There’s No Place Like Home
A Fundraiser to Benefit Red Bank Artist
• • • Pinky • • •



Thursday • April 2, 2009 • 7-10pm

Merri-Makers at the Waters Edge • 1465 Ocean Ave, Sea Bright, NJ



Local artist Pinky suffers from an incomplete spinal cord injury from a hiking accident a few months ago in New Mexico. The fundraising is to assist her recovery to bring her home to her beloved communities in Red Bank. Visit Pinky’s blog at:



Click your heels and play for Pinky while you enjoy a casual, fun-filled evening!


• Art and photography for sale

• Live, silent, and Chinese auctions

• Cash for Gold – Bring your unwanted gold jewelry and get cash on the spot.
Jewelers will donate 10% of their proceeds to Pinky.


Live music • Light food • Cash bar • Complimentary wine



Admission: $40 per person

Reservation: By mail by March 25
Make check payable to Andrea Adubato
(Pinky’s legal name) and mail to: Lori Schoenig,
23 Mitchell Place, Little Silver, NJ 07739.
Include names of persons attending, address, phone, and email. Indicate if you plan to bring gold fo cash.

Can’t come? Donations welcome.
CHECKS AND CASH ONLY.
Sponsor a page to wish Pinky a speedy recovery.

For questions, basket donations, and sponsorship, contact:

Lori Schoenig: lorischoenig@comcast.net

Sarina Tu: pinky.stu@live.com

Paul Fleming: pjfleming3@hotmail.com

Mom is resting for a moment from her aggressive physical therapy with our own therapist Steve. Bike riding, leg lifts, leg swoops and such. Her muscles are slowly gaining strength and coordination. She gets tired quickly so we rest and then continue until she needs more rest.
We will return to work on her arm therapy in a few minutes.
I wanted to share pictures of our surprise visit from baby Olive this morning.
How can you have a bad day well this is the first thing you see.

Working out is fun,

Another day

Hello,
Another day here at Red Neck Rehab, the weather has been strange as is this whole scenario. We hit 73 degrees and the neighbors daffodils bloomed last week.
We saw Dr. Turner today (the neurosurgeon)and all good news. Mom's spin is healing nicely, as the doctor put it "she'll always has an abnormal x-ray of her spin" but that's OK with us if she recovers. Psss.. don't tell anyone but her T-9 is compressed and may look odd in an x-ray. Speaking of x-rays, Sunday we took a new set and forgot to take out two bobby-pins in her hair. The technician taking the x-rays was really concerned about the strange pins in her head until we all realized what they were. Humor comes in the oddest of places some times.
Mom is continuing to walk with her leg braces at therapy twice a week with the aid of her therapist and Steve. Today she walked about 130 ft. with slow confidence and speed. Anyone who knows mom will knows that she is a fast walker so trying to maintain her natural speed while remembering how to walk is a challenge.
Gene arrived Sunday and is falling back into pace here at Red Neck Rehab. It's easier for me and Steve because we haven't left this situation but for people coming and going it takes time to get back into the swing of things again.
Moms pain comes and goes. Last night was really rough and has set her back a bit. The spasms cause her whole body to tighten up that it takes days to return to a more relaxed workable state. Her arms were doing so well but now they are tight and stiff. She barely has any range of motion and it hurts too much even to move them. We have upped her spasm medication so hopefully she will find some relief.
Mom's good friend Lori is hosting a fund raiser on behalf of Pinky on April 2, 2009. I'll keep you posted on that in the near future.
Again, thanks to all for all the love and support.
Holly

An apple a day keeps the codes blue away.

Hello Pinky fans,
We had a chicken day today. A message, good work outs at home and some fine rest. Jane's company has been wonderful. I've had the honor of having the Hofer sisters in the house for the past week. Jane brought pictures of their parents and cousins and we've been traveling down memory lane.
Our latest goal here at Red Neck Rehab is to get Pinky's stamina going. She gets tried so easily but slowly and surly she is getting back to business. We have been concentrating on getting her core muscle mass strong and remembering how to use the secondary muscles to aid in the process. I never thought about how to walk or move so much in my life but oh boy is it hard to get up and out of bed. We are all so lucky! Let's have a moment of thanks...

Go Pinky.

Greetings earthlings!
We had a good day here at red neck rehab. Mom had a wonderful message that released a lot of the tension in her arms and shoulders. My Auntie Jane has been visiting and the 4 legged staff at red neck rehab is pleased as punch. Jane is amazing with the doggies and I'm am so thankful because they have been quite neglected. Mom had a great day!!! She is showing more strength and confidence in her body movements. Thank you Jesus!! We were given a number of a man that had a similar injury as mom from a therapist at rehab last week, we spoke to him and heard his story. After 7 months of feeling nothing below his waist he is now walking, chasing his children around and even climbing ladders. He offered his number to other people who needed hope and hope he did provide. Thank you Aaron Begay.
On another note, both of my neighbors have had babies born this past month. Aryan and Doug gave birth to baby Olive born Jan. 16 and ironically baby Andreas Hofer (mom's maiden name is Andrea Hofer) born Feb. 14 to Matthew and Scarlet. New life all around us!!! We enjoy visits from baby Olive as she is too cute for words and we all know that mom loves the kiddies. I feel mom as been given the opportunity for her own "re-birth". Let the queen thrive in her glory.
All my love,
Holly

On Feb 12 2009, Thursday Pinky's sister Jane came out to Albuquerque to visit her sister and to lend a hand at the Red neck rehab. Jane jumped right in to lend a helping hand, walking the dogs, shopping, cleaning and just being great company to her sister. Thursday and Friday of this week Pinky had Rehab with Rose and Ivy Rose, they are using her new leg braces to walk, they are working on quality now instead of quantity. Saturday and today were workouts at red neck rehab. Tonight, Sunday they are watching "Enchanted" it is Pinky's 14th viewing of the movie but Jane had not seen it yet, for any of Pinky's friends who have not seen it yet, I recommend you do so, unless you are waiting for her to watch it with you too.

