Carlo Magno's Blog

The MS Express is headed home... 10/13/2006 - We've turned around and started back. We left Minneapolis this morning. I've been unable to get the insurance coverage I need to have a medical procedure done. My being able to continue the trip was contingent on having that procedure done in Chicago. I can't get a doctor to handle that. The wheelchair lift quit working again and the closest place that can service this thing is in Rapid City, South Dakota. We're going to see if they can't fix it for us. The weather has been kind of neat and exciting. It is snowing sideways. I guess there are some pretty heavy winter patterns developing in this neck of the woods. It is kind of unusual for this type of year. We had a great meeting yesterday from MS World, and loved seeing my son. We're heading home now. I'll see you guys in about a week or so.

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Let it Snow! 10/11/2006 - Well hi, everybody. Greetings from Carlo, Katie and Jerry aka Binky the Clown. We woke up this morning to snow flurries, and it has continued to flurry all day. The weather has taken on a brisk turn, and it is really nice late fall-early winter weather here in St. Paul, Minnesota. My son came over to visit today after his last class for the semester, and he is shortly due to go to Asia for the last semester of his senior year at school. It was very nice to see him. We went out to dinner and all had a wonderful time. We called Mr. Anderson from MS World today and made arrangements to stop and talk to him while we are in the area. We are really looking forward to that. Happy birthday wishes go out to Sharon Mason whose birthday is Thursday. Happy Birthday, Hugger Bear! More updates as they happen. We'll talk to you later.

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Look out Minnesota, here we come! 10/10/2006 - Hi, everybody. Greetings from Carlo, Katie and Binky, too. We're in Minnesota. We're getting close to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the trip is going well. Binky the Clown is driving almost steadily now. He is adding a very happy and light note to the trip. Grown-ups and children alike are reacting positively, and he's having fun all along the way. Katie and I are feeling fine. I want to take the time right now to mention that two of my favorite groupies, Sharon and Ginger, aren't feeling well these days. I went to send out my thoughts to them and let them know I am keeping them in my prayers. We'll check in with you again a little bit later on. This is Carlo, Katie and Jerry signing out for the time being. Bye-bye.

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Glorious Black Hills Mountains 10/09/2006 - Greetings everybody from Carlo, Katie and Jerry, aka Binky the Clown! We just spent the last three days in the glorious Black Hills Mountains at Crazy Horse Monument and Mt. Rushmore. They are fantastic, gorgeous and handicapped accessible. We did a complete study by talking to officials there on the handicapped accessibility of the attractions. We hope to report more on that to the Barrier Busters Committee in Anacortes soon. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and for checking in with us. Things are going well. Jerry continues to drive the RV as Binky the Clown, and it is wonderful. People honk as they pass by, and he makes balloon animals for kids in the stores. It has added so much levity to the trip this time around. Carlo and Katie and I are doing great, and everything is going smoothly. We're headed now to Minneapolis-St. Paul where I am going to see my son. We'll check in again soon. Bye for now!

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Driving Miss Katie 10/06/2006 - Greetings, everybody. Katie, Jerry and I are doing great today. We just finished up some business in Billings, Montana, and we're now headed to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse statue. Everything is super. Binky is driving today in the clown make-up, and you should see the heads snap of the truck drivers as they go by. It's a hoot! We'll give you guys an update when we get to the Black Hills. We're moving along really quick. All the business we have to do is going great, and we'll be calling in with more updates. Thanks again for your prayers, support and donations. This is Carlo signing out for now. You take care, and God bless!

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Jumping Jack Flash 10/04/2006 - Hello, everybody. Greetings from Katie, Carlo and Jerry. We are here in Missoula, Montana finishing up our business. We met with the mayor earlier this week. Everything went wonderfully. He had several people on different committees here having to deal with ADA handicapped accessibility issues. They were very helpful and gave us lots of information to bring back to Anacortes. We've been given tickets to see the Rolling Stones tonight by KGVO Clear Channel Radio.Jerry and I are looking forward to that. From here, we'll go on to Billings, Montana and then to Minneapolis-St. Paul where we hope to hook up with my son before he goes to Asia. We're having a great time. Everybody is happy and well, and a lot less stressed than the last trip out. We'll keep updates coming your way. Carlo and Katie out for now. Keep looking for more blogs later on. Thanks very much for your support and prayers, and I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye!

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On the road again... 10/02/2006 - Hi, everybody. This is Carlo, Katie and Jerry aka Binky the Clown. We made it to Missoula, Montana OK, and we met with Mayor Engen and a few other folks on the staff today, and it was a real great meeting. We are trying to plug in with some of the media here to see if we can't catch lightning in a bottle twice. We are looking forward to being successful on this trip. We hope everything goes that way. Keep us in your prayers, and we'll check back in with you soon.

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The Day We've Been Waiting For! 09/15/2006 9:25 p.m. - Hello, everybody. Today was the day Katie and I have been waiting for. We got the word from Dr. Gordon today that we're OK to go and to finish our mission. He just had a couple of cautions for me for the trip. Other than that, I'm completely healed from this summer's misadventure in Missoula, Montana.

