Journeys of Hope Podcast - Episode Seven

In this episode of Journeys of Hope, Rebecca Solomon shares the inspiring story of Charlie DeGennaro. In a world where resilience often shines the brightest during the darkest times, the story of Charlie DeGennaro stands out as a testament to hope and determination. Diagnosed with transverse myelitis at just 14 years old, Charlie's journey through paralysis and recovery, alongside his mom Jill, is a powerful reminder of the strength found in family, community, and the human spirit.
 

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

1. Transverse myelitis presents significant challenges but can be met with hope and determination
2. The support of family and community plays a crucial role in recovery
3. Maintaining a positive outlook can empower individuals to overcome obstacles.

TRANSCRIPT

Rebecca Solomon (00:05)
Hello and welcome to Journeys of Hope, a podcast from Blythedale Children's Hospital inspired by the strength, resilience, and unshakable spirit of medically fragile children. My name is Rebecca Solomon. Let's begin. Today on the podcast, we're joined by Charlie DeGenarro and his mom, Jill. At just 14 years old, Charlie was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare inflammation of the spinal cord. He was completely paralyzed from the neck down.

What followed was a remarkable rehabilitation journey at Blythedale, filled with perseverance and hope and support of family and care teams. Certainly a journey that we want to dive into and talk about. Charlie and Jill, thank you so much for being with us today.

Charlie DeGennaro (00:49)
Thank you so much for having me. This is awesome.

Jill DeGennaro (00:50)
Thank you.

Rebecca Solomon (00:51)
We appreciate all of the support and the relationship that we've continued to grow here at Blythedale and your family since your journey. Let's kind of take us back to February of 2020. Charlie, I'm curious to hear from you first. What do you remember most clearly from the moment you realized something was seriously wrong?

Charlie DeGennaro (01:11)
Yeah, so I was playing basketball with my friends and all of a sudden, you know, my heart started racing and it was very abnormal. I've never felt this type of race with my heart. And they ultimately, I called my parents and you know, didn't think too much of it yet. Cause as a 14 year old, you really kind of think you're invincible in a way. And I just finished my basketball season. So I really didn't think too much of it. And I called my parents, my heart rate started to slow down and then

As soon as I hung up the phone with my parents, it got progressively worse and worse. And I honestly, I was attempting to call them back and I couldn't make it in time because my hands started to become numb and it ran all the way up throughout my arms and my shoulders. Everywhere my upper body was gone and it was going at such a rate that I couldn't even control my own body anymore. So I'm basically sitting there, can't move my upper body.

And luckily I was on a bench, so I wasn't standing or anything. And thankfully there was people working at the gym that called my parents and they ultimately called the ambulance.

when it was time to get up to the ambulance, I realized quickly that my legs were getting similar to my upper body where I couldn't have control over them. They were still there a little bit though, where I could, there was two people on each side of me helping me get to the stretcher, but I had a little bit of control still.

Um, was more like delayed where like, couldn't really have put too much strength, but I had it a little bit. It wasn't fully gone. Like my upper body was. Um, so when I got up, I, I realized that, but I really didn't think too much of it. And then we got to the first hospital and they did six hours of testing everything, but between blood urine, everything testing wise came back normal. So the doctor I remember came in and he was like, Charlie, you're all normal. This is your, this is great.

If you can walk out of here, this is your ticket out of here. And I, I remember thinking, I was like, well, we're not getting out of here because I cannot move a thing.

They rushed me down in an ambulance to Westchester Medical Center. And when I got there, all of the doctors and nurses were all waiting for me.

at that point is when I knew it was something serious. I didn't know what it was. I, I was like sort of going with the flow and like, just was hoping that I was going to jump out of it in another couple hours. So I didn't really know, but I knew it was really serious when the emergency room doctors were all waiting for me in the middle of the night and they were calling people out of their sleep. And yeah, like it was, that was the point where it started to turn where it was, okay, Charlie, you're going to get back on the court next week to.

