Happy 2012 From Team Hyndman

Hi all!
I knew I hadn't posted on the blog in quite some time, but when I looked and saw it was the end of October since my last post, I couldn't believe it. Time has flown by faster this past year than in any other year I can remember! I fully intended to blog more this coming year and share more information, but that didn't happen. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I prefer to set goals anytime, not just once a year. So, my resolution or goal or intention is to keep up with this blog more this year and do a better job at sharing good information. Hopefully, I can at least do better than last year!

We had a really great Thanksgiving, threw a great 70th birthday party for my Dad / PaPa Jagel in November, attended The Toledo Ballet's Nutcracker to see our niece Maddie perform, Isabella had a wonderful band concert playing Saxophone, Nick finished his first semester at college and did really well, we purchased a van for Nick and it's in Columbus getting modified, and we took a trip to Florida for Christmas and New Years. Those are the major highlights for Team Hyndman since the end of October.

In December, we purchased a 2012 Black Toyota Sienna for Nick. RSC (the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency) is paying for the modifications (lift, etc.) and that is why the van is in Columbus being modified. Greg and Nick are supposed to go down on Jan. 31st. to Columbus to inspect the van, see if the modifications work for Nick, and if it is done at that time, we think we'll have it after that. We'll see.........more to come:-)

I also did not manage to get Christmas cards out this year. We were busy and we also had a lot of "bugs" going around in the family before and after our trip, so it just didn't happen. We are sending out New Years cards I had made instead this coming week and since we had such a big year of transitions and changes, I typed up a holiday letter which I haven't done in years. I am attaching a copy of it below and I'll post more later about the van and Nick's progress with college, which has been challenging for all of us. (he's doing well but we have not yet figured out the physical assistance part yet!)

Charger, Nick's service dog is back with us and doing great. As of his last weigh in he actually lost a pound and didn't gain any weight. He is having a re-certification test this week. We're not sure if he's maintained his weight over the holidays. I know we didn't feed him any bad foods but he spent a lot of time driving in the car and in our hotel room. He DID LOVE the beach! We went to Clearwater Beach over Christmas and he is a true water/beach dog! He ran like crazy and would run full speed into the waves. It was amazing to watch and he is literally the PERFECT traveling dog. He was perfect the whole trip.
Here is a copy of the letter I am sending out with our New Years cards this next week:

Happy New Year 2011 from The Hyndmans!

