STEM CELL BATTLES

Every so often someone tells me that wheelchair drivers should not put too much hope in research, because they might just sit around and do nothing but wait for the cure…

 

Except I don’t know anybody like that.

 

Research supporters I know are people like my son Roman, paralyzed 14 years ago, who supports stem cell research 100%, but is also currently finishing college at UC Berkeley, and coaching his two sons’ sports teams: or like Karen Miner, whose belief in the science makes this column possible-- but if you want to talk to her on the phone, you had best call early, because otherwise she is out and about and on the road, a blur of activity…

 

And then there’s Angela Madsen. 

 

Check out http://debmole.blogspot.com/  a blog written by her friend, about the adventure of two friends: Angela Madsen and Frank Festor.

 

Frank spoke French, but no English. She spoke English, but no French.

 

Naturally, they decided to go on an ocean cruise together.

 

There were one or two other small complications.

 

Frank is an amputee, and that Angela would be classified paraplegic—but not by herself.

 

Angela became “differently-abled” in 1999, after a hospital operation went wrong.

 

Oh, and did I mention their “cruise” involved rowing, as in across the Atlantic Ocean?

 

 

 

The first question I had to ask Angela Madsen, when I contacted her by phone, was, “What about the sharks?”

 

Oh, she said, once she turned around, and caught a glimpse of something big behind them. At first their sea anchor (a parachute-like device to keep them stable) might have deployed.

 

Then the fin crested.

 

As the dorsal fin broke the surface, she recognized the girth and blunt head of a tiger shark, ten to twelve feet long, following, in their blind spot, like stalking them.

 

What did she feel like?

 

“I said, damn, where is my camera?”

 

Another time a baby blue marlin, like a tiny swordfish, only eight inches long, leaped into their boat. They put it in a bucket of salt water, admired it for a moment, than threw it back in the ocean—where it was instantly eaten by a predator--swirl-crunch-gone.

 

So, what was it like, rowing across the ocean?

 

“Every inch of your body is sore,” she said, “Like riding a bull, you get pounded, slung back and forth in the boat.

 

Angela was a world-class athlete before becoming paralyzed. She was a member of the all U.S. Marines women’s basketball team, and a competive surfer. (Her friend, Linda Benson, was the surfer who did the stunt work in the movie GIDGET.)

 

Angela still does compete in surfing… at the world championships in Biarritz, France.

 

“Oh, I adapted the board,” she said, like that explained everything.

 

Nowadays, she is training for the Paralympics, which is for differently-abled athletes. But she competed in Biarritz against normally-abled champions, the best in the world.

 

At Disneyland she was arguing with the attendants, who did not want her on one of the rides.  They tried to talk her out of it, but Angela was not having any.

 

Ahh, they said, in what they thought was a clincher--what if the ride breaks down?

 

 “How many people did you want me to rescue?”, she said.

 

So, how long does it take to row across the Atlantic Ocean?

 

“66 days, 23 hours and 24 minutes.”

 

What was the first thing she wanted after getting ashore?

 

“A shower, fresh fruit and an ice-cold Coca-cola!”

 

Did she have any advice for people?

 

“Don’t limit yourself”,   said Angela Madsen.

 

 

www.rowoflife.net

 

 

P.S. I took the liberty of snagging the following from her website….

 

 

Accomplishments since becoming differently abled in 1993

15th National Veterans Wheelchair Games- June 13-17,1995 in Atlanta, GA.
    (3) Gold medals in swimming, 100-meter freestyle, backstroke, & breastroke. (1) Gold medal 
    in the Slalom Course, and (1) gold medal in billiards

LA Sunrise Women's Wheelchair Basketball team 1994/1995 Season

16th National Veterans Wheelchair Games- July 2-6, 1996 in Seattle. WA.
    (3) Gold medals in swimming, 100-meter freestyle, backstroke, & breastroke. (1) Silver  
    medal in the Slalom Coarse, and (1) gold medal in shot put                                               

Irvine Lasers Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team 1995/1996 & 1996/1997 Seasons  

Casa Colina Shooting Stars women's Wheelchair Basketball Team 1997/1998 & 1998/1999 seasons.

June 6. 1999 Bay to Bay race. San Diego. Ca. 1st place/gold medal in 5 mile under 22' open row class

July 10, 1999 Eagle Adaptive Regatta in Indianapolis, Indiana lest place 2X, 1st place 1000m 1X, 1st place 2000 meter 1X

July 18, 1999 US Amateur Surfing Championships in Oceanside, Ca. 2nd place prosthetic/handicap division

July 24, 1999 15 mile open ocean row from Newport, Ca. to Dana point, Ca. 1st place rowing

Sept. 11, 1999 National Adaptive Rowing Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. 1st place 1000 meter single

Sept. 25, 1999 6th annual Tony Mezzadri Surf contest Exhibition event for surfers with disabilities

Oct. 10th, 1999 5000 meter head race in Long Beach, CA. 1 St. place adaptive rowing

