Tony Pedeferri: Dad, Husband, Son, Brother, Friend, Coach, CHP Officer, Ironman

Tony on ABC News and more....

2008-07-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Tony was on the ABC 7 News at 5 O'clock. If you missed it then you can click on the link to the right and check it out. In addition, a local magazine did a really nice article on Tony, Carrie and the accident. You can view it at http://www.venturalifeandstyle.com/ (click on Kevin Costner and go to Page 22). Click on the page to zoom in if it's too small to read.

Welcome Home Tony!!

2008-07-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

On July 2 Tony returned from Colorado after 6 months at the Craig Hospital, a top rehabilitation center for spinal cord and brain injuries. It was a joyous day as the plane touched down just after 1pm at the Camarillo Airport. After disembarking the plane, Tony and his family were greeted to cheers from a large crowd of friends and law enforcement colleagues.....and his dog Hammer!! The event was well documented with photos and videos that I hope you will enjoy (some photos and videos are below, more photos and another video can be accessed through the links to the right). WELCOME HOME TONY!!!

Tony comes off plane to a warm welcome!!

Tony greets his fellow law enforcement colleagues

Finally Going Home!! Motorcade leaving Camarillo Airport (Tony & family are in silver Honda minivan)

Tony Goes for a Swim

2008-06-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

On Monday June 2, Tony tested out the therapy pool at the Craig Hospital. Tony's mom (Peggy) took a few pictures...check them out below. A video will be coming soon.

Tony's Coming Home!!!

2008-05-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

If you've read the latest updates on the caringbridge site (http://www.pedeferri.com/), then you'll know that Tony is now free of any tubes, lines, filters, etc. and is coming home in one month or less!! The current date is July 2 (my b-day...what a cool present that would be), but he may be able to come home sooner if he's a good boy. Check out the new photo album to the right and the pictures below...all thanks to "snappy" Shawn Quirk....and budding photographers Samantha & Hannah (a.k.a., the "P Girlz").

New Photos of Denver Trip

2008-04-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Click on the link to the right to view the new photo album prepared by Shawn Quirk. This is what Shawn had to say when he sent out the link to the photo album:

"On April 5th, the weekend following the Denver Zoo trip, friends and family transcended on Craig Hospital to throw Tony a little 37th birthday party. I think you’ll find that these pics capture the amazing recovery that Tony has had, as The Boy was laughing the entire time it seemed, and he never missed a beat when it came to his quick witted comments (ok, taking shots) as usual. Sorry for the crappy commentary on the pictures, I just couldn’t resist, it was just that kind of day. And a special thanks to my Paparazzi in Training students Samantha, Hannah, and Owen Brown for taking the majority of these shots. I kid you not, they took the best ones. Enjoy the weekend, we did. Peace
- Shawn"

In other news, the Improv Night fundraiser for Tony was awesome. Thank you Jeff Landau and his generous friends at the Ventura Improv Theater for hosting this event. $2400 were raised and everyone had some good laughs. I did some improvisational dancing on stage and it was a bit embarrassing....especially when my sweat floodgates started (and couldn't be stopped as usual). I hear that the Juice and Java weeklong fundraising effort was also successful.

Enjoy the photos...I did.

New Photos and Fundraisers

2008-04-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

Check out the link to the right for a photo album of Tony's trip to the Denver Zoo on Friday March 4. I've also posted a few of the photos below. I know a photo album of the Denver trip will be coming soon....Master photographer Shawn Quirk has to first edit the hundreds of photos taken by his apprentices Samantha and Hannah.....thank God for digital cameras!!

More fundraisers continue with the continued sales of STAY STRONG wristbands and T-shirts. Special thanks to Melissa Wantz, a middle school teacher and masters swim teammate of Tony's, who's been very active in selling the wristbands. In less than 2 weeks she has surpassed $1000 in donations!!! Truly amazing. There is also a week-long fundraiser at a local coffee & smoothie store in downtown Ventura, Juice and Java on Chestnut. 20% of all sales go to Tony during the week of April 21-27. Then Jeff Landau's Night of Improv is happening on Sunday April 27 just across the street from the Juice and Java store. As of yesterday, the event sold out of all 80 seats (and a few more).

Last Saturday evening Carrie, Aunt Harriet, Uncle Roy, and few others went to the annual Ventura County Peace Officers Association awards banquet at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. Honored for their heroics during the December 19 accident were citizens Steffanie Zeravica and Heriberto Torres, and USAF Security Police officers Jason Brown and James Dusenberry. It was a beautiful and emotional ceremony. Shawna Davidson and Shawn Quirk were snapping lots of photos, so I'll post some when they send them to me.

