Kicking Off the Fundraiser

If you don’t know, my name is Char Vine and I sustained a spinal cord injury in 2000 from a snowboarding accident in Bear Valley that left me paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Over the last six years, I have been hospitalized over a dozen times from complications that ensued from hardware that was installed incorrectly in my back. By 2016 my body had become deformed and my spine had degenerated so severely that some of the hardware pulled out of the bone and started causing great damage inside my body. It left me bed bound and helpless for months. I opted for a high risk, extremely complicated surgery at the end of December 2016 to try and give me some quality of life back. They rebuilt my spine and fused me from my shoulders to my pelvis. It was a great success and my work since has involved a variety of therapies, five days a week to get my body back into a Straight Up position after being deformed for so long. The doctors estimated recovery to be at least a year and my progress has been slow and steady. I’m gaining back strength and movement everyday! But the surgery also left me with less mobility than I previously had in regards to twisting and bending that I can never regain. Now, because of the long length of the fusion, it is detrimental to my body to take my wheelchair apart to put it in my car like I used to. The last several months I have been relying on daily outside help to get me to appointments and to run errands. A vehicle with a dropped floor and ramp is my need to help me get me from place to place independently and move more efficiently. These converted vehicles are quite expensive on top of my out-of-pocket monthly rehabilitation and therapy expenses. I am reaching further into the community for help with raising some of the money to get me through this life challenge and to help keep me moving Straight Up.

I’m shooting for the moon and setting a goal to raise $45,000 to fund a used Honda Element with a WAV Conversion that will last me the next 10-15 years. To kick off the fundraising we are planning a large event on October 28, 2017. The event will include a light costume or white attire theme, farm-to-fork dinner by Outer Aisle, DJ Freedom Fighta and live music by the Janktones, presentation by Char, silent and ticket auctions, beer and wine, and much more! We are anticipating over 200+ people and a night full of fun, light, inspiration and celebration. Can you help me get closer to being independent again?

Thank you so much for considering to support me in my recovery journey. If inclined, there are a few ways to donate. It has been a long challenging road and I would have never gotten this far without the support of so many. I’m so grateful and excited to have this second shot at my life. Any help you can extend out would be greatly appreciated, Straight Up!

With Heart,
Char

Here are a few ways to help reach the fundraising goal:

1)  Become an Event Sponsor. In-kind donations will be auctioned off at the  fundraising event or online. Email char@charvine.com for marketing opportunities.
    Non tax-deductible product donation:
    (100% of the auction price will go towards funding a vehicle)
    Tax-deductible product donation:
    (7.65% of the final auction price will go to HelpHOPELive)

2) Buy tickets to the event at the door or purchase online at whiteout.brownpapertickets.com.

3)  Donate via internet.
    www.paypal.me/charvine
    (100% of this donation will go towards funding a vehicle)
    www.gofundme.com/charvine
(8% of this donation will go to GoFundMe)

4)  Donate via internet and receive a tax deduction.
www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
(7.65% of this donation will go to HelpHOPELive)

5)  Donate by mail. Make a check out to “Friends of Charlene Vine”
    Mail to:
    Pat Vine
    101 Cupsaw Ave.
    Ringwood, NJ 07456
    (100% of this donation will go towards funding a vehicle)

6)     If you are not able to donate money or product at this time, you can always     donate some positive energy towards Char’s recovery or drop her a line of  encouragement at char@charvine.com.

HelpHOPELive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant and spinal cord injury communities for over 30 years. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact them at 800.642.8399.

For more information contact Char at 209-200-7153 or email char@charvine.com.

THANK YOU!

STRAIGHT UP DATE 7/18/17

Still working hard at recovery! Trying to reprogram bad muscle habits in my shoulders after years of using them in a deformed position. Amazing session at @absoluteendeavor They understood my complicated body issues within minutes! Got some great new exercises to put in the arsenal! Neuro Pilates is next level, if you don't know, it's so worth exploring! #straightup #scipilates #norcalsci #healingwithpilates #scirecovery

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 4/27/17

17 years since I've snowboarded. 17 years since I fell on my back. Shit, I feel some reflection coming on… I remember last year at this time struggling to keep my head afloat with what ended up being two broken bones in my leg, a spine that was rapidly deteriorating, my organs popping out my left side, a body that was atrophying from bed rest, an immune system that was compromised and living and medical costs piling up. What a difference a year, positive thinking, a village of support and amazing surgeons, trainers and therapists can make!

