Richard Velevas's Page

During January of 09 the VA deliverd something I thought I would never own-"a wheelchair" !!! Three years ago they informed me that I had advanced RA.Not knowing much about it ,I figured I could live with"arthritis". On my next visit to the Miami VA more tests were done and then I was hit with the bad news-I had the rarest type of RA and it was only the second time in 52 years of practice that my doctor had seen this type.After taking the wheelchair for a test drive it struck me-Do I let this control control my life? And then things got worse-the dreded meds! Now I have my every Saturday night injection of Embrel and my Sunday chemo pills. Twenty five years ago I had a wood shop set up in my garage. Nothing elaborate,just basic tools.It was a good way to relax during my spare time. Well the spare time was no longer there when I started traveling to 60+countries to work. Living in a first floor condo here in Florida ,I was sure I could find a way to make a few small pieces of furniture. I found an old card table at the local thrift store and started to gather small light weight tools that I could set up by my patio.I ended up with: drill,skill saw, router and table,jig saw,small sander,miter box and a Kreg Jig. After finishing my first piece(a coffee table) I didn't stop untill I made new furniture for every room in the Condo.