(Pictured above: The Joe Reynoso family, EDPA Northeast’s 2022 “Rally at the Alley” Industry Fundraiser recipients)
By Jeanne Brei
Tradeshows are back and so are the charitable efforts put forth by those who are always looking to give back to others.
The deadline to submit an application for an EDPA scholarship is May 6. These scholarships, given annually since 2002, are awarded to industry members and their families to help pursue university-level of study. Any immediate family member of an individual working anywhere in the exhibition tradeshow industry, who has graduated or will graduate high school and has accepted attendance at a post-high school educational institute, is eligible to apply at https://www.edpa.com/edpafoundation.
The RSMGC Board has announced the dates for their charity events in 2022. All EACA members and industry colleagues are encouraged to note the following on their calendars as we endeavor to provide assistance to our colleagues who have suffered personal or family tragedies:
- Chicago Randy will be held Aug. 1 at Seven Bridges Golf Course in Woodridge, Ill.
- Get Out of the Gutter will be held Aug. 18 at Bowlmor in Atlanta, Ga.
- Atlanta Randy will be held Oct. 7 at Stone Mountain Golf Course in Stone Mountain, Ga.
The 2022 “Rally at the Alley” Industry Fundraiser for Joe Reynoso, from Creative Dimensions, returns to Splitsville at Foxborough’s Patriot Place on May 5. Sponsorships or register at http://edpanortheast.com/events/rally.
Here is Joe’s story:
Dear Friends,
Here is my story of how life can change in an instant and how one reacts to that change will make all the difference in the world.
My name is Joe, I am a father of eight precious little ones (ages 6 months-15 years old, see picture above of the family), a husband to an amazing wife and a proud member of the tradeshow Industry. A new fact I never expected to add to my list is of also being a major stroke/brain bleed survivor and, as importantly, a fighter to gain back the full life I had.
Putting my little twin girls (identical twins) back in bed one night I had what the doctors call a dural venous sinus thrombosis. A fancy word for a situation where no blood was exiting my brain. One of the two main veins that feed our brains was dangerously blocked on the exit side (a bad and serious situation that builds up pressure in your brain). By a pure miracle I was able to be transported to an excellent major hospital where treatment was administered. A flight-for-life, high-speed ambulance ride to St. Luke’s Medical Center then straight into the neuro ICU. Many days later I can remember asking my wife “where am I?” “how long have I been there?” “Weeks,” was the reply. It’s a wired thing to lose huge blocks of time from your memory/life. They (the many doctor’s involved in my care) put me in a coma to help with the brain swelling/heat and also filled me with meds. I was intubated and had only brief moments of awake time. The doctors told my wife that if I lived the next 72 hours my prognosis was good. To say this was scary would be the understatement of understatements. At the time I had no idea that I would be spending the better part of the next 18 months learning to walk again, learning to read again, learning to speak and think again. Your brain is the hard drive of your body, it informs every function and controls more than you can imagine, memory (short and long term), energy levels and oddly, feelings/emotions. Mine was wiped out and broken. I am now the owner of a permanent (golf ball size clot where the bleed occurred). The clot has not “resolved” itself and as of my last MRI it is still there (I have a pic of this mass). I use it to remind me that God created our bodies to be resilient and dynamic. That God has given us the ability to heal and as my boss would say to “PRESS ON.”
As tradeshow/event professionals I am sure you can relate to this statement “the show must go on.” And so it does, for me it just looks very different than I thought it would. The many challenges both medical and financial (brain bleeds are expensive), even so the “show must go on.”
Complaining to my rehab doc one day that I still have major deficiencies, challenges and issues with walking, thinking, reading, etc. He was kind enough to remind me that over 75 percent of the people who had the type of brain bleed that I had are dead. I told him, “God isn’t done with me yet, I have eight beautiful children to raise, an amazing wife to support and a full life to get back to.” This new life is very different from the one I had. The recovery continues and is full of many challenges both small and great, but God is good through it all.
It’s my prayer that my story will inspire you to “PRESS ON” and make the life you have worth living, whatever that means for you! I think of this point every day as I continue to recover. Most days it’s one minute at a time; other times it’s one hour at a time and by the end of the day it’s one day at a time. Ready to do it again the next day!
Friends always remember the results are God’s, the effort is yours. But He (God) gives us the strength and grace to keep going. So keep moving forward and make your life the best you know how to make it… PRESS ON!
Lastly, The ESCA Summer Educational Conference (SEC) is this June in Asheville, N.C., and with that comes many wonderful opportunities. One of the most critical opportunities is the charitable aspect of the conference. The Dennis Hale Memorial Scholarship Fund contributes thousands of dollars annually to our industry’s future; the education of our youth. These young adults face rising costs and significant debt seeking higher education. This is where ESCA and its members can assist. We are asking our attending and non-attending members to contribute to the SEC Silent Auction to help fund the ESCA Scholarship Fund. It’s easy to do and helps create a fun environment at the event. Visit www.esca.org/esca-awards/dennis-hale-memorial-scholarship-program/ to donate to the SEC Silent Auction.