After the surgery in 2011 went terribly wrong, I remember a friend said, “Oh Char, this lesson is going to be so hard. It’s going to be a lot of work for you to get past this, but If you do, the reward will be great.” In that moment, I couldn’t even fathom getting past it or a reward coming out of something so dark and tragic. But now reflecting, she was right. My great reward is gratefulness! Gratefulness to a whole new level! Today I am so GLAD TO BE ALIVE and here in this moment! For my body to be feeling stronger, healthier and straighter every day! I am grateful I didn’t give up when all the odds seemed stacked against me! I am overjoyed to have a new chance at life! I am so grateful for all the little parts of me that move and also the parts of me that don’t… yet! Grateful for the strength I’m gaining. I’m grateful for the balance that’s being restored.
This battle has been a really long and difficult one, not only for me but for those closest to me. I’m so thankful for my family that has sacrificed so much and the people who have stuck by my side thru the harder years of this injury and inspired me to push thru the shit. I know it’s not an easy task at times but your love and support keeps me rolling! Won't quit till I'm straight up!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! LOVE TO ALL!!!

My work is not over, I’m about half way thru my recovery. So if you feel inclined to help here’s how.
If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 3/20/17

All movement restrictions have been lifted as of today!! Time to stretch it out, cut it loose and get this bod working again!! #straightup

 

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 3/1/17

I had the best week! My lower stomach muscles on my left side are starting to fire again!!! I know it doesn’t look like much in the video but this is a HUGE gain for me! Most of the left side of my abdomen/back has been completely paralyzed for the last few years due to complications from the unsuccessful surgery in 2011. But they opened it all back up in the recent surgery and I have been bustin ass to get the muscles firing again to support the new hardware. It’s been months of work, sweat and pain to get here but seeing my muscles starting to react on command gives me so much hope and inspiration to keep up the fight. Not only that, some of the muscles that are firing are below my paralysis level!? It just proves to me again anything can happen with belief and work! I also went to see my surgeon this week and the x-rays showed that I’m starting to grow bone around the cage!! This is so relieving and exciting because the success of the surgery hinged around me growing bone in the cage. Since there was so much damage sustained in that area the doctors said the odds were low that I would. But I beat them!! The Page’s crystal, my bone broth and the excellent Arbonne nutrition are all paying off. My surgeon wants me to start pilates to aggressively work on my core so I will adding that into my repertoire of physical based recovery next week. No stopping me now, I’m headed straight towards up!!! Endless gratitude to every person who has contributed to my fight in any and all ways.  I would not be here without all of you, it has filled my heart and spirit and I am SO thankful for you all. Huge hugs and lots of love! #straightup #anythingispossible


If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 2/20/17

The last three weeks since getting out of the hospital have been a bit chaotic. My first week home was a lot of sleeping, unpacking and adjustment. The second week started off strong with lots of recovery based activities. Then towards the end of the week, my dad was feeling off and went to bed early. He woke up at 3:30am panicked because he couldn’t get out of bed. His whole right side had weakened and he was talking nonsense. I thought it was his heart so I called 911. The EMT diagnosed it as a stroke on our way to the hospital which was so surreal and scary. After 4 days in UC Davis they re-diagnosed it as a skin infection that had worked it’s way into his foot and then had spread into his blood. The infection weakened his one side so much the symptoms looked like a stroke but thankfully his heart checked out fine. It was a rough go spending so many hours sitting in the ER on my new surgery and not getting the down time and therapy I had become accustomed to. The hospital was overloaded from the flooding and with the rest of my family back east, we were stuck in the ER for 3 days before they got him a room. They released my dad when the infection cleared and sent him home with a strong antibiotic. We had to return to the ER a few days later because he was having a bad reaction to the antibiotic. He ended up having to extend his stay on the west coast for another week. So we both ended up in recovery, taking care of each other as best we could. He was finally able to fly back to the east coast about a week ago and is healing up.

