I promised a friend I would talk about this subject when I had the chance. I just want to say now, when I care about something, someone, or have a deep-rooted belief in something, I speak out proudly, passionately and as intelligently as I can. I want to remind people of this; just because a person is passionate about something does not mean they speak only with their emotions. That being said let’s get to the matter at hand.

I talk to many parents who have children with disabilities. They are on my Facebook and my Twitter. I hope that through me they realize that their children may have the potential for productive adult lives. As such, I often receive messages, good and bad, about groups, fan pages, and interesting individuals pertaining to the disability community. None have shocked me quite like a post on a mother’s Facebook wall about a group on FB called KEEP DOWN SYNDROME SUFFERERS OUT OF SOCIETY.

The title alone was appalling to me, but I figured it was just a group of ignorant kids fooling around on Facebook. Going to the group was even more insulting. The group description included tips on how those with Down Syndrome should either be locked away or murdered at birth. The group had many people joining to tell the founders and group supporters how sick they were (fruitless, I believe), but there were also many, disgusting posts. Some of them discussed hitting children with Down Syndrome in the face to try to get the “Retard Look” to go away. One was a picture of a mauled, aborted child, with the caption, “This should be all people with Down Syndrome.”

Upon further inspection, I was surprised to learn that not only were teenagers partaking in such vile behavior (parental supervision, anyone?), but 20 and 30-somethings were joining in the hullabaloo, too. Luckily, Facebook has an option that lets members of the site report groups that revolve around hate speech, or disparage a group or individual. Pictures, discussion posts, and wall posts can be reported, too. After making my rounds reporting the group and certain, offensive posts and pictures, I wrote this message on my FB profile:

Mind you, I had been thinking about writing a post like this for a while.

As you can see, I didn’t explain anything about the group or ask anyone else to report the group. I did go on Twitter and urge my friends there to report the group and some of them did. After a friend responded to my FB post, I explained why I was upset, as it pertains to disabilities. This was my reply:

Well, it has been something I’ve been thinking about saying on FB for a while. I think people with disabilities are often looked past, looked over, spoken over, deemed unfit, etc.

What those people doing this don’t realize is ALS could strike them tomorrow, MS could put them in a wheelchair, they could get in an accident at any time. Then, everyone will start doing what they did to others – ignore them, look past them, underestimate them, etc.

Honestly, the final breaking point for me was the creation of a group telling people on FB to exclude people with Down Syndrome from society. The group said to either lock them up or just kill ‘these morons’ at birth. This ignorance, that it even exists, is beyond disappointing. It’s disgusting. I’ve reported the group to FB, and so have many others. Let’s just hope FB doesn’t pull the free speech crap we often hear….

There is freedom of speech and their is hate speech. Hate speech should never be tolerated.

This turned my post about disabilities into a massive debate about free speech, and the right of the group to say what they want. My entire message of, “you reap what you sow,” and “treat others as you wish them to treat you,” was completely lost in this debate. For this blog post, that is neither here nor there. It’s merely something worth noting. What is important, is understanding why I feel there is a difference between Free Speech and Hate Speech.

Yourdictionary.com describes the legal definition of Hate Speech as:

Speech not protected by the First Amendment, because it is intended to foster hatred against individuals or groups based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference, place of national origin, or other improper classification.

Similarly, Dictionary.com defines Hate Speech as:

–noun
speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

In the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, we are guaranteed the right to Free Speech. We are also guaranteed access as Americans to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

With these definitions in mind, I feel that the aformentioned group was not created to exercise the right to free speech. If the legal definition of Hate Speech holds true, their speech is not protected by the Bill of Rights because it is not Free Speech. It is disparaging, degrading, and hateful to human beings who deserve the same rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution regardless of ability or lack thereof.

Additionally, their proposed solution for getting rid of the Down Syndrome population is to kill them all so they can no longer pass on their defective genes or go back to something outlawed against racial minorities nearly 60 years ago – separation, isolation, segregation. This goes against human beings’ with Down Syndrome’s right to Life, but also Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. There is no liberty locked away somewhere and there is no way to pursue any potential happiness these people could have if they were segregated from the mainstream population.