I don't know what this is and it's serious than it usually was and we thought it was, ⁓ which is the craziest thing. So that's when it started to really turn and then it was a crazy experience from there.

Rebecca Solomon (04:02)
Wow, and you really just painted such a picture for us, you know, going from really point A, where you're healthy, you're playing ball with your friends, to something totally different that you could never imagine. That's frightening, but thank you for sharing that. And I think that's a good kickoff to this episode. Jill, from a parent's perspective, what was the most terrifying part of those early days for you and your husband, even the moment when you got that call from, you know,

that something wasn't

And also at that point, that diagnosis and prognosis were still unknowns. What was that like for you and your husband, Joe?

Jill DeGennaro (04:39)
I mean, beyond terrifying. ⁓ It was. You know, I think the scariest part of the entire thing is the was the unknown. And it took us a while to understand that he really couldn't move. And ⁓ because he was just. Perfect and playing basketball a couple of hours earlier, so it was, you know, difficult to process in my mind.

You know, it was terrifying. think like Charlie, when we got to Maria Ferrari and they were calling, they called the MRI tech to come in in the middle of the night. Then we really started to get that terrified feeling. You know, the doctors were explaining that it's very serious and that he won't go back to how he was. So that that was all scary. think in the early days,

You know, I'm a mom, I'm a parent. My role is to help my children and care for them and protect them. And I had this situation that I couldn't do that. And it was so difficult. Just everything was out of my control and I so wanted to help it and stop it. And I couldn't. So it was very challenging, very tough, very scary.

Rebecca Solomon (06:03)
Yeah,

you really weren't in control of anything other than that love and support that you could give Charlie, which we'll get to, but eventually I think that that's part of this journey that I think that's what helped all of you get through it was having that strength and that love there, which your family, it's very clear it's there.

Now, when you get the diagnosis and then you're first told that you might never be able to walk or play basketball again or any of the things that you were doing, what was going through your mind, Charlie, as a 14-year-old teenager?

Charlie DeGennaro (06:38)
I honestly like couldn't believe it. I was I thought like I couldn't really like imagine myself not playing basketball or not even getting off my feet again because I couldn't really wrap my head around it. Like when they were saying that I remember thinking like they were kind of crazy. I was like, I don't know what they're talking about. If I was just playing basketball five hours ago, I didn't do anything wrong. So this doesn't make

I was just getting to the peak of my athletic performance of getting to varsity basketball and that ultimately being a big barrier, obviously of me getting there. So I think when, when I received that, I think I'd like to think I was the most optimistic and really didn't listen and play into it too much of like, I'm going to figure out a way how to get out of this. And this is not.

how I'm gonna be, this is not the rest of my life. I am gonna get back on the court, I am going to walk again. And I always believe that even when doctors would tell me you may never walk again. And I just tried to maintain hope and faith that everything was gonna work out.

Rebecca Solomon (07:42)
That's great.

And not to mention all of this happening during a very frightening time, the pandemic, right? So it was an unusual time for everyone anyway. ⁓ And that period alone created isolation, but you both describe the Blythedale staff as becoming that family and maybe that family that helped your family along this journey. know you went from Westchester Medical Center and ultimately Blythedale is where you got that intense rehabilitation and therapy. So going back.

to, you know, being at Blythedale during the pandemic, how did that sense of community impact both of you during such a frightening time?

Charlie DeGennaro (08:24)
⁓ yeah. So I remember I was so nervous to get transferred to Blythedale after Westchester Medical Center. Cause I've never been and it was all new to me. And then when I remember I got there, every, you could just feel it. Everybody was so nice and everybody had, they were just like hope in the building. Like the vibe of it, everybody believed and everybody was

I met my therapist, two therapists, Tara and Karen right away and they were absolutely amazing. ⁓ And it was a really cool thing because at a point that you're so isolated from all my friends and all the Yorktown high school that I was, that was like my main source of socialization, that gets taken away. Now all I'm really down to is people texting me, which I can't even text them back really. So all my sense of communication went out the door.

and it was very isolating outside of my family, obviously. So to get there and see people who I really got along with right away and they really saw me for, I think who I was and who I am as a person, which was like added us to connect even more and helped me connect with other people and really get the whole journey started. they ultimately with COVID and everything became my family because of just how much time we were spending together.

and how much everybody believed in the same goal. Like I always believed in myself that I was gonna walk again and so did they. Like they made me believe even more, ⁓ which was really awesome. And I think that bond really got strong when everybody became isolated with COVID and everything like that.