Right before he left, I decided to kick the giant sized opiate/morphine habit that was prescribed over the last 5 months. I didn’t feel like weening down so just stopped cold turkey. It’s was a few rough days of irritability, heightened pain, bad sleep, cramping intestine, nausea, dizziness. But now that monkey is off my back, I feel more myself and have a better gauge of my pain. I still have to take a few mgs on days when I get dysreflexia from pushing myself too far, but it’s nowhere close to the amount I was taking daily.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program… Straight Up! So the next big step is reforming all the soft tissue around my new hardware setup. My body has been deformed for so many years that it’s going to take at least a year and a lot of work before it will balance out. There is so much shifting in all the soft tissues because my core structure is completely different and more space was opened up. My internal organs have been slowly migrating back into place as my body changes, which feels achy and amazing! I’m still learning my new balance points and am engaging the muscles that were smushed and not working before. Navigating thru this entails a lot of body work to keep going. So far, I found an amazing deep tissue myofascial healer/therapist at Massage Heights North Natomas and a talented chiropractor for two disks in my neck that keep slipping out. Then I also have been doing limited PT, strengthening sessions at SCI-FIT Sacramento and working out at home every chance I get. My brother built me the same leg slider from the hospital PT so I could keep up with those awesome exercises! I still have some movement restrictions. Its killing me not to go full speed but I have been doing lots of isometric core work which gets you sweating! Still making and drinking my beef broth all the time to stoke the bone growth. Still doing my Arbonne completely kind nutritional shakes everyday. I’m amazed by how fast I have been healing and how good I have been feeling despite all the trauma. Getting stronger all the time!

I want to truly express how much I appreciate all the support that has come in so I’m able to do all of these healing things that I’m paying out of pocket for. This process is not easy and comes with a lot of uncomfortable days. I’m so grateful to have a cushion to allow me to maintain my body in a way where I can keep fighting to get STRAIGHT UP! I still have a far way to go so if you have any extra and/or are inclined to help, keep reading.

One of my dearest and oldest friends, Tara Harrison from college (the 1st time) drove from Oregon with her dog Magic when my dad left. She is finally getting sick of the Cali rain and has to leave by the end of this week so I’m recruiting some help to fill the gap until my mom gets here in mid March. Helpful things are visits, rides to appointments and meals. I looked into renting an accessible van but they want $2500 per month so I think I will stick with bumming rides or Uber for now. There is still a van purchase in my future but I won’t know what I need until the movement restrictions are lifted and I see what I can handle. They are quite a large investment though, so keep it coming!

I will set up a care calendar this week with my needs and I will send it out to all the people who have been offering to help. Oh, and if anyone wants to donate any body work, I’m totally open to receiving it! Thank you all so much and love and hugs to everyone! Stay dry! #straightup

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 1/27/17

My first week home has been busy but good! We packed up and left SCVMC hospital last week. Medicare would not give me any more in-patient time because the last few days I was only utilizing the physical therapy. They figured I could do that from home not understanding the difficulties in finding therapists knowledgeable in SCI. I was overdue for some uninterrupted sleep and for real whole food anyway and was gifted a huge double rainbow on our drive home to kick off my next phase of recovery.

I returned to an empty apartment above me (for those of you that know) this was such a relief and the best homecoming gift. It wasn’t until I first rolled into my apartment, that I fully appreciated my new taller perspective! I’m sitting so much straighter and loving it!! Next I crawled into my new bed and I slept for about 12 hours straight. LOVE LoVe love my new bed!! Endless gratitude to all the people who made this happen for me. It is a huge blessing to have an adjustable bed thru this recovery, I can’t even express how helpful it is, especially since I was let out of the hospital so quickly. It even has different massage settings to help with circulation for healing. I just have to put quarters in it about every 15 minutes! Lol!

The first few days were a bit challenging since the lower planes are not in my reach as of now. Constant adaptation makes things more manageable over time but its never easy to loose mobility and things that you are accustomed to doing. I get angry and sad at times but then I remember how lucky I am. I’m still able to be independent, to cook, to drive and able to do all my personal care. It was so scary signing up for this surgery when I was gambling with chips that big and had bad odds. But a huge sigh of relief that the loss is minimal and the odds seem to have played out in my favor. Looks like all that hard work i put in upfront paid off! I’m feeling good and in the flow of things.