This goes back to the original point of my post. These hateful individuals who created this group can’t get Down Syndrome themselves, but they could have a child with it, one day. They could end up being disabled in some other way and see just how hurtful remarks can be when aimed at them. Karma is a bitch. We as humans often realize this too late in our lives.

In the end, the group was removed, though I don’t think I swayed any opinions in the debate. I leave you with these final thoughts I included on FB.

This is more than just mere ignorance. They are posting pictures of dead, mutilated babies and saying this should be all people with Downs. They are saying they’d like to physically attack (punch) people with Downs. They claim they wish to incite violence against a group of individuals with a specific disability and that goes beyond freedom of speech. You may not get it, but allowing such ignorance to congregate and spread on such a forum leads to misinformation and more ignorance….

People will disabilities are still treated like second class citizens. The disability community is, by far, the most discriminated against minority group. It’s also the biggest minority group and the only one any individual in the world can become a part of at any point in their life. The reason for this is because so many people take such a laissez faire attitude when it comes to defending the inalienable rights (to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) of people with disabilities. The right to life…not death regardless of disability. So, it’s okay to say they want to take away someone’s human right because they deem the person inferior?

You pointed out the exact problem with why Hitler was not stopped early on. The U.S. had an attitude of, “Hey it isn’t us.” So, we chose to do nothing. We only ended up getting involved because of Pearl Harbor. We had to be personally attacked before we would stand up to Hitler, and even then, it wasn’t because we actually wanted to get involved and save the Jews.

It is the strength in numbers idea. If you have one or two people who feel a certain way about an idea, they usually keep their mouths shut. Once they grow, then the ideas spread and then it inevitably leads to actions. When Hitler was beginning, not everyone believed the Jews needed to be exterminated. As the Nazi party grew, it soon became better to be a part of the party than not, and adopt such heinous beliefs….

The idea is to try to stop the violence before it begins, to educate the public about these types of groups, and to inevitably protect the minority from the majority. If we tolerate such hate groups, allowing them to spout their rhetoric, in a public forum that allows people like me to COMPLAIN and REPORT them specifically for attacking a select group of individuals, then essentially we are ignoring a problem that could grow into something much bigger.

Facebook obviously feels that certain groups of people or specific individuals should NOT be attacked in any of their forums because they have a report button option specifically for this purpose whether their terms of service espouses such notions clearly or not. It’s one thing to say you hate someone or something. It is another to talk about how you punch children with Down’s Syndrome in their faces or how you want to kill them.

I didn’t ask you or anyone else to report this group. In fact, I didn’t even include a link to said group. I think my entire point in my original post was lost. The original message I was trying to get at was that any person in this world can become disabled tomorrow. So sticks and stones. If you treat people with disabilities like crap and then you become disabled yourself, don’t be surprised when you are treated like crap, too.

Essentially, the goal is to realize that people with disabilities are no different than any other human in the most essential of ways. It is foolish to overlook someone for a wheelchair or for having a low IQ. This person may possess gifts and talents you’d only know existed had you taken the time to give said person a chance. The sad truth is, most people don’t give those with disabilities chances and miss out on the greatness these people have to offer.

I was merely pointing out that this group possesses such attitudes that seek to limit those with a specific disability. This type of ignorance spreads and is part of why people with disabilities are still treated so poorly in mainstream society. I have been educating groups of people on disabilities and all that those of us with disabilities can accomplish despite the limitations society has tried to thrust upon us since I was ten years old. Perhaps I am a bit passionate in my quest to finding a sense of equality for those of us with disabilities, but you’d be hard pressed to find any advocate who is not passionate about such a cause they believe in.

I will continue to stand up for what I believe in, even if it isn’t considered the right way to do things or too emotive. I believe this group did attack a specific group. So, I took the action FB allowed me to take against said group, by reporting them.