Rebecca Solomon (09:56)
Yeah, everyone was going through their own something together, right? What about for you, Jill?

Charlie DeGennaro (10:03)
Yeah.

Jill DeGennaro (10:04)
Yeah, I mean I think similarly I was terrified ⁓ to go to Blythedale to be honest. I mean everything was just so unknown when you when you have a healthy child you're you're immune to all of these things thankfully ⁓ but they were amazing and not only were they so kind to Charlie they were so kind to me. ⁓

They rallied around us. They became my family while we were there, ⁓ constantly focusing on little tidbits of progress and positivity and talking about regular things too that friends talk about. We talked about family. We talked about jobs and life and...

and just made us feel like we were still who we are and who we were. And that sense, and it was down to every person. It was the person who cleaned the room, the nursing assistants, the nurses, the doctors, the therapists. They all knew us. They cared, how are you? They came in so lovingly and...

knew that I was feeling that way and encouraged me as well, you know, and it's, I don't even think I could describe it, how much it meant at such a isolating, scary time.

Rebecca Solomon (11:42)
And were you the only visitor at that time allowed in because of the pandemic?

Jill DeGennaro (11:48)
So

yes, well, parents could choose one parent at a time. So we decided because of COVID that I wouldn't leave and possibly expose myself to COVID and then not be able to get back. ⁓ So we chose to, I would stay and not leave. ⁓ And I didn't leave the unit until Charlie was discharged.

Rebecca Solomon (11:53)
Okay.

Jill DeGennaro (12:14)
but it was okay because that was our purpose. The goal was always to have Charlie recover as much as possible, to keep going forward and not get anything else in the way. So I stayed alone. However, the beauty of FaceTime and Zooms, we were able to, ⁓ as a family of five, we had

nighttime facetimes and we all played games and chatted and so we kept that family involvement ⁓ which was critical for us.

Rebecca Solomon (12:55)
Absolutely. But wow, you just, never left his side. I mean, that strength, you probably found strength in yourself that you never even knew existed.

Jill DeGennaro (13:06)
Yeah, think, ⁓ yeah, if I look back, I don't know where that strength came from,

he's my child. I love him. ⁓ And I never thought one minute about myself. I just wanted Charlie to be well ⁓ and recover. And so you dig deep and you find the strength and, you know, all the little

Bits of progress carry you to the next day. Even if they're tiny, it moved us to the next day. if he moved, made a twitch, or did any movement, I remember jumping up and down and hugging therapists and celebrating, and every win was a good win.

Rebecca Solomon (13:59)
Absolutely, we're celebrating for sure. And let's talk more about the therapy and the milestones and the progress that you made while you were at Blythedale . Charlie, rehab really became your best hope, right? So at the beginning, did you actually believe that this rehabilitation with Blythedale is known for? Did you believe it would work or when did that belief set in?

Charlie DeGennaro (14:22)
Right away, I honestly never had an ounce of doubt. I truly believe, and I think that's why, thankfully, I'm where I am. I never lost faith. I always just assumed I was gonna get back to walking, and it was just a matter of when. So when I started therapy, I started out, like the first week or two, I remember, I started off really slow, and it was hard. I wasn't out of bed yet, so given about three or four weeks, I haven't been out of bed.

So all that muscle atrophy really set in and all of just the stiffness and it was really hard to get out of. So when I started, for the first two weeks, I really struggled. I didn't really make any progress. But I never lost out. We started on a, I remember a tilt table just to get me up and just get me standing and put some blood and weight through my legs for the first time. And I did that. My head was so all over the place.

