On May 9th I visited Triangle Inc. in Malden, MA. Triangle is a non-profit corporation that empowers and educates people with disabilities from youth to adulthood to be productive members of society and have a great quality of life. I was given a tour of the whole facility. There are different areas that I saw that work together to make Triangle a great organization.

Impact is a program that provides hands-on personal safety training.

Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC) prepares young people with disabilities to be actively engaged community leaders through education, leadership development and community service.

Ablevision is Triangle's national award-winning television and media program created and produced entirely by people with disabilities.

I also toured and met people at their Fulfillment Center. That is where employees create, assemble and package products for 60 American companies from Bed Bath & Beyond to Marshalls.

My tour ended with a television interview with Ablevision. They are putting a story together about me, my reign as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts, and my singing and songwriting career in OLYPSYS, my band.

Speaking of the band,  I will periodically give updates of what's going on because as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012 I want to encourage people with disabilities to use their creativity and pursue their dreams. We just finished recording our first CD! It takes approximately 8 hours to record one song and it is amazing how a producer can take a song and make it into something that you hear on the radio! I am so thankful that my mother and father gave me piano lessons at age 6 because they thought it would be therapy to keep my hands moving. It was and it has turned into so much more throughout the course of my lifetime.

Yesterday I made an appearance at the Families of SMA Walk and Roll at Wompatuck State Park, Hingham Massachusetts. I was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 2. Information about my disability was scarce when I was a child but my parents persevered and found creative ways to keep me healthy and active. There were 700 people at the fundraiser and, as I was getting out of my van, I heard them announce, "Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012 has just arrived! Let's give her a round of applause!" That was pretty exciting, I must admit. I took pictures with some of the children and others. I provided toy crowns for the girls so they could be Princess for the day.

I spoke to a lot of parents with disabled children. I always make it a point to say my age, 52, because lifespan is always a concern to parents and young adults with SMA. I have never been a believer of statistics; I share my experiences with others with SMA so that they will live as full a life as possible while maintaining their health and well-being I try not to succumb to the fears and limitations some medical professionals may put upon me.

They have made more medical advances in present years. What amazes me is that the couple who started this Walk and Roll lost two young children to SMA over 12 years ago. They have been hosting this fundraising event for 12 years and last year alone raised $125,000. We are very close to a treatment; clinical trials in humans has just begun! I had the privilege of speaking with one of the scientists involved and I am planning to take a tour of the Woods Hole facility which is one of the places where they are making medical breakthroughs.

You can see more pictures of these wonderful events on my Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairMassachusetts2012 .

The past week has been very busy but very exciting! Saturday, April 21 I was asked to attend and sing at the Triangle 41st annual gala, "Treasures in Flight." It was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Boston. There were about 500 people there supporting this amazing organization.Triangle empowers people with disabilities and their families to enjoy rich fulfilling lives. You can learn more about the organization by going to www.triangle-inc.org and I hope that you do. They also have a TV station produced entirely by people with disabilities called Ablevision. they are taping a show about me and the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts foundation on May 9th. One of the members there, Richard Mirsky played the guitar and I sang the Jason Mraz rendition of, "The Rainbow Connection." Representative Ed Markey was there as well as State Senator Paul Donato. It was a black-tie affair and very impressive! I met so many wonderful people dedicated to this organization and great people that have had their lives changed by the organization. It was a really fun evening.

Monday, April 23 I participated in the MDA Boot Camp, which is a kickoff to the Fill the Boot fundraiser done by firefighters. There were about 300 firefighters there from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as staff and members of MDA. Since I have one of the 40 neuromuscular diseases covered by MDA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, I gave a speech about what MDA has done in my life. It was held at the Uncas Ballroom at the Mohegan Sun. There was a great lunch, great speakers, a delicious dinner, and meeting many great people. Those firefighters are amazing; they risked their lives every day to save others and then they spend the extra time fundraising for MDA. the Chief of the Mohegans, Lynn Malerba, also attended this event and I had the honor of shaking hands with her and talking for a few minutes.


Visit my fan page at www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairMassachusetts2012PattiPanzarino. You will see many more pictures there of my appearances than I can fit on this blog. It was amazing to me that so many of the women that have won the state titles have been saying hi and posting on my fan page. It is very clear to me that in our own ways we share the same goals and I'm looking forward to meeting every participant. I started sending out sponsor letters as I must raise $3000 to cover the cost of my entry fee as well as hotel accommodations and travel expenses for the Ms. Wheelchair America 2013 pageant.