I leave you all with this thought:

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Hate Speech, Freedom of Speech, First Amedment, Bill of Rights, Facebook Group, Down Syndrome, Disability

As MDA cuts back offices across the nation, the amount of money that CEO, Gerald Weinberg made has increased. Yes, Gerry makes more than President Obama makes. Isn’t that great to know this is where your hard earned fundraising dollars are going?

In 2008, Charity Navigator reported him as making $402,732. That is up a few thousand dollars from the last time I reported on MDA (I believe he was making around $399K). Just to put that into perspective, that would buy at least 20 of the high tech kind of power wheelchairs I currently have. That would buy at least 400 pairs of AFOs/Leg Braces, or between 100 and 200 manual wheelchairs. Instead, it went into this greedy CEO’s pocket.

In 2009, Flint, Michigan was just one of the places that saw their MDA office close. It is not new that the economy in Mid-Michigan has been generally poor. However, records for patients are still sealed up in a Flint office. To get access to them, they must contact the Saginaw office, and arrange for the files to be accessed. I am just going to say my friend is having a LOT of trouble getting his files from this office. With nobody working in Flint, accessing these files is near impossible.

The office near and dear to my heart in Toledo, Ohio also shut down at the end of 2009. This is the MDA that diagnosed me in 1985. I was their poster child/goodwill ambassador before being the State of Ohio representative, back in the 90s. Northwest Ohio MDA was like my family. I had worked with the office staff on hundreds of fundraisers. I used to visit the office often in the summer. I saw some of them at camp and at clinic every year of my childhood.

It saddens me to think that people like Lori, who was more than a secretary for MDA, and who worked there since I was a child (I am 29, so you do the math), is now unemployed. In the meantime, the money that could play these dedicated, hard working employees is going to good ol’ Gerry and Jerry Lewis’ travel expenses.

To add insult to injury, MDA just sent out a letter (to me and those in Toledo – not sure if it was sent nationally), saying that they will no longer pay for durable medical equipment. That means no more help getting wheelchairs, braces, or other things we need for independence that insurance might not cover completely. It is a sad day in MDA history.

I am of the belief that it is only a matter of time before MDA camp gets sacked. They decided to cancel camp last year, and it seems as though it is considered an unnecessary expense. MDA seems to be going down the tubes, and though they claim to raise money to help those of us with one of the 40+ diseases covered under the “Muscular Dystrophy” umbrella, it seems they really are only helping themselves.

Technorati Tags: MDA, Muscular Dystrophy Association, spending, money, patients, durable medical equipment, CEO, Gerald Weinberg

It’s no big secret that I am in the process of working on accomplishing my dream of becoming a filmmaker. As an independent college student, I have the chance to get extra money from my school loans. Using those leftover funds, I decided to invest in my future. I bought the camera that I plan to use for a selection of internet features, short films, and even a few ideas I have for features and documentary works.

After searching for a camera within my limited price range, I discovered a Sony camera I wanted. It was pretty good for it’s price range. It was a few years old, and it had potential. So, after receiving my loan money, I looked on Amazon for my camera. I ended up discovering a higher quality Sony camera for a lower price. It had been used only once or twice by a filmmaker who had upgraded to a much bigger, more expensive system, and it offered a bunch of bonuses for buying it Like New.

Here is the camera in question:

The person selling this camera, a Sony HVR-V1U 3-CMOS 1080i Professional HDV Camcorder, was offering it with a brand new, padded carrying case, a set of mini discs for recording and, all necessary cables including Firewire. It was an amazing deal for the same price I’d pay for the lesser camera (around $2500) and I would also get a carrying case worth at least $100. I just couldn’t beat this deal.

I had not received my money when I first found this on Amazon. I kept vigil over the camera. I was on winter break and I just knew someone else was going to snatch up this camera, but no one did. Finally, when I received my money, I put it in my mother-in-law’s bank. I first sent the money from the bank account to the Paypal. Paypal said it will take up to five business days. I ended up biting my fingernails the entire time.