And it was hard. was so nauseous and barely could do it for five minutes. And ⁓ it was really, I've never been that dizzy. It was excruciating, but I knew it was like the best way to go. And you know, my therapist really just continued to tell me, just keep going. Just, you're going to get there and just keep going. So it eventually progressed to like, let's stay in the tilt table longer. Let's get you in a wheelchair.

remember the first activity I really did outside of the room was just touring me around the hospital in my wheelchair, which was so hard for me because my head was all over the place. I was so nauseous and it was just an amazing exercise, but it was just really getting me acclimated to start therapy. And I started like eventually like a week or two after that progress began to come a little bit, like little by little, I...

I developed like a twitch in my right leg, I remember, and like, I think it was my big toe. And I was able to like wiggle it a little bit, but like not really. And like it was give or take, like sometimes, not all the time. And I developed that and then it just kept coming slowly and slowly and it kept progressing up my right leg. And then we would start off doing a little bit more higher level exercises for me. Like I would do.

maybe like imitating a crunch-like position and starting to really just take it to

level in my recovery where ultimately just began to pile up on. But I think the biggest thing for me is that I never looked at it for therapy, which I think helped me so much. I never looked at it like, okay, I'm paralyzed right now, but I'm going to get back to playing basketball. I set myself little goals each week, sometimes even each day. I think that was the biggest thing I knew long-term.

It was going to be like a marathon where I, was going to happen eventually, but it wasn't going to happen overnight. And if I looked at it, like I was going to, let me go back to running right away. It was never, I was going to get frustrated. It was going to beat me every time. So I think setting myself little goals every single day and every week, like, okay, let's capitalize on this Twitch on my right foot. Let's capitalize on this little pinky Twitch. Like it was the little things like that. And let's stay in the tilt table for 10 minutes instead of five.

Let's go to 12 minutes. Like it was little things like that where I think it helped me so much to really structure my therapy. And I think it worked for my therapist as well. Like it just made sense where we were able to really attack realistic goals each week that ultimately just kept adding up to bigger and bigger goals. And then eventually progressed to a standing Walker where I remember the, my therapist, Karen was kicking my left leg through my, it's like to clear it because I had no strength to do

and there was two people, it Karen and this other person in the front helping me. I really wasn't even walking by myself, but getting up for the first time and doing that was absolutely incredible. just continuing to do exercise like that grew my optimism even more and it made me even more motivated. Like there would be times in therapy where I would come back after a long day and want to do even more. I was so addicted to just getting better. had so much.

excitement for what the future had. Honestly, I think a big thing too was none of us ever looked at it like, why me? Why did this happen to me? And I think that game you lose every time when you look at it. Why did this happen to

Rebecca Solomon (18:54)
When you punish yourself, you don't want to punish yourself

and blame yourself. Instead, you took the right approach and your heart and your strength and your resilience just shines through. mean, it really does. Hearing you talk, you can, I almost can see you in Therapy Village taking those steps and on the table and doing all of the work that you put in, realistic goals, realistic, achievable goals.

that helped you in the long run to where you are now.

Charlie DeGennaro (19:26)
Yeah, was, it was, it was a very, I mean, don't get me wrong. There were so many days that I was angry. There's so many days that I was in pain and frustrated. But I think the biggest thing was everybody around me was always like, just channel all that frustration to the next therapy session and work even harder instead of beating myself up over it and wasting so much energy trying to figure out why did this happen? Cause I think the biggest thing that I've learned where like as a 14 year old,

Rebecca Solomon (19:42)
Yeah.

Charlie DeGennaro (19:53)
I didn't really know what was happening to me. And I thought it was, I tried to compare it to an athlete's recovery where I thought this was somewhat normal. I didn't think it was like that crazy until I honestly got out of the hospital. So when I was going through it, I was trying to think about it like an athlete coming back from an injury. It's going to be a long process, but I'm not going to focus on why did this happen to me. And I'm just going to channel all of my anger and frustration into getting everything back.

powering right through it. And I think that was the biggest thing that helped me.