Casa Colina Shooting Stars Women's wheelchair basketball team 1999/2000 season

Casa Colina Condors Men's division 1 wheelchair basketball team 1999/2000 season

June 4, 2000 Bay to Bay race, Mission Bay, San Diego, CA. physically challenged athlete open division   1^st place 5mile

June 24,2000 Baykeepers race, Mission Bay, San Diego, CA. Kyak open class

September 9,2000 International Bayada Regatta in Philadelphia, PA Gold medals in 400 meter single and double fixed seat scull  

September 11, 2000 Founded the California Adaptive Rowing Program 

September30, 2000 7^th Annual Tony Mezzadri Surf contest for Spinal Cord Injury. Most inspirational surfer award

December3, 2000 Long Beach Rowing Association Christmas Regatta 1^st place 1000m Adaptive

December 16, 2000 14 mile Queen Mary Open Water Row 1^st place Adaptive fixed seat

January 27, 2001 Crash-B indoor rowing 2K beach Sprints 9:05.1

March 18, 2001 Long Beach rowing Association Spring Regatta 1^st place 1000 meter Adaptive fixed seat

Casa Colina Shooting Stars women’s Wheelchair basketball 2000/2001 season

Casa Colina Condors Men’s Division 1 Wheelchair Basketball 2000/2001 season

June 03, 2001 20 nautical mile class 3 open water Bay 2 Bay Race, San Diego, CA. 1X

September 8,2001 2^nd place Bayada Adaptive Rowing Regatta 1000 meter 1X

September 22,2001 Catalina Crossing 32 nautical mile class 3 open water race, Marina Del Rey, CA.

2002 Crash-B 2K indoor rowing series Beach Sprints 8:22.6

2001/2002 Casa Colina Shooting Stars women’s wheelchair basketball team

 Level 1 and Level 2 US Rowing coaches certification

June 4, 2002 Bay 2 Bay San Diego, Ca. 20-nautical mile class 3 open water race 3^rd place 3:25: in 2X

Team USAble 2002 Ski to Sea race in Bellingham, Washington

September 18,2002 World Championships of Rowing in Seville Spain. Silver medal in open 1Xta class

2002/2003  Shooting Stars women’s wheelchair basketball team

Level III US Rowing Coaches certification

Feb, 2003 Amateur Athletic Foundation Honouree “ women who inspire us” award recipient

April, 2003 Women’s  All-star Basketball team

May 25,2003 Team USAble Ski to Sea Race Bellingham Washington results:199^th out of 400 able-body teams and 58^th in open division

May 31,2003 20 mile Bay2Bay open water race, San Diego, Ca.   Results: 2^nd place in 3:11

July 5-9,2003 23^rd Annual Veterans Wheelchair games Long Beach, CA.  SILVER medal in wheelchair basketball, Gold medals in shot put, javelin, discus and weightlifting

August 04-20 2003 National Adaptive Rowing team training camp Philadelphia, PA.

August 20-31,2003World Championships of rowing Milan, Italy 1^st place gold medal TA 2X

September 6,2003 Bayada Regatta 2^nd place silver medal 1000 meter men’s star fixed seat race

September 6,2003 received the Leo Reilly, Jr. Award for outstanding spirit and determination

September 27,2003 1^st place surfers with disabilities category, Surfboards for spinal cords surf contest ... Formerly known as the Tony Mazzadri surf contest in Ocean Beach, California

Christmas Regatta

Spring regatta

August 01,2004 World Championships of Rowing Banyoles, Spain 1^st place gold medal TA2X

September 25,2004 1^st place surfers with disabilities category, Surfboards for Spinal Cords contest

March 19,2005 Spring Regatta 3^rd place 2000 meter 4+ (non adaptive) 3^rd place AR2X (adaptive)

September, 2005 World Championships of Rowing. Gifu, Japan. 1^st place gold medal TA2X

December 11,2005 Paris Open 2000 meter indoor rowing championships. 1^st place LTA 7:55

July 3-9, 2006 Women’s World Championships of Longboarding, Roxy Jamm, Biarritz, France

August , 2006 World Championships of Rowing. Eton, England. 1^st place gold medal TA2X

 

My sports classifications are as follows:

NVWG 4 permanent (National Veterans Wheelchair Games)

Wheelchair basketball:

    Women's- class 2,  International 2.5

    Wheelchair basketball Men's -class 1

Rowing- TA class

 

Surfing -Surfing does not have a classification system for surfers with disabilities

 

Current memberships: 

Paralysis Society of America, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Surfrider Foundation, Wheelchair Sports USA, Disabled Sports USA, Heal the Bay, USRowing, Long Beach Surf Club, Women’s LongBoard Club, Huntington Beach Longboard club

 

Current committees:

 Board of Directors, Paralyzed Veterans of America

Founder and director of the California Adaptive Rowing Programs

Board of Directors, Wheels2Water

 

Former committees: 

National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Women’s Division Executive Committee.

National HVOC Committee for Adaptive Rowing