Vegas Bound

After we arrived in Arizona we discussed where we would head in the spring.  It appeared we were going to head toward Georgia.  However after researching spring weather in western Texas, we decided to head north instead. This worked out rather well. Our friends Al and Robin talked about attending the National Ataxia Foundation Conference in Las Vegas in March. After hearing this, Colleen decided that she would like to attend. More on this later.

We stayed at an RV park only a few miles from the strip. This was the first trip for either of us to Vegas so we really did not know what to expect. One of the first days there, Colleen mentioned she wanted to go to the Bellagio to see a botanical display they had going on. So we headed to the strip. It was a beautiful evening. There was a Chinese theme. Some of the arrangements were simply incredible. Although it was nice to observe the beauty of the arrangements, I started feeling a bit uneasy for some reason. We decided to take a walk outside and watch the fountain show. That is quite a spectacle to see, however my anxiety began to grow. This is something I had never experienced before. It reached a point where I told Colleen we had to leave. As we drove away from the strip, my anxiety ceased. Of course this got my mind thinking on what could have caused it. The mass of people? I didn’t think this was the case since I spent a lot of time in many metro areas in my previous career. After talking with some locals they shared that they have experienced this as well. Their take on it was I had an energy clash with what is found on the strip. This certainly could be the case. That is really not our scene today.

What is our scene is what we found not far from the lights. My nephew Joe who went to school at UNLV suggested that we might like some of the natural areas outside of Vegas. So we ventured out to Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam. Red Rock Canyon was a beautiful natural area with Hoover Dam being an incredible engineering marvel. We also had the pleasure of driving by the Lake Meade area on our way to Hoover Dam. If we make it back to this area, we will look at exploring these areas a bit more.

Colleen had attended Ataxia conferences before, but this was my first. While Colleen was able to reconnect with friends, this gave me the opportunity to meet with other caregivers in a workshop designed specifically for us. I found this to be very therapeutic. There was a Neurologist that pretty much conducted the meeting. He really helped us understand what is exactly happening from a medical perspective. People shared their experience and some challenges they and their loved ones face. There was a lot of talk of working toward a cure and pharmaceuticals that are available. We believe this is very important, however in our case a medical solution is not effective or possible at this stage. The answer for us to live a joyous life lies in the spiritual realm. During our workshop people were not sharing this aspect of their lives. Toward the end of the session I shared our experience and the journey we are on. It was received well and the room responded with applause. Along our journey this has been a common reaction. We believe it hits home with people. They may not be facing the same challenges as us, but they are facing challenges all the same. Our story appears to offer hope. If we can offer that, we believe our mission is being fulfilled.