We hope this letter finds you well and that you had a wonderful holiday! We did not manage to get Christmas cards out as we had wanted to this year and we enjoyed the cards and letters we received so much from everyone. For us, 2011 was a year filled with some big events for our family so we wanted to write a note and tell everyone about some of the highlights, as well as let all of our friends and family know we hope you have a 2012 filled with joy, good health, and time spent with people you love!
Nick was able to wrestle again for Perrysburg High School in 2010-2011 for his senior year. He loved it! He won an award from the Ohio High School Athletic Association, “Most Courageous Athlete” Award and we were able to go to Columbus for the State Wrestling Tournaments where he received the award. He graduated from high school in June and WALKED down the aisle in the ceremony with a little help from a friend. He turned 18 in August and started college at The University of Toledo majoring in International Business. He got his driver’s license in 2010 and this year, we worked on getting him a modified van. We bought his first van, a 2012 Toyota Sienna, which is currently being modified in Columbus with a lift, etc., and we pick it up at the end of this month. He still has his service dog, Charger, and he is playing wheelchair football with The Toledo Crash (through The Ability Center). He got a power chair to use on campus this year and we just ordered him a really cool “sports” wheelchair, titanium, which he should get soon. He’s written a few songs this year and continues to write and speak on occasion. He really loves to write! So, lots of changes and transitions for Nick (and us!) this past year!
Isabella started Junior High this year and is in the 6th grade at Perrysburg Junior High School. She turned 12 this year. She is playing the saxophone in band and is on student council, which she loves. She is taking dance again this year in her 6th year at The Dance Factory (formerly JJ’s) and her 8th year of dance total. She takes tap, jazz, hip hop, and ballet and she really loves it. Her big passions are animals, animals, reading, her I- pad, and animals! She loves to take classes at the Toledo Humane Society and our vet said she can volunteer at her office if we make the arrangements, which we hope to do this year.
Both of the kids love their IPads, IPods, computers, music, and all things of the electronic age. They are WAY ahead of us! We were very fortunate this year to do some traveling too. The kids went to Chicago over the summer with their NaNa and PaPa Jagel to visit their Uncles and they got to do some really cool things there and had a GREAT time! In June, we went to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week to celebrate Nick’s graduation with some extended family and LOVED the beaches there. Then, with all of the changes, we felt like we needed some time away, just the four of us so we went to Florida for Christmas and New Year’s. The kids said it was the “best trip of their lives” (but they say that a lot!) and we agree it was great. We spent Christmas Eve and Day on Clearwater Beach with Charger (who loved the beach!), had some awesome dinners, and the highlight was visiting the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a day where we took a behind the scenes tour and met Winter, the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale (a great movie if you haven’t seen it!) and lots of other rescued animals. We can’t wait to go back there some day. We highly recommend it if you’re ever in that area! After Christmas, we went to Orlando for New Year’s where we visited Disney, Universal Studios (Harry Potter!), and SeaWorld. We also managed to swim and visit Downtown Disney a few nights where we ate at Planet Hollywood and The House of Blues and saw the movies ‘War Horse” and “We Bought a Zoo”, both EXCELLENT movies if you haven’t seen them! We had a lot of fun and did some great things but the best thing was just spending the time together. It’s our goal to get as much time in with the kids as we can now that they’re growing up and so busy!
Greg and I celebrated our 21st anniversary (29 together) and Greg’s in his 15th, almost 16th year at Northstar Bluescope Steel. I managed to publish a small article in Exceptional Parent Magazine (Sept. 2011 issue) online and I’ve been blogging still, but not as much as I should have. This year, I’d like to keep up with our family blog more and keep it updated, find some more information to share when I can. In Hilton Head (in June), I managed to get second degree burns on the balls of both of my feet on the beach (long story) and I’m still working on healing them believe it or not. Hard to heal when you actually WALK on your feet! We are back to our routines starting the new year and like everyone else, we’ve had some colds/flu, but we’re grateful for our health!
So, we had a wonderful year and are just grateful! We are hoping that 2012 is a little “less busy” (less big changes/transitions). We are sending our love and wishes for the best 2012 to all of you. Thanks for “catching up” with us.

Team Hyndman
Greg, Amy, Nick, and Isabella (Oreo, Ozzie, and Charger too!)
Visit our blog if you’d like to keep in touch: http://www.cerebralpalsyfamily.blogspot.com

Blessings:)

Amy

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=9009246013/a=131969895_131969895/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Welcoming 2012 -- UCP's January Newsletter - Related Stories - UCP SmartBrief

Welcoming 2012 -- UCP's January Newsletter - Related Stories - UCP SmartBrief - I received this from United Cerebral Palsy, www.ucp.org.

Blessings:)
Amy

Faith the Dog's Official Web Site | Hope and Love on Two Legs and Oct. 2011 Update

Faith'>http://faiththedog.info/">Faith the Dog's Official Web Site  Hope and Love on Two Legs

Hi all,
Check out this website for Faith, a dog who is living without his two front legs. What an inspiration and miracle! 
(http://faiththedog.info) I first saw Faith this week on an episode of Oprah's Lifeclass on OWN. I'm an admitted self-help junkie but this show is for everyone. I am loving it. You can watch it on OWN or online at www.oprah.com or on Facebook but it is some the best television out there and I've learned some real things that I use each time I watch it. I tape it on the DVR so I can watch it when I have time.

Speaking of miracle dogs, Nick's service dog, Charger, is back home with us now. Thank you to Jenny Barlos and the staff at Assistance Dogs of America (www.adai.orghttp://www.adai.org">www.adai.org>) who helped us this summer with Charger to lost weight so he can be certified to work with Nick. We are obsessed now with making sure he's active every day. Unfortunately, our other two dogs, who we love to death, are older and LAZY. They'll run one lap with Charger around the yard (they're not big dogs like him!) and they quit, while Charger's just warming up. We love having him back and missed him. He's amazing and he and Nick are bonded tightly!