Happy Birthday Tony!!

2008-04-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Tony's 37th birthday and I'm so glad he's still here to celebrate it with us. A lot has happened over the last 2 weeks since my last update to this site, and I apologize for not updating it sooner. I was a bit busy putting on the Ventura "For Tony" Aquathon on March 30, and then a group of us visited Tony in Denver this past weekend. Both were awesome experiences. The Aquathon tested my race director capabilities and I have to say I'll gladly keep my current job as an environmental consultant. Hopefully I'll have some photos to share with you soon and you can go to the link to the right or http://www.rincontriclub.com/ for the race results. Special "For Tony" t-shirts (similar to the 5K shirts) and swim caps were ordered for the event, are there are several still available that can be purchased. Please contact me at pbjms@pacbell.net to order a t-shirt (S, M, L, and XL sizes, $20/each), Aquathon swim cap ($3/each), or wrist bracelets (youth or adult sizes, $5/each).

There are several more fundraisers coming up in April. Tomorrow, April 8, is Dr. Terri Weyman's "Adjust for Tony Day" at his Chiropractic Sports Institute office in Westlake Village (7am-12pm). Go to http://www.gotocsi.com/ for more details and directions to his office. Next is a hair Cut-a-thon fundraiser at Salon Murazo on April 13 from 9am to 5pm at 1877 E Daily Drive #F in Camarillo (see flyer below). And last is the Ventura "For Tony" Night of Improv in Ventura on April 27 (see flyer below). Thanks again for your support.

Fundraiser Update and More

2008-03-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the new photo album (link to the right) of numerous photos taken during Tony's ICU days at VCMC. Thanks to Shawn Quirk for putting this together (and snapping most of the pictures).

The fundraiser at the Ventura Beach RV Resort last weekend was very enjoyable...thank you to Tom Staben and his wife for hosting this event. I'm sure some photos will be forthcoming since I remember Shawn's camera and a few others out there. I'm fairly certain I won the chair raffle, but I gave my ticket stubs to the "Mojito Wondergirl" Carrie....bad idea. A special thanks to Lisa and Roger Staben for offering up their "2nd home on wheels" as the command center and cooking up the tasty carne asada. The sound system, washers game, and 2-stroke motorized blender put a special touch on the event.

Next up is the Ventura "For Tony" Aquathon on Sunday, March 30 at the new Ventura Aquatics Center & Community Park. You can find more info on this event by going to Active.com at
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1554007 or http://www.rincontriclub.com/. This swim-run event will consist of an 800-meter swim in the 50-meter Olympic pool followed by a two-lap run around the perimeter of the park (2.8 miles/4.5 km). The swim will be conducted in a serpentine-style fashion (up right side of lane, back on left, dip under lane line and repeat in all 8 lanes). Swimmers will enter the water in 10 second intervals starting at 9:30am. Check in begins at 8:30am, and the competition pool is open for warm-up from 9:00 to 9:25am. If you can help me promote this event by posting the flyers at your work, gym, favorite restaurant, etc.....please do!! You can download a copy of the flyer from the front page of the http://www.rincontriclub.com/ website (scroll down a little). You'll be able to purchase the Tony STAY STRONG wristbands ($5 donation) and revised For Tony T-shirts ($20) at the event, but if you want to get a wristband sooner, you can get one at one of the following 5 locations in Ventura:

1. Josh Spiker's Inside Track Running Store at 1410 E. Main St in Ventura (http://www.insidetrackventura.com/.
2. Lobby of ReMax office on the corner of Palma & Valentine just around the corner from the CHP office.
3. Juice on Chestnut store on Chestnut St. in Downtown Ventura.
4. AB Therapy at 2387 Portola Rd, Suite A (right next to American Red Cross), 9-12 M-F.
5. Or just catch me when I'm near my car...I should always have a few extras.

Finally, Lisa Staben and the fine folks at Salon Murazo in Camarillo have organized a CUT-A-THON on April 13th from 9am to 5pm. 100% of the proceeds from all haircuts will go to Tony!! So go down and get that mop you call a haircut trimmed up right!! They are located at 1877 E Daily #F.