Rebecca Solomon (20:25)
It's so fascinating hearing you tell your story now years later. You know, I think you have more perspective on it now than you did going through it. But going through it, you were a champ, and anyone can attest to that. And Jill, I'm sure you as the mom can as well, but...

When we talk about the struggles, because sometimes, again, we don't see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're actually going through it, what was it like for you to watch Charlie struggle through therapy? mean, that's the reality of it. It wasn't a win every day. ⁓ And especially when the progress came in those tiny, exhausting steps, was there a moment for you when you realized he's going to walk again?

Jill DeGennaro (21:09)
Yeah, I mean, it was heartbreaking. I'm, yeah, don't want to sugarcoat that. It was, was tough, sure. And there were days that were, you know, more challenging than others. But I think like what Charlie said, ⁓ I remember him going on that ⁓ standing, the high walker and them kicking and Karen kicking his foot through

Rebecca Solomon (21:18)
Yeah.

Jill DeGennaro (21:38)
And then he progressed from there to a regular walker. And I remember when Karen came in the room and said, we're going to try a walker. And I, you know, I looked at her like she was crazy, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to say anything in front of Charlie. And he was so excited. And then I really did believe that he would walk again. And his optimism and enthusiasm.

is so infectious for us. mean, he, yeah. Yeah. So.

Rebecca Solomon (22:09)
It really is. I mean, I see that in just

the short time that I've known you, so.

Jill DeGennaro (22:16)
Yeah, so you just, he brought us all along, ⁓ you know, and cheered him on every step of the way. And, you know, obviously so proud of how he's looked at this and...

you know, he has a very, he always had a great perspective. But I think also that's the beauty of being 14. You don't see the, might not recover, he just said, of course I'm gonna recover. So that outlook really helped him, you know, to recover as much as he did, because it was never even a possibility that he wouldn't in his mind.

Rebecca Solomon (22:59)
Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about basketball. OK? So Charlie, know coincidentally you were playing basketball when the accident, when your incident happened. But it also became more than just a sport during your recovery. Tell us about that.

Charlie DeGennaro (23:17)
Yeah, so the goal was always to come back and play basketball. ⁓ I said that the day I got to the hospital, I wanted to get back on the court and I wasn't going to let this affect me to achieve like what I've worked my whole life to do. so when I got to a point where I was able to, you know, like use the walker a little bit easier and I was a little more like flexible where I was able to just stand up on my own and rotate a little bit. Tara.

one day asked me, why don't we go in the recreation room and try to play basketball? And I honestly, at first I was like, I don't know if I can do that. And I was a little nervous too, because as such a competitive person, I knew it was not going to be, I was going to run around and play like how I used

We went in there and I tried with the smallest basketball and the smallest hoop. And it was, I think the hoop was the same size to me and I could not hit a shot. I struggled so badly and it was so frustrating. So we let a week or two go by and I came back and I practiced a little bit in my room too. And I came back and it was much different. I started making shots.

and I was much more smooth and I started to have fun with it. I even began dribbling a little bit and it became such a fun thing. Like it was a piece of the old me where I did love doing it my whole life. And to be able to do it again was really something that was distracting me from what was happening, which was so awesome. It was like an escape almost,

from there, we continued to just tie in basketball with going back in there every week. We had like a set day, I think, that we would go in and with the time we would go in and just

And it ultimately was a test of how much progress I'm making, which is really awesome. showing, it was giving me insight because I think it was a very self-explanatory thing, where it was giving me insight about how much progress I'm really making. Because a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't do this. Now I could do it consistently.

Rebecca Solomon (25:25)
I love that story. That's so cool. And speaking of basketball, this February we had the fifth annual Charlie Strong game. Now the Yorktown High School basketball game celebrates you, Charlie, and your fight. And we at Blythedale are so thankful for the support as proceeds from the game go back to the hospital year after year. And this event really turned pain into purpose. Over the years, the Yorktown community has raised more than $40,000 for Blythedale

Charlie DeGennaro (25:27)
Thank you.

