Happy Holiday Wishes...

To our friends,

visitors

and community members

For years you have shown us
understanding, help, support and respect…

You have posted your prayers,

your wishes and hopes...

You have followed Charbel's gigantic and

astonishing progress...

Your encouragements and

positive comments

pushed us even further in our

tentative ways - and our determination-

to improve!

It all combined and culminated
on Nov 20th, at the Olympic Torch Relay,

when Charbel got the honor to carry the Torch,

and by your enthusiastic presence,

your comments and the ongoing encouragement that never faded!

You have made us feel special, loved, cared for and honored
to be Canadian and to be part of this fantastic community...

As we thank you all for making us feel so proud,

we extend our
best wishes for a Merry Christmas

and a Happy and safe New Year…

The Rouhana Family.

Dorcas, you are awsome!

Since there is a tremendous amount of videos and pics,
please follow this link to see a lot more:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelra/Torch2?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHX-o_u4KXCTg#

For Dorcas Requests!!

"It is my day! I am going to be a celebrity!'


Pass it on...




The flame still burning inside!




Fired up!



Let them gather around me...

Oh, Megan!!!

Accident victim gets Olympic moment
Former athlete thrilled to carry torch
By GLEN PARKER (From the Chronicle Herald)
Sat. Nov 21 - 4:46 AM




Dreams do come true.

Charbel Rouhana, 24, once imagined competing in the Olympic Games as a wrestler.

A car accident in September 2005 ended that ambition.
But his dream of being a part of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver became a reality Friday when Mr. Rouhana triumphantly carried the Olympic torch into his hometown of Windsor.
Surrounded by former King’s-Edgehill School classmates, teachers, family, friends and supporters, the rugged former wrestling and rugby star was visibly elated by the special opportunity to participate in the torch relay.


"This is the best day of my life. I love you all," he yelled out to the crowd.
Left in a coma after the accident, family and friends never left his side. Mr. Rouhana’s father, Chaker, and mother, Norma, worked tirelessly with their son, and the
family was rewarded in December 2006 when he came out of the coma.


His King’s-Edgehill coach, Kim Walsh, was on hand Friday to cheer on his former star athlete.
"Charbel was one of the best athletes our school has ever had. He wrestled at the national level and was recruited by Simon Fraser University. He made an amazing recovery after the accident," Mr. Walsh said.
"Our entire school will be out supporting Charbel and Mallory Sanford, our other torch runner."

Now able to get around with the help of a wheelchair, Mr. Rouhana delivered a short and poig- nant message to the crowd gathered for the relay Friday morning.
"You only have one life. Live it to the fullest," he said.

The Flame within!

It came! It went!

But memories will live for ever!

When Charb woke up in the morning of Nov 20th,

he said to mom:

Do not tell me what to do, today!

Today is my day, and I am going to be a celebrity!"

And he was!

Ctv News, the Chronicle, the Hants Journal!

And for sure all the friends who came from all over the places!

We thank all of them, and all who could not attend physically

but were with us by heart and thoughts!

Everything was for a success:

the weather was gorgeous,

the Olympic team amazingly cooperative and helpful,

the crowed cheerful!

In brief: The best Day of His Life!

The Olympic Torch is coming to Windsor!

To all of you, friends, I like to announce an exciting news:
I have got the honor of carrying the Olympic Torch!
Here is the e-mail I received:

CONGRATULATIONS Charbel, On behalf of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada, we're pleased to confirm you are one of 12,000 Olympic Torchbearers who will soon hold history in your hands when you carry the Olympic Flame in the Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay. Your story will help create our path of northern lights along the 45,000 kilometre journey of the Olympic Flame.

Date:
November 20, 2009
Your meeting time:
9:00 AM AST
Your meeting place location:
Exhibition Park/Arena (221-239 Wentworth Road, Windsor, NS, B0N 2T0)
THE DETAILS OF YOUR RELAY SEGMENT
Community:
Windsor
You will be carrying the Olympic Flame for a distance of approximately 300 metres. Your segment details are:
Starting along: Exhibition Park Parking Lot
From: Exhibition Park and Arena
To: Centennial Drive
On: Wentworth Road
Approximate time of your segment:
10:02 AM AST
Your torchbearer number is:
OTR022-048

The honor of your presence at that time will be
much appreciated! See you there!