On day four, the transfer is rejected. Because the name on Ash’s Paypal is the name of our business, Literary Illusions, the bank refuses to transfer money there. We try to get Paypal to change the name to Ashtyn’s on the incoming transfer name, but no dice. So, we are back to square one and the camera is miraculously still on Amazon.

Next, I tried to pay directly using the bank account information on Amazon. I put in the tracking and routing numbers and the transaction appears to be completed. Amazon’s email to me says the camera has been purchased, so I am elated, finally thinking that I am going to get my camera. Boy am I wrong! I had a few thousand dollars in the bank, but nobody seemed to want to take said money from me.

A few hours later, I received an email saying the transaction didn’t go through. Mom in law called her bank and they said Amazon’s bank account service partner never even put the transaction through to the bank (which is actually a credit union, but whatever). I called Amazon and they thought I might have mis-entered the information. I tried the purchase again and it went through again, but a few hours later, I was rejected again.

I contacted the seller, to tell him how badly I wanted this camera. He didn’t have any other way to accept a payment. Unfortunately I had to figure out how to get Amazon to work or I could choose to accept that I was never gonna have the camera I wanted. I called Amazon back. They gave me the number for their banking partner. They said my only other option was to buy Amazon gift cards.

I called the bank transfer company, but because I paid online and was not asked for a check number, I became trapped in an automated system loop. I tried to call three or four times and pressed different buttons to try to get to an operator, but no dice. By now, I was miserably upset. Like a good girlfriend, Ash took action. She had me call local stores to find Amazon gift cards.

The only problem was that they only sell them in $25, $50 and $100 increments. You can add all the cards up and buy as many as you need, so we decided this was the best option. In the meantime, the camera was back up for sale and it was now priced a few hundred dollars cheaper. I was down to the wire in buying it because the seller really wanted to sell it!

I called Rite Aid, VGs (Spartan/Food Town owned), Kroger, Target, you name it. The Rite Aid around the corner had some, but not enough. The VGs had some, but not enough. Another Rite Aid a town over had some, too. Did I mention it was snowing and the roads were slick? The mother in law drove to all three of them. I added up totals and between the three stores we would have enough. I called the stores and told them to put their cards to the side and to expect Ash.

I constantly called Ash, the stores, checked Amazon, called Ash again, added up card amounts as she bought them, etc. Finally, two hours later, due to bad roads, Ash returned with 52 Amazon gift cards, mostly $50 cards. We had to put all 52 cards into Amazon one by one. Some were stubborn and the numbers were hard to read. Finally, we had entered all the redeemable gift card numbers…and I purchased the camera.

Needless to say, it was an adventure. The camera is here and I can’t wait to use it. Now, let’s hope I don’t have to do this the next time I buy a camera!

Technorati Tags: Sony HVR-V1U, Camera, Video Camera, Professional, Amazon, gift card, pay, Paypal, Adventure, money, student loans

I just want to say I regret the fact that it has been so long since I’ve posted on here. It wasn’t my intention to be such a slacker. That being said, a lot has been going on in my life.

For starters, I wrote about starting at UM-Flint. I finished my first semester with a 3.7 GPA. The sad part about this is when tallying up the work in the class I received a B+ in, I would have/should have had an A. Due to some attendance snafus caused by Your Ride, the public transport service here, I had my grade dropped, so I lost out on the possibility of a 4.0. Though my GPA was good enough, I didn’t make the Dean’s List because I only took 11 credit hours and you have to have 12. This next semester I’m taking 12 and am determined to make the Dean’s List!

Ashtyn transferred in from APU to UM-Flint. She’ll be finishing up her degree in Psychology and Anthropology and then plans to get an additional Bachelor’s in Forensics. She won’t be able to get that degree at UM-Flint though. She transferred in with a 3.9 GPA. She will be taking most of her classes at UM-Flint online so she can help me during my classes, on campus. I’m really happy for her.

