On The Road...

Check back soon for pictures, commentary and video updates of my time at the Family Cafe conference in Orlando, Florida.

Have a healthy day!

Friendly Faces from Florida...

I've met so many great people at the Family Cafe conference. Please check out all of today's pictures at:

http://gallery.mac.com/johnmccosh#100262

If you see a picture that you want please drop me a line and I'll be happy to email it to you. In the mean time, here are a few of the pictures from today. Check back soon and check out the rest of my blogging about the conference.

Have a healthy day!

Family Cafe

It's day two of the Family Cafe Expo in Orlando. I'm off to the convention floor. I'm here to advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities by doing a "Meet & Greet" and listening to the concerns of families and individuals vwho are dealing with disability issues.

Physical fitness is my winning Ms Wheelchair America program. I encourage everyone to explore what they can do to improve their health and physical fitness (I lost over 50 pounds in 8 months). I also speak and make appearances for physical fitness related events as well as a host of other disability related issues and topics. Feel free to contact me for more information at:

mswheelchairamerica08@yahoo.com

Have a healthy day!

Apperance in Orlando

Pic 1: J.W. and the triplets!

Pic 2: What can I say...it's, Friday the 13th! (ok, actually, it's fireworks at Sea World.)

Pic 3: Shamu

Pic 4: At my booth

Pic 5: Booker Daniels from 54Freedom Inc.

Pic 6: Dinner at the Underwater Grill at Sea World, Orlando. Great time (We met our friend Lara Croft (the real Lara Croft, who works at Sea World and who showed around. Thanks Lara!)).

I'll be at the 10th annual Family Cafe in Orlando this weekend promoting the Ms Wheelchair America program.

Stem Cell Success

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: NEUROLOGICALLY IMPAIRED MICE IMPROVE AFTER RECEVING HUMAN NEURAL STEM CELLS


Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center and elsewhere reported a dramatic success in what is believed to be the first documented rescue of a congenital brain disorder by transplantation of human neural stem cells.

The research, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, may lead the way to new strategies for treating certain hereditary and perinatal neurological disorders. Nerve cell projections are sheathed by a fatty substance called myelin that is produced by oligodendrocytes, a type non-nerve cell in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin enhances the speed and coordination of the electrical signals by which nerve cells communicate with one another.

In their study, researchers used a “shiverer mouse” animal model, which lacks normal myelin and typically dies within months of birth. To date, no transplantation of human neural stem cells or of their derivatives has ever altered the condition or fate of recipient animals. The researchers devised a more robust method for the acquisition and purification of human fetal glial progenitor cells. They also developed a new cell delivery strategy, based on multiple injection sites, to encourage widespread and dense donor cell engraftment throughout the central nervous system of recipient mice. The researchers transplanted human glial stem cells into neonatal shiverer mice that also had a genetically deficient immune system to minimize the rejection of the transplanted cells. The researchers found that the new transplant procedure resulted in infiltration of human glial progenitor cells throughout the brain and spinal cord.

The engrafted mice exhibited robust, efficient and functional myelination. Most notably, many of the mice displayed progressive, neurological improvement and a fraction of the mice were actually rescued by the procedure. Untreated control mice uniformly died within five months.

Next Step Fitness - Grand Opening

I had the honor of participating in the Grand Opening ribbon-cutting ceremony today of Next Step Fitness in Lawndale, California. This innovative facility is designed specifically for people with disabilities.

The Mayor of Manhattan Beach also attended at the invitatiion of Janne Kouri, President of Next Step Fitness, pictured seated below with his wife Susan.

The gym has all the latest fitness equipment, including the FES Bike, Vitaglide, NuStep, weights, mat tables, and a Locomotor Treadmill designed by Dr. Susan Harkema, pictured below.

Abilities Expo Pictures

I am currently in Anaheim, California at the Abilities Expo, where I am presenting a workshop on Physical Fitness for People with Disabilities... I am also leading 3 wheelchair aerobics classes...

I met up with a few friends - Santina and Angela...
My friend from Arizona, Samantha, had a great workout!

I spoke with Larry Maddick of the Rose Float Kiwanis Club about their collaboration with MWA...

John & I with our old pals Deanna & Joe - best wishes on your upcoming nuptials!

My new friend from Florida...

What a great weekend!!!

Update on my Recent Activities...