Rebecca Solomon (25:55)
Children's Hospital. We're so thankful. What does it mean to you and your family to give back and help other kids going through similar journeys?

Charlie DeGennaro (26:05)
I love doing it. It's become such a big passion of mine. And the further I get away from my situation and the brunt of it, even more realize how special Blythedale really is. And it's seriously such a special place. I am so thankful that my journey came across there because if I didn't have Blythedale, I really don't know where I would be. I would be in a completely different spot, I think, and the way that they have just changed my life in every possible way and given me.

so much function back and an ability to have a great

And we love doing it. And it's so cool to see, especially the fifth time doing it, how many people come out and how many people and how special the Yorktown community really is rallying around my cause, especially that now I graduated in 2023. So it's been a little bit of time.

but to see everybody still come around, even if they don't know exactly who I am to, you know, whether it's buying a shirt, donating, or just even coming to the game and cheering,

to highlight Blythedale because I, they have seriously changed my life in every possible way.

extremely grateful to be able to create a fundraiser and be able to

partner with the Yorktown basketball team to be able to do something like this. It's really awesome.

Rebecca Solomon (27:19)
Thank you so much. And Jill, what's that like for you and your family? And of course, your husband Joe, who is the principal at Yorktown High.

Jill DeGennaro (27:27)
Yeah, it's such a special event. It means so much to us as a family.

know, basketball is who Charlie is.

The coach of the team, Mark Pavela,

really helped Charlie adjust back to high school when he returned in terms of he was still part of the team

it just means so much.

if we can just take a little bit of what we've experienced and,

pay it forward, you know, help somebody else, I think.

That's always been the

we'll do this as long as we possibly can. It just means everything to our family and the Yorktown community has truly rallied around this and rallied around Charlie and this cause that,

you know, means

so special, truly.

Rebecca Solomon (28:16)
Yeah, it's wonderful.

Thank you. And looking back now, how did this experience change the way you see yourself, not just physically, but as a person?

Charlie DeGennaro (28:28)
I

think in every way I look at life so differently than I probably would as a normal, if nothing happened to me. I seriously appreciate everything that I'm able to do now and feeling what it was like to be at rock bottom and not have anything, to be able to walk again and to be able to do everything I do on a day-to-day basis. And even just to go to class, like just normal stuff that you don't even think twice about it's

It really is a blessing. I am so grateful every day. And I think I definitely cherish every day that goes by because you never really know what's around the corner for you. And I think my situation really exemplified that for me. I think it really showed me that even if you don't do anything wrong, you don't have a reason. Life can still go upside down in a second. So I think it's really important to, for me, that I just maintain perspective on how

like how to be grateful and how to appreciate every single moment. Cause you never know when it's your last time having something or doing something. ⁓ So I think that's a big thing for me. It's really taught me a lot about life.

really showed me and it's given me confidence that I've gone through this, that you can get through anything you set your mind to and anything's possible for sure. So.

Rebecca Solomon (29:46)
Such a good lesson.

You could write a whole book about that, right? Maybe that's in the works. I don't know. We'll save that for another episode. But really, so inspirational. But you make it your experience almost relatable for anyone, anyone going through a setback or a challenge. It's that holding onto that and having that mentality and having that heart and that courage, think, yeah, that can take anyone pretty far, right?

Charlie DeGennaro (29:48)
Yeah.

Jill DeGennaro (29:52)
you

Charlie DeGennaro (30:14)
For sure. And I think I lost everything from my neck down, but I still had my mind and that was the biggest thing. I would like just simulate what I'm trying to do in my head every whether I couldn't I would try so hard to move something and it wouldn't happen, but I would be imagining it in my head and trying to just break through to some signal that would get it through. And I think my mind seriously just having that muscle memory of playing sports and being an athlete.

really just got me to where I am today. And I didn't have anything besides my mind and it really just drove me to connect with my nerves again and develop, redevelop signals and really just get me back up on my feet again.

