A Day In The Life Of...Drew Burton

What's poppin'! I'm Drew Burton. I'm an intern with EP!C and I write the blog on EP!C Perspective. I'm an avid hunter and video game extraordinaire. I'm a red belt in tae kwon do, so don't mess with me!

Hats and shoes are BAE. My style has absolutely no boundaries. I wear top hats with goggles and psychedelic shoes with wings on them.

I can pull it off with my finely chiseled features. I listen to some gangster rap in my spare time. West side! I've had a form of Muscular Mystrophy my whole life called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It's basically a progressive, muscle wasting disease that makes me just a little weaker everyday. At times, it can feel like life has given me more losses than wins, but I've taken my weaknesses and turned them into strengths.

I've had this disease my whole life. If there's a single thing it's taught me it's that Muscular Dystrophy will take my muscles, my physical strength, but it will never claim my spirit. I guarantee that. I'm a determined guy to say the least. When someone tells me I can't do something, I'll make it happen at all costs. Seriously, if you tell me I can't walk on the moon, I'll buy a spaceship and be on the moon within a week. I don't eat fruits or vegetables. Especially bananas. I'd rather get bit by a rattlesnake than eat a banana. My blog posts are absolute fire! Everybody and their momma should check them out! I want to be a journalist someday. Maybe for ESPN or something because I love sports.

It's safe to say I'm not your average guy in a wheelchair, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Do what makes you happy and don't let anyone stop you. Most importantly, don't take any wooden nickels.

Coach Shannon Coming Through Clutch by Drew Burton

With football season drawing to a close, what better way to get in the basketball spirit than an interview with EP!C Bobcats manager and head coach, Shannon H. While talking to Shannon, it didn't take long to notice his competitive spirit and need to succeed.

When asked about this basketball season, Coach Hochstatter stated, "we'll stop at nothing to win games." But this story is so much more than basketball alone. Shannon is wheelchair bound and has been for almost his entire life. He faces day-to-day obstacles that many of us couldn't even imagine. Through all of his challenges in life, basketball is something that makes all the negatives in his life disappear.

I was fortunate enough to catch up with him and talk sports with him for a while. I asked him why he chose to be the manager of the team. He simply said "I just want to be involved in something." That's when I knew that this is much bigger than basketball. It's something he can do.

I was in a discussion one time with someone who told me that sports don't matter. For a few seconds, I actually believed him. As soon as the insanity left my mind, I began to think of reasons why sports DO matter. No, they will never end world hunger or find the cure to cancer, but one thing they do is make people happy, wheelchair or no wheelchair. The bottom line is, Shannon has found something that he is capable of doing. He can fully participate as the manager and team leader of the EP!C Bobcats.

So for this reason alone, sports matter. We all know about the pros like LeBron or Sweetness, but millions of people are involved in sports. They help escape the drudgery of day-to-day life and put smiles on the faces of many.

The manager of the Bobcats is a true inspiration to all of us. Through all of the difficulties and hardships we will face in our lifetimes, we absolutely need to focus on what we can do, and forget about all of the things we can't do. Think positive, be involved in something and always eat your vegetables.

Valentine's Day Story by Brad Johnson

This story is one of my many favorite little moments from working here at EPIC. I think it was Valentine’s Day two years ago.Bob M.(if you don't know him, he is a very polite, well dressed, kind older gentleman who lives with a Host Family and works in our Work Skills area). 

He comes in to my office and says, "Good morning Sir, Do you know if Donna is here today?" I said, "Which Donna?" Bob said, "Donna S."  I said, "I'm not sure, lets go see."  (Donna, if you don't know her is a very clever, funny, sometimes ornery lady in our Older Adults area who likes to talk in rhymes.)

So we find Donna and Bob says, "I made you a Valentine, Donna..." and hands her an envelope and says, "Do you wanna read it?" Donna opens the envelope and I'm not sure if she reads, but she does know her letters and she starts going "H...A...P...P...Y...V...A..." through every letter of all the words on the card. 

Then Bob says "There's a picture too..."  I assumed maybe Bob had found some old picture of him and Donna together that he put in with the card or something and was thinking Awww that's cute..., but Donna pulls it out and its a picture of Bob with the Little Caesars Pizza mascot and he says, "Its me with Cheeser Cheeser..." Donna smiled and said, "I love you too, I do...funny little honey bunny...." Then Bob said "Happy Valentines Donna" and headed off to his area to go to work.

.. 

I just thought that was one of the most adorable little Valentine’s Day scenes that I have ever witnessed and I just  wanted to share that story and maybe give people a smile. Sometimes the daily grind of work can get stressful and it can be easy to get caught up in that from time to time, but also its good to take time to enjoy all the little magical moments like this which only occur at unique places like EPIC. 

We are lucky to get to spend some time in our lives with some one-of-a-kind, loveable individuals that can bring a lot of joy to our lives, as we hopefully do for them as well... Anyways, Hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day! :) ~ Brad

Do Something! By Drew Burton: Marketing and PR Intern

In life, staying active can be one of the most difficult challenges we may face. We are all faced with obstacles and it's up to us to overcome them. The trick to being happy is to always be doing something. I've been sitting in this chair my whole life, and if there's one thing I've learned from all of it, it's that your brain can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
 Sometimes, your mind can make you think that the world is out to get you, or you're not capable of doing what makes you happy. That's when you need to get up and go do something, anything. Whether it be riding a bike, skydiving or even something simple like building a birdhouse or two,
 it's important to always keep your mind active. Take this story for example. Marcus, an EP!C Harvest manager, has been going the extra mile to help keep others' mind active, which ultimately results in happiness. He's been helping individuals from work skills and the senior program build birdhouses. 
Clearly, Marcus enjoys making others happy. It's obvious that Marcus is doing his part to put a genuine smile on these peoples' faces. The moral of the story is, do something. Do what makes YOU happy.
 There is no substitute for legitimate happiness. You can do anything you set your mind to. So it's up to you, you can sit back and dream about what you want to do, or you can go out and make it happen.