I've been extremely busy the past few weeks, traveling across the country to advocate on behalf of people with disabilities. I am currently in Southern California at the Abilities Expo where I am promoting my platform of "Physical Fitness for People with Disabilities." Some of the highlights of this trip include:

• - I met a young woman with CP who traveled all the way from Florida to the Expo just to meet me! I was so honored to speak with her, and listen to all the great advocacy work she's doing. She is also interested in the MWA program, and is going to look into competing in the Ms Wheelchair Florida program next year. Her passion is parenting as an individual with a disability...
• - I am teaching 3 wheelchair aerobics classes at the Expo, called "Sit & Get Fit." These classes are open to people with all levels of mobility, and we've even had some able-bodied folks join in, too!
• - I presented a workshop today on physical fitness and it was really well-received! The participants asked lots of questions on the topics I spoke about, including nutrition, strength training, aerobics, FES, and working out. Many of them thanked me afterwards for providing guidance and inspiration on proactive fitness. One person even said I was the "most dynamic Ms Wheelchair America ever!"
• - I've had the chance to see many of the friends I've made over the past year during my Ms Wheelchair America Reign, including: Madonna, Bee, Jessie, Gunnison, Joe & Deanna, Ruthee, Larry, Sarah... and I've made so many new friends, too, including: Tracy, Susan, Janne, Robert, Dianne, Amy, and many others...

Check back soon for pictures!

Upcoming Event: Abilities Expo, Southern California, May 30 - June 1

I am heading out to Souther California to participate in the Abilities Expo in a few weeks... Check back for details and pictures...

View My Videos

I've added a new feature to my blog - a link to my YouTube videos documenting my travels across the country. You can view my videos by visiting http://www.youtube.com/ and searching for the mswheelchairamerica channel, or click on the link to the right.

Read the May Issue of Solutions eMagazine Now!

Please visit http://www.hireds.com/ and click on the link to "Solutions" Magazine. The May issue was just released, and it contains lots of interesting info for people with disabilities, including an interview with EEOC Commissioner Christine Griffin...

Upcoming Event: WHDH Health & Fitness Expo

I'll be speaking onstage about Physcal Fitness for People with Disabilities at the Partners Channel 7 Health & Fitness Expo in June. Check back soon for details...

On The Road Again...

My role as Ms Wheelchair America has taken me back on the road. I'll be traveling to Florida, Virginia, New York, and California during the next month and a half.

Check back for updates and pictures of all my advocacy work soon!

Marathon Monday

Today was the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. The Boston Athletic Association manages this American classic, which has distinguished itself as the pinnacle event within the sport of road racing by virtue of its traditions, longevity and method of gaining entry into the race (via qualification).

The 2008 winner in Men's Wheelchair Division was Ernst Van Dyk (1:26:49), the 35-year-old South African, who won this division for the seventh time in eight years.

The winner of the Women's Wheelchair Division was Wakako Tsuchida (1:48:32) of Japan.

Another great story in this race is the Hoyt family. Dick and Rick Hoyt, a local father-son duo, have run every year for the past 26 years. Dick pushes his son Rick - who uses a wheelchair because of Cerebral Palsy - the entire 26 mile route from Hopkinton to Boston.

I volunteered for the marathon over the weekend helping to register the athletes with disabilities. I also got to see the storied trophy up close. It was a great time!

Read April Issue of Solutions Magazine Online Now

Log on to http://www.hireds.com/ to read the latest issue of Solutions eMagazine.

This month's issue features stories on employing peopke with disabilities and enforcing handicapped parking. There is also a review of the movie "Body of War," a documentary abput a young American soldier who returns home from Iraq in a wheelchair.

Also, visit the other sections of the http://www.hireds.com/ website, and register as a user. You can post your views on topics relevant to the disability community today!

Memorable Remarks...

On March 28, 2008, State Representative Byron Rushing, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives leadership team, a person of history, and an unflinching civil rights advocate, spoke at BCIL's annual Advocates Summit.

Below are excerpts from his comments:


"What you demand is so reasonable and it makes so much sense. What you are doing is absolutely necessary. You defend the rights of everybody in this city and in this state, when you defend the rights of people with disabilities.

You deserve to be treated with the dignity that we all deserve - because we all deserve to be treated with dignity. You have been effective in saying how the majority of people have to change.

People speak easily about freedom and democracy in this country, but it is important to understand how few years this idea has been on the scene. These were radical ideas 230 years ago, too radical even for those who invented them then. However, once these words were written they no longer belonged to the people who wrote them, they belonged to those who heard them. And women heard them, black people heard them, people of every religion and ethnicity heard them , gays and lesbians heard them - and you are making sure that people with disabilities are hearing them.

When I was involved in the civil rights movement in the 60s, white people used to ask us 'what do you people want?' And a friend came up with a reply, after hearing this so much: 'What do you want for your family? You want a good home, a good job, good healthcare, to be treated with respect and dignity. Is that what you want? OK. Write it all down and sign my name! That's what we want.'

We must continue to denounce barriers to opportunity put before any people by others. People with disabilities should be treated as everyone should be treated. You are in the forefront of the movement for justice in this country. Never, ever, let anyone say what you are doing is self serving. It is serving the community. It is serving the whole Commonwealth. It is serving all of us."

Healthy Kids Day at the South Shore YMCA

These are some of the kids and families from Healthy Kids Day at the Quincy YMCA...