What an exciting week it has been! First, my husband and I spent a few days at Foxwoods Resort Casino for a little rest and relaxation, and of course, poker! I brought my sash and crown because you never know when an opportunity will arise to promote awareness, opportunity, and the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation. I spoke to my favorite poker room floor personnel Jimmy, Mike and Edmond about taking some photos with me. Well things just exploded from there! They contacted Terri, the director of poker, and she was so excited she contacted their photographer and we did a photo shoot! There was a poker tournament beginning and you can imagine the looks we all got from the players. I kept my sash and crown on for the rest of the evening while playing poker. Foxwoods is a very accommodating resort. It is a great place to go for dining, shopping, clubbing, listening to your favorite music played by great bands, and of course, trying your luck in the casino or playing a few hands of poker. The poker staff knows me well and allows me to have my personal assistant show me my cards and put in my chips. It is a great way to increase awareness and acceptance in this form of recreation. Every time we go there we are greeted with open arms.

Secondly, last night I had the privilege of doing a songwriting workshop with the young adults at a Partners for Youth with Disabilities meeting. I spoke about my life and my platform of Creative Perseverance. I asked them what creative perseverance meant to them. I had written a chord progression to accompany a melody and lyrics which were not yet written. I bought the CD I made of the chord progression on piano and drums. First, I asked them to pick a topic. They chose "Best Friends." Then I asked them to give me different sentences about best friends. They had some really great ideas. My husband wrote them on a board and then we formulated the sentences to become lyrics and fit the music. I then played the CD and sang the music with the lyrics they had written! It was really beautiful! Music plays an amazing role in all of our lives. It crosses the boundaries of race, creed, social status, and disability. Disabilities in that room last night quickly became abilities! It was amazing to hear people singing along as as we played the song several times and they learned the melody. People were connecting with each other on a whole different level. They then asked me to play one of my songs from the band and I did and sang along with it and surprisingly everyone else started singing along! There are a lot of talented people in that group and I had the time of my life. I am posting a photo here but you can see more on my fan page

www.facebook.com/mswheelchairmassachusetts2012

Carpe Diem! Seize the day!

Yesterday I had the privilege of being on WBSM radio 1420 AM on the "Mid-Morning Magazine" with Phil Paleologos. we spoke about what Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts means to me and what the day of the pageant was like. Since my platform is "Creative Perseverance," we discussed the importance of finding ways to pursue your dreams and empowering others to do the same. We also discussed the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation and my future competition in the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant. It was a great time! Radio is such an effective tool to empower others to share words of encouragement!

Well, things are certainly on a roll! This coming Monday, March 26 , I will be on live radio WBSM AM 1420 Mid-Morning Magazine with Phil Paleologos. Turn your radios on at 11AM and I will be on shortly after that. Friday, March 30th at 8 PM I will be speaking and doing a music workshop in Boston at a Partners for Youth with Disabilities meeting. I recorded an audition CD of me singing our National Anthem and I am mailing it out Monday. I am hoping to sing it live at Fenway Park at their Disability Awareness Day. I have put together my press kit and am very excited to have a date with Ablevision to tape a show about me and the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation that will be aired sometime over the summer.

I am also working on finding sponsors and fundraising for my participation in the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant which will be held in Providence Rhode Island August 6th-12th. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation please go to www.mswheelchairmass.org.

Remember to always pursue your dreams!!!!!!

This is my first blog entry as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012. The excitement has not gone away and probably won't for the entire year! Today I had a photo shoot for my promotional picture. As soon as I get it I will post it here. Holding the title of Ms. wheelchair Massachusetts is an incredible experience, and it has only been a week and a half! I feel empowered to be the voice of others with disabilities and empower them. It is a win-win situation.

The day of the pageant began at 6:30 AM when I got dressed, did my hair and makeup, made three different breakfasts because I was too nervous to eat and kept changing my mind! I arrived at the Mass Hospital School at about 9:45 AM where I was greeted by past titleholders and board members of the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation. That day was filled with excitement, anticipation, and meeting instant friends. when there were two contestants left I literally held my breath. Winning was quite emotional for me but I was very conscious of trying not to ruin my makeup! The other contestants were so impressive and had such great outlooks on life that I sincerely hope that they remain involved.

There were so many people to thank it would take too much space on this blog. My advice to you is to go to the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts website mswheelchairmass.org and get to know the foundation as well as the people involved.

March 30th I will be speaking at a Partners for Youth with Disabilities meeting. Since I am a musician I am going to do a workshop that night as well with the members. I will be posting pictures of my events as I do them.

Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012

Congratulations to Patti Panzarino Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012! Patti was crowned on March 3rd at the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton MA. Ms. Panzarino will compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America 2013 this August in Providence RI. Keep checking this blog as Patti starts her adventures as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012!