Go Detroit!!

I'm not much of a sports fan.  I like football and this seems to be a magical season for the Lion's.  Imagine not winning one game last year.  You were below the basement, but the key is never give up and look where they are today.  Undefeated so far!  I don't know how far the Lion's are going to go but they are off to a fantastic start.  Congratulations to the Lion's! 

Also I'm not an avid watcher of baseball but I go ahead and watch the Tiger's.  I always make a rule to root for the home town team and I have to say I'm proud of our Tiger's.  They were at the bottom for so long and now they are a team to reckon with.  You can't just push the Tiger's around anymore.  They are playing class A baseball and I congratulate them.

A Place Called Special Tree

My name is Jasper and I'm a quad and I live at a place called Special Tree.  It's a neurological rehab but it looks more like the Ritz Carleton when you come inside.  It's a brand new building that was built from the ground up and all the clients moved from the old building to the new.  There are paintings on the walls and elaborate clocks and fixtures and sometimes I begin to think that a lot of what was done was done with the clients in mind.  Our rooms are bigger, all the beds are new, the grounds are very eye appealing, all the rooms have flat screen TVs.  They even put white robes in the bathrooms for the clients.  They could have just left it at that, but they also added DVD players.  Being a client myself I don't take this building for granted.  In my opinion there are a lot of things I see that are designed for the client and I understand they didn't have to do that.  They didn't have to put DVD players in the rooms or they didn't have to put so much thought into making this building comfortable.  Each room has it's own thermostat.  There are a lot of things that I see that are comfortable for us that they didn't have to do.  I don't know about you but I'm very happy to be here at Special Tree because I understand there are a lot of places such as this where you're not treated as well, you don't get the patient care that you get here at Special Tree.  Sometimes when I get sleepy I get tired of them coming in my room but I understand they're taking blood pressure, rolling me over, checking me.  Those are the things that need to be done for a person like me.  So I think that Special Tree is a very special place and if you're here as a client or you are a staff member I think you are very fortunate.  Just dig a little deeper.  This is Jasper and these are my opinions. 

Don't Accept Everything Life Throws At You

Life can sometimes throw you a curve that seems totally unfair to you but you have to learn to accept certain things and certain things you don't.  For instance, there's a Bill that wants to kill No-Fault Insurance.  Don't lay down and accept things like this.  Rather...fight back any way you can.  You may be jobless but you got to keep pressing forward and sooner or later something will open up for you.  I've been there, I know.  I'm a quad in a rehab.  I got through a series of treatments everyday.  I believe that one day my body will be strong enough to use some of the limbs I used to have, such as my arms and hands, and perhaps even my legs.  I have not just laid down and accepted this situation I'm in.  I tried to be as active as I was before the accident.  My outlook on life is good.  I don't know what I may do next.  If you want to give up and wallow in your misery, God will allow you to do that.  If you pray and press forward tell Him what you need and He'll provide it for you.  You have to believe that.  Once again, this is from Jasper Matthews.  These are some of my thoughts.

Be Active In The Political Arena Because It Affects You

My name is Jasper and up till now I've never really thought seriously about what goes on in politics, but now being a quad in a facility, which my auto insurance pays for, I am feeling how seriously this will affect me.  There's a Bill that's in the house and a long story short they want to do away with No Fault insurance.  This would affect me directly because without the auto insurance I could not maintain the life that I'm living right now.  Even if they switched me to Medicaid or Medicare I would not receive the personal attention and care that I get now.  They even want to put a ceiling cap on the money that they spend on us.  They want to give us, if you are seriously injured, $50,000 to work with.  Well if you know anything about the ER or if you have ever stayed in a hospital you know that $50,000 can be spent with one test or one operation.  Going through the ER you could spend $50,000.  Think very seriously about this Bill because it's going to hurt a lot of poor people if it gets passed so I urge you to get into the political arena and pay attention to what the politicians are trying to do.  You may find that it affects you.  This is Jasper, may God Bless You!  Good bye. 

Life Is Too Short

My name is Jasper and although I'm a quad I attended my high school reunion.  It was a beautiful day and also it was a beautiful reunion, getting to see people I hadn't seen in years.  My daughters were there along with my grandchildren and it just made for a beautiful family day.  I really want to send out this message that if you're crippled, or you are going through some type of rehab and you're thinking that your life is over because you can't do the things you used to do - think again.  Life is too short to cut yourself out just because you have a set back.  And that's all that is, a set back, because with the technology they have today you can still live a full life but there are some things you have to do.  First of all, take an attitude check.  Make sure you have a positive, uplifting attitude about yourself, then surround yourself with positive people, doing positive things.  The worst thing you could do is be around a bunch of negative, stand still people, never doing anything different.  I had a wonderful time at that reunion and two weeks before that I went to a church picnic and I had a wonderful time there and I have no control over my body, but I have tons of support.  These are the things you have to do if you can't do things for yourself.  You can still live a joyful life.  Put yourself in the hands of God and go on living your life.  He'll make a way for you.  So don't be discouraged.  It's not the end of the world, not yet.  Put a big smile on your face, take an attitude check and live your life. 

They have friends. They need parents.

I remember when I was a kid, growing up it seems like my mother was always just around the corner.  She had rules when I was little.  A lot of things I couldn't do or places I couldn't go if she didn't know what was there or if it was safe.  I remember thinking, "Wow, to be a boy, she keeps a tight leash on me.", but I come to understand she was just doing her job, being a parent.  She was always watching out for me.  Being a single mother perhaps she was a bit over protective but again I realize that was her job as a parent.  I notice this younger generation, they don't have that same nurturing spirit I guess.  You could pass through a neighborhood and see 3 and 4 year olds wandering about all by themselves.  Even in the house the kids sometimes tell the parents what to do.  When I was a kid I wasn't aloud to close my bedroom door because my mother wanted to see what was going on in there, what was I doing.  Young parents today don't seem to think that way.  A lot of kids are growing up with some of these computers I guess and electronic gadgets.  They're not learning to interact with each other.  The parents don't take time to teach their kids proper manners.  Again, when I was a kid it was "yes ma'am, yes sir" and you learned to stay in a kids place.  Now young kids just jump in your conversation as if they're on your level and no one says anything about it.  They come and go as they please, as if they're paying rent.  I know it seems like a good idea and we do want to be friends with our children growing up, but don't forget they don't need you always as a friend, they need you as a parent.  Learn how to stand firm with your decisions and guide them the right way.  That's my opinion.     

Someplace Special

My name is Jasper and I had a car crash in April 2009, which resulted in me being a Quadriplegic. After having gone through intensive care and Physical Therapy, I landed here at a facility called Special Tree. Actually, my daughters picked it out for me. They said "you'd really like this place". Everyone here is so friendly and it's clean and nice. After I got here I isolated myself- I wouldn't come out of my room for days on end. But this place is more like a huge family rather than just staff. They knew what I was going through and they were very patient with me. I want to focus on a group they have here called Therapeutic Recreation. They urged me time and time again to get out and mingle with the other residents, think of happy things to do, and think of different places to go. Later I discovered it's designed that way to get you back into society. This group (TR) has helped me tremendously. They taught me how to mix and mingle with other people. They even taught me how to laugh again. One thing I'll never forget is the patience and caring they have with me. I go bowling, I play card games and I play family games. Life right now- even though I'm a quad- can still be sweet. So I hope you never find yourself in a position like mine, but if you do, come to Special Tree and they will put your life back together.