Some Fruit of my Labour.

Ch - Ch - Ch - Check - Check - Check it out!...

I am sent to test the patience of the occupational therapists at rehabilitation every Wednesday.

Speech Therapy Week.

Speech difficulties affect people like Jamie Oliver, the late Michael Jackson, George Bush, Tom Cruise, people like me, all sorts of friends and family. Without the help from "speechy's" we wouldn't even know about the difficulty some people can face.
This is helping to give some respect to people that have have helped me from when I was undiagnosed in hospital to where I am now.

Have a look. Read it. Pass it on.


Speech Pathology Week
23 - 29 August 2009


‘COMMUNICATE TO PARTICIPATE’
Speech Pathology Week is the annual awareness‐raising week for Speech Pathology Australia.

What is a Speech Pathologist?

A speech pathologist has been trained to assess and treat people who have a
communication disability. Speech pathologists complete a degree at university which
encompasses all aspects of communication including speech, writing, reading, signs,
symbols and gestures. Speech pathologists also work with people who have difficulties swallowing food and drink.
Speech pathologists or speech-language pathologists were formerly known as speech therapists. They are different from speech and drama teachers.

Why do we need speech pathologists?

Communication – the process of being able to understand and to be understood – is
something most of us take for granted. Communication disabilities are the result of
problems with speech, using and understanding language, voice, fluency, hearing, or
reading and writing.

One in seven Australians has some form of communication disability. This means that one in seven people has a problem understanding other people or being understood by people.

Where do speech pathologists work?

Speech pathologists work in a variety of settings, including:
• kindergartens, primary and secondary schools
• nursing homes
• hospitals
• universities
• rehabilitation services
• mental health services
• community health centres
• private practice
• specialist services for those with complex communication needs, arising from disorders
such as autism, cerebral palsy and intellectual disability.

Who do speech pathologists work with?

A speech pathologist’s workload might include:
• giving advice on feeding to a mother who has a baby with a cleft palate
• working in a child care centre with a group of children who are hard to understand
• working with a school child who can’t understand what his teacher says
• working with a high school student who stutters
• training a teacher who constantly loses her voice to use it more effectively
• rehabilitating a young man who has severe brain injury due to a motorcycle accident
• liaising with the carers of an elderly man, who has dementia
• helping a woman who has had a stroke to regain her communication skills, advising her husband and family
• providing education for teachers, doctors or parents
• providing communication strategies for a person with intellectual disability
• treating a person who has swallowing problems following a stroke
• assisting children and adults who are learning to read

How do speech pathologists work?

Speech pathologists work in a variety of ways including providing individual therapy,
working in small groups, working within a classroom, becoming involved in home-based programs, providing resources and information, as well giving advice and direction to clients, their carers and other professionals.

They coordinate the management of clients, work as part of a multi disciplinary team,
consult with other agencies, provide workshops and support family members and other caregivers. A speech pathologist is an important member of an early intervention team, an aged care services team and a school therapy team.
The role of speech pathologists is to advocate strongly for appropriate care and services for people with communication disabilities.


For further information:
Contact Speech Pathology Australia - the official body representing speech pathologists, the professionals who work with and advocate for people who have a communication disability.

References
Please contact Speech Pathology Australia's National Office for the references used to create this Fact Sheet.

'Cabin Boy'!

In 2003 after living in Milan I lived in London. At my cousin Stuart and his flat mate Tim’s place. 6 weeks maximum morphed into 3 months on the couch in the living room of this flat in Clapham Common.
My Cousin insisted that I not contribute money, (thank goodness), but I pay my way by being the ‘Cabin Boy’ about the house.

Every household should have one!

I was really crap at it.
I would rate 1 on the international Cabin Boy scale.
Being a good Cabin Boy includes tasks like, greeting Stuart & Tim with slippers and a full tobacco pipe at the door, cleaning, mixing cocktail's, answering the phone, getting the day's newspaper early in the morning, cooking, shopping, picking up and dropping off dry cleaning etc.

I literally never did any of those things.

If anything I provided entertainment at my obvious lack of usefulness as a Cabin Boy.

I tarred the name of good Cabin Boy's everywhere.

The time that I was there is affectionately known between us as “The Summer of Love”. There was no Romance for any of us at all, (in fact we seemed to repel girls), just good times.


It was through Tim I learned the game of ‘Thong Slap’.
My life somehow seemed empty before this.

For those of you who don’t know it basically involves a thong, (flip flop), a sore red and loud thwack across ones face, and the (stupid) want to outlast the opponent / s.

Tim spoke to me the other day and told me he was on a health kick also a strict diet, was being sponsored for it and giving the money he raised to me.
He said he was amazed at people’s generosity.
I am too. Always.

Anyway here are our correspondences:


G'day mate,

Well first of all, Happy Belated Birthday.. I hope you had a fantastic day. I was hoping to get this email to you last week for your birthday but either way I hope this brings a smile to your face.

I'm hoping nobody has let on what has been happening over the last few months but here goes..

