As Posted by: www.timesuniononline.com

David Slone

Times-Union Staff Writer

OSWEGO - Hospital visits, doctor appointments, physical therapy and medical procedures have become part of the Barker family’s daily routine over the past 11 years.

It all doesn’t leave much time for the Oswego family to just spend time together. But thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation, the Barkers will get a full week to spend together at Walt Disney World in Florida.

At noon Sunday, a limousine will pick Josh and Andra Barker and their four children, Kelly, Noah, Josiah and Kloe, up at their Oswego residence. The limo will then take them to Indianapolis to catch their airplane to Florida. Once they get to Walt Disney World, the family will stay at Give Kids the World Village.  The villa is only for families who have been granted wishes through organizations like the Make A Wish Foundation. Like Make A Wish, Give Kids the World is a non-profit organization.m”The neat thing about Give Kids the World is it’s very handicapped accessible,” said Andra. 

The Barkers have the opportunity to leave the doctors and hospitals behind for a week and just be a family because of Kelly’s illness.  According to Andra, Kelly and Noah are 11-year-old twins who were born three months premature. Kelly was the second twin, and, after delivery, she had to be resuscitated. Kelly was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. For Kelly, Andra said, Spastic Diplegia creates contractures in her legs. She can only walk for short distances, but only with the help of a walker. Kelly receives physical therapy up to four times a day. Without the therapy and Botox injections into her legs, Kelly’s body would fold up into a ball. When she receives the Botox, Andra said Kelly will get 18 injections into her legs.

 As part of her treatment, Kelly also receives aquatic therapy in Fort Wayne at the Turnstone Center for Disabled Children and Adults, a non-profit rehabilitation center. Kelly is part of a pilot club at the Center that was featured in the Sports ‘N’ Spokes magazine.  At first, Andra said, Kelly didn’t like the water. By the end of last season, Kelly won the star swimmer award.   ”It’s fun to do swimming therapy because I get to swim a lot, which I like to do,” boasted Kelly. 

At one point, Andra said Kelly’s physical therapist asked why Kelly never got her wish through the Make A Wish Foundation. Andra told the therapist they didn’t know about it. The therapist and Kelly’s doctor filled out some paperwork and sent it in.  Kelly’s and Noah’s birthday is Feb. 19. On Feb. 18, the Make A Wish Foundation called the Barkers. Kelly’s wish to go to Walt Disney World and see Cinderella was going to be granted. The celebration of the announcement was made at Hacienda, Kelly’s favorite local restaurant.

“I wanted to go to Walt Disney World. I was really excited,” said Kelly.  Andra said Kelly screamed, and cried.  ”I want to do some stuff I didn’t get to do last time,” Kelly said.  The only other time the Barkers got to go to Walt Disney World was for one day while Andra was at the Mayo Clinic.   During their stay at Walt Disney World, Andra said they will have dinner with Cinderella at the castle. They will celebrate Christmas Thursday, with snow, and will visit Sea World, Magic Kingdom and the ocean - even if there’s a hurricane, Andra said.  ”She has a lot of places planned out that she wants to go to,” Josh said. 

Kelly is not the only member of the Barker family who has spent time in the hospital.  Andra and Josh are both Warsaw Community High School graduates. In high school, Josh was very athletic, playing on the football team.   A couple of years ago, Josh discovered he had a heart problem. In September 2007, Josh had open heart surgery.   ”It’s very dangerous surgery,” said Andra.   With Josh’s heart surgery, Andra’s knee surgery and Kelly’s ongoing medical problems, their trip Sunday to Walt Disney World will have extra special meaning. Andra said she is looking forward to just being a family. No appointments to worry about, just a whole week off. “It’s much needed time,” she said. 

Wednesday, during the Day of Caring in Kosciusko County, volunteers from Chore Time and Grace College also gave the Barker family another blessing. They built two ramps for Kelly’s wheelchair - one for the front door, one in the garage. They were coming back today to finish the ramps.   Josh said the volunteers also raked the yard, washed the windows and trimmed trees. It’s work the family doesn’t usually have time to do.

Living Hope Ministries, the church the Barkers attend, also held a fundraiser for the family this summer. With the church’s help, the Barkers are putting in a handicapped-accessible shower and getting new flooring.  ”That has just really meant a lot,” said Josh.  He said it was neat that people they don’t know or who only know a little about them are helping their family.  ”It’s a pretty neat feeling to know that people care,” Josh said.   Day of Caring is an annual event in which volunteers come together to help people make repairs to homes. There were more than 500 volunteers who made repairs to 103 homes in 11 towns in the county. United Way of Kosciusko County funds the event.

“Honestly,” said Andra in concluding the interview Thursday afternoon, “our biggest excitement is being together as a family.”