UPDATE: Next Fundraiser Event on March 30....make that March 7-9

2008-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Correction: The next fundraiser for Tony is this coming weekend (March 7-9) at the Ventura Beach RV Resort. Please refer to a copy of the flyer below (in the pictures section) for more details. I also forgot to mention the LA Marathon fundraiser that Schatzi Sovich organized by collecting donations for each mile she ran (most were for $1/mile or $26.20 total) with the names of the donators printed on her race shirt. I just checked and she finished about an hour ago in 3:22:18 and one of the top females overall!!! I know she wanted to go a little faster, but it was an awesome effort and she raised A LOT of money for Tony and his family in the process.

I have also heard about a hair "cut-a-thon" to be held sometine in April in Camarillo, but I don't have any specific details yet. I hope to find out more and post them later.

Below is the previous post regarding the March 30 Swim-Run event.

Following on the heels of several successful fundraising events (Presto Pasta, swim-a-thon, 5K run and For Tony T-shirts), the first-ever Ventura Aquathon will take place on Sunday, March 30 at 9:30am. The event will consist of an 800 meter serpentine-style swim in the beautiful new Olympic-sized pool at the Ventura Aquatic Center, followed by a two-lap run around the perimeter of the community park (4.5 km). Entry forms will be available soon and you will also be able to enter online at Active.com. 100% of the proceeds from the event will go to Tony and his family. Special "FOR TONY" t-shirts and "STAY STRONG" bracelets will be available for purchase at the event. Please put March 30 on your calendar!!

See more photos be clicking the links to the right...

2008-02-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Shawn Quirk and Dave Gilbert's fast clickin' right fingers, there are numerous photos of the airport sendoff and 5K fundraiser. Shawn and Dave downloaded these to Kodak Gallery and organized them for viewing as slide shows. They can be viewed by simply clicking on the links to the right, and selecting "View Slideshow." Check them out!!

Super Tuesday....for a different reason

2008-02-05T13:51:00.001-08:00

At approximately 10:15 am this morning Tony took off from Oxnard Airport for the next journey on his road to recovery...Craig Hospital, a top spinal cord injury rehabilitation center in Denver, CO. Tony was transported from VCMC to the airport via ambulance with a full motorcade of fellow CHP and local PD officers while Carrie rode with Tony in the ambulance, and his mom and dad (Peggy & Jon) in a squad car. There were many tears shed as Tony was taken out of the ambulance and moved to the plane to an ovation from his colleagues, family, and a few close friends. Tony raised his hand in appreciation and gave everyone a "thumbs up." After a few goodbyes, he was loaded into the plane and off he went with Carrie, a nurse, respiratory specialist and the pilot & co-pilot. It was truly a magical day...a Super Tuesday.

Carrie has already informed us that the flight was smooth and they have landed in Denver. There's snow on the ground and it's 17F.

I have downloaded a few pictures from the event and really hope the videos I took can be viewed without any problems (my first attempt at using my camera as a video recorder). I plan to post 4 videos, so if you don't see all of them posted, please come back later to see if they're there (it takes quite some time to upload these large files).

Motorcade arriving at Oxnard Airport

Tony being transferred to the plane
(It's bigger tham 100MB size limit, so look for link on right (top) to a YouTube site where it can be viewed or simply click here: http://www.youtube.com/mshaffer65)

Plane pulling away and taxiing to runway

Liftoff....on to Denver

5K Tomorrow...Colorado on Tuesday

2008-02-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

Don't forget about the 5K run tomorrow....I'm sure it will be very well attended like the other fundraisers so far. The event is being held at WestPark Community Center in Ventura with the 1/2 marathon starting at 8:00am and the 5K at 8:15am. Get there early cause it will be crowded and parking will be tough. Remember to go pick up your race number (and sign up if you haven't already) from 10-5 at Inside Track Running store at 1410 E. Main St.

And the big news for next week is that Tony will be flying out to the Craig Hospital in Colorado on Tuesday. We'll still keep the updates coming on the websites, and I'll add more photos when they come in (plus more of Tony & friends/family that I keep receiving). Way to go TONY!!!!

"For Tony" Fundraisers and T-Shirts

2008-01-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

There are currently 3 "For Tony" fundraising efforts happening in the next few weeks, with a fourth to be announced very soon.

FIRST - Next week there will be a "Swim for Tony" fundraiser event hosted by Pleasant Valley Swim Club on January 24 at 7:30pm. For more information, go to http://swimfortony.eventbrite.com/

SECOND - In conjunction with the Ventura Half Marathon and 5K fun run on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3, a specially designed "For Tony" T-shirt is being sold and ALL proceeds will be donated to Tony and his family. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ONE OF THESE T-SHIRTS...YOU MUST PRE-ORDER AND PAY $20 BY 5PM JANUARY 25 IN ORDER TO BE GUARANTEED A SHIRT. Pre-orders and payment should be directed to the Ventura CHP at the address below (mail or hand deliver). Make checks payable to "Ventura Area Squad Club" with Tony Pedeferri written on the memo line and please specify the size of T-shirt requested. The available sizes are M, L and XL.