AND…speaking of Ashtyn we celebrated our 7th anniversary on November 27!! Robert turned 15 on November 5. He still looks about 10 though. Braxton, meanwhile is still 5, Kevin turned 40 on November 20th and I just turned 29 yesterday! All in all, the family is doing pretty okay!

Ashtyn, Jerry (a friend from UM-Flint) and I finished casting for our upcoming internet TV show, FACESPACE. It is going to be really funny. We will begin filming in late January/early February and I am very excited to be purchasing my first professional camera with leftover loan money from this semester. I know the money could be spent elsewhere, but this is a serious investment towards my lifelong career pursuits.

In other news, we are actively looking for a new house, still in the Flint, MI area. I still want to eventually live in Connecticut, near New York, but since Ash and I are both in school here for the next few years, it’ll be nice to find a more comfortable living location. We also hope to have a van this year. We’ve had a lot of setbacks trying to get a van, but hopefully this is our chance to finally have one!

My transition is finally starting to move in the right direction and I am EXTREMELY THRILLED about this. My name change is getting finalized. I will officially be Dominick very very soon! I also am getting set up with a therapist at UM Ann Arbor that takes my insurance! Traveling to Ann Arbor with no vehicle of my own is going to be a costly endeavor, but it is going to be well worth it as I get my letter of recommendation to finally start testosterone. This is over seven years in the coming. I am so giddy at the thought of finally being on T!

Anyhow, stay tuned for more postings. I’m planning to do more video blogs, just because I won’t have a lot of time to type up full length posts, but I do plan to make this site more active. It really is a beautiful site!

Technorati Tags: Dominick Evans, FACESPACE, video, blogging, UM-Flint, acting, theater, classes, grades

A few months back, I read an article on Spinal Muscular Atrophy research. Considering I have Type III of this degenerative, progressive muscle disease, I try to keep up on all of the research news. One thing that caught my attention was a statement that one in my position doesn’t want to imagine is true, for fear of getting my hopes up only to be disappointed. This statement made the claim that a cure for SMA will come in the next five years.

All of this fear and uncertainty and hope floods through me at the thought of a cure. What does this mean for those of us with SMA? What will a cure do for us? Will it reverse the muscle weakness? Will it make our muscles stronger? Does this mean some of us will walk? What will a cure do? That uncertainty is nearly as scary of the prospect of being promised a cure that never comes.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a whiner. I don’t want to say I don’t care about being in a wheelchair, because if I had the choice of wheeling or walking, I’d choose walking. But…I have accepted my disability. I don’t believe in whining about the fact I cannot walk. What a waste of time. I have no complaints. I attempt to adapt and improvise to whatever is thrown at me.

The uncertainty is what I am the most worried about. Nobody can seem to tell me what a cure means. Does it mean I’ll be putting my life on hold to go through PT and strength training? Does it mean I can even recover any muscle strength? Some have told me I’m hopeless. At 28, I’ve had too many of the effects of SMA wear and tear on my body, and any cure is too late in the coming. Is it? Would I be better served if a cure had come a decade earlier?

I guess the scariest part is the what ifs. I’d love to see the youngest generations benefit from a cure. I’d also like to know if I should maintain hope, or if I should just give up and realize this is as good as it gets, and living an adapted life, though inconvenient, is the best way to live. Anyone have any ideas, of what a cure means for those of us with SMA? If you do, I’d love to know.

Technorati Tags: SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cure, Cure SMA, Type III, uncertainty, Muscular Dystrophy

Well, I survived my first week at college. Yes, I am BACK in college. It has come to my attention that my exit from Wright State has been heavily discussed. I’ve heard I quit. I’ve heard I was kicked out. Let me set the record straight right here and right now.

First, I was NEVER kicked out of college. I am far too civilized to do anything to warrant getting kicked out. Secondly, the implication I quit, holds the connotation I had a choice in the matter. Did I quit going to WSU? Technically, yes I did. Was I thrilled in this decision? Did I have a choice in the matter? Did I just kiss my degree goodbye with little thought to finishing? I would have to say that all of these were emphatically no.