On the Net:

Make A Wish: www.wish.org

Turnstone Center: www.turnstone.org

Give Kids the World: www.gktw.org

Sports ‘N’ Spokes: www.pvamagazines.com/sns/

Quad Rugby

Currently, members of RHI Indy’s Quad Squad are practicing their wheelchair rugby skills at Turnstone. Men and women ages 16 and older interested in participating in wheelchair rugby and invited to join the team. Players must have a combination of upper and lower extremity impairment to be considered as eligible to participate.

Weekly practices are held Thursdays 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Turnstone. Contact Tina Acosta, director of adult services, at 260-483-2100 for more information.

RHI September Events ‘08 ——————————- (TBD) Horseback Riding13 Volunteer and Athlete Appreciation Dinner20 Archery Lessons23 Golf Fundraiser – The Bridgewater

Indianapolis-Noble of Indiana

2008 Annual Celebration - September 11, 2008Help Noble of Indiana recognize the people, organizations and businesses that help create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives at their Annual Celebration. A special thanks to Title Sponsor, Citizens Energy Group, and President’s Award Sponsor, Cannon IV. For ticket and sponsorship information, click here.

Fort Wayne, IN : Mayor Tom Henry and Al Moll , Director of Parks & Recreation, called on city residents to support a $1.3 million public campaign for Indiana ’s

first Boundless Playground . City Council members and representatives from Turnstone and League for the Blind & Disabled added their support to the project today.

“There are more than 100 Boundless Playgrounds across the nation, and we are proud to create Indiana ’s first facility of this nature,” said Mayor Henry. “This venue, which is the vision and dream of 6th-grader Taylor Reuille, will serve the region’s families and children with disabilities.”

The Fort Wayne Boundless Playground movement, called Taylor ’s Friendship Circle, got started when Taylor, a student at Harlan Elementary School, realized that there are many kids with disabilities who couldn’t play at playgrounds in this area . She researched and found that a Boundless Playground would offer amazing play opportunities for children with and without disabilities, including those with physical, sensory, developmental and cognitive disabilities.

Taylor and her mother, Kasandra Booher, presented the first Boundless Playground private contribution to the Mayor totaling $10,758.43. These proceeds came from small fundraisers that have been organized throughout the past few months, including funds contributed by Taylor’s teachers and fellow classmates at Harlan Elementary. They donated their nickels and dimes to the project.

“While the Kreager Endowment at the Parks & Recreation Department has submitted the first major private gift of $250,000 and the land for the facility, this project will require both public and

private financial support,” said Moll .  “Taylor ’s dream provides an excellent opportunity for the community to get behind a great cause for the right reason.”

Fort Wayne’s Boundless Playground at Kreager Park will have three pods of playground equipment and activity areas, a splash pad, accessible ramps and walkways, a picnic pavilion and accessible parking. Landscaping will add to the sensory experience of the facility, as will the multiple types of surface used in the various pods, including sand, poured-in-place rubber, mulch

and natural turf.

For details about the Boundless Playground and for those interested in helping support the campaign, visit www.fortwayneparks.org or call 260-427-6000. Checks made payable to the Fort Wayne Park Foundation may be sent to 705 E. State Blvd. , Fort Wayne , IN 46805 .

More information about Taylor ’s Friendship Circle Boundless Playground efforts can be found at www.taylorsdream.com and at www.boundlessplayground.com, 

Record number of individuals with extremity impairments to compete

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Racing enthusiasts in Central Indiana are very familiar with four-wheeled competitions.  Two-wheeled racing isn’t unusual for the area either.  But, three wheels?

Yes, three-wheeled racing is coming to Indianapolis this weekend.  You’ll have the opportunity to see handcycles in action, when they and their riders are in the spotlight during this year’s Indiana Stage Race.  

The Indiana Stage Race is a popular annual cycling race for able-bodied men and women.  For the third straight year, it will also feature a handcycle division for individuals with upper and lower extremity impairments.

The entry list for the handcycle division has grown every year since it was first included in the race line-up.  Four riders competed the first year, 12 the next and now 25 cyclists from all over the country will be participating.  

A collaboration of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI), the U.S. Handcycling Federation, and Breakaway Promotions, LLC, the races in the handcycling division will be the most exciting yet with the top cyclists in the National Series on hand, and the championship title to be decided this weekend in the last race of the series.  

Among the handcycling competitors will be David Randall of Mansfield, Ohio, who served in the Iraq war and now competes for the Buckeye Paralyzed Veterans of America.  Randall recently won the gold medal in the handcycle time trial at the National Veteran Wheelchair Games in Omaha.  He describes the Indiana Stage Race as “one of my favorites.”

Randall will be joined by Scott McNeice, St. Petersburg, Fla., whose resume boasts a silver medal in the 2002 World Handcycling Championships time trial, and an 8^th overall finish in the 2007 World Cycling Championships.  