A busier summer!

From playing games,
to helping with dishes...

From fighting with Ed, the pepperoni guy,
to walking the ramp downhill- and even uphill!-

To riding the Envoy without

wheelchair!

...and going places!

Getting up and... swimming!

Charb got to Windsor pool before the
lift was installed: going in with his wheelchair!



With Krista helping, he familiarised
quickly with the team at the pool...

Taking advantage of Ellen's visit,

we walked few steps...

And Mom took over in the store,
asking Charb to "show off!"!

More on the right track!

June was a smooth transition to previous months,
where Charb just continued to show
a bit of improvement,
especially in standing and stepping
(while assisted)...





At the cottage, he had to go to the 2d floor,
and he pushed himself backward on the steps!
A first since the accident!






He was OK on the couch for 3 hours,
walked back to the steps,
and, using his strong hands
and not as strong feet,
went down forward this time!
No damages reported!


Everyone was clapping and all happy
to have him come to us
instead of us accommodating to him!

In another occasion, Charb helped me
by wrapping hotdogs...



He did a very good job ...
till we took his picture!
He declared: I'm quitting now!

and he did!

Bravo Charb!

May 2009 Breakthrough

First, we say "Thank You!" to Dorkas!
...And "a late" Happy Birthday!
We will have a big celebration this summer!

Back to Charb, here he is! In his van, and no wheelchair!
It is the first time in three and a half years!






Thanks to Wanda's dedication and hard work,
the efforts paid off! With Justin's help, she
was able to move Charb in the passenger seat!



"I wanna be driving", he said!
Hopefully soon!




"OK, let's go!"


Justin took him for a spin around town...

and ended at the beach!

Charbel Rouhana - Guest Book Archive

Charbel Rouhana - Guest Book Archive

Dare challenge him!

Responding to challenge!

The good thing about Charb being in the store is meeting with people!

He gets inspired!

He gets fired up! He gets moving!

Normally he says NO to any invitation to

work out, stand up, lift weights...

unless, as he says, you bribe him by food... or audience!

With people in the store, all you

have to do is say:

" Charb, they don't believe you can do it!"

He looks up at them and asks: "Do you want to see it?"

...The pics tell the story!

Thanks Shawn and Martina!

Back to Acadia swimming!

It is kind of unreal

to put another update so quickly!

We have too much to show

at once, and nothing for a while!

But I thought it will be

interesting to show the improvements

Charb is making now,

after his injury had healed!

NB: Check the photo album, too!

Happy Easter!

Hoping you all had a Great Easter!


Getting ready for Easter Bunny did not stop Charb
from exercising really hard!
He started to lift himself off the chair,



making it easier to move him around,

sit him on the sofa,


stand him by the sink
to do the dishes... ( Norma said I wish!)



or grab the walker trying to take a step...

Be ready for another visit from Ed....

and WALK two tiny steps!

A lesson in Marshal Arts!

Passionate about Bodybuilding since young age,

working intesively to be himself "a lean fighting machine",

Charb is always fascinated by fit, strong, muscular people!

He loves Marshall Arts and Ed is his "above all fighter",

"absolutly phenominal"!

They met in the store long before the accident, and now

whenever Ed can spare sometime he visits Charb, inspires him,

" fires him up!" as Charb likes to say!

Our sincere thanks, Ed!

We wish you had more time, like every day sort of,

and Charb will soon be back on his feet,

"lean, mean, fighting machine!"

Almost 2 months went by without a real update!
And yet so many things did happen!
But that is the story of our life, isn't it?
To wonder where the days, weeks, months all go
so fast! Very seldom we grab the present moment with two hands
and take advantage of every second! The rest of the time we cry
the time gone by, and project ourselves in the future!

Do I have an excuse now?
According to Charb, no, not at all!
"But Charb, you promised to start writing your own journal,
updating your own blog by yourself!
_ No, sorry man, I never did!"

I will be working on that part next few weeks,
since Charb is coming almost daily to the store!

