Dr. Clarissa Kripke was the Vice Chair of CommunicationFIRST, an organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of individuals with speech-related disabilities through public education and systemic advocacy.

They wanted my presence on the board of directors, a proposition that stirred conflicting emotions within me because of my work background. Uncertain of my qualifications and the impact I could make, I hesitantly agreed to join this noble cause. However, before I could be officially on the nonprofit, I still had to be voted in by all the board members then in office. The pivotal voting day arrived on November 19th, 2021, and with resounding support from the board members, I proudly became a member of CommunicationFIRST. The initial board meetings were daunting, but as time passed, I adapted and became more accustomed to them. 

In March 2022, we celebrated the third anniversary of the clinical trial that marked the beginning of this transformative journey. Gathering at the Plaza downtown, amidst the chilly weather, we commemorated the significant milestones achieved thus far.

However, as we rode the wave of progress, life took an unforeseen turn. In April 2022, a COVID-19 outbreak shook the nursing home community, affecting numerous residents, including my roommate. Naively thinking I had escaped the clutches of the virus, I received the unfortunate news of my positive test result on April 6th. I was temporarily moved to a different room and isolated; I couldn’t go out. So I took it as a real vacation and slept in all day, not getting out of bed. It wasn’t because of feeling bad or ill, noooo! COVID was good to me and didn’t treat me as badly. 

I was out of quarantine and returned to my original room on April 14th or 15th. I was thrilled to return to normal and be able to go out again. Although I wasn’t feeling ill while being isolated, I was exhausted from being in quarantine.

The months flew by, and before I knew it, my birthday had once again crept up on me. July 23, 2022, that year was the big 4-0! As always, it was time to gather all the people I hold dear for a grand celebration filled with laughter, joy, and cherished memories. As usual, we celebrated at the Plaza. I find it hard to believe I’m getting that old already; getting old is great, don’t take me wrong, I feel strange. Anyway, we had a wonderful, fun time together, and I just had a brand-new GoPro video camera to film the beginning of a new chapter in my life. 

The following month, on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. I was heading to the office, where we do the recording sessions; I was going to test with the robotics team, who were supposed to record that day. It was an early, fresh, sunny morning when an unexpected incident shook my routine. While navigating my power wheelchair along the sidewalk, a misstep led to a fall onto the street. The impact of the unforgiving cement left me drifting into unconsciousness. When my senses gradually returned, I found myself in the emergency room. The girls, who were waiting for me at the office, were standing there by my side, making sure I was okay. My sister was also there; she got a tremendous scare, fortunately, just a scare. 

That was the first time I fell off the sidewalk. I had a few other mishaps, but nothing major, just some close encounters with the bushes 😂, and got stuck in the mud. I was accompanied by the fire department back to the nursing home a few times, as well. It wasn’t because I was in trouble, ok, that too, but because I couldn’t communicate with them. Nonetheless, I never went down and felt the concrete. Anyway, the researchers stopped recording for about a week, as they wanted to ensure I was fully recovered from the fall.

Between board meetings and working with the clinical trial team, we reached 2023 without any new developments. As the year began, the researchers also started recording on January 11th. In the meantime, the robotics team would come up on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Speech team would come up only on Thursdays. Some researchers, sadly, were leaving the team soon, so they were trying to find replacements. 

Dr. Clarissa Kripke stepped down as the Vice Chair of the organization. On April 21, I was honored to be elected as her replacement and to serve as the new Vice Chair.  

July 23^rd was upon us already; it was my birthday, another year on my head. I celebrated at my sister’s and her family’s house. Thank you, sister and brother-in-law, for letting me celebrate it at your place this year!

We were a smaller group of people this year, but the enjoyment was very much the same, joyfully!

I summarized the most important events that have occurred since 2021. I have grown a lot, both personally and professionally, and I have also gotten bigger 😂 I tried not to, but it’s hard, I love to eat, sorry, I derailed myself from the subject. Anyway, from the milestones, groundbreaking research, celebrations, joining the organization, CommunicationFIRST, and being in quarantine. My life has been busy, which I love. It is great to be able to do so many things, even with my disabilities.