A little local flavor will be added with RHI Sports athlete Chad Johnson, who will get back into the handcycle after focusing his early season on racing and track and field, including competing in the Paralympics trials in June.  

The stages of this weekend’s race are as follows:

Stage 1 (Aug. 23) - 2.5-mile road race course in Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park

Handcyclists will be competing at 1:35 p.m.

Stage 2 (Aug. 23) – 5-mile Time Trial on the fun and fast Fall Creek Parkway

All racers will begin competing at 4 p.m.

Stage 3 (Aug. 24) - 1.3-mile crit course at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Handcyclists will be competing at 10:10 a.m. in the morning.

“It is great to see the cyclists from all divisions interacting each year and even better to have more handcyclists here to take part this year,” said Dan Daly, director of the Indiana Race Series.  “Their participation adds so much depth to the Series. I am really excited to see how things have grown.”

“We are truly grateful to Dan for letting us join his event.  He understands and recognizes our handcyclists as true athletes and I can’t thank him enough for providing a place for them to compete,” said Michele Sheets, who works as a physical therapist at RHI and serves as the local organizer of the handcycle division.

Handcyclists in the Indiana Stage Race will be competing for a total purse of $2,000.

The Spinal Cord Injury Walk 2008 is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 2008.

Last year more than 180 people attended the walk and it was a huge success. This year should be even better. It is a great way to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries, exercise, and spend time with family and friends. There will be live music, a silent auction, door prizes, food, and a 5k-fitness walk. Pictures of the Spinal Cord Injury Walk 2007 can be found at  

The>http://picasaweb.google.com/nwiscig/SpinalCordInjuryWalk9292007

The proceeds will benefit spinal cord injury research, advocacy groups and the Northwest Indiana Spinal Cord Injury Group.

Volunteers and sponsors are needed for this event also. Please contact nwiscig@gmail for more information.

As posted by Kevin Hughes:

With the Olympics in full swing, the Paralympic’s is just around the corner. Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China will kick-off on September 6, 2008 and end on Sept. 17th. More then 200 US athletes will compete in 18 sports during the 11 days.

Below are some ways you can follow the coverage:

Video coverage:

ParalympicSport.TV

USA>www.youtube.com/paralympicSportTV

ParalympicSport.TV

USA coverage

Official>http://wheelchairbeijing.wordpress.com/

Official 2008 Paralympic Games Web site

Overview>http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/index.shtml

Overview of the daily competition schedule

State-By-State>http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/schedules/index.shtml

State-By-State Roster

US>http://files.e2ma.net/24345/assets/docs/athletesbystate2008.pdf

US Paralympic Individual Bios

US>http://paralympics.teamusa.org/athlete

US Paralympic Academy (Josh Swoverland included on this list)

Daily>http://paralympics.teamusa.org/content/index/658

Daily sports recaps and the USA Daily e-mail newsletter

________________________________

Below>http://paralympics.teamusa.org/event/event/380

________________________________

Below

As posted by Kevin Hughes:

Wheelchair tennis athlete, Noah Yablong (from Fort Wayne, IN) just finished his last match today (8/21/08) in the Open Division at the 2008 USTA National Indoor ROHO Gateway Classic in St. Louis, MO. 

As the Lettered Division concluded on Sunday, August 17, 2008 the Open Division started play on Tuesday, August 19. Yablong’s first Singles match was against Yan Mathieu from Quebec, Canada. Mathiew defeated Yablong 6-1;6-1. This dropped Yablong into the Singles Consolation where he advanced to the semifinals after beating Charles R. Turic from Highland Vill, TX 7-6(2); 6-1 before loosing today (8/21/08) to Corey Blatchford 6-3;6-3

In yesterday’s (8/20/08) doubles Yablong partnered with Zachary A. Beaulieu from Champaign, IL. Beaulieu/Yablong lost to #1 ranked open player Tadeusz Kruszelnick from Poland and Sataoshi Saida from Japan 6-1;6-0

***Included at this tournament were five representatives from the USA wheelchair tennis team that’s going to be at the Paralympics (Sept. 6 - 17, 2008). 

From the US Men’s team: Paul Moran from Chicago, Ill; Lee Hinson from Jacksonville, Fla; and Jon Rydberg from Oakdale, Minn.

From the US Woman’s team: Beth Arnoult from Paia, Hawaii; and Kaitlyn Verfuerth from Port Washington, Wis.

Find out how all 118 competitors did at this years 2008 USTA National Indoor ROHO Gateway Classic at the follow link: 

________________________________

With>http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/TournamentDraws.aspx?T=67754

________________________________

Monday, September 8 

Sled Hockey practice @ McMillan Ice Arena (3901 Abbott Street. Fort Wayne, IN 46806) from 6:45 till 7:45pm.

$5 drop in cost per participant.

For more info, feel free to call Wade Stuckey at 427-6765. All equipment is provided. Recommend arriving 30 minutes before practice starts to get suited up.