UpdateThis page was last updated on January 27, 2007November/December 2006 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tony Speaks at Motorcycle Charity Event Benefiting Burn SurvivorsTony was invited as a guest speaker at the third annual motorcycle Burn Out Ride and Poker Run. He spoke to hundreds of participants and supporters at the October 1, 2006 fundraiser.
The words poured from his heart when he told the Orange County crowd about his story as a burn survivor. What might have been a distant goal only a year ago, he is now able to help others find hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Tony spoke from experiences as he spent eighteen months in hospitals. This included five months at University of California Irvine's (UCI) Medical Center's Burn Intensive Care Unit, where doctors did numerous skin grafts and where Tony began the first phase of occupational and physical therapy. Tony's new challenge is advocating for other burn survivors.
Victoria VanderKam R.N., past Program Director of the UCI Regional Burn Center, and current President of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Burn Association, helped to facilitate Tony's appearance at the 70 mile event for the Orange County Burn Association (www.ocburn.org). The mission of this non-profit organization is to provide patient support programs and services for people affected by burn injuries and their families as well as to advocate for quality burn care and prevention in Orange County. "We look forward to more events in the future and hope that Tony will be able to take part," stated VanderKam. For the third time now, bikers in Orange County along the Burn Out and Poker Run have picked up poker cards, hoping for the perfect hand as they raise funds for charity. 
The practice of a "poker run" is one of the motorcycle club's more popular charity events. Motorcyclists make five sequential stops – typically at bars and/or restaurants – retrieving a playing card at each stop, in an attempt to build the best five-card poker hand. Along the way for this event, bikers stopped at several fire stations (picking up their playing cards), bringing greater awareness to their cause. The ride ended at Anaheim/Fullerton Harley-Davidson Dealership where Tony spoke.
The inaugural Burn Out Poker Run to benefit the Orange County Burn Association took place in 2004, remarkably only one week after Tony was severely injured in a plane crash at Fullerton Municipal Airport. Rendered paraplegic with multiple injuries that included third and fourth degree burns over 70 percent of his body, Tony barely survived. Both of his legs and his right arm and hand received the worst of the burns, which had robbed him of four fingers on his right hand. He has endured over a dozen major surgeries. Having survived such an ordeal, Tony would like to assist other burn survivors through his words and in recognition of the generous help he received. Click here for some picture highlights of the October 1, 2006 Burn Out Poker Run. Tony's Current Condition
Tony's most recent surgery was on October 23, 2006. His doctors removed bone that had grown over his elbow and shoulder joints. They also did their best to repair the nerve damage in his right arm. To help build back his upper body strength, Tony now goes for physical and occupational therapy twice a week at St. Jude's.
Tony's needs are still very great because he requires 24/7 care with a live-in (full-time) caregiver to bathe, feed and dress him. While he no longer requires high-level wound care, there is always a watchful eye to spot any signs of new pressure ulcers (bed sores) from becoming serious complications. During the week Tony has a full-time agency caregiver paid for by his family. The quality of care that he receives is outstanding, but the service is also very expensive. On the weekends when there is a shift change with his caregiver, the agency has not been able to provide Tony with the same level of experienced caregivers, and it is becoming a crisis situation. Additional outside support for weekend coverage is currently being sought, click here to view job posting. To keep up with Tony's latest developments, check out the calendar area at the bottom of this page for weekly updates on his condition. Tony Albanese Fund
There are many challenges still ahead for Tony, but through the continued support of friends and family, we will help Tony achieve his goals so that he can have a better tomorrow. Acknowledgements to Friends of TonyPower of OneThe Right Friend for the Job For anyone who knows Tony, they can attest to his most important belief that you can never have too many friends or too many tools. 
Stamped with names like Snap-On, Craftsman, Mac, Matco, and Huskie, among others, these top-of-the-line brands showed that Tony always had the right tool for one of his many jobs. However, gaining access to one of his half dozen toolboxes is reserved for only his most trusted and like-minded of friends. Fellow craftsman and longtime friend, Dave McLerran, has the right combination.
Dave McLerran is one of the many people in Tony's life who can always be counted on to help out. Either by donating his natural talents as a master craftsman to build something, or by offering helpful advice to his friends, Dave is a reminder of the goodness in people. For example, when Tony was in the hospital, Dave would always come by to visit. Often arriving after a full day at work, he stayed long after visiting hours had ended, just so that he could put in quality time. According to Tony, Dave's wife Nellie was always supportive; there were countless hours given to helping others too. Dave is someone who truly embodies the age-old axiom, a friend in need is a friend indeed. If you were to ask Tony, he'll probably tell you that having the right tool for the job means that there will be a lifetime guarantee with a top-of-the-line brand. But having the right friends in your life like Dave McLerran can provide a lifetime benefit too. You can read about other special people in Tony's life, click here for the Power of One page. Tony's Prayer Circle
Friends and family members continue to answer the call to help Tony through the power of prayer. Since the plane crash over two years ago, hundreds of people have prayed for Tony. Those in his Prayer Circle receive prayer alerts through email so that they can be called into action to help Tony on any given day that he may need it most.
Thank you to all of the members of Tony's Prayer Circle for your prayers and support and for keeping Tony in your thoughts and hearts over these past two years. 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 lot 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 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 2007
|
February 2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
January 1 (Monday) New Years Day January 15 (Monday) MLK: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday January 26 (Friday) A Return to the Skies Tony takes to the air for the first time since his 2004 plane crash in Fullerton. He realized his goal to fly again this week after being grounded for the past 28 months. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Top of the Page |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Home |
Friends |
Fund |
Update In the News | FAQ | Gallery |
||
|
Whether by Water, Wings or Wheels ... Life Is A Journey, Not A Destination. |
||