The latest (9-6-2009) from the desk of Dean...
Since the last update things have been the same pretty much. Still trying to make it through this bullshit economy we've all been sucked into. Can't wait to see how business is this winter! That was sarcasm of course. But on a better note... Johanna and I have been together for over a year now and it's looking like it'll just get better and better as time goes on. Hoping to be living together before our 2yr anniversary. That's pretty much my goal for this next coming year... I love you Johanna!
MORE... About me:
Hi, my name is Dean Joyce. I was born on April 30, 1974 in Poughkeepsie, New York as the youngest of four children. Since that day I have lived a full life like most people, but have also had to overcome two life-altering events. One as a child (Leukemia) and one as a young adult (Spinal Cord Injury).
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Just a few days before my third birthday I became very weak and unable to be active the way a child would normally be. My parents had a feeling that something was seriously wrong and decided to call our family physician that evening. The following day I had a blood test and by that afternoon my doctor called with the tragic news that I had Leukemia. I was immediately brought down to Mount Sinai hospital in New York City where I was able to begin treatment by the best doctors and nurses around. The chemotherapy and immunotherapy showed positive results shortly after the treatment began and I was fortunate enough to go home seven weeks later and continue the treatment on an out-patient basis for a couple of years. I then attended kindergarten and elementary school just like everyone else and by the time I was eight years old the doctors considered me to be cured from the illness.
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The rest of my childhood was time well spent playing baseball, basketball, riding bicycles, and going to school. At the age of thirteen I started working for my brother’s landscaping business and delivering newspapers. The money was great, and so I became interested in more expensive hobbies such as radio control cars, ATV’s, and then cars and motorcycles in my later teens. After graduating high school, my interest in motorcycles grew, and I eventually decided that it was what I wanted to do for a living.
At age 19... My custom '80 Corvette and custom '73 Nova.
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In the fall of 1994 when I was twenty years old, I decided to sign up as a student at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, AZ. I had never visited Phoenix, but I decided to pack my belongings and move there September 1, 1995 hoping for the best. When I got there I settled into an apartment and got a full-time job as a waiter and cook in a local restaurant. Classes began on September 18 and I held a 92 average until tragedy struck on October 24, 1995 at 12:16pm PST, just seven weeks after arriving in Phoenix! (You can read the details of my Spinal Cord Injury in my "blog" section above.)
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After waking up from a week-long coma, rebuilding my life was the important thing, the only thing! I did a few months of physical rehab, moved back to New York and did a few more months of rehab until I was ready to go home to my parents house and get used to living in the real world again.
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I began to put my life back together. My parents bought a computer to keep me occupied and I soon created a website to provide helpful information to other people in wheelchairs. I passed the New York state drivers test, got a new license, and ordered a 1998 Mercury Mystique from Brownell Motors in Fishkill, NY (where I worked in 1994-95). After driving for a few weeks I decided to enroll as a student in Dutchess Community College and in the summer of 1997 I signed up for classes with the help of a vocational rehabilitation program (VESID).
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Since then the years have flown by. I was a student at DCC for 7 years on and off, earning almost two associate degrees. I drove around the entire U.S. on a month-long vacation. I started a car club, then eventually opened an automotive repair shop and used car dealership which I have since closed due to our troubled economy.
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It is now getting close to the end of 2008 and over the past year I have made some big changes in my life. I got rid of my cars and now drive a completely stock Accord, I broke free from anyone who was dragging me down, I got in touch with a few people I had lost touch with, and most importantly... I found someone very special... Johanna. She is a total sweetheart and every moment we spend together is amazing. Somehow she broke through my walls of scepticism and captured my heart very quickly, but that's fine with me because I want to give it to her. Love you Johanna!
Johanna and I on 8-13-08
Please check out my pictures and my blogs above for more about me. If you are going to request me as a friend, please include an intro about yourself. I delete requests if they look like spam.
