Sea To Shining Sea Walk for Diabetes! Correction...

***** I had their website wrong but it has since been corrected... my apologies *****

What an incredible story this is! 4 people have started a journey across the country, 3 on foot and one driving a motor home for support. They will go from San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA, a total of 2,850 miles! Z-CoiL Corporation donated 2 pair of Z-CoiL footwear each for their trek to make the trip more pleasant.



The trip is very ambitious considering the time of year and the unpredictable weather, but they are doing it for a good cause, and that is to raise awareness for diabetes. Here is some information on the trip and where you can send money if you care to donate to their diabetes awareness or help pay their expenses.



The Trip: San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA
Distance: Approximately 2850 miles
Goal: Walk 20 - 25 miles per day
The Dates: Saturday Jan. 27, 2007 - ?



The walkers are Byron Moats, Wyatt and Margie Moats. Byron's wife, Julia Moats will be driving their motor home, which will be our base support and lodging most of the time. We are walking for the American Diabetes Association. We are hoping to raise awareness of the following:

A. The Dangers of Diabetes
1. High Blood Pressure
2. Heart Disease
3. Stroke
4. High Cholesterol
5. More Prone to Infections

B. The Necessity of Good Exercise Habits
1. Walking Reduces Blood glucose levels
2. Proper Diet Helps Control Glucose Levels



We have two goals:
1. Raise $10,000 for the American Diabetes Assn.
2. Raise $10,000 for our expenses on the walk



Our expenses will include gas for the motor home, food, and occasional lodging in motels to do laundry and just "recharge our batteries." We are about half way to our goal for expenses with about $5,000 in the bank. We are about 1/4th of the way in our quest for ADA funds.



To make a Donation:
To the American Diabetes Association: Please send a check or money order to:
ADA
Attention to Beth Hefner
1900 Powell St. Suite 120
Emeryville, CA 94608.
Please make a notation on the envelope and the check stating it is for "Walk '07".



To help cover the Moats' expenses: Please send check or money order to:
Wyatt Moats
1900 Plymouth Dr.
Providence Village, TX 76227.



You can follow their progress at http://www.c2c4ada.com/.



We wish them success in their journey!



Till later,
Caesar...

A Kodak Moment!

We regularly see people's lives being impacted to some degree in the store, but this last weekend, it was one of those "I wish I had a camera right now!" type of moment...

A woman came barely walking into the store and just made it into a chair. She said that her sister made her come into the store to try a pair on so she is doing what her sister wants. She explained that she has really bad arthritic knees and her sister thought Z-CoiL footwear might help. A minute later, her sister walked in, who is one of our customers that owns several pair of Z-CoiL shoes. The first woman, Susie, didn't really seemed to be too much into trying these shoes on. She was just waiting for her third sister to get back with aspirin so she could ease the pain somewhat in her knees.

I went through my normal explanation about the makeup of the Z-CoiL shoe and the benefits and Susie picked out a style. We got them on her feet and she began walking around, focusing of course on the fit of the shoe. The one she tried was not the best style for her foot, so she tried on a few others. Each time, she was walking more and more, and her pace was getting faster and faster as she walked around the store. Her posture changed dramatically and no longer was she bent over so much. Her gait went from a flat-footed stomp to an actual heel/toe walk because she was able to move her knees better and the rocker sole was giving her benefit. You would not have believed it was the same woman that walked in the store just 40 minutes previously! Well, both of the sisters took note and mentioned to Susie about how straight she was standing and how well she was walking. It finally hit Susie, and she rushed over to her her sister and started hugging her, saying "I can Walk again! I can walk! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Then they both started crying with tears of joy...

Those are the kind of days that make this job so wonderful! Neither she nor I will forget that day...

Till later,

Caesar...

Z-Buzz Newsletter Winter 2007

The latest version of Z-Buzz, the quarterly newsletter, is available. It contains an article on arthritis, care of your Z-COiL's, new franchises and more! It is available at http://www.ez-shoes.com/zbuzzwinter2007.pdf.

Enjoy!

Till later!
Caesar...

More Than Just a Shoe Store!

One of my customers, Herb, bought a pair of Z-CoiL's in September and went from a walker to a cane and occasionally no walking aid at all. He's all of about 5'7", very thin and in his 80's. He is a true believer in Z-CoiL's.

He called the other day and said he desperately needed a new pair of Z-Coil's. His wife is sick and he is taking care of her and last night, he was in the living room without his Z-CoiL's and without his walker and she needed him. He told me his Z-CoiL's felt too small and they hurt so he tried to take them off but couldn't (Z-Walker ties). He ended up cutting them off of his feet, straight through the leather in the toe box. Now, I'm wondering what is going on because they were plenty big when he was fit... He said he was trying to get a ride and would be in to see me.

He came in and had Uggs on, was barely able to walk, was very short of breath and the bottom of his pants from about the knee down were soaked. I lifted his pant legs and his legs were about 18" in diameter and draining water out of his legs. Considering that he is a very skinny guy, this was serious. But he didn't want to deal with it... he just wanted another pair of Z-CoiL's so he could walk comfortably! It took me 5 minutes just to get the Uggs off of his feet and his legs and feet looked horrible. Red rash, scratches from where he was using a piece of wood to try and get his Z-CoiL's off, and water just oozing out.

I told him I would not sell him another pair until he got this taken care of and that he needed to get to the hospital. His symptoms were of someone having a serious heart issue and my concern was that he was on the verge of a heart attack. All he cared about was being able to walk so he could take care of his wife and he only way he could walk was with Z-CoiL's. I finally told him that if he agreed to let his ride take him straight to the emergency room (about a 4-5 minute drive), I would not call 911 and I would put a pair of Z-CoiL's on his feet so he could walk to the car and into the hospital, which he agreed to do.

He normally wears a size 10, but there is no way a size 10 would go on his swollen feet. I happened to have a pair of M13 Z-Walker Velcro that had been stretched extremely wide for a customer. I cut the tongue loose, we got them on his feet while his ride went to get the car, and got him out the door. He did not want to leave until he paid me! I told him these were loaners and that we would fit him with his own pair once his legs and feet were back to the normal size, so off he went.

They admitted him with what I believe to be congestive heart failure. They are getting the fluids drained from his body and have him on a regime of various drugs. He is feeling much better but will be hospitalized for a few days.

My point of this whole story? When we see someone who has a medical condition and has not been to a doctor, we will recommend they do so. There are times when we will not sell a pair of Z-CoiL Footwear to a person until they see a doctor. Many times the pain may be in one area but that is just a manifestation of another underlying issue. Although we are neither doctors nor licensed medical professionals, many of the people that come in our store are or should be in the care of a medical professional. We have an obligation to recommend they see a doctor for an evaluation. So, no medical aid is a substitute for medical advice. Make sure you consult a doctor when you have an issue!

Till later,
Caesar...