My dad is still by my side for another week and is taking excellent care of me. We traveled to SF on Monday and the doctors took out the stitches and the drain! Dr. Berven was quite impressed by the speed of my healing. He said he has not seen someone bounce back so quickly from this type of surgery. He nicknamed me Superstar! I know it has a lot to do with all of the positive energy coming my way and with having my nutrition on point throughout this journey. Please keep the good vibes coming!! He did put some limiting restrictions on my movement for the next 2 months to let things heal properly. A bit frustrating because I’m ready to go full speed with therapy but it looks like I have to stay in first gear for a bit longer.

Wednesday I went for my out-patient physical therapy evaluation. Medicare will cover 20 sessions (if I’m lucky) so the plan is, do one session every two weeks until the restrictions come off then go full speed for the remainder of the sessions. In the mean time my dad and I have come up with a stretching and exercise program at home and I am going to use some of the donated money to pay for a few months of SCI Fit (an out of pocket neuro-rehab). I’m hoping to do some stretching and strengthening of my upper body and core there while I wait for the restrictions to be lifted.

Yesterday all my wounds had scabbed over so I finally got to take a long hot shower!! First one in a month. I can’t tell you how good it felt! I can’t wait to take another one today! Everyday I make a little progress. I am very hopeful about the future.

I’m still researching different vans, trying to find the right fit. I will have to wait a bit yet to see where my mobility lands before I make my final decision. My dad and I are going next week to look at some used vans to get a better idea of what is out there. It is quite an investment as the conversion alone runs about $29,000 then you add he price of the vehicle to that. A bit overwhelming right now but trying to trust it will all come together as it should. I still have time to figure it out.

As always thank you so much for all the continued love and support. I would not be this far along if not for all the help. I am so humbled by the generosity and selflessness. And special thanks to Michelle and Heidi for jumping in to make the transition home smooth. I’m up for visitors and can get out for short trips so let me know if you would like to visit! Sending everyone big hugs! #straightup

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 1/16/17

 My apologies for not posting an update sooner, my recovery has been all consuming. I was transferred over to SCVMC in San Jose on the 9th. In-patients get about 4-5 hours of mixed therapies a day here which kicked my ass hard the first few days. There was a lot of nausea, puking, shaking, dizziness, bleeding and disreflexia. But I pushed through it with my dad by my side and I’m now past the most painful part of this journey. So grateful for my dad and his courage, I know it’s not easy for him to see me in that state. But we have left those things behind and I feel much more solid now.

I am able to keep up with the Physical Therapy and the other therapies are struggling to find things for me to do. With 17 years of SCI experience, in a lot of sessions, I end up teaching the therapists. As of this week, I am doing all my transfers on my own, doing all my personal care, can push up an ADA ramp and I put my shoes on without help today! I have been mentoring and teaching wheelchair skills to some of the new in-patients which has helped keep my spirits up. I still have a drain in my spine and stitches in so I am not able to shower yet, itch, itch. Sleeping as much as possible in this environment and trying to eat as best as I can. My dad has been doing a great job of smuggling in my nutrition shakes, vitamins and beef broth. The swelling is continuing to go down and PTs are working on my range. So far everyday, I am able to do a little bit more. Still hard to say exactly how it turned out and how much my mobility might change, but at this moment, I am hopeful that it will be minimal.

It looks the hospital will be releasing me on Thursday. A bit sooner than we hoped but I guess Medicare has been progressively shortening stays here. The doctors and I agree that I need a lot more physical therapy but to justify the hospital stay, I have to utilize the other therapies and the nursing and I have grown past needing most of them now. Before I go, I’ll be teaching a cooking class on Tuesday and on Wednesday I’m going to try out some different vehicles with ramps! I’ll continue my physical therapy as an out-patient. We are figuring out what that will look like now. I might stay in San Jose for a bit. Once I get back up to Sac I would love to have visitors!

So, I still have a great deal of work to do to get myself straight up! My body must grow bone in the cage for the surgery to hold and the other big issue is rebuilding muscle memory. The muscles on my right became very shortened and the ones on my left became very stretched out over the last 5 years so they are still pulling me off center. My focus now is on getting those muscles working symmetrically again to allow my right ischial to drop to straight. The PT’s are saying it could take months of therapy and hard work to make that happen but it is possible. So those are my next goals in recovery.