I didn’t want to leave in my senior year, but things happen for a reason. I ended up falling out of my wheelchair for a reason. I ended up fracturing my tibia for a reason. I ended up experiencing frequent pain that eventually led to my being bed ridden on and off for several years. We are talking almost four of those of being COMPLETELY bed ridden. I was lucky enough to have a computer set up so I wasn’t completely alone in bed.

I also grew restless, and fought HARD to get out of bed. I now suffer through frequent pain while up, but I don’t care. I had to return to living, and I did just that by applying and getting accepted to the University of Michigan. I completed my FIRST week. I am no longer in bed and I WILL be finishing and getting my degree in Theatre: Performance. I will have a degree from a better, Big Ten school. That is why I believe everything happens for a reason.

I am NOT a quitter. Anyone who believes that is foolish. Anyone who attempts to speak of me or for me without knowing what is going on in my life is IGNORANT. I am proud of myself for getting through my first week of school. After all I’ve been through, it’s a huge achievement, but mostly, I’m just glad to be back.

Technorati Tags: School, University of Michigan, Dominick, Flint Campus, College, Quit, Back in School, U of M, Theatre Performance

For the past few years, I’ve done Weekly Picks throughout the NFL’s regular season. I no longer run a sports site, but I still had a lot of fun making my picks. I’ve decided to offer up my picks here on Dominick Evans Online.

This year, I am offering a prize to the person who posts their picks regularly and, by the end of the year, leads the most in picks. If there is a tie, I’ll put all the top people into a drawing to choose one winner. At this time, I’m not exactly sure what the prize will be, but I know its going to be something great.

To enter, simply respond each week to my picks with your own. Each week, we can add up our wins and losses and add the number together. The person with the most wins at the end of the season wins the prize.

Here is my list of picks for Week One:

Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh Steelers

NY Jets vs. Houston Texans: NY Jets

Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns: Minnesota Vikings

Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Denver Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers: Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints: New Orleans Saints

Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons: Miami Dolphins

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts: Jacksonville Jaguars

St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins vs. NY Giants: Washington Redskins

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: San Francisco 49ers

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers: Chicago Bears

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots New England Patriots

San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders

So, who are your picks? Feel free to leave a comment with the NFL teams you believe are going to win this week.

Technorati Tags: NFL, Football, Weekly Picks, Sports, Pittsburgh Steelers, Teams, New Orleans Saints, Professional Sports, Dallas Cowboys

I have been excruciatingly busy this week. It’s my last free week before I return to college for the first time in six years, next Tuesday. Despite that fact, my excitement level has been building up extensively for this weekend. It is the first week of NCAA Football. This is my favorite time of year. I’m a huge sports fan, but no other sport is as near and dear to my heart as NCAA Football.

It isn’t just because I love the Michigan Wolverines that I’m so excited about our first game against Western Michigan tomorrow. This is my first game as an actual Wolverine. I am, officially a U of M Wolverine. I start school Tuesday at the University of Michigan. I will be attending the Flint campus, but all that really means is I pay close to half of what I’d pay to attend in Ann Arbor, the teachers for my program are just as good, and my degree will simply say “University of Michigan” on it. I am a Wolverine even if I am not in Ann Arbor, and I am proud to be so.

Slightly off topic, I visited the University of Michigan as a freshman in High School. We were visiting colleges we hoped to one day attend. As someone in a wheelchair who received assistance for their education through the state of Ohio (where I lived) I was told I could attend a school in Ohio, but not outside the state if I wanted to receive assistance. The reason for this, I was told, was because Ohio has a wheelchair accessible school, Wright State. That pretty much threw out my fleeting dreams of attending Michigan.

When I first moved outside Flint, I didn’t really realize the U of M – Flint was officially the U of M, just a different campus. In some way, I’ve been able to make that small dream come true and am now attending the school I’ve always wanted to attend. Since I live in the area, and my tuition is cheaper at the Flint campus, it’s the perfect way for me to finally complete my Bachelor’s and attend Michigan.

