When Life Hands you a Lemon,
Make Lemonade and Start Walking!
Let me start by saying that Cheri and I would like to thank you for your business, referrals and years of continued support.
In a time when email is the chosen method of communication, a personal touch is lacking. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and my wife on a personal level and share with you a very special event that is soon to take place in our lives and the story behind it.
The story begins with somthing that happened to me 20 years ago that profoundly changed my life in the blink of an eye.
The Lemon
I was a passenger in an automobile that was run over by a fire truck. I laid in a coma for two weeks – my prognosis was bleak. Doctors offered a small chance of survival, much less the hopes of ever walking again.
After I regained consciousness the Doctors wanted to amputate one of my legs, as it was severely crushed in the accident. I was 32 years old at the time of the accident and I was told I may never walk again.
Just prior to the accident, I had completed the Honolulu Marathon more or less than a year before. I knew that if I could accomplish that grueling feat through shear will power, I could will myself to survive & walk again. I refused to belive that losing my leg was the solution or the diagnosis that I would never walk again was true.
After spending 3 ½ months in the hospital, I left in a wheel chair. Accepting that my life had changed in many ways, I was determined to walk and to make this experience positive in some way.
Making Lemonade
After years of physical therapy and many, many hours in the gym I started to walk and ultimately run.
Around this time the 1996 Summer Olympics was coming to Atlanta, Georgia. Coca Cola sponsored a Torch Relay across the country choosing community hero’s as torch bearers. The participants were chosen by people who felt they had a hero in their lives or knew someone who had contributed to their community.
My wife Cheri wrote and submitted the story of my accident and my efforts to regain my physical abilities and to overcome the challenges that had been set in my way.
Amazingly, I was chosen as one of San Diego’s Community Hero’s to carry the Olympic torch and pass the flame.
This was a tremendous honor for me as well as a celebration for my family, friends and the skilled medical providers who supported and believed that I would and could run again
Have Lemonade Will Walk Celebration
To celebrate my 20th anniversary of walking, and to mark this occasion in a positive way, my wife and I will be embarking on a 10 day hike in the Himalayas followed by scuba diving in the Maldives and a visit to the Taj Mahal
Both Cheri & myself would love to share our gift of walking adventure with you. As such, at points during our adventure we will be posting in photo’s and reviews of our experience’s on our new blog “Talken Timeshares” . (Incidentally, we will be staying in a Hilton Resort in the Maldives, stay posted for a review).
With Warmest Regards
Syed & Cheri
Note to our valued clients & friends
Know that even during our celebration trip, we have made sure that you will receive the level of service that you have come to expect from us at Advantage Vacation so, please continue to send in your questions or inquiries while we are away. Our office staff will make every effort to assist you with your timeshare questions, sales or purchases.
