Help Get an FES Bike for Oscar (via Aly Teich)

Intro:

Hello, Oscar’s Village!

I am Aly Teich, one of Alex and Nick’s best friends, but better known to Oscar as the hopping and ribbiting frog/bunny.

Over the last nearly 15+ years of friendship, Nick, Alex, and I have shared some of the most fun, hilarious, and joyous moments in life, but have also seen each other through some of our darkest and most challenging days. Through it all, Alex and Nick have steadfastly held their unwavering love and respect for one another, undying loyalty to and care for those around them, signature creative humor, and their ever inspiring strength and grace. All qualities that they have clearly passed onto Oscar, who can instantly melt your heart with just one of his flirty side-eye glances, and make you laugh until you cry with his witty humor.

However, the quality that has stood out most to me as I have watched Nick and Alex navigate the unimaginable over the last three years (and is the reason I am reaching out to you today), is their deep humility. They are not just modest about the way they have met this challenge, but they are humble about asking for help - even when they really need it the most - and right now they do. And I’m hoping you can help me give it to them.

In fact, they didn’t even ask me to do this campaign. I had reached out to them expressing that for my 40th birthday I wanted to attempt to raise $40K for them, as I knew medical costs and the toll of Covid were weighing on them. However, in our conversation, I learned they have a specific and important need in this moment for a piece of equipment called a FES bike that is essential to Oscar’s continued rehab, recovery, and general quality of life. It is a substantial piece of equipment with a substantial price tag, which I am hoping we, as a substantial village, can cover for them.

I asked Alex and Nick to share some words below, including information about the FES bike and why it is an essential piece of Oscar’s recovery.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support in these efforts. I’ll leave the rest to Alex and Nick:

Our relationship with health changed abruptly after Oscar’s first birthday when he was diagnosed with AFM (Acute Flaccid Myelitis), a rare polio-like condition affecting his upper spine. Overnight, Oscar went from getting ready to take his first steps to sudden paralysis from the neck down. The traumatic events that followed the discovery in his crib, ambulance, tests, hospital transfer, emergency surgeries - including a tracheostomy - are forever ingrained into our beings. The fragility of life can spark so suddenly, so relentlessly, showcasing the truest importance in life: family and health. Everything else is a bonus.

Since Oscar’s onset of AFM, our family experience has been a balance of striving for further healing and improvement for Oscar, while accepting and leaning into his current capabilities. Not fully settling into this reality while making the most and brightest of where we are at.

Ah, here we are, 3 years with AFM, 2 years settled in our new home, a preschooler, PANDEMIC, and so many more gray hairs, like so so many. More medical knowledge that we ever wished to know and navigate but grateful to have acquired it.

Oscar is made of magic, sunshine, humor, curiosity, patience, gusto, tenderness and negotiation. His sense of wonder and delight is so impactful, he innately radiates joy that sustains us even on our most profoundly challenging days.

Oscar has made leaps and bounds with his upper shoulder and neck strength, food exploration and overall body control. He spends most days playing games, enjoying stories, cooking, art and music along with therapeutic movements we incorporate into his play. When outside he loves to race, discover and play in his Cheetah (his black and yellow SUPER FAST power wheelchair driven with a head array).

What we are raising money for and why…

The FES (functional electrical stimulation) bike targets paralyzed muscles with controlled stimulation patterns, causing the muscles to contract. This will be the most important equipment for Oscar’s healing, movement, muscle tone, core strength and spinal health/scoliosis prevention. It has been stressed by our medical team how important consistent electric stimulation will be for his general health and strengthening, as well as an urgency to establish new pathways of movement before his brain is fully developed.

We appreciate your help and are SO THANKFUL you’re here and willing! Your generosity is deeply acknowledged and extremely humbling.