Quadriplegic Sailor needs your help...!!!

Thanks for sharing, wish him the best of luck on the journey. SOunds like a man of great courage.

So what is your normal handle? I mean this one says probably less than a month.

seasoned - Thought it was longer.... Is it an issue?

The important thing - and I didn't think anyone would mind my asking - is support for Geoff....

Kay - a bit cynical (and largely untrue - the boat is on loan for a start), this man is not frighteningly wealthy, and has achieved more with his disability (perhaps because of it) for himself, and others, than most of us an ever hope to achieve in a lifetime.

Geoff is raising money for the RYA Sailability charity and has the backing of the Ellen MacArthur Trust

Kay - I disagree. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned money above. I'll go and remove it. Why I came here to ask for support is because thee is plenty that people an do here that costs nothing except for a few moments of time...

I know Geoff - he really is a great guy and his 'go for it' attitude and the work he does raising funds for sailing related charities have enriched the lives of many able bodied and disabled people. Te world would be a poorer place without men and women like Geoff...

I'm intersted to know what a quadraplegic could do in the capacity of being a sailor.

YOU made it an issue by saying you were here quite a while, etc... Frankly, something smells fishy, and I DON'T mean the ocean, etc...

Steve

There is nothing 'fishy' about this - personally I'm just disappointed in the members of this forum. I thought as 'Internet Marketers' you may be willing to add a link or post of support or someone is actually doing something impressive - a man who is 10 times the man most of us will ever be... I certainly didn't expect such an uncharitable or unhelpful attitude. If overcoming becoming quadriplegic and then going on to be the first quadriplegic to sail solo around Britain (in a small dinghy) and then on to cross the Atlantic I don't know what is.

I only met the guy a week ago and he has made a real impression on me. For people genuinely interested follow the link through from the article - to see the full story. The information is there - for people who choose to read it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Holt_(sailor)

Scorched Earth - nobody has been uncharitable here.

Geoff Holt is described by you as a quadriplegic and yet his autobiography describes him as paralysed from the chest down. He appears to have considerable use of his arms - even if not as much as he should have.

Claiming to have been a member here for 'a while' was also misleading to readers and set the scene for the doubts that have been expressed since you have been a member here for 'a short while'. It is only December - is November really so far in the past that you can't remember it?

I deal with disabled people all the time and am now starting to be involved with blind people as well since my own sight is rapidly disappearing - there are far too many deserving cases and it is not reasonable for one case to try to 'corner the market' in good will by having false claims made on his behalf.

Actually I was enjoying this forum until now - but I'm completely aghast at the reactions to this post.

I met a guy a week ago (I am not representing him) who had a major effect on me so I thought I'd mention him here in case others might be inspired and help him out with a few links and posts. A man who in my eyes is about to embark on something incredible.... Nobody is trying to 'corner the market' as you put it - I was trying to do a friend a favour. And I am more than aware that there are many other deserving causes....

Instead of the reaction I was hoping for people seem to have seen fit to question his disability and belittle the project....

He describes himself as quadriplegic one would presume that would be the term doctors have used to refer to his medical state. He is recognised as quadriplegic for the current record he holds.

...and also it seems the length of my membership of this forum matters to you.

Perhaps I made a mistake using the word "while" which if you care to look up the definition suggests neither a short or long time....

-noun 1. a period or interval of time: to wait a long while; He arrived a short while ago. 2. Archaic. a particular time or occasion.

artwebster - I wish you good fortune with the problems with you sight....

kenster - thank you for seeing the original post for what it is and not viewing it with cynicism and suspicion

Where do you get the idea he is "10 times the man most of us will ever be"? And WHAT is he doing that is so impressive? As for the term 'while'? Given YOUR supposed interpretation NOW, your use of the word THEN doesn't make sense! BTW PARALYZED BELOW THE CHEST IS paraplegic.

par⋅a⋅ple⋅gi⋅a  /ˌpærəˈplidʒiə, -dʒə/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [par-uh-plee-jee-uh, -juh] Show IPA
Use PARAPLEGICS in a Sentence
See web results for PARAPLEGICS
See images of PARAPLEGICS
-noun Pathology. paralysis of both lower limbs due to spinal disease or injury.


quad⋅ri⋅ple⋅gi⋅a  /ˌkwɒdrəˈplidʒiə, -dʒə/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kwod-ruh-plee-jee-uh, -juh] Show IPA
Use quadriplegiA in a Sentence
See web results for quadriplegiA
See images of quadriplegiA
-noun Pathology. paralysis of all four limbs or of the entire body below the neck.

