A Charity event my wife put together, feelgood story!

[TekHousE]

HI, this is totally non car related, but its a feelgood post.

My wife and I have been working on a charity event for the last few months. This is the background, and following that are photos from the event itself.

Heaven+Hell is a phenomenon started by a Finnish serial entrepreneur Mika Mäkeläinen. This movement has created two Heaven+Hell books each including 21 real life stories about entrepreneurialship. For each book purchased H+H will donate a book for a student. Mika's mission is get this book into the hands of 60 000 Finnish youngsters.

FightBack is a movement started by Pekka Hyysalo (www.teamfightback.com). Pekka has fought his way back to life after a huge brain injury caused by a skiing accident.
With a friend of ours Riikka Rahikainen we combined these two excellent causes and raised almost 40 000 euros from Tampere region companies and organised an awesome event where 1400 students from two high schools received Heaven+Hell books as well as the new orange FightBack beanies. Pekka Hyysalo was suprised by a flash mob done by the students and the sea of 1400 orange beanies was worth all the secrecy and planning behind Pekka's back.

The feedback has been overwhelming and we will continue our journey with these two companies and organisations.

A bit of background on Pekka:

He suffered a very serious brain injury whilst shooting a short film for freestyle skiing, where he was a champion skier.

If you are in to winter sports I URGE you to watch his mini documentary, and if you have not got one already, go BUY A HELMET!

[video=vimeo;78405837]http://vimeo.com/78405837[/video]

Biography:

Date of birth: 02.09.1990

Profession: An author / Public figure / FIGHTER

Co-operators: Völkl, Makia, dal Bello, Sweet, Dakine

Top results:

JOI 2010 participation

1st andorra total fight 2010

Afo 2007 3rd, 
Afo 2009 & 2010 4th

Andreas Håtveit B.Y.B 2010 3rd

Finnish open 2009 1st over all

2008 Ruka fabolous 2nd

Finnish championships halfpipe m16 2006 1st

Finnish champs big air m16 2006 1st

Finnish champs 2010 slopestyle 1st.

Goals: Rehabilitate my self from my injury, Fight Back and become stronger than ever! Write a best selling book.

From left to right, Mika, my wife Sari, Pekka and Riikka


Here is my wife Sari on stage:

 

[Xp29h]

Great story, great cause. Well done!

 

[OldFolksMopar]

Hey Tekhouse it looks like everyone is making this happen. Nice work to all of you. Larry

 

[conv67bdere]

Great story TEK - you're sure not the kids of today that only think of themselves - you go out to help other as well ! ! Thanks for sharing.

 

[moparjohnny]

great work tek and continue on with it.

 

[Brandy]

Hi Tek, As a Brain Injury fighter myself I must say that this story touched me very deeply. How wonderful for the students to be involved in this. They will learn an invaluable lesson in compassion and selflessness. You and your wife and Mika are angels to be helping Pekka to regain his place in life after a devastating injury. I think that you guys can safely count yourselves as being right up there with the Wounded Warrior Project here in America in helping out those who have brain injuries. Good on ya! Keep fighting Pekka! SSG Randy Bisbee US ARMY retired.

 

[dieseldazzle]

Excellent cause man thank you so much for sharing

 

[Propwash]

People helping people.........greatest thing folks can do, and only makes the world a better place. Awesome Tek. Always great to see/hear/read about good people doing good things

 

[super-bee_ski]

Thanks for posting that story Tek!
Great story...
Great wife!

 

[Car Nut]

Great story Tek, thanks for sharing.

 

[TekHousE]

Thanks guys.

Particularly for Ghostrider 67, but also everyone else too. Pekka and I have become great friends through this. I heard from someone close to him that I was one of the few people to just talk to him without taking into consideration his slow speech etc. I talk fast normally anyway, so it's hard to moderate my speech slower. But Pekka was something of a gifted student in languages before his accident. He also prefers to speak English if he can too. I have often wondered if his English is 'stored' some place else in his brain as it is NOT his mother tongue? Which makes his recall of it easier than Finnish is to him?

But that's for some Doctor boffin to wonder about.

Bottom line we get on like a house on fire, he is really quick witted, and once you know his tempo and wait for the responses without trying to jump in and finish the sentence for him he cracks you up.

He is my new little brother, even though he towers over me

 

[satman72]

Nice work there Tek. Two thumbs up, I hope it's a big success.

 

[Moparsmitty]

Great story Tek. Thanks for posting. Being there ready to help is is one of the most rewarding things that you can do in your life. Many blessings to you and your wife for becoming involved in this young mans recovery.

 

[Brandy]

Tek, yes, his English is in another" compartment" of his grey matter. I used to teach computer repair and now I just draw a blank, used to be a crewchief on a Apache gunship, knew everything about the $39 million dollar chopper. Just a blank now. But, I can remember everything I ever knew about cars. I can remember all of my world travels right up to 2006, blank after that. I used to be able to speak German, still can, stumble and mumble engrish. The last time I crashed in a chopper, 2010, is a blank, but i'm told I was unconscious for 6 hours. I can remember getting in the bird and strapping in, but that's all. It's very weird. My biggest problem I guess is that i'm unable to learn anything new. Can't remember it more than a day, some times hours. Siri has to tell me how to get home when I go for a drive. lol. Anyway, I applaud you and yours for becoming involved. I know several former friends who said to me," Well, how are YOU disabled/ You look alright."

 

[TekHousE]

Wow!

Without sounding too melodramatic mate, to me in some way what you have gone through is somehow a greater sacrifice than simply being dead. I'm not trying to to play down those that have laid their lives down in the past. But you and your family experience and deal with your disability daily. I respect your effort mate.

 

[Brandy]

Tek, that means a lot mate. I am not an invalid but i'm also not the old me either. I enjoy life as I experience it, or I guess, MY reality. Whatever I have is better than not having it at all. That's my story and i'm sticking to it! Really though, I am just thankful to be here and to be able to walk and talk and be useful to my family. What more does anyone need?

 

[roadrunnerman]

My RESPECT and admiration goes out to you TEK and your wife for what you have done with this event. And also to Ghostrider 67 for what you've been thru and not let it slow you down.

 

[Brandy]

Thanks Roadrunner. I feel like I might have hijacked this thread, and if so I apologize. This is about Tek and his family helping out a friend and I wish them the best of luck.

 

[Budnicks]

good story & honorable cause,
we still have some great caring people out there...

make sure to thank your wife for me too...

 

[TekHousE]

Pekka was just at a TedX conference here in Finland. He spoke in English as the key note speaker for this event.

Now Sari and I are on our way to Australia to organize something awesome for him and his Fightback organization...

[video=youtube;7ZkNABCyMYk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkNABCyMYk[/video]