While waiting, Binky, Katie and I have been busy getting things ready for our second assault on the mountain. This coming week will be spent finishing up last minute details that we couldn't finish before today's word. First, we'll be going to Missoula, Montana to meet with Mayor John Engen on the 28th and then on to Minneapolis-St. Paul, followed by a trip to Chicago. Many thanks to all those who have steadfastly supported us and kept the faith all along. That's about all for now. More to come later. Have a great weekend. Carlo and Katie out.

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Returning to the road... 08/30/2006 5:00 p.m. - Hi, everybody. Greetings from Katie and Carlo. I want to thank everybody for all your cards, letters and good wishes as I have gotten better in the last month or so. I plan on returning to the road by the end of September, providing I get the OK from my doctor on September 15. We have a new person to go on the road with us, my friend Jerry Caldwell aka Binky, the World Famous Clown. We look forward to hitting the road again and getting back to the trip. Once again, thanks for your good wishes and stay tuned for more details as we get closer to getting back on the road! Talk to you soon.

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Things are looking up... 08/03/2006 7:36 p.m. - Hey, everybody. Greetings from Carlo and Katie. We're just coming out of the other end of the cannoli, and things are looking up. My kidney infection is under good control and a few other medical considerations are being worked on by Dr. Borden and myself. I assure each and every one of you that I am considering not only my health but Katie's too, in starting up again. We thank you for your support. We are working on getting stronger, and we look forward to restarting the MS Express around the first of September. Once again, thank you so much for all of your letters and prayers. God bless you. This is Carlo and Katie signing out. Good night!

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Back Home For Now... 07/25/2006 11:21 PM - Hi, everybody. We got home from Missoula on Sunday. We slept all day Monday, and I went to the doctor earlier today. The doctor explained to me all that went on with my body over the last few weeks and why I had lost so much blood. After a few weeks of rest, I'll go back to see him and he will either clear me to go back on the trip or he won't. For now, Katie and I are taking it easy and catching up on our rest. We are back in our own beds, and they have never felt so good. I'll keep you posted. Carlo and Katie signing off for now.

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Carlo Discharged from Hospital 07/21/2006 1:30 PM - Hi, everyone. Carlo was discharged from the hospital this morning. They were able to get the bleeding stopped and he's feeling better. His wife Angela and friend Joe will be driving him back to Anacortes where he meets with his doctor first thing Monday morning. As for the MS Express, we do not yet know its fate. The important thing is that Carlo is feeling better and will get the care he needs. As soon as we know more, we'll post it on the Web site. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. They are working!

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Carlo Still Hospitalized 07/20/2006 9:00 PM - Hello everyone. Today is Thursday, July 20 and Carlo is still hospitalized. Yesterday he received several units of blood. He is bleeding internally and while the bleeding has slowed, it has not stopped, nor have doctors been able to identify the cause yet. It is possible Carlo will need surgery, but that has not yet been determined. Carlo’s wife Angela and family friend Joe are flying to Missoula tonight to be with Carlo. Understandably, Carlo is disappointed that his trip has been put on hold and will probably have to be canceled. Carlo truly wants the MS Express to go on, but his body isn’t allowing it to right now. He feels like he is disappointing his supporters, but he also knows that we want him to take care of himself and to get well. His health is #1. We’ll update you as new information becomes available. In the meantime, please keep Carlo in your thoughts and prayers. He needs our love and support right now.

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Television and radio interviews yesterday 07/14/2006 7:10 PM - Hi everybody. This is Carlo and Katie again from Missoula, MT. Things are going pretty well over here. We had television and radio interviews yesterday, and people are recognizing Katie all over town. We are looking forward to getting back on the road and taking care of the rest of our business and heading east. Next week we’ll be going to Helena. After that we’ll go to Bozeman, Great Falls, and Billings.

From there, we go to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally the first week of August. Everything is looking up. My health is doing pretty good. The only residual feeling that I’m dealing with is the trigeminal neuralgia which, I think, is stress related more than anything else right now. I sure do miss you guys and wish that my computer was working better so I could answer your e-mails and stay in touch with you all. Give me a call after 9 p.m. on my cell phone, and I can talk to you then. Keep us in your prayers and your thoughts. Katie and I are thinking about you guys, and we’re feeling your love and your support. That’s all for today. We’ll check in again tomorrow. Happy day and take care!

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A great day in Missoula 07/13/2006 12:02 AM - Hello everybody. We’re here in western Montana. It’s been a great day. I’m feeling quite a bit better. I’ve had an entire day without any trigeminal neuralgia seizures or pain. Katie’s doing well today, too, having a lot of fun. An article came out today in The Missoulian featuring a very nice picture of the MS Express and what we’re doing while we’re here. The community seems very supportive, and we’ll be doing some fundraising while we’re here. I think things are going to plug in just great. We met with Clear Channel today to map out our advertising campaign. They are very excited to help in any way they can. Tomorrow we are starting out the day with a couple of radio interviews. Good news on Blu – the electrician said she’s coming along just fine and will be taking us around shortly. I sure love and miss you guys, and I’m thinking of you. That’s all for now. We’ll check in again with you tomorrow. Bye-bye!