After speaking with you quite a few months back I was very taken back as to how your condition has affected you. At the same time I was very inspired by your positive attitude and determination to not let this beat you. So it got me thinking.... I really wanted to give you a helping hand by raising some money for you, the question was how could I do that? Then it came to me, being the fat bastard that I am I could be sponsored to lose some weight to help my mate!!! And so it began, a 10 week health challenge to lose 10kgs!!

Through the kind generosity of friends, family and work colleagues I am so pleased to inform you that I have raised a total of $3000 for you!! This money is to be used for whatever you wish, whether it be for treatment, paying bills, going on a holiday or helping with the kids. What you do with it is totally up to you.

It is only with the massive hearts of the people listed below that I was able to do this, most of whom are total strangers to you but all were so touched by your story.

In keeping with my pledge, I wish to thank the following people who so kindly donated;

Chrisanthy Papachristos
Nina Scillio
Paul & Maria Loupetis
Tina Marshall
Luke & Michelle Simmons
Oliver & Amelia Hesketh
Amy Barnes
Brigid McGrath
Sean Bundy
Rodney Hamilton
Terese Appel
Paul Burden
Harry & Feona Nikias
David & Shona Snowden
Simon & Mel Beckett
Stuart Snowden
David Cheal
Nick Banbury
Andrew Thomas
Jenny Seymour
Daniel Bartlett
Renee Haley
Stuart Fox
Mary Karolyi
Dion Maber
Justin Morris
Dilshan Thambydorai
Joshua Smith
Kim Peacock
Sharman Carne
Stan Sotiropoulos
Josh Rubens
and Thomas Duryea Consulting who were absolutely fantastic in matching all my work collegues donations!!

Now the goal was to lose 10kgs, unfortunately I was not able to achieve that in 10 weeks but I am still chasing the goal and hope to hit the mark by summer, fingers crossed. I did manage to stay off the grog for an entire month, something that has never happened in the last 17 years or so!! Over the 10 week period I think I only had 3 drinks. I also bought myself a new bike which I will be using to help shed the kgs!

I really hope this brings a smile to your face mate.. I was totally blown away by the kindness of others and by the final figure, and I know you will be too.

Please send me your bank details so that I can transfer the money to you as soon as possible. (I was going to send you a cheque but that's just too hard for everyone!)

Take care mate and I hope to speak with you soon.

Cheers,
TTG
x


Response:

Hi mate,

Thank you so much, I am really touched and a little lost for words.

As I said to you on the phone, "I will go to the casino and put it all on black, if I win we split the profits!" (joking)
This is a good thing for many reasons;

You get to look like Arnold Swarzenegger and you raise money doing it!
But will you strut through inner city Melbourne in a pair of skimpy Speedo’s all oiled up on a frosty winter morning? You may raise some money but I don't fancy your chances.

Seriously.
This is a VERY selfless, humble act. You will be blessed for this, if not now, in time.

Thank you.

xp
www.ourmatephil.com

Sneak And Destroy.

My longtime friend Mark Duckworth (aka 'duck'), orchestrator of PhilTron, musician, skater, entertainer, comic addict and toy hunter among other things and his business associate Rob have opened an independent store that specialize in sneakers skateboards and toys.

They have just launched a website:

www.sneakanddestroy.com

Have a look or even better support and invest in some fresh kicks!
Look good and enjoy the respect from envious onlookers as you strut. (or don't. but your feet will thank you and life will improve)

Get Busy Living,

I had my usual day of rehabilitation yesterday. (Wednesday 19th august)

9 – 10 Speech Therapy

10 - 11 Physio Therapy

11 – 12 Occupational Therapy

Every 2nd week I spend an hour from 1 -2 with a Psychologist.

Busy boy!

I’m in hospital for my monthly infusion of 2 kilograms of Intragram, I am here today and tomorrow, (20th & 21st), from 9 – 4.

I went to speech as normal, I slowly walked in and smiled and asked how had my speech therapist been we got into it and I told my speechy of my pending schedule.

She asked something that seemed so simple for me to answer but had refreshingly never been asked, “How do you do it?”, “How do you smile and laugh all the time?”
“Its normal I am happy because something is happening for me”, I replied.

For SO long I was in a hospital bed with an unknown illness, I was in long enough to witness people passing, the sad effects of once healthy strong people getting progressively senile and to get dermatitis on my legs, chest, back and arms, I had been a hairstylist for 12 years and never had a hint of dermatitis, in my 32 years I had never had it and I spent my 32nd birthday in hospital. The longer I was in there the more I worried about my life slipping away from me on the outside.
Things weren’t going well at all.

People are professionally trained for potentially scarring things they would witness or be a part of, military, police, medical and emergency etc.

Fuel is expensive, the kids are late for school, feeling poorly, bombs are being dropped, pedophiles roam, cancer is rife, people lose limbs some people can’t even walk, I have seen a man walk on his arms dragging what he had for a torso along the road in the gutter using a piece of cardboard to prevent road rash, while begging. Is he still alive?

My point is; life can really be unfair.

There are always people that have way less and suffer way more.