Don't get me wrong, NEITHER is good. I have been lying on the floor almost as good as quadraplegic, with so much pain to move in any way that I was wondering how I would survive(Due to pinched nerves by bad disc alignment in the spine), so I got a taste of what it might be like. LUCKILY, I could struggle(I HAD to to have ANY chance at a normal life again), and the pain went away in a few months, and only STARTS to reoccur every few years or so. BTW that happened around 1999.

He sounds like he has some good friends. He has an assistant. One wonders how much she or they may have helped but, oh well.

I wish him the best. But where do the donations, etc... come in?

And artwebster has some good points.

BTW ever see the movie "the ringer"? MANY overstate their disability in some way, etc... if looking for publicity or money. It is ALSO possible that he had some loss of ability, regained it, and just never got rediagnosed. quadraplegia DOES allow for really limited upper torso ability, and if someone has ANY upper torso ability they have a chance at making it closer to normal.

Steve

i am fighting back the urge to tell a very off-color joke....must....not.....type...

I'm sad you can't see past this 'forum point scoring thing' - this is not about me, or the words I use... See it for what it is and stop trying to chip away at everything.

Here is a severely disabled man - and a really nice guy - who is about to achieve more than most of us ever will in a lifetime! Because of this, and his previous work he has inspired many disabled people to become more active, to participate in his sport, and raised money for the charities I mentioned earlier. Tell me how that is a bad thing!

No, on second thoughts don't tell me - I'm not really that interested in this kind of back biting and bickering. There are some valid points here - but there's a lot of pointless nit picking alongside it too.

Its not a bad thing. Don't get your knickers in a twist. You're taking it too personally. You put your request out there, those that want to help, will, those that dont want to help probably wont be talked into it.

Shark Bait

Scorched Earth ........once you have been here a couple of years you will be very understanding of people not getting past the post count thing. You would not believe some of the scams we have seen in here. We've had a few members really taken for a ride here and again. So if people seem cynical it's because we are used to having to tear everything apart to get to the bottom of it before we can support it fully with any assurance of not being taken.

I think that we all support what the man is doing and I think it is more than slightly admirable that he has taken life by the horns as he has. That he is using his disability to help others makes him a role model for all.

Perhaps it would have been better to have just pointed the gentlemen and links out rather than mentioning monetary support, as we have become jaded to people looking for "donations" in here. That way we would read about him....and if it was a charity we chose to support we would do so without prompting. We ALL give to charities here, I think, and we all have our favorites. We may be overly careful, but we are not without care.

Instead of being disgusted with the members here -- take the reactions as a lesson for your future marketing. You will discover many chances to study other posts for charity throughout time on this forum......trust me on that one.

LOL - well at least we know you aren't a bot or a paid poster, eh? It's hard not to take our favorite charities real personally. :rolleyes:

I think that people are getting the drift that you meant no scam or offense in your post. We all mess up or take things for granted that we shouldn't some time. I don't think you'll find anyone at your door wanting to get close and personal over your post. Other than the small misunderstanding, actually, it was an interesting tidbit to read about. What marketer can not admire a success story about someone continuing to fulfill their dream after a major setback? Lessons to be learned all over the place in this thread, eh?

Now....if someone will just plant a few trees, I'll be a happy camper, too!

I don't care about post count. WHO CARES!?!?!?

I don't even care about the TIME anyone has been here. Someone that has been here a long time, say a year or more, that SUDDENLY presents something a bit worthwhile, might be better believed. But otherwise? Nope... Of course, if you present it as meaningful, it can be a sticking point.

Now, you say:

"Here is a severely disabled man"

Can we be SURE? It seems there is a doubt.

"and a really nice guy"

OK, maybe if we knew more.

"who is about to achieve more than most of us ever will in a lifetime!"

Like what?

"Because of this, and his previous work he has inspired many disabled people to become more active"

Wow, WHO?

"to participate in his sport"

Which sport?

"raised money for the charities I mentioned earlier"

Well, I saw one that used sailing to help kids with cancer. Were there any more?

"Tell me how that is a bad thing! "

Who said it was bad? You just don't seem to really be presenting your case, and made claims that appear to have no basis. Otherwise, it is fine.

Steve