Life has been, well, like it is for most people, good, bad, frustrating lately. A mixture of all things.
The kids are busy with school. Nick is half way through his first semester of college and doing well and Isabella is loving 6th grade. She's in student council and loves that, playing Saxophone, joining Pep band, and taking dance. Greg is busy helping Nick, the usual things, and he's working on some special projects at work right now which he's really liking for a change. He and Nick are loving Fantasy football, going to games, etc. I've been working on healing my feet still (STILL.....such a slow process and tests my patience) and taking care of things at home and with the kids. I am wanting to go back to work once we get things settled with Nick and get him his van so he can get himself to and from school and we have someone to help him with personal care things at school.

We were told about three weeks ago that there is another delay with getting Nick's van at the State of Ohio level (RSC, the Rehabilitation Services Commission, or state vocational rehabilitation agency). Basically, the short version is that we were told there is a delay getting the funding for the modifications for Nick's van (we are buying him a brand new van and the State agreed to pay for the modifications, about $24, 000.oo). We think that is a lot of money and are glad they are willing to help so we knew going in we'd have alot of paperwork and waiting and we'd have to jump through the usual bureaucratic hoops one does when asking for services. We were told that we could "complain or appeal" about the additional possible SIX MONTH delay but if we do, that will just delay the process even further. That is what we were told. So, of course, we don't want it delayed even further as it is putting Nick and us in a real "hold" ourselves and a bind, so we can't "complain" or appeal this. We think this is terrible, and words I can't or shouldn't use in this blog. We're so angry/upset at this and the fact that there is literally no accountability or good customer service at these agencies at the state level in our opinion. Basically, it's made known, if you want help and want services, this is just what you have to put up with. Forget  what it does to your life while you wait, they don't care at all. So, needless to say, it's frustrating. We're trying just go keep going and do what we have to do each day to get Nick to school and help him. He should be in school right now and this is the right thing for us to do and we'll do what we can to make that happen for him. At some point, now that he's an adult, he should be able to access the services that adults with disabilities can access. The reason he's eligible or these services at all (besides we pay taxes like everyone else) is that he has a disability and wants to, intends to work and contribute to society. He plans to and is getting a college degree so he can work. He just needs some extra things due to his disability to make that possible, such as a van with a lift so he can get his power wheelchair to and from school and eventually to and from a job. So, we applied for services and are waiting. If we can get help with $24000 worth of modifications he needs for the van lift, etc., we'll do what we have to do to get it for him so he can go to college, work, get to and from places he wants to/needs to go.

Nick just got over being sick. He was pretty sick for a couple of weeks. We also just got him fitted for a sports wheelchair, a quad-rugby chair, made for wheelchair court sports like football, basketball, quad rugby. Nick is still practicing with the Toledo Crash football team at The Ability Center of Greater Toledo. We're just waiting on a quote for the chair. Insurance won't pay for this chair, but we feel he needs it to participate in sports and is worth it. We were laughing about the fact we may need a shed just to keep his "wheels". He'll have his sports chair, his power wheelchair, his regular manual wheelchair, his Segway, his walker, and his Paralympic hand-peddled bike! That's quite a collection! Then he'll have a brand new van with a lift. This should give people an idea of the expenses people with disabilities have to participate in the world. I have to add of course all of the hearing aids and supplies for that which insurance does NOT cover, because it is not medically necessary to hear of course;) Sometimes I just want to educate people, not to complain, but so they are aware of the stresses that families have. These are things most people don't talk about because we don't  talk about money and who wants to think about it all the time? (not us!) But, it's just the reality.

We are really needing some family time alone so we are going to Florida for the holiday break. Nick and Bella only get 2 weeks at Christmas (Nick get a month and Bella gets 2 weeks) and the summer off together now. Their spring breaks are at totally different times. So, family time is limited to those times for vacations and Nick can't take extreme heat in summer, so that limits where we can go if we go on vacation in the summer. We're going to spend Christmas in Clearwater on the beach (even if it's cold, we love the beach!) and plan to go see the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale at the aquarium there. Then we're going to Orlando for New Years and plan to check out the Harry Potter theme park, Seaworld, and Disney Epcott (and maybe one other park). We've been to all the Disney Parks and Universal Studios four times now so we wanted to go the parks we haven't been to at all or much. We love Disney and Universal and will never be too old for it. We're always just happy when we're there! We're really looking forward to it.