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I’m in Missoula, Montana 07/12/2006 9:15 PM - Hi, everybody. I’m in Missoula, Montana and I never thought that I’d get here. It’s been a long, hard road. I know that I haven’t blogged in a little while. I haven’t been feeling well. It’s been a bit of a struggle. I’m having a Multiple Sclerosis exacerbation going on. I’ve been suffering from edema, trigeminal neuralgia, and a pretty acute case of incontinence, and I do not recommend adult diapers to anyone if you can get away it. Things are starting to go a lot better. I went into the hospital for a little bit of a check up and treatment here about a week or so ago, and I’ve been trying to take pretty good care better of myself and eliminate some of the stress. Katie is feeling well. She had to go to the doctor, too, when we first got here. They suggested having her lose a quick 5 to 7 pounds, and we’ve been working on that. She sure loves being here in cattle country. You can tell that she’s a working dog. She sure takes off after the horses and cows whenever she gets a chance. Blu went into the shop for some minor repairs. She had some shorts and a couple of odd things that needed to be taking care of, and I wasn’t feeling up to doing it myself. We plan on being here for a few weeks while we visit the rest of the cities that need to be visited while here in Montana. It sure is nice to be back in Montana. It’s grown an awful lot in the last 20 years. I know where I am, but I don’t recognize a darn thing. It is good to see some old faces and some old friends. Today we had an interview with a reporter from The Missoulian. The story will appear in tomorrow’s edition. Also, tomorrow I will be going to a meeting with the production staff of Clear Channel radio to do some advertising for the MS Express. I promise to stay in better touch now that I’m feeling better, and I’m anxious to start working the project. Thank you for sticking with us and for all of your prayers. They haven’t been lost on Katie and me. We’re doing much better! Take care, Carlo and Katie

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Ovando, MT 07/04/2006 1:40 PM - Tuesday Dan and I went to Ovando, MT… home of Trixie’s Tavern and the Blackfoot Commercial Company. We participated in the Fourth of July parade - one of the nicest little parades I’ve ever seen. It was small in this town that 50 people (and 100 dogs) call home, but it was fun and the kids loved the Help Kick MS bracelets that we passed out. Also, one of the town’s residents gave us $100 – an unexpected, but welcome donation. They people couldn’t have been nicer. It was one of the nicest Fourth of July celebrations I can remember. Over and out for now — Carlo and Katie.

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Missoula Again 07/02/2006 1:40 PM - This is Carlo and Katie’s blog for July 2. Hello everybody. We’re in Missoula, Montana right now, and it’s hotter than a pistol. I wish I could say that everything is going really, really good but I’ve started to have some health problems – edema in my feet, trigeminal neuralgia, etc. We’ve been looking for shade. The Wal-Mart parking lots don’t provide a whole lot. I’m trying to get some rest so I can get ready and get to the parade on July 4. I wish I was feeling better, and I know that I will be, but I need a couple of days rest. This is Carlo signing off for now. I’ll talk will y’all later. Bye bye!

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Missoula, MT 06/30/2006 10:26 AM - Hi everybody. This is Carlo and Katie from Missoula, MT. We had a pretty big day yesterday at the Wal-Mart in Ponderay (Idaho) - very nice people - we drove straight through afterwards today to Missoula, MT. We’re very happy to be here, but it’s bittersweet. We had to take Katie to the vet this morning. She’s having problems with her one good hind leg, so we had to take her in and get her all checked out. Hopefully, she’ll be all right. He gave me some real good advice for her which was to lose some weight. (LOL) She’s about 5 pounds overweight for a dog with one hind leg. So Katie’s going on a diet. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, Saturday, the 1st when we’ll be at the brand new Wal-Mart Superstore in Missoula, MT and boy is she a beaut! We’re getting ready for a nice 4th of July and really looking forward to spending Tuesday in Ovando, MT. OK, we’re going to hit the sack tonight. We’ll talk to you again real soon. Carlo and Katie

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Sandpoint, Idaho 06/28/2006 10:27 AM - Hey, everybody. This is Katie and Carlo in Sandpoint, Idaho. We’re having a great time. We picked up Andy Ward who is going with us. My friend Andy has Lou Gehrig’s disease. Everybody is doing great. It is hotter than a pistol, but we are tolerating each other in the heat. I sure wish it would cool down though. We expect to be in Missoula, MT at the Wal-Mart at this Saturday. We’ve been staying in Wal-Mart parking lots along our route. There’s an interesting little life that happens at night from campers all over the world. We meet all kinds of people that have heard or read about us. They know who we are and we don’t even have to solicit money. They give us a couple of dollars and say, “It’s not much but we hope it helps.” It’s an interesting slice of life here. On Saturday, we’re headed to Missoula, Montana where we’ll be spending a couple of weeks. Carlo and Katie signing off for now! Stay cool, everyone.

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