Saddle up for Kathy's independent living

Our friend Kathy Rote is in a spot of difficulty and we're asking you to join us in helping her out. For those of you who don't know, Kathy had polio as a baby in the '50s and grew up walking on leg braces and crutches, and then a motorized wheelchair. She's now 74, has osteoporosis, and her arm strength is failing due to progressive post-polio syndrome. She's been needing frequent PT and to hire aides to do what her arms can't anymore. She hopes to raise enough to cover home adaptations that will enable her to keep living independently. Designing for accessibility is what Kathy did for a living. She has the know-how and it's high time she applied that knowledge to her own place.

As incentives, Kathy is offering up a few of items to be donated to the right cause, or for sale to the right person. But we encourage you to simply give because Kathy has been such a gift to our music and disabled communities.

The first item, to be donated to Steady Strides therapeutic equine program: a beautiful saddle for paraplegic riders, given to Kathy by Dottie Edmonson (yes, Earl's mom) and valued at $2,200. It's custom made with hand grabs, welding, etc. At the bottom of the page is a statement from Kathy, but, basically, she started riding as a kid because her dad knew it was something she could do despite the polio. This saddle has allowed her to get out on the trails each week with confidence. Alas, Kathy has accepted it's time to hang up her spurs.

It's not an item that can easily be sold, and it should go where it will be well-used. This fundraiser will allow Kathy to donate the saddle to Steady Strides so another disabled person can ride. Not only does the organization serve people of all ages and abilities, the program mounts include rescue horses. The Director, Melanie, has been a great friend to Kathy, and could really use a saddle like this; it would usually be too expensive for a small organization like theirs. Kathy wants to make sure people like her get to experience riding in our beautiful Sonoran desert. Dottie would love that, too.

The second item is the perk for an $800 donation, or for sale by contacting Kathy directly: a gorgeous KAMAKA Concert Ukulele. The instrument is 23" overall length, has 12 frets to the body and 4 more on the neck bottom, and comes in the original box. This model was made in Hawaii sometime between 1969 and 1999. It's valued at $1,000–$1500. Message us for Kathy's number if you want to buy directly.

Last item, for sale by contacting Kathy directly: Blueridge BG 160 slope shoulder Dreadnaught guitar. It is a rare model, and, unlike current ones, is made with solid, aged Indian Rosewood/Sitka. It's worth $1,000. As with the uke, message us for Kathy's number so you can arrange purchase directly.

Thanks for reading. Please join Andy, me, and a whole lot of other folks in helping Kathy get 'er done!

Kathy's Statement:

When my Dad saw i couldn't keep up with the neighborhood kids he bought me a little donkey, Cindy, and worked with me until I could stay on and use Cindy's legs to keep up with the kids on foot and bikes running all around the neighborhood. I stopped being "the polio freak girl" and became friends with lots of kids who saw me differently on the back of my donkey — then pony, then horse — able to keep up with all of them. I've been a paraplegic equestrian (new, cool slang is para-equestrian) trail rider all my days. I've been involved in helping therapeutic riding programs get started, created programs that address all disabilities, and customized for different riders' special needs. Teaching others, especially kids, to sit their horse and move effortlessly, able to include themselves vs being segregated this and that for the handicapped is something I know makes such a difference in how these riders grow up, or recover from ptsd or a stroke or MS . They have a confidence and adventurous heart you don't get sitting on the sidelines. And, of course, alot of the above efforts raised funds by putting on great music events, which most of you know I love... so it's all connected.

In the past few years I've been struggling with a thing called "post-polio syndrome," a whole new steep gradient from those I've mastered as a younger person. PPS, as they call it, is considered a new disability on top of the initial polio damage, and causes the good muscles (my arms and shoulders in this case) to lose nerve messages to the strong muscles no one considered effected by the polio. My circuitry to the overdeveloped muscles that have compensated for my legs all these years is getting fainter; it is really difficult to do things I could do a year ago, so in its way, PPS is progressive. It causes extreme fatigue that stops me in my tracks, and of course muscle and joint pain galore. I've begun redoing things in my house to make tasks like bathing as risk free as possible; and by hiring a good aide twice a week to do all the stuff that tires my arms so much, I rarely sit down with my guitar anymore. Staying in my house as many years as I can, is my goal but my income doesn't allow for some of the things like the van, and I just can't get ahead of the curve money wise. Putting some of this stuff I depend on into tip top, safe and easier to use shape is what I'm focused on for now.