Isabella is going to be a "Cowgirl" for Halloween tomorrow. We've had a great three day weekend together. Nick doesn't have Friday classes this semester, Bella had Friday off of school (not sure why-a planned day) and Greg took Friday off. We saw the movie 50/50 with our parents this weekend and loved it! We watched some scary movies and carved pumpkins. We're so glad the kids still love to spend time with us and as a family. We NEED it. When things get crazy, we just crave time together to remind ourselves that "everything is OKAY!" We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

One final thing....thank you to the people who read this blog and send us encouraging messages. We really love and appreciate the comments, e-mails, etc. :)))))

Blessings:)

Amy

Building Inclusive Communities Video Includes Nick Hyndman

http://youtu.be/PA0rUsFv8xQ

Hi all,

Nick is included in this video by The Ability Center of Greater Toledo.

Blessings:)
Amy

Special Announcement for Northwest Ohio

Hi all,

I received an e-mail today, as Nick is a graduate of Assistance Dogs of America where he received his service dog, Charger. The announcement is of a partnership for the Northwest Ohio area with The Ability Center of Greater Toledo and Assistance Dogs of America. Here is a copy of the e-mail I received:

Dear ADAI Graduate,

We thank you for your continued support and involvement with Assistance Dogs and we have an exciting update to share.

October 9, The Ability Center of Greater Toledo and Assistance Dogs shared an important announcement. The two organizations, with long compatible missions, are forming a strategic partnership to better meet the needs of the disability community. This partnership allows the organizations to:

Ø Create greater operational efficiency by eliminating duplication of functions

Ø Train more dogs to serve a greater number of people

Ø Increase public awareness about the possibilities and value of full accessibility for all

Ø Promote internal discussion and planning about new kinds of service and delivery

Under the new collaboration, Assistance Dogs becomes a dedicated program of the Ability Center and will move its headquarters to the Ability Center campus on Monroe Street in Sylvania next spring. Private funding is being sought to renovate the Ability Center’s current Housing Resource Center for that purpose. The resource center will be relocated to a new facility on the Ability Center Campus on Skelly Road in Sylvania.

Although some things are changing, ADAI graduates will continue to receive the same level of dedicated support, advice and additional training from the Assistance Dogs staff. In fact, our new facility will be fully accessible (and have two accessible bathrooms in the facility!) with more room for brush-up classes and plenty of parking for visiting graduates and their dogs.

Financial gifts will continue to be made payable to Assistance Dogs. All gifts will be designated according to your wishes.

Governance of Assistance Dogs will transfer to the Ability Center Board of Directors this month and ten current staff members of Assistance Dogs will become Ability Center employees. Assistance Dogs board members will continue to play a critical role in this transition, serving for the next year as an Advisory Council.

This is truly an exciting time for both organizations and we’re pleased to share this news with you. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 419-825-3622, ext. 224 or Jenny Barlos at 419-825-3622, ext 236.

Sincerely,

Jan Brown,
Program Director
Assistance Dogs
See this link for another story:

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/10/09/Local-agencies-for-assistance-disabled-link-up.html

Jan Fought Brown
Director
Assistance Dogs
8806 State Route 64
Swanton. OH 43558
419-825-3622 ext 224
Assistance Dogs is a program of The Ability Center

Isabella's 12th Birthday and New Updates

Hi all,

Happy Birthday to our Isabella Grace, who turned 12 last week!

I know, I know, I know........I've been a bad blogger and facebooker (my friends make sure to remind me:) ) the past few months. I have no excuses but the truth is that this year, especially this past six months, has been one of the craziest, busiest times I can remember in years with Nick's graduating, turning 18, and all if the disability stuff/transition stuff that we have to take care of to get him settled into college with the services be needs. I started working on all of this back in March but apparently, that wasn't soon enough.

Let me go back first to say that Isabella is loving Jr. High and the 6th grade, playing the saxophone this year, in student council, and dance. She had the best idea for her birthday. She wanted the family to go out to Port Clinton/Marblehead at the Lighthouse on the water for a picnic. So we did and it was the PERFECT day. The weather was perfect, we had great food and a lot of fun by the water and hanging out with family! We then topped it off with ice cream on the way home and she said it was a perfect day.