I don’t intend to convict.
Oh wait… Yes I do, deal with it.
If you can breath. Smile!
I’m not some drugged up tree hugger.

I could be flat on my back in some hospital, (not to knock the medical industry, I would rather my children remember trips to the park than trips to see dad in a hospital bed), while doctors figure out what to do with me.

For years of my life I was told to put my own problems secondary, working with the public wears you down slowly. I learned a lot about people while doing that. I was trained to ask people about themselves. The positive stuff was refreshing and good, the negative stuff wore me down and affected me.
After a while I learned to become immune to it. It sounds good but in order to build an immunity you would have to have been exposed.

Being exposed to negativity can be toxic.
I’m not the only person to witness this evil.



Back to my conversation with my speech therapist,

“There is always someone worse off than you.”

Base Hair.

I hadn’t worked in Base as a stylist since April 16th 2008 and officially sealed all obligations with Base and tied up all loose ends on the 10th of August 2009.

All independent business owners would empathize that steering your own ship and having staff is exactly like having family. My business partner Damian and I always referred to Base as our ‘baby.’

I had a dream of owning a business that was a piece of me that would stand alone, punch well above its weight, have a very good reputation for culture and firm stance in the world of fashion.

I achieved a few things I wanted to do but sadly and suddenly my opportunity and power to establish myself from this platform to be an influence had been pre - maturely cut short.

My knowledge and experience was sewn to my own staff through mediums like education, first hand exposure and spending time together etc.

My position as one of the owners of Base was a sensitive issue for me since I stopped work there.
I so badly wanted to perform my craft and forget about this little hiccup but it wasn’t to be.

Life had another idea.

I am sorry if you ever wondered what happened, I guess not many people don’t know now.


For me it is bitter sweet.

It makes me feel sick not to do what I love to do. Luckily I love to do other things that I can still do.
Not to be a major influence in many ways. I still will be, it will just take time to figure how it will be most effective and rewarding.
The weight and constant worry of not being an effective functioning part of my own business has been oppressive. Now I can focus solely on my health and being a father.

This is only a few things but each point has a positive.
I can move forward from here.

Base will continue.
If anything my not being there is a good thing.

I will no longer be a weight around its neck and it will no longer be a weight around mine.

The Simple Things are Best.

It may appear to be pencil on paper whilst waiting for a meal at a restaurant, but it's so much more than that to me. And very accurate too.

Happy Birthday!

I was born on this day in 1976.

Although it may anger some to find out this way or another it’s just a number and I am not fussed.

ALTHOUGH, I have always had a policy of accepting birthday gifts 2 weeks either side of my birth day. I think it’s a good policy.

Birthdays make you reflect on your life achievements, so normally, before I became ill, I was happy with my ability to negate my way through another year.

Not the case now.
I am not proud of this affliction at all, I can’t find one positive thing to come of this.

Last year I was nearing the end of my time as an undiagnosed patient in hospital for my birthday, so this year beats that at least.

Clark Kent.

I had a very exciting day last Friday the 7th for many reasons, I rode a quad on a motocross track in a part of the world that I love.
And I got my first pair of glasses!
For people that normally wear them it’s easy to be cynical. But I am very excited.

I do look like Clark Kent so if I am needed for kids parties you can book me through my agent.

I don’t make a good piñata though.

It maybe worth a try...

Motocross.

I went to a friend’s property last week, (6.08.), stayed there at the house and did some reconnaissance of his property I haven’t yet been to.
This property is on the rural coastline of Northern New South Wales, beautiful country.

I am very geographically drawn to this part of the world and always have been.

My friend has a motocross track on this property as his family has started a motor sport team, all of the family ride motocross bikes and his daughter is the national class champion for a discipline called flat track.
I used to ride motocross bikes before I got ill and I gave a bike of mine to my son which he rides.

There was a quad, (4 wheel dirt bike), which I rode on his track while he rode, for about 2 hours.
I haven’t been on motorbike in about 2 and a half or even 3 years...
I loved it.

Spotting a Needle in a Haystack From 40 Metres.

I went to see a Neurological Ophthalmologist today (friday the 31st, july).
With over a year of eye patches, pretending to see, blacked out lenses on sunglasses and missing stuff due to my feeling vulnerable because of my lack of eyesight, my problem is partially solved.

I am getting some glasses!
(this may not be that exciting to the seasoned glasses wearer).

I am excited for many reasons.
No more eye patch when I write, read, watch TV or a film.

They are called prism lenses.
They look like the bottom of two coke bottles.

I am now faced with choosing a frame.
I am going to roll with Von Zipper “Fulton”, my regular choice of sun eye wear that rarely leave my face, I have done hair on a few photo shoots for VZ, my close friend is an artist/ designer for them and he wore them for years before eye surgery, I also have a good relationship with the folks at Von Zipper Australia, besides that they look really good and are hand made very well.

Check them: www.vonzipper.com

I will still bust out the eye patch to keep people guessing on the odd occasion.

"Did that guy just have a patch over one eye?"
"You KNOW it!"