Hit the Road Nick

It’s not often one gets the chance to shed tears of joy, but watching Namav Abramavic (Nick Dupree) raise roughly $12,000 USD was one of those times.  On Sunday, August 24^th dozens of avatars showed up at a ballroom in Second Life (SL) to support something billed as "Nick's Crusade: The Freedom Concert."  The evening of song and dance was the culmination of months of hard work as members of Nick’s team worked to realize his dream of moving from Alabama to New York.

Anyone who knows Nick will not be surprised that he succeeded.  In his own quiet way Nick is a bit like a pit bull.  Once he sinks his teeth into something he doesn’t let go. For proof of his tenacity, one has only to consult the record.  At the age of 16, he applied to and was accepted into Spring Hill College where he became an honor’s student.  Then, in 2003, he took on the state of Alabama’s Medicaid program, fighting a policy that would have forced him into a nursing home when he turned 21. The resulting law suit, which he helped draft, produced a waiver program that allows up to 25 Alabamians on ventilators to continue to receive in-home care after the age of 21.

Like all young men, Nick longs for independence and the chance to make his mark on the world.  The fact that he requires 24-hour physical assistance to maintain his life doesn’t seem to faze him in the least.  “I am very hard to kill,” he jokes.  In Alabama, where his primary caregivers are facing serious illnesses and his brother has nearly identical medical needs, there just wasn't enough help to go around.  The result?  Nick’s Crusade: Project Freedom of course!

Which brings us back to the ballroom where on August 24^th bright blue cats, bald men in top hats, and avatars doing the tango in wheelchairs opened their hearts and wallets to make Nick’s dream come true.  It was quite a sight and quite a night as the Second Life community proved once again that they are much much more than pixels.

Thanks for the happy tears Nick.  I can’t wait to hear about New York!

 

 NOTE: Donations to Nick’s Crusade were coordinated through the Ophoenix Public Benefit Corporation, based in San Carlos, CA, a charitable organization dedicated to assisting patients with disabling medical conditions such as Nick's.  The monies that were raised above and beyond the $3,000 Nick needs to make his transition will go to help others in similar situations such as like Chris Rodriguez and Shelley Balesteri.