He still spends some nights upstairs, some others
in his apartment next door, and enough hours in the store.
He loves coming there to meet customer and interact
with them... The few he still remember from before,
he talks to them for long periods and does not want
them to leave!
You hear them laughing to his sharp
remarks and lightning answers!
"God, he is getting so sharp!"

Sharp, he is!
I should sometime soon write few of his
funniest sayings!

So now, and after a long setback, we are trying again

to have the feet and legs moving! He lost a lot of strength

after the operation and the recovery period ( from Nov08

till the end of January 09).

Again we are dedicated to push him as hard

and as consistently as we can!

We know he will make it!

Charb showing Graham what he is up to!


" Charb, lets stand up, now
- Wait till a customer shows up!"
When he does and you ask him to stand again,
he wants to wait to show another customer!
"Preferably a girl" he says!


Charb is back swimming at
Acadia, thanks to Blair and Rhys
who help him swim
and walk in the pool, and to Justin
driving him back and forth!




Charb's 2 "heroes" visiting & helping him stand tall!

NOTE:
A million thanks to all of you who still check the blog
and write a note in the guestbook! I wish you leave
your email address so we can write back!
Special thanks to Dorcas! Yes, we will be waiting to
see you this summer!
And to Maggie Jacklone! We love to write back but we
have no address!

February went by too quickly, with all the bad weather,
and Charb was stuck upstairs for most of the time.
"Stuck" may not be the word because
he was happy with people around him,
catering to all his needs 24/7...

He made couple appearances in the store
and was delighted to meet with customers and friends.

But sadly, his grandparents did leave to Calgary,
which created an emptiness in his long days!
They were around for hours and hours
talking to him, pushing him to get better,
promising him trips to everywhere,
and talking on the phone to people in
the four corners of the Globe!


And most of all,
gramma was cooking all the good stuff!
Oh! Yummy!
Especially her rice pudding, the Lebanese way,
something to die for! and Charb would push himself
to the extreme to get " just one more spoon of it!"


Charb trying to stand up with Norma's help
and Grandparents encouragement!

Real world and fake one..

Charb is still living ( home)
in the apartment upstairs!
He is comfortable, and every one
is... Nice to be altogether under the
same roof!
Grandparents still here, and they are
spoiling him rotten!
But that is what Grandparents are for!

I wanted to post some photos from the olden
days, and some new ones; some in the
long road to recovery ( the stage at
which he is now);
and what triggered that was his defensive
even aggressive stance of dividing his life
not as BEFORE and AFTER,
but as Real World -before_
and Fake World- now-
where everything
and everybody
is a mere copy, a clone, of the real...

We try different approaches to the subject,
but he gets so angry, so agitated, so aggressive
we decided not to contradict him anymore.

Here are some of his own words:

There are more than 2 planet earth.
This is not the real one.
I know it's not.

Nothing is the same as my old planet.
I mean it, NOTHING.
-Do you think you have changed
because of your brain injury,
and the planet has stayed the same?

- You are dead wrong, Chicky-pee! (Laugh)
I can't wait to prove you wrong.

- How are you going to prove it to me?
- By bringing you into the real planet.
It's real. I'm telling you the truth.
If you care for me, you will listen.

-I do care, that is why I talk about the truth.
_ When it comes down to it, honey,
it ain't the truth!
Put it in your thick head:
You are a clone! Every thing is a clone.



_ What happens in the other world?
_ Things are funnier in a different way.
I feel more joy in the other world
because I know the people are real.


_So I am not real right now!what am I than?
- A fake human.A copy of the real one.

_ So everything before the accident is real
and everything after is fake?

_ Yes .
I have heard enough out of you!
I know you don't believe me,
but what I say is the truth!
Every thing is fake here.
Mom & dad are copies, clones.
They don't know that but I know.
...My real parents live in a different planet!

Check the Photo album for some new pics....

Happy New Year!

Little late to post our best wishes to all,
engulfed as we were in bad weather...
and other activities! Better late than never,
they say!

Since he came "HOME" to the
upstairs apartment,
he was ".. so happy!"










Few friends visited him, and that
made his day!











...Than there was a party!
Thanks to our friends who came to play
and sing, Charb had a great fun!

Happy New Year!

Here are few shots from that evening!