Page 17 Nov08- Dec 08

I am so sorry that it has taken me so very long to update this website but so much has been going on that it seems as if I have been running in place! But here goes.......

First- I finally got a list from ALS headquarters of all of you who were so very generous and donated to THE FIGHTING ITALIANS 5K walk this year. We raised over $3000. Not bad considering the economy as it is. I encourage all of you who were intending to make a donation but just plain forgot to mail your check to:

Sergio's son, Frankie, has always been a pretty terrific son but he really raised the bar on that statement when he asked his parents if he could not go to regular school and be enrolled in an Independent Study program so he could stay at home and help his mom with the care of his dad. He felt like he could do so much for his dad and help his mom out if he could just not be at school all day. Yes, every kid wishes that he didn't have to go to school but this wasn't what Frankie was all about.

Frankie is still required to complete the regular school work for any 10th grader but it is done at his own time. You can see him every day of the week, with a pile of books next to him, studying and doing what it takes to finish his school work. Yet, in between studying, he is there for his dad. He helps his mom with the daily care as well as getting to spend a lot of good time with his dad.

For a lot of kids, independent studies doesn't work out well but for Frankie and the family, it has made a terrific difference and all for the good. Frankie is doing wonderfully with his school work and really loves being with his dad.

And for those of us who wonder if Frankie gets to see his friends much... he gets to see them anytime. He just gets to see his dad a lot more.

Cathy and Donna put together an amazing fundraiser for Sergio and his family back in November. It took place at Donna's church-West Community Church in Corona. Thank you to Pastor Jeff Jernigan. Many members of the church community along with lots of soccer, football, and old friends came out to support the fundraiser. It was very overwhelming to see so many wonderful families come out on a Sunday evening to show that they care for Sergio. Cyndi Richau did a great job as Mistress of Ceremonies.

A spaghetti dinner was served (compliments of Sergio's family) and raffle tickets were sold for over 30 baskets as well as a few very nice auction items.

Special entertainment was provided by Cyndi's son, Jeff who sang a beautiful song for those in attendance. It brought tears to many people's eyes- especially Sergio. (Sergio's personal "little drummer boy".)

And not to just stop there- Derek Thorn- the young and up and coming NASCAR driver, was there to lend support as well. Giving out t-shirts and signing autographs and bringing attention to ALS. Derek

(who is only 22 years old) has a wonderful website to check into. It tells about his fight for ALS and what he and his team are doing to help others.

Living life with ALS is challenging in so many ways and the financial costs can be just plain too much to handle sometimes. This event raised enough money to help with Sergio's nursing care for many months to come.

One day while visiting her brother, Sonia got a call from Jennifer Druke (Sergio's care worker at ALS-OC) offering the opportunity of a lifetime- asking her if she would be interested in attending a showing of Dr. Phil. The only thing she told her was that there would only be one ticket (a golden gobstopper ticket so to say) because it was a special showing. Jennifer thought that Sonia could go to the show and sort of "represent" Serg

io. Sonia asked Jennifer why she would think of Sergio and Jennifer said that she really likes Sergio and thought that this "special show" would be helpful to his family- but that was all the details she would give. Of course, Sonia said yes but was very curious about the whole thing.

http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1192

As you can well imagine, Sergio had a very Merry Christmas. And thank you can never express the gratefulness that Sergio and his family felt by the goodness of the Dr. Phil show and Jennifer at ALS-OC.

Thank you to the Dr. Phil show and all the wonderful people involved with all the gifts and a big thank you to Jennifer at ALS- OC for blessing Sergio and his family with the amazing "Golden Ticket" to the show. (The show aired on December 16, 08.)

BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonia's favorite saying is "Don't count your blessings...Share them!" And Sergio felt that too. Because he had been giving so much (a lot that his family needed and was able to use), Sergio had a wonderful time Christmas day giving presents to all of his family members and to some very dear friends too. You could see such joy on Sergio's face as everyone opened his gifts to them. But there were some things that Sergio received and felt that needed to go to others who could really use them. Because West Community Church in Corona have been so wonderful to Sergio and his family, he had a little present for them. On the Sunday before Christmas, Sergio and his family with the help of Mike and Donna Tice brought a lot of toys to donate to the church. A Radio Flyer Wagon as well as a giant sack was filled with some terrific Hasbro toys. The members of the church heard the story of Sergio and the gift of the Dr. Phil Show he was given and was told that he felt in his heart that he had been given so much that he needed to share his blessings with others. And isn't that the true meaning of Christmas?????

Well, you can imagine the tears of joy that brought to many who were there....

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GIFTS THAT GIVE TWICE

A very special fundraiser took place in late November. A couple of wonderful gals, Kristine Bennett (of Gold Canyon Candles) and Sandy Cushing (of Cookie Lee Jewelry) held a fundraiser sale. Gold Canyon Candle just happens to be the best candles around- just ask anyone who has one and Cookie Lee has the nicest jewelry for the best price. Terrific Christmas (or anytime) gifts!!!!

Well, a portion of the profits of that day would go to Sergio for his care. As you all know, every little bit helps. And help it did! They had a wonderful sale- which in turn- they were able to give Sergio a very nice donation.

The amazing thing is that neither one of these amazing women know Sergio very well. They are friends of Donna Tice and when Donna told them about Sergio, both of these gals felt in their hearts that they wanted to help. And the blessings just keep coming. Kristine was passing out her flyer to people at her gym to let them know about her special sale she and Sandy were having and she got to talking with a woman who lost a loved one to ALS. This woman felt so strong about helping someone with ALS out that she also gave a donation to Sergio. God's work in action!

I encourage anyone who loves the smell of aromatic candles or loves the look of fine jewelry but doesn't want to pay the fine price, to contact these wonderful women for more details. You will love the results.

Kristine Bennett of Gold Canyon Candles www.mygccandle.com/goshineyourlight

Sandy Cushing of Cookie Lee cushmenow@yahoo.com

FOR SALE

Because it is just too difficult for Sergio to be physically moved these days, he has decided to sell his hyperbaric chamber.

Hyperbaric therapy is used in treating a multitude of illnesses and conditions. It is documented that HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) has been known to reverse the symptoms of MS, strokes, autism, and so much more! Check out this site for more information about the benefits:

http://www.drcranton.com/hbo.htm

Sergio bought the chamber in 2005 and used it for about a year. His routine was to get into the chamber 3-4 times a week for about 2 hours at a time. While in the chamber, Sergio would make phone calls or text friends and family. Most often, Sergio would just fall asleep and take a nice long nap. We and his care staff at that time all felt that HBOT kept Sergio healthier for a much longer time than if he did not do it.

The chamber is a 3 piece unit- the chamber, the motor and the wooden stand (custom made by Dave Leasure).

You can go to a HBOT medical center where the hourly rate for HBOT is around $150 an hour. You can rent these types of home chambers for about $2000 a month. The original purchase price for Sergio's brand new HBOT was $15,000 dollars. This same chamber used is going for $10,000 to $12,000.

Sergio is looking to sell his chamber for $7500 or better offer. If you are interested or know someone who could benefit from HBOT, please check out the facts below and contact Sergio and Kelly at Delucaland@yahoo.com .

Hyperbaric Chamber

HBO therapy affects the body in other ways. For example, it enhances the function of white blood cells, which fight infection. This is important because increasing the efficiency of white blood cells through the use of HBO therapy has a positive effect on the immune system. Also, HBO therapy has a positive effect on peripheral blood vessels and causes the formation of new capillaries, which are tiny, thin-walled blood vessels.