Back on track, I cannot tell you how pumped I am about tomorrow’s game. I’ve been singing “The Victors” all week. I feel nervous for our guys and for the way they struggled last year, when Rich Rod was left with practically nothing from the exiting Carr program. I have confidence that Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson can help us turn the team around.

I’ll be watching with Ash and the rest of the family tomorrow rooting on our team, but despite all that, I’m also glad that I will be receiving a quality education from my favorite Big Ten school.

Let’s Go Michigan!

Technorati Tags: Michigan, Wolverines, University of Michigan, Flint, Tate Forcier, NCAA football, Denard Robinson

As you may have already noticed, I have updated the design of Dominick Evans Online. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I think it looks great. As you might have also noticed, I pretty much took off the summer. It gave me time to plan out what I want to do with Dominick Evans Online. I want to be an asset to those who read my blog, so I want to make sure I’m more engaged with all of you.

That has made me realize that I’m not exactly 100% happy with the direction this site was heading in. Sure, I like writing about my opinions. I love to share my journey as a transgendered person and discuss my views on disability rights. I enjoy sharing pictures and moments from my life. But…I want to take things a step further.

I’d like to discuss the types of projects I’m getting involved in. I am going to school for acting/performance. I want to discuss hot button issues, but do it through videos. I’d like to take you on my journey as I go back to school after six years out. That’s why I’m planning to be more proactive, and that’s why I’ve completely changed the layout for Dominick Evans Online.

I hope you enjoy the changes to this site and that you’ll keep reading as I explore new avenues through this site.

Technorati Tags: Dominick Evans, Online, Videos, Interactive, Redesign, Website

When my dad became ill that last time, at one point, he told me he didn’t want to die. By then, it was too late. There was no magic pill, surgery option, or diet he could go on that would allow him to take care of his body.

When you are young, you don’t think about your mortality, as a human. Heck, my dad wasn’t young, proving most people don’t think about it until its upon them. You should, because sometimes the inevitable is preventable.

I got a reality check this week. At my latest doctor’s appointment, my Electrocardiogram showed abnormal activity. I haven’t had an EKG for about a year, and that last time, everything looked good. As someone with a muscle disease who also has a history of heart problems in my family, I’m conscientious enough to make sure I get my heart checked regularly.

I’ve been feeling fine lately. Other than being tired from my frequent physical therapy sessions, I haven’t had much illness. Every PT session I get my Blood Pressure taken and it’s always within a very healthy and normal range. I’ve not had problems with high/bad cholesterol nor have I experienced any chest pain, so I’m somewhat confused about the lack of symptoms when it comes to this abnormality.

My doctor told me not to worry. She would be getting additional tests as a precautionary measure. She didn’t want me worrying until she was worried and at this point, she isn’t. The problem is that my heart wall has thickened. It’s assumed I have something called Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. She has to rule out other things and make sure the Left Ventricular Hypertrophy isn’t serious.

The good news is that if it is a negative form of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, its in the early stages. Also, a positive form of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy occurs naturally from working out, so I have to wonder if going from nothing to PT, which is really strenuous might be causing the irregularity. Irregardless, I’m trying not to worry, but I am also thinking long and hard about my life. Whether everything is fine or whether I have another bump in my road ahead of me, I have thought about how delicate life really is.

I have realized that I can and should make changes in my life to keep myself healthy. Saying I’ll wait until tomorrow isn’t an option because we never know if there will be a tomorrow. I’m going to take this opportunity to make sure I do have a second chance and I think everyone else reading this should consider how fragile their life is, too.

Are you doing what you want with your life? Are you keeping yourself healthy? Are you happy? Can you honestly answer all of these questions or are you dissatisfied with something in your life, because now is your time to change it.

Now is the time.

Technorati Tags: thoughts, seize the day, health, heart problem, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, awakening, wake up call