Biped

Pinky walked approximately 100' on Friday. Under the direction of Pinky's primary Physical Therapist, Rose, we have finally assembled what appears to be a great team. Her PT and OT therapist are working together and coordinating all efforts to facilitate Pinky's re-abling. All of Pinky's muscles are firing when called upon and though there is daily and visible strengthening, she remains fairly week due to the longevity of the healing process. The good news is that the muscles and the brain are communicating. We can work on muscles.
The day following Pinky's 100 yard dash, Rose and the other therapist custom fitted braces to help support her weight while she builds the necessary strength. On Friday, Pinky was both anxious to try them and a little nervous. The first attempt she walked about 18', followed by another 30', and then the long mad dash after a brief rest. About halfway through the last walk, something changed and was readily visible. Pinky's posture improved and the rhythm steadied and then she was off...it was literally like a spirit entered into her body and we all struggled to keep up with the pace she set. Her blood pressure held steady and oddly enough, we didn't even need chap-stick. She told me afterward that it was like a bolt of lighting entered her body and her brain said, 'oh yea, I know how to walk.' And she did. And walked pretty damn good. Saturday morning she awoke and seemed a bit down. When asked about this, she said she she wished she didn't have to wait until Tuesday to get back to the gym. And trust me, that's a first. Friday afforded her her own belief that walking is in her future independent from our own words of encouragement. Sometimes we all need to see things for ourselves to have the faith needed and she experienced it first hand. We'll see how Tuesday goes.

On a different note, I'd like to say to all of Pinky's friends that more than anything, I think it's your guys love and support for her that gives her the strength she shows and the strength she needs. We have good days and some rough ones and when things get frustrating, I think it's the wonderful life she has waiting for her and all the love you all have shown that keeps her going. Nobody knows where we will end up with all of this, but what seems evident to me is that Pinky will remain Pinky. One step at a time...or in Pinky's case, perhaps two or three.

From Redneck Rehab, Steve

This picture was taken a few days before the accident. God I pray for things to be different. Mom is really frustrated today. She's in pain, having spasms and is getting overwhelmed at the reality of this terrible thing. It's going to take a lot of hard work on her part to walk and regain mobility. It isn't easy. Her therapist said that mom will recover as much as mom is willing to work at it.
Strange to look at this picture of Pinky because she looks younger now than before. Go figure.
This is hard for everyone who knows and loves Pinky. Gene leaves tomorrow and that is causing some sadness for mom.
Anyone who wants to come to Albuquerque for a visit and help cheer Pinky's mood is welcome. The weather this winter has been amazing, we have extra beds and there is plenty to do.
Let's keep praying for my beloved mother.

The queen!
The new acupuncturist seemed to do wonders yesterday. Pink isn't in as much pain as before and the spasms in her legs haven't reared their ugly head today.
We went to a restaurant after her message today, The Standard Diner, which we saw on the Food Network the night before. The meat loft was good as well as the Po'Boy Crab Cake Sandwich.
Another day with Rose the physical therapist and yet another new therapist, Ivy Rose tomorrow. I fear we may have gotten her last occupational therapist fired today. We have high standards here at Red Neck Rehab. My boyfriend may be my cousin but that doesn't mean we don't want the best for the queen.
Peace and love from the forgotten state.

Yet, another day...

Poor Pinky is hurting more than usual. Spasms overtake her body and stiffen her whole body up. This spinal cord injury is difficult to understand. We seem to move forward then backwards real quick. I blame the urinary tract infection or maybe just the natural process of healing this type of injury. I wish we had a manual on what to expect everyday and know how to handle it but we don't so we just pull our pants up, try to make Pinky smile and we go on.
I pray that tomorrow brings a chicken day and some pain relief to my dear mother.
Maybe we can all do a chicken dance in her honor?!
Thanks mucho from the Red Neck Rehab. Please keep cards coming, it's a great escape for Pinky: Pinky Adubato , 1125 Dartmouth NE , Albuquerque, NM 87106.
Let there be light.

Another day

Hello everyone. The past two days have been what we call feather days, good days are chicken days and bad days are feather days. Pinky has been really cramped up and sore. She isn't sleeping due to the fact that she is urinating about every hour at night and Gene has to change the diaper. Strange because she doesn't pee during the day just all night long. Let's all start praying that Pinky gets return of her bladder sooner than latter. Pinky has contracted another urinary tract infection from the catherization process of removing her urine manually with a tube. I should get an honorary nursing degree after all this is over. At least I have more skills to add to my resume.
Some of Pinky's friends are working on putting together a charity event for her some time in April, so I'll keep you posted on that.
Pink's getting acupuncture, cranial therapy and a message this week. Hopefully something can help relieve the pain she is in.
All our love from the Red Neck Rehab.