Rebecca Solomon (30:59)
put it all out in the universe, right? That's what you gotta do. Now, if you could speak directly to a patient and parent who are at the beginning of their Blythedale journey, what would each of you want them to hear most?

Charlie DeGennaro (31:01)
Yeah. Yeah.

I would tell them that they're in the best possible place. I would tell them they're in great hands

Blythedale seriously makes miracles happen. They make things happen that are absolutely crazy and turn your life right back around. So I would tell them to just trust every single doctor and every nurse and everybody working there

They have so much knowledge and so much care. I think that's the biggest thing too. They have so much individual care for each patient patient. They really, I think even with my thing that I would tell them that they research around the clock to try to figure out how can we get Charlie better? What are we doing anything differently? So I think I would tell them to just Maintain faith and never lose hope of your situation, to just keep keeping your mind strong and always believing in

Jill DeGennaro (32:03)
Of course, I agree with all of Charlie's sentiments. Amazing. ⁓ I also think, ⁓ you know, just the love and support of family allows your child to continue to recover. ⁓ They're in a place that's unknown to them. And so your love and support as a parent ⁓ sort of grounds them and.

and enables them to continue progress. ⁓ think at the end of Charlie's PT sessions, OT sessions, he would come back to the room and we would watch a show and just, you know, be mom and child and just, and that love, that support, that care, that security that I'm here for you and I'm with you means so much.

And I also agree. Trust the experts. They are incredible. It's the most amazing place and they care about the parent as

The whole family, everybody's a part of the recovery. ⁓ But just, you know, take little steps at a time. I think when you get there and you look at how far you have to go, it's terrifying and overwhelming. But when you when you take it.

in little bits every day, these little pieces of progress, celebrate the wins and continue to go forward.

Charlie DeGennaro (33:41)
Yeah.

Rebecca Solomon (33:41)
Great,

very important. Well, I do have one more question I'd like to ask each of you. How would you describe the meaning of hope?

Charlie DeGennaro (33:54)
I would say it truly means everything. think if you don't have hope, you can't succeed. I think it's really important, especially in my situation, but in honestly, in any situation, even just like little stuff, if you maintain hope, it really just guides you and it allows you to

it's gonna be long and it's gonna be hard, but I'm gonna get there. ⁓ So I think hope is the most important thing, because I think if you don't have it, it's really challenging to succeed and it's really challenging to do anything in life, whether it doesn't really matter what it is. think it's...

really important to just maintain hope. So it's a really special term for me that I continue to carry with me every day.

Jill DeGennaro (34:32)
And I do agree. Hope is everything. We have no control of what turn our lives are going to take. And we don't know what's ahead. But all we can do is deal with the day we have and believe that things will get better. I think without hope, you really don't have anything. It's everything in

We've always believed in it. Charlie and I had this motto in the hospital that if you believe you can, you will. I live by it. I think you have hope always. It's so important.

Rebecca Solomon (35:17)
It really

is so important. And thank you for just taking time sharing both of your stories as the  and as the caregiver. And ⁓ I really think there's so many messages that people listening can take from your journey. And Charlie, certainly I look forward to seeing what lies ahead with you. think opportunities are endless, right?

Charlie DeGennaro (35:38)
Thank you.

Of course, of course. Sky's the limit of course. Thank you so much.

Jill DeGennaro (35:41)
Yes.

Rebecca Solomon (35:43)
Well, you'll

have to keep us posted along the way because ⁓ something tells me your big things are ahead in your way. So thank you so much. And I appreciate your time. And of course, if you have any future ideas for podcast topics, we'd love to hear from you. Send them our way podcast at blythedale.org We hope you enjoy listening to this episode of Journeys of Hope. And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like and follow us on social media. Thanks so much.

Charlie DeGennaro (35:50)
Thank you so much.

Jill DeGennaro (35:54)
Thank you. ⁓