Officer Shawna Davison
California Highway Patrol
Public Affairs/Recruitment Officer
4656 Valentine Road
Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 477-4100
sdavison@chp.ca.gov

THIRD - Josh Spiker of Inside Track in Ventura (www.insidetrackventura.com) will be hosting a 5K "For Tony" Fun Run in conjunction with the annual Ventura Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3. Tony's family and friends, together with the entire Ventura area, invite all willing participants to come join in and enter either run/walk event as a show of support... "For Tony." All participants supporting Tony are requested to wear a white T-shirt with the words "For Tony" on it....or better yet, purchase the specially designed T-shirt which directly supports Tony and his family (see above). A limited supply of these T-shirts may be available on race day, so it would be a good idea to pre-order yours now. Go to www.venturamarathon.com for more details or to register for the event.

Remember to go to www.pedeferri.com for the latest updates on Tony and sign the guest book (you can do it more than once).

Thank you again for your support!!

Presto Pasta Fundraiser a Super Success!!

2008-01-08T21:43:00.001-08:00

You may have had to wait in line to place your order for lunch or dinner at one of the 3 Ventura County Presto Pasta restaurants, but no one seemed to mind since it was FOR TONY (I know he would rather be standing patiently in line than lying in that ICU bed hooked up to a ventilator!) Thank you to Ken and Jeff Schuberg, co-owners of Pesto Pasta, for hosting this event and working your tails off the last 2 days.

Remember to go to www.pedeferri.com for the latest updates on Tony and sign the guest book (you can do it more than once).

The next fundraiser on the horizon is a "Swim for Tony" event to be hosted by Pleasant Valley Swim Club on January 24 at 7:30pm. For more information, go to http://swimfortony.eventbrite.com/

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 3, Josh Spiker of Inside Track in Ventura (www.insidetrackventura.com) will be hosting a 5K "For Tony" Fun Run in conjunction with the annual Ventura Half Marathon. Tony's family and friends, together with the entire Ventura area, invite all willing participants to come join in and enter either run/walk event as a show of support... "For Tony." All participants supporting Tony are requested to wear a white T-shirt with the words "For Tony" on it. A specially designed T-Shirt which supports Tony's fight for his life is available for purchase and ALL proceeds will be donated to the family. (T-shirt price - $20.00 Sizes XL L M). Go to www.venturamarathon.com for more details or to register for the event.

Thank you for your support!!

Fundraiser for Tony at Presto Pasta

2008-01-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

All 3 Presto Pasta restaurants will be holding a fundraiser for the Pedeferri Family on Monday, January 7 AND Tuesday, January 8. 20% of the sales will be donated and $25 gift cards will also be sold with $5 being donated (Note: Gift cards may not be redeemed on the dates of the fundraiser). The addresses for the 3 participating locations are listed below, and you can find out more (i.e., menu, info) by going to http://www.prestopasta.com/

Remember to go to www.pedeferri.com for the latest updates on Tony. Thanks.

NEWBURY PARK
1025 Broadbeck Rd.
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 498-7737

VENTURA
5722 Telephone Road
Ventura, CA
(805) 658-2898

CAMARILLO
1701 Daily Drive
Camarillo, CA
[Drive Thru Available]
(805) 445-7737

Go to www.pedeferri.com for further updates on Tony

2007-12-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

Tony's brother Mark just started up another blog site at www.pedeferri.com (directs you to a CaringBridge website (https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tonypedeferri)). In order to keep all of the latest information in one location, please go to that site for further updates. You can still leave a comment here and I will see that Tony and his family get the messages. Please check out the photos on both sites. Since CaringBridge is limited to 12 photos, I will keep adding more photos to this site as they come in. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and get well wishes.

Tony Update - Day #9

2007-12-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday, December 28, 2007, and this is Day #9 for Tony in the ICU at Ventura County Medical Center. He has made some good progress over the last 24 hours and is adjusting to his new "halo" (replaced c-collar brace around neck) and the removal of the breathing tube from his mouth/throat (moved to trachea). He's looking better every day and his sense of humor is very well intact even though he can only communicate through hand & eye movements and facial expressions.