Nick is loving college by the way, the freedom of it, and he is "kicking butt and taking names" with his grades so far! We have note takers now for each class. The downsides are, the modified van won't be ready this semester, but we hope by December so we have it for next semester. This is due to Red Tape by RSC/The State of Ohio and nothing ever happens quickly I guess. Anyhow, we feel like we just have to be grateful for their assistance so we can't complain. The issue is, without it, Nick can't get his power chair to and from school or drive himself there, so we need to take him to and from school every day. Not only that, but we don't have a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) to help him with personal care tasks (lunch, restroom, lots of other little things people wouldn't imagine unless they had his disability) so we have to stay with him the entire time he's there, which will probably be the case this entire semester. We had no idea we would be in this place, but we are, so we are a "team" and we're doing what we have to do so Nick can attend college this semester, until we can get all of his services in place. We're so busy doing this, and Greg's work and the usual family/house obligations as well, Isabella's activities, that it's hard to get it all done. The best way to put it is, we are in "survival mode" or "day to day mode". We're working on it. (the van, the PCA, social security, adult services for Nick, all of it.....and have been for the past six months) Hopefully, by the end of the year, we'll have some of these things taken care of finally so Nick can be more independent. It's been a lot for us, but we're happy to do it, it's just hard right now. I'm still trying to heal the second degree burns on my feet I got on the beach in June in Hilton Head. I'm going to the wound care clinic every two weeks and they are about half way healed. It takes longer than I thought and because the burns are on the balls of my feet, where you walk, and I can't be off my feet right now, it's just taking longer. My Dad's been helping us too a couple of days a week.

I am behind on everything! (pictures, paperwork for Nick, house projects and just cleaning in general, and yes, blogging!) If we can just take care of Bella and Nick at this point and do what has to be done, we feel like we're doing pretty well! We've always been a busy family but this period of time has, by far, been busier than any period I can remember in recent years. I'm still committed to this blog and the purpose behind it. I have a lot of ideas and plans for it, I just have to have the time to catch up and then get going on them. And, I WILL get pics up soon! Did I mention that we've had our TWO computers CRASH (first one, then the other) in the past two months??????????? The ones with our pictures on them? We've got our pics up on snapfish but I haven't had time to do anything with them yet. We have two new laptops now finally.

Also, I wanted to say, Nick's party (graduation/18th b-day) was SO fun and a great success. We had the best time with our family and friends and with all of the people who were there to support Nick and us all of these years and that day. THANK you to everyone for making that a special day for Nick and us! There is nothing better than being with family and friends and there were people there who worked with Nick when he was little, up until this year. It was great! We have had a great team of professionals over the years to support us. Now we have to focus on getting services in place and a new team of professionals to support Nick as an adult.

I also had my first article published this month! In Exceptional Parent Magazine, September 2011 issue. The magazine has been one of our favorites since Nick was a baby and for the past few years, it's been available online only, not in hard print, as many magazines in this economy. Anyhow, I was contacted by the Editor-in Chief a few months ago and the article was published this month. I'll try to get that on there too. I'm having trouble with the link to it, getting it on blogger, so I'll need Greg's help to figure it out. (www.eparent.com)

Finally, I want to say that my husband, Greg, is the "Dad of the year" in my opinion! He has worked so hard for our family and works a 12-hour swing shift. He usually works 3 days one week and 4 days another, and although he has to work every other weekend and some holidays, his schedule has been GREAT for the family as he can be there for a lot of things for the kids. He has to occasionally work overtime to cover vacations or time off, but most of the time, it's three days one week and four days another. He's going to school part time to finish his degree and has been off and on for years as he has always put us first. If it weren't for Greg, Nick would not be able to go to school right now, because we don't have a modified van or PCA. He spends all of his days off during the week taking Nick as my feet  have second degree burns. He never complains and he's always here for our important things when we need him. He's a true family man, and the best Dad I've ever witnessed. He does everything with the kids and I, the day to day hard stuff, the fun stuff, all of it. I think he deserves some recognition for having his priorities straight. I don't know how our family would survive and thrive without him. We love you Greg / Dad!

Until next time........(and I'll make sure it's not so long!)

Blessings:)
Amy