As always, thanks so much for all the endless love and support streaming my way. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such caring and generous people. I have not been diligent in my responses so forgive me but I will get there in time. Love and big hugs to you all!! #straightup

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT UP DATE 12/26/16

Only a few more days till surgery. I'm ready. I'm as prepared as I can be to increase all the odds of success. The video will tell you about the plan that is in place so far. My parents flew out to me by my side. We will leave for San Francisco on the 27th and have a hotel a few blocks from the hospital. We are scheduled to meet with Dr. Berven that night. Then I will be going to UCSF 6:00am on the 28th for surgery. It will take all of the day. I am going to try and have my mother post updates on Facebook. Thank you all so much for getting me here in such a positive place. I'll see you all on the other side STRAIGHT UP!




If you would like to make a donation you can go to:
www.gofundme.com/charvine or
www.paypal.me/charvine

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation for 2016 you can donate here: www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154

If you shop Arbonne’s responsibly sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, pure, safe and beneficial products, Char will get a percentage of any sale from:
www.CharleneVine.arbonne.com

To donate direct, or if you want to donate product please email char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT-UP-DATE 12/10

I met with Dr. Berven again at UCSF this week. We went over a long list of questions and concerns and both left feeling we had a lot to think about. He has decided on 2 separate surgeries. The first will be through my back where he will take out old and install new hardware fusing my spine to my pelvis. Then we would wait till I’m feeling alive again, about 6 months. Then the second surgery where he will take the considerable risk of going thru my front to install a cage into the hole left from the disintegrated bones. He will also clean out all of the calcification that has grown in my hips and my spine from the hematomas and loculated fluid pockets. And then he can also tweak the hardware from the first surgery if he needs to. I guess separating the surgeries will give my body a better chance of healing and growing bone when they implant the cage. He didn’t believe my hips were of much concern and felt that if they became an issue then it could be handled after the back surgeries. He had not gathered his team yet for surgery so it’s likely that the surgery date will change. Things are still a bit up in the air. Super hard news to hear, as I’m really not looking forward to getting cut up once let alone twice but I have to believe it’s for the best outcome. In life, there is no real safety except for self-belief.

There was some bright light beaming through all this heavy! You all have raised over $20,000 to help me get upright! I’m so inspired to do all I can to make this work. It is so freaking amazing! It so relieving. It’s so humbling. Please keep it coming! We have increased the needed amount due to the added surgery. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the love in all the forms that is being sent my way. I can’t express how much it’s needed to get thru this and how deeply it’s appreciated. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!


If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

STRAIGHT-UP-DATE 11/30

Hi it's Char, I wanted to update you all on the latest in my Fight for Upright.

First, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reached out and is giving support in every and anyway you can! The response has been so overwhelming and relieving! I can’t say thank you enough and I’m so grateful to have such generous people surrounding me. The money has been helpful! It has allowed me the freedom to research and visit different doctors and patients to make sure I’m am taking the best path I possibly can. I have been getting my nutrition and immunity system on point to up the odds of success with Arbonne. I purchased an adjustable bed frame to help with sitting up again and circulation after surgery. And I will no longer be able to twist to put my chair in my car so I will be swapping out the car for a van with a ramp which will be a sizable expense to come.

I ended up doing more research on severe deformity spine surgeons and found a different surgeon at UCSF that has more experience with Spinal Cord Injury and Charcot spines. His approach to the surgery is a bit different and riskier but overall I felt more at ease with him at the wheel. So I have rescheduled the surgery with Dr. Berven on December 29th. I also visited my SCI doctor in San Jose that has followed me the last 16 years. She believes that my spine doesn’t have a chance of sitting straight because of bone growth in my hips that occurred after my initial injury in 2000. The growth makes my pelvis sit unsquare so anything put on top of a crooked foundation will naturally be leaning to one side. She thinks a hip surgery is necessary in addition to the spine surgery so I will be meeting with Dr. Berven on Dec. 5th to discuss what that means and will look like. So for the time being things are a bit up in the air but they are moving forward. I feel the path to success is lighting it’s way for me, even though it might be longer and more complicated than first thought. Trying to keep the faith that it will work out this time and I will end up STRAIGHT UP! I will keep everyone posted as things progress.

Much love and hugs to you all!

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

Can You Help?

