10 September 2010

Here is a really good picture of Sean just after we told him he was going to be on the field to watch batting practice.
He seems excited.  

Sean Update 9/10/2010

As promised, a pretty cool Sean update! This past Saturday the entire Nemazie family went to the Yankees game……wait, let me start from the beginning….

About 2 years ago my wife Nancy served a man wearing a large World Series ring at the restaurant (Amarones) she works at. Never being one to hold her tongue, Nancy asked where the man got his ring. As it turns out, the man is Lonn Trost, the Chief Operating Officer for the New York Yankees. Nancy went on to tell Lonn that I was a life long Mets fan, so he doesn’t really speak to me. But, since then Nancy has seen and spoken to Lonn many times.

After Sean’s accident, Nancy asked the bartender, Tom, at Amarones to speak to Lonn (everyone loves bartenders) and see if he could get Sean an autograph or something. Time passed and no word came from Lonn. But, then about two weeks ago Nancy found out that Frank had acquired tickets to the Yanks game for this past Saturday. Low and behold, Lonn showed up for dinner at the restaurant. Tom reminded Lonn of Sean’s story while he enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail.

A few days before the game, Lonn called Frank and invited the entire Nemazie family to be a guest of the Yankees on the field before their game against the Blue Jays. Not knowing how much they would see or how close they would be to the players, Frank and Kathy decided not to tell Sean too much on game day for fear that it may not be too big a deal and didn’t want to get his hopes up. But things worked out better than they could have imagined…..Sean was able meet and shake hands with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Petite, Mariano Rivera, and others. They were able to remain on the field for batting practice (which proved to be slightly better hitting than at the C’mon Sean Home Run Derby). The weather was perfect and I think the Yanks went on to win the game as well.

All in all, a great day for Sean…. And for at least a day, even I was a Yankee fan.

If you visit Amarones, be sure to tip Tom well….besides being a great guy, he makes a stiff drink.

More to come….Steve

Sean Update 9/2/10

Ok folks, I got the message…..too much time between blogs! It was summer and I got lazy…..back at work and back to the blog now. I will try to update every few weeks.

Keep an eye out for a special blog next week hopefully with pictures. That’s all I can say….been sworn to secrecy.

Sean has had a good summer. He has settled in to his new digs at Hartwyck in Edison and has become comfortable with getting around the halls in his wheelchair and working with the staff. Sean comes home almost every weekend these days. If you want to see him, please let Kathy or Frank know ahead of time. And bring food….the cupboards are getting bare. Last time I was there, Frank gave me an Old Milwaukee and a can of Spaghetti-Os. No offense to our young friends out there but I did my time at college and now have higher demanding taste buds.

The Nemazies have been taking Sean to the movies and dinner frequently as well. Most recently Sean went to see Inception and followed that up with renting Shutter Island with Timmy at his house. Despite taking in the two most confusing movies in recent history, Sean stayed focused and was able to follow all the plot twists. Eating wise, his motor skills are always improving….long gone are the days of having to help him eat….he does fine by himself now.

Sean recently was fitted for a pair of special glasses to help his vision by trying to get both his eyes moving in sync. They seem to be working well but it is another long path for Sean.

While vision and his cognitive skills continue to improve, his ability to talk and walk continue to be a battle. He is able to mouth words and sometimes get words out but it takes a big effort. Still, it is getting better and if we look back just a few months ago when there were not even attempts to talk, the progress is huge. Sean continues his physical therapy and there are subtle improvements in moving his legs but for now he is getting used to maneuvering his wheelchair.

As I said, check back next week for what should be something pretty sweet for Old Seanie!

Steve

Sean Update 8/3/10

Sorry for the lack of updates! It is summer what can I say…

For those of you who were not able to make it, the “C’mon Sean Home Run Derby” was amazing. I believe at last count the event raised about $7K. Kudos to Courtney and Brittany DeAngelis for organizing everything and making it memorable. A lot more folks provided support including the rest of the DeAngelis family, the Lorenzo family, all the old geezers who helped set up and took the mound one last time to pitch in the home run contest, and Pasquale and Claudine DeChiara, owners of the Bijou Salon who were among the first to offer their time and donations. There were many others who helped out as well. To these people and all who donated in one way or another…..THANK YOU!

In the HR contest, young Tyler Kostin won the 8-12 year old division to begin the festivities. In the 13-17 year old division A division (on Field 1), big Nate Smith took home the trophy and looked good doing it. In the 13-17 B division (on Field 2), Ryan Krebs defeated Harrison Flyge in stirring playoff. The 18-21 year old division saw Shae Fahey make a brief return to the diamond to defeat a star studded cast and claim the prize. And in the grand finale, in a performance for the ages…or aged as it would be…yours truly ignited the crowd (which at this point was my daughters and some kid from down the block) and won the adult division.

But, of course, the star of the show was our own Sean, who spent a good part of the day hanging out, greeting folks and woofing down Lorenzo pulled pork sandwiches.

In addition to the Home Run Derby, there was another fundraiser held at Via Roma restaurant the following week when they donated a percentage of their revenue from one night’s sales to the Nemazie family. Many thanks to Via Roma as well!

Sean is doing well. He is still working hard and slowly making strides each day. He has begun speaking (a little bit). He is able to mouth most words and sometimes is audible. He continues his daily physical therapy at Hartwyck and works on his mobility. Sean has also been active and he gets out to dinner and movies with Kathy and Frank every now and again.

Thanks again for everyone’s support.

More to come…..Steve

Monday Afternoon, July 5

Sean celebrated the 4th of July holiday with a visit to a relative's house for a barbeque. While there, Sean not only ate and socialized with fellow partygoers but went for a ride on a boat!

I was able to see Sean yesterday before he left for the BBQ and he is doing really well. A couple of major improvements since I last spent time with him. He is holding his head upright all the time now. He looks at you when you are speaking with him and responds quickly via hand signals. He is also able to move himself around in his wheelchair via use of his left foot. He is moving slow but he is moving!

Nancy gave Sean some apple pie which was odd because it was 10am and Sean was going to a BBQ but that is my wife's style.....rocking the boat. Anyhow, Sean devoured the pie in no time. His appetite is definitely very good.

Still allot of work to do but the folks at Hartwyck seem to be picking up right where Kessler left off and Sean continues to work hard at regaining his skills.

More to come....Steve

Wednesday Afternoon, July 23

Sean has officially moved locations. Here is his new address:

JFK Hartwyck at Oak Tree
2048 Oak Tree Road
Edison, NJ 08820-2012

When visiting Sean, follow the below instructions:

Sign in at the front desk and take the elevators to the right up to the second floor. His room# is 208.
Visiting hours: 8am to 8pm
During the week, he has therapy until 3:00pm so visiting between 3:00 - 5:00 in the afternoon would be best. On the weekends, there is no therapy however I would suggest you text/call Frank or Kathy before you come in case they are taking him out for the day.

Thx…Steve

Wednesday Afternoon, June 16

Sean Update 6/16/10

Sean will be moving out of Kessler tomorrow (Thursday 6/17) for another rehab facility. Once he is settled in, we will get everyone the specifics on location and visiting hours.

When Sean first entered Kessler over 4 months ago, he was not conscious and it was uncertain when he would regain consciousness. In his time there Sean of course, did wake up, learned how to communicate using hand signals, learned how to eat and feed himself again, brought his weight from 115 lbs to about 135 lbs now, watched too much tv, met Gloria Gaynor and the Indian from the Village People (ok, I guess that was cooler for the older folks who happened to be there), began using charts to spell out words and sentences, began to use his laptop again, made strides in learning to walk and talk again, learned to smile and made us smile again.

From the bottom of all of our hearts and especially Frank and Kathy, we thank the incredible staff at Kessler and especially Jodi, Mara & Liz. Sean will miss you all so much. Someday, he will walk in and thank you himself.

More to come soon from Sean’s new crib!

Steve

Monday Afternoon, June 6

Sean Blog Announcement

“C’mon Sean” Sweatshirt Fundraiser

Anyone interested in purchasing a sweatshirt to benefit the Nemazie family, please contact:

Casey McGuigan
Cell 609-495-4922
Email mcguiganc@student.wpunj.edu

Sweatshirts are $25 each ($10 of which goes to the fundraiser). They are white with neon orange writing and say “C’mon Sean”
on the front and “Nemazie” on the back.

Let Casey know how many you would like and what size(s) you would like.

We will have full Sean update coming soon…..but some big news out of Kessler to whet your appetite….Sean has begun to speak again!
It is only a few words and they take a while to get out, but a monumental step for Sean…way to go kid.

Order a sweatshirt!

Steve