Asking for help is not something that comes easy for me, but I am facing one of the largest challenges of my life and there is no way I'm getting through this one alone. My spine is no longer stable so I am in need of emergency spine surgery to reconstruct it from the bottom up. It's going to be a very long slow process of recovery that will hopefully leave me more stable but with less mobility. So if you have any extra to give and feel compelled to help it would be greatly appreciated. Love and gratitude!

https://www.gofundme.com/charvine

If you want to donate to my cause:
http://www.gofundme.com/charvine
or https://paypal.me/charvine
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.helphopelive.org/campaign/12154
If you shop Arbonne’s sustainably sourced, vegan, GMO-free, gluten-free, clean products, Char will get a % of sale:
http://www.charvine.arbonne.com
If you want to donate direct or product email:
mailto:char@charvine.com

I'm Drained!

After a week in the hospital and a lot of poking, the fluid pockets have finally been aspirated as much as they can! They just found blood mixed with fluid. No infection. Great news, I feel so much better! Started this quest for relief a month ago so it's good to finally cross it off my list. Now onto preparing for the surgery in Dec. UCSF has been taking good care of me. The staff is kind, and their food is bomb! The Drs are not bad to look at either. Can't thank everyone enough for all the love and support! It means so much. #ucsf #straightup #charsfightforupright

STRAIGHT UP 10/28

Char is facing the largest challenge of her life aside from her initial Spinal Cord Injury in 2000. Her spine needs to be rebuilt and she needs our help.

The last several years Char has been battling endless complications from an unsuccessful rod extension surgery she received in 2010. Hardware that was installed from the failed surgery has accelerated the deterioration her lower vertebra (L-4, L-5) causing severe scoliosis and the pelvis to act detached from the spine. Recently, the misplaced hardware that was installed has been rubbing against her pelvis bone causing irreversible damage and creating large pockets of fluid. These pockets of fluid have migrated up around her back and into her lower spine. They are extremely large and uncomfortable causing severe complications that are restricting Char to mostly bed rest. The doctors tried draining out the fluid from Char's hip to provide some relief until the surgery.  Much of the fluid could not be removed because of the placement and some of the fluid has come back since it was drained.

UCSF has scheduled Char for the first of two emergency spinal reconstructive surgeries on December 28th with Dr. Sig Berven. The second surgery will be about 6 months after the first. Both surgeries will be a brutal, long complicated surgeries with extensive hospital stays spanning at least two years of recovery and rehabilitation. In the first surgery, they will go in through the back and will take out the old hardware (T-4 to L-3), then remove pieces of her spine in order to get it to align straight again and then reinstall all new hardware that will fuse her spine to her pelvis. Then the second surgery, they will go in through the front. They will install a cage into the hole left from the disintegrated bones, clean out the calcification in Char's hips and spine from the hematomas and loculated fluid pockets. And also tweak the hardware from the first surgery if need be. A successful surgery will allow Char’s health to eventually stabilize but it also comes with a great cost. The doctors are predicting she will lose more mobility and independence due to the fusion, and it will have an impact on her day to day life as she knows it. Her family members will be flying out during and after the surgery in shifts to provide support for as long as they can.

The financial burden this has had and will have on Char and her family is quite significant. Being mostly bound to her bed right now, Char is not able to work much at this time. She has a person coming to her apartment to help her. With limited income, she is in need of our love and support to get her through. Please chip in as you can. Let's all help Char to rise and conquer this enormous challenge she is facing! Let's get her up-right!

The money that is raised will go towards medical expenses including: keeping Char's head above water, assistance in the home, medical bills, a new custom cushion and back for Char’s wheelchair, large durable medical equipment that will be needed, travel, lodging and all the other things that will pop up along the way.

Thank You,
Nancy Page, Friends, Family & Char

Celebrating With Tea

Celebratory tea!! Spinal column is perfectly in tact, no fluid is leaking out!! So relieved!! I'm so grateful for all the positive energy that is being sent my way. It's such an important part of me getting thru this huge challenge in front of me. So now I'm back to waiting for the doctors to come up with a plan to hopefully drain out the fluid pocket next week since it's possible now! Then surgery on Dec 15th.

Change of Pace

Well, my upswing has changed its pace along with its face. I guess the hardware from Dr. Grant’s bad surgery mixed with my active lifestyle has deteriorated my lower spine so much in the last 5 years that my pelvis has detached from my spine. My pelvis bone has been rubbing on the hardware when I sit and move around causing bone damage and my body reacted by creating a large pocket of fluid that has migrated all the way up around my back and into my lower spine. The doctors are concerned that the dura that holds the spinal fluid potentially burst so they are refusing to drain the fluid because if burst, it could suck out the rest of the spinal fluid. I’m going to UCSF on Wednesday for a CT scan with dye injected into the dura in the spine to check to see if it’s whole. Then they can determine if they can drain the fluid for relief and what the next steps will be. Thoughts, visions and prayers for an intact spinal column would be greatly appreciated! Spine reconstruction surgery scheduled for December 15th at UCSF.

Oregon 2015

Off on another adventure!! This time I'm driving what looks like a 1500 mile needle around Oregon. I was long overdue to visit some of my friends up here, so decided to thread that needle!

Took off Tuesday at noon from Sac bound for Karyn's house in Bend. About a seven hour trip. The drive to Redding was pretty unremarkable except for the almond orchards... OMG so many almond orchards to suck up all the water we don't have... and lots of new ones. But once you get a bit further north the scenery starts to show itself off. The flat lands are a carpet of golden yellow leading up to the green foothills that roll into the purple mountains. All just shine and shimmer in the summer sun.

 

Almost every corner you turn there is another unique spire to gawk at or a different view to take in. The mountains are glorious and the pallets of colors nature uses to paint them are so vibrant and inspiring. I have always been attracted to the energy of the mountains. It's hard to keep my attention on the road sometimes.

Once I got onto 95 I stared following a Forest Service fire truck. I was about to pass him when he turned his lights on. I thought this is great! I'm on a one lane highway following a fire truck with his lights on. All the big rigs and were pulling over for him and I was tagging right behind passing everyone! This went on for over 30 miles! I thought, I'm gonna make great time if this keeps up! But I kept wondering where this guy was going so fast so far away??

A few minutes later I found out. I turned a corner to find a wall of grey in front of me. One of the strangest things I have seen. It looked as if someone photoshopped out the landscape. Just the road into a grey abyss. So I followed the truck into the grey and found something that looked like the apocalypse. It was a crazy storm, one like my mom had warned me about. At first it was a torrential downpour. People were driving about 15mph or some had pulled over it was coming down so hard. Then there was lightening all around. Then it would be sunny for a few minutes then I'd drive into another downpouring storm cloud. The lightening was increasing and I could see it coming down and hitting the ground all around me. Sometimes I little puff of smoke would come up where it hit! I know that cars are grounded so it one of the safest places to be in lightening so I kept on. Then I found out where the fire truck was racing to. In front of me was a wall of smoke and fire.

The highway was shut down because of fires started from the lightening, there were firefighters all around. We were then detoured thru over an hour of farm land back around to Klamath Falls. I saw about five other fires along the detour route that had been started with people scrambling to get them out.

Out of the grey abyss, I regrouped at Klamath Falls and headed out for the rest of the trip into the exquisite colors of the sunset. Oregon is so undeveloped, lush and green with it's endless supply of pine trees. I arrived in Bend much later then expected but most importantly made it safe! Karyn and Wiley greeted me with a big hello and we stayed up too late catching up on life. Excited to be here, grateful for the opportunities and for this land we call home!

Over a Third....

Hi all! Sorry it's been awhile. It's been a challenging couple of weeks since I came home from the hospital. There was lots to set up and organize to continue the healing process. Grateful that my mother was able to stay thru the transition and deal with a lot of it for me. We rearranged my living room to incorporate a therapy table and a hospital bed that has now become my nest. We also discovered upon our return my furnace was working sporadically. Not the optimum time to have heating problems with the big storm that was coming in. So $7,500 and a new furnace later I found out that it had nothing to do with the furnace it was a regulator that the propane company came and fixed for free. Uhhhh. I guess some things just work out that way.

Burton has come down from Bear Valley for a few quick visits. It's always so good to see him. He lifts my spirits and always makes me laugh with his quirky ways. You should have seen all 100 lbs of him trying to get into the twin hospital bed with me! I wish I had a camera. His legs were hanging off the side of the bed but he was determined to stay with me and snuggle. I ventured outside the other day with him for a very slow walk. Was nice to get out in the sun and fresh air. A bit painful when I got back home. Guess I'm not quite ready to have him back full time yet.

As far as recovery goes.... I'm just over a third of the way there!  My mom has left and gone back to New Jersey so I'm doing a bit more for myself.  Still have movement restrictions but starting to test the boundaries more and more, letting pain guide me. If you know me, then you know what a difficult mental task this has been for me to stay down this long. Trying hard to stay as positive as possible but everyone has down days here and there. Anna and Robert built me a base for a rehabilitation table so I have been using that everyday for Physical Therapy. Getting stronger every day. The pain from the surgery has subsided some but is still there especially with a lot of movement. A new pain at the top of my left rod seems to be a side effect of the surgery. Trying to stay away from the evil pain pills and go the more natural approach with cold laser therapy and herbs. Seems to be working out. My pressure sore is healed over as of yesterday! Still have to be careful because of the scab and scar tissue but it's one thing that is almost off the list! Going down to San Jose next week to try and get my wheelchair and cushion dialed in for this new posture I gained. Still can't drive but trying to get out here and there to keep my sanity. So that's about where I'm at today.

Just want to express my deepest thanks to all who have helped in various ways! I would not be able to do this without you all! The donations have been a huge blessing with all the out of pocket expenses that keep popping up, especially since I am not working much right now. I also was able to have someone come in to clean the house which feels great. You all have relieved a lot of stress... so thanks again.

So how can you help me now? I have set up a Care Calendar that I am able to post my needs on. It's really easy to use and has been working out great so far. You just sign in with the info below. Click on a task to see what it involves and if you want to help, then just enter your name in for the task. I get an email to let me know who is coming to help and you get a reminder email. Pretty simple and effective. Here's how to access it:

Char's Care Calendar site: http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/67157
CALENDAR ID:   67157
SECURITY CODE :   6705

Until next time, hugs and luv to all!
Char

Address: 545 Williams St, Murphys CA 95247.
Phone: 209.728.8766.

Donations for medical costs instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks so much!

I'm On My Way... Home Sweet Home!

Getting discharged today from the hospital! Finally!! Just waiting for the doctor to show up and give me one last look and I'm out of here! Can't wait to see Burton and be back in the mountains. I'm like totally over being a valley girl!

Thanks so much to everyone who visited, called, emailed and fed me while I was down here! Special thanks to my mom who has been indispensable in this process. You all helped me keep my spirit strong so I could get thru the first and worst part of this process.

On to the next.... will keep everyone posted.

xo,
char


Address is: 545 Williams St, Muprhys CA 95247. Land line is: 209.728.8766.

Donations for medical costs and healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks so much!

Home Is In Sight

All your positive energy, good food, prayers, donations and well wishes are working! I'm so grateful! My incision and pressure sore have been healing up fast and it looks like I will be leaving for home sooner than the doctor projected! Hopefully sometime in the next week. Glad for that. Pretty boring here since I'm the only one on the unit under 80 and I'm not allowed to wheel any further than the parking lot.

Dr. Grant came in on Friday for a post-op check up and sent me for some x-rays. He said that everything is looking like he envisioned. My spine is still pretty fragile and far from being fused together but is heading in the right direction.

I pretty much breezed thru physical and occupational therapies. Because of the strict movement restrictions they have run out of things to do with me. Past experience has helped also. I can dress myself, turn from side to side and get in and out of bed now. Still working with my new center of balance. Finally got the okay to take a shower after two weeks. Oh man! I can't even explain how amazing it felt. Had to shampoo my hair a few times to get out all the grease! I think I stayed in there until all the hot water in the hospital was gone. I'm reminded once again to appreciate all the little things one takes for granted. Seems to be a reoccuring theme in my life.

So what happens when I get home? The doctor will be ordering a hospital bed for me to use in my house since I can't sit up on my own and I will be very restricted in my movement for a few weeks yet. He will also be ordering home health, physical and occupational therapies, and nurse to keep me going at home. The doctor will take some more x-rays at week 6 and possibly lift some of the movement restrictions then. So I am still far from being back to normal but making the next big step soon. My mom has extended her trip and will be with me for about another 10 days and thru the transition.

Looking forward to being back in the clean mountain air, eating Outer Aisle Food again and playing with my favorite buddy Burton! And all of you too of course! Thanks a million for everything!

xoxoxo,
char

My location (hopefully for not much longer) is: 1111 E Stanley Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550. Room 301. Land line is: 925.373.4060 that will connect you to the nurse station and they can send you to the room. My cell works too. They keep me pretty busy so if I miss you I will get back when I can.

Donations for medical costs and healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks!