Hi all,
I received this e-mail/event announcement from Dan Wilkins, PR at The Ability Center of Greater Toledo. Derrick Dufresne is an excellent speaker. I've had the pleasure of hearing him speak and hope to attend this event as well. Please pass on to others who may be interested. Thanks!
Here it is:
Attached please find a flyer announcing a presentation on December 17 by Derrick Dufresne. If you attended the January 28th gathering we hosted at the Secor Rd. Ramada Inn, you may have already heard Derrick’s message related to the impact of loneliness in our communities. However, we hope you will be able to join us on December 17 as we continue to expand our effort to promote inclusive communities.
Please forward this announcement to colleagues and encourage them to attend also.
Thank you for being a Partner for Community Inclusion.
Sincerely,
Dan Wilkins
Director of Public Relations and Community Partnerships
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo
5605 Monroe Street
Sylvania, OH 43560
419-885-5733
866-885-5733 (toll-free)
419-290-6377 (cell)
In January, 2010, at our first meeting with area partners, we were reminded that “Loneliness Kills”; that a person living in isolation, without social connections and the benefits that come from community and belonging, lives a shorter, less healthy life. We learned the average individual in society can count around 150 people as friends and
acquaintances, while a person with a significant disability can count only about 15. Of thesemost are paid to be with them. On December 17th, we will be having another conversation with Derrick Dufresne. He will revisit the issues of Loneliness and Social Capital and the impact they have on all members of the community, including those living with disability. He will also share a few local success stories born out of that initial gathering. If you would like to have a refresher on these topics or have fellow employees or friends who you feel would benefit from this information,
please join us.
** There is no charge for this event.
Feeling Welcome: The Importance of Belonging
A Conversation with Derrick Dufresne
Where: Ward Pavilion, Wildwood Metropark,
4830 W. Central Avenue, Toledo, 43615
Use the east entrance off Central just West of Corey.
When: December 17, 9 to 11am
Who should attend: Anyone with an interest in developing inclusive communities.
Please RSVP: Lisa Justice: 419.885.5733, ext 237, or ljustice@abilitycenter.org
no later than Dec 10
** There is no charge for this event. Coffee, bagels, and juice will be available.
Please share this announcement with others who are interested in creating inclusive communities.
Event Sponsored and Supported by:
For Derrick’s Bio and Vision:
http://www.craconferences.com/
Blessings:)
Amy
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wood Lane - Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities: A local family's willingness to share their "Exper...
Wood Lane - Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities: A local family's willingness to share their "Exper...: "One of the blogs we follow is Cerebralpalsyfamily.blogspot.com. The Hyndman family posts information, resources/links, and personal reflect..."
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving from Team Hyndman
Hi all,
For our friends and family who have been asking about Nick's wrestling, he found out last night he is wrestling JV at least for now. I put both schedules up in a previous post. If anything changes at any time, I'll let you know.
Nick is actually a little disappointed but I think it's just amazing he's wrestling at all with cerebral palsy! It's just his competitive side and high expectations for himself, but I told him to just work hard and ENJOY it as this is his senior year! We wish he wouldn't be so hard on himself but it is that kind of determination that has gotten him as far as he has, so we hope we can just teach him to balance that out a little.
Thanksgiving is a few days a way but we are going to be very busy with appts. for the kids today and tomorrow. Nick is taking his driving test today with his special driving instructor, Isabella has an orthodontist appt., dance tonight, Nick has wrestling today and tomorrow, and of course, I have to grocery shop and cook tomorrow! Sound familiar to anyone? I bet it does!
So, we would like to wish everyone a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are safe, healthy, grateful for your blessings, and enjoy time with people you love!
We are grateful for so many things, it would take too many pages to write it all down. We are grateful for God's gifts in our life, each other, our family, friends, and loved ones, our health, our time together, on and on and on.....We are also grateful for our readers of our blog and to be able to share our experiences with others. Thank you!
We'll be back after the holiday with more updates and information!
Happy Thanksgiving and Blessings:)
Team Hyndman
Greg, Amy, Nick, and Isabella
Charger, Oreo, Ozzie, and Shelly
For our friends and family who have been asking about Nick's wrestling, he found out last night he is wrestling JV at least for now. I put both schedules up in a previous post. If anything changes at any time, I'll let you know.
Nick is actually a little disappointed but I think it's just amazing he's wrestling at all with cerebral palsy! It's just his competitive side and high expectations for himself, but I told him to just work hard and ENJOY it as this is his senior year! We wish he wouldn't be so hard on himself but it is that kind of determination that has gotten him as far as he has, so we hope we can just teach him to balance that out a little.
Thanksgiving is a few days a way but we are going to be very busy with appts. for the kids today and tomorrow. Nick is taking his driving test today with his special driving instructor, Isabella has an orthodontist appt., dance tonight, Nick has wrestling today and tomorrow, and of course, I have to grocery shop and cook tomorrow! Sound familiar to anyone? I bet it does!
So, we would like to wish everyone a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are safe, healthy, grateful for your blessings, and enjoy time with people you love!
We are grateful for so many things, it would take too many pages to write it all down. We are grateful for God's gifts in our life, each other, our family, friends, and loved ones, our health, our time together, on and on and on.....We are also grateful for our readers of our blog and to be able to share our experiences with others. Thank you!
We'll be back after the holiday with more updates and information!
Happy Thanksgiving and Blessings:)
Team Hyndman
Greg, Amy, Nick, and Isabella
Charger, Oreo, Ozzie, and Shelly
Sunday, November 21, 2010
What Would You Do?
Hi all,
I feel it in the air, Thanksgiving this week! I'm getting the store list ready and planning what I'm cooking and looking forward to the family getting together. Even my brother, Jimmie and Mike and their dog, Lily is coming into town.
Does anyone ever watch the show on ABC, "What Would You Do?" The kids, Greg, and I LOVE this show! I've always felt people are "one" and need to be involved when there is an injustice or something bad happening, so I love this show.
I ask the question to myself, in my head, a lot. One thing that I think about is:
A question I have for people:what would you do if you had a child with an imperfection in their appearance? Would you try to erase it or change it? I ask because I know people who have done this and I wonder what they think when they look at my physically disabled child. I wonder if they're grateful it is not their child or what they would do if their child didn't look perfect or had an imperfection? I know some people who are SO into appearances and I just have no place in my life for that anymore. When you have a child with a disability, that all seems so shallow and I think, "gee, then what do you think of my child?" (of anyone else who isn't "perfect"?) I know someone who's child had a birthmark and they had it removed. It was a big deal to them. I thought, really? I realize these kinds of decisions are personal and in some ways are none of my business. BUT, because it was a friend and they shared this with me, I knew about it, and was actually very hurt inside, even trough I knew it wasn't about ME, it was about them, but I felt it for Nick in some weird way. Maybe I'm too sensitive. Well, I AM really sensitive. I used to see this as a problem but I don't anymore. I think the world can use a little more heart and sensitivity.
I guess it extends to all kinds of things...what would you do if your teenager couldn't walk or bathe themselves or something else? We ALL take things for granted, unintentionally. If we don't experience it, then how can we know what it's like? That's one of the many reasons I write this blog, to educate and make people aware. I've been doing this for 17 years now, am passionate about it and feel it's one of my purposes in life, and plan to continue to do it even when my friends and family may get sick of me!:) (haha!!!!)
These kinds of things lead me (us) to gratitude very easily. We're so thankful for EVERYTHING Nick CAN do, his accomplishments, we take in every little and big victory with complete gratitude and joy! So, although these things come to mind on occasion (the question I posed above, what would you do........), I always, ultimately, end up in a place of gratitude and realize I have no place in my life for placing such importance on "appearances", physical or otherwise, and just feel I'm in a better place because of having Nick (and Bella of course!) and the journey he and we have been on and will continue.
If you've never had a chance to watch the show I mentioned above, you should! For us, it's on Friday nights on ABC. I'm sure if you go to their website, you can get listings for your area. And, I'd say, "get involved!"
Blessings:)
Amy
I feel it in the air, Thanksgiving this week! I'm getting the store list ready and planning what I'm cooking and looking forward to the family getting together. Even my brother, Jimmie and Mike and their dog, Lily is coming into town.
Does anyone ever watch the show on ABC, "What Would You Do?" The kids, Greg, and I LOVE this show! I've always felt people are "one" and need to be involved when there is an injustice or something bad happening, so I love this show.
I ask the question to myself, in my head, a lot. One thing that I think about is:
A question I have for people:what would you do if you had a child with an imperfection in their appearance? Would you try to erase it or change it? I ask because I know people who have done this and I wonder what they think when they look at my physically disabled child. I wonder if they're grateful it is not their child or what they would do if their child didn't look perfect or had an imperfection? I know some people who are SO into appearances and I just have no place in my life for that anymore. When you have a child with a disability, that all seems so shallow and I think, "gee, then what do you think of my child?" (of anyone else who isn't "perfect"?) I know someone who's child had a birthmark and they had it removed. It was a big deal to them. I thought, really? I realize these kinds of decisions are personal and in some ways are none of my business. BUT, because it was a friend and they shared this with me, I knew about it, and was actually very hurt inside, even trough I knew it wasn't about ME, it was about them, but I felt it for Nick in some weird way. Maybe I'm too sensitive. Well, I AM really sensitive. I used to see this as a problem but I don't anymore. I think the world can use a little more heart and sensitivity.
I guess it extends to all kinds of things...what would you do if your teenager couldn't walk or bathe themselves or something else? We ALL take things for granted, unintentionally. If we don't experience it, then how can we know what it's like? That's one of the many reasons I write this blog, to educate and make people aware. I've been doing this for 17 years now, am passionate about it and feel it's one of my purposes in life, and plan to continue to do it even when my friends and family may get sick of me!:) (haha!!!!)
These kinds of things lead me (us) to gratitude very easily. We're so thankful for EVERYTHING Nick CAN do, his accomplishments, we take in every little and big victory with complete gratitude and joy! So, although these things come to mind on occasion (the question I posed above, what would you do........), I always, ultimately, end up in a place of gratitude and realize I have no place in my life for placing such importance on "appearances", physical or otherwise, and just feel I'm in a better place because of having Nick (and Bella of course!) and the journey he and we have been on and will continue.
If you've never had a chance to watch the show I mentioned above, you should! For us, it's on Friday nights on ABC. I'm sure if you go to their website, you can get listings for your area. And, I'd say, "get involved!"
Blessings:)
Amy
Friday, November 19, 2010
What Are You Thankful For?
Hi all,
What are you thankful for? We'd love it if you'd share it with us!
We'll be talking about what we're thankful for later this week!
Blessings:)
Amy
What are you thankful for? We'd love it if you'd share it with us!
We'll be talking about what we're thankful for later this week!
Blessings:)
Amy
Does Our Grief Make You Uncomfortable?
Hi all,
Before I get to what I wanted to blog about today, I wanted to say "Happy Birthday" to my Dad, Jim Jagel. His birthday was yesterday! He is a one-0f-a-kind man, who is always there to help people even when he isn't feeling well, he makes time for others. That is the mark of a truly GOOD human being! He's been my Dad for 35 years, and he was always here for us, doing the little, every day things. He is Nick's home health care aid and always helps us with things, even when we don't ask. He and my Mom have been there for us with Nick from the beginning, letting us live with them for the first year and a half of Nick's life, traveling to Canada when we were lonely during Nick's therapy one summer and were in need of family support, and they are a part of every single thing in Nick and Bella's life. Very selfless people. Well, I could go on and on, but I'll just end with, I am (we are) so thankful for my Dad (and Mom too)!
After my blog post on October 30th, October 2010 Update, where I talked about our feelings lately re: Nick's disability and how these hit us out of the blue after all this time, I received some wonderful, supportive e-mails. Thank you!
I started this blog for several reasons. One reason was to write about our family, our experiences, and hopefully find some people out there who can relate and also maybe we could help someone else to feel they are not alone if they are experiencing similar feelings and things. So, of course, part of that is my writing about our feelings, good and bad, which is not something I am good at talking about with others, "venting" when needed, basically, whatever I feel I want to write about and share.
I find it interesting that some family and friends stop coming around when you share or show this kind of feeling, emotion, venting, instead of being supportive. It happened to us when Nick was little. We had several friends that just stopped coming around and as I've blogged about, we've made some great new friends in our journey. I was also told that I made some family members uncomfortable (exact words) because of the emotions I showed or things I said, in my grief. That was a big lesson for me and I learned back then to put on a smile and just say, "everything is great" to certain people because most people either don't want to hear the truth or don't care, but it clearly makes people uncomfortable. So, we have always been and are careful about who we share ourselves with. When you make yourself vulnerable to others, they can use it to hurt you, and they often do. There are a rare few we've learned we can talk to honestly about how we're feeling, etc. And, luckily for Greg and I, we talk to each other!:) SO, it was difficult for me to decide to "vent" and share my anger, envy, grief, sadness, all of those feelings that are a normal part of the grief process for someone with a child with a disability or health care issue. I have become ashamed to share these things over the years because I have learned, it MAKES PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE. But, I decided to do it because I just know we are not the only ones who have these feelings and I thought if we could help one other person/family, it would be worth it. It's not like we feel this way 24/7, and the truth is, we are too busy living life to even feel anything about Nick's disability hardly ever! We also DO try to be optimistic, we ARE in fact, and are positive most of the time. So, it's interesting to me that people have the reactions they do when you occasionally share or are going through a tough time. Some people stop calling or contacting you. Some tell you that you shouldn't be putting your own situation on everyone else. I could go on and on about the reactions we've gotten in the past and from this post in October. I've said before, our feelings are NOT about anyone we know, they are about US. But, we do have a right to our feelings and they are normal. I'm sorry if our grief makes people uncomfortable, but at the same time, why should I be sorry? Maybe people need to be aware of and more sensitive to others experiences and feelings, and be ok with it.
We've also found that finding a place to share with other parents and families is helpful, whether that be in person, online. We like Exceptional Family TV on Facebook and their actual website as one resource.
I got a post from a Dad who said he could relate to what I posted about on October 30th and gave me some good advice. He said to acknowledge it, feel it, go through it, and move on. That is what we do and it is good advice. It was nice knowing we reached this person who lives across the US and has the same experiences. That was one of our goals.
I will continue to blog about our family, experiences, feelings, good AND bad, in an honest and truthful way. I'm doing this for us and hopefully for others too. No regrets at all. I just think people should ask themselves WHY someone else's grief, feelings, tragedies, make them uncomfortable.
Blessings:)
Amy
Before I get to what I wanted to blog about today, I wanted to say "Happy Birthday" to my Dad, Jim Jagel. His birthday was yesterday! He is a one-0f-a-kind man, who is always there to help people even when he isn't feeling well, he makes time for others. That is the mark of a truly GOOD human being! He's been my Dad for 35 years, and he was always here for us, doing the little, every day things. He is Nick's home health care aid and always helps us with things, even when we don't ask. He and my Mom have been there for us with Nick from the beginning, letting us live with them for the first year and a half of Nick's life, traveling to Canada when we were lonely during Nick's therapy one summer and were in need of family support, and they are a part of every single thing in Nick and Bella's life. Very selfless people. Well, I could go on and on, but I'll just end with, I am (we are) so thankful for my Dad (and Mom too)!
After my blog post on October 30th, October 2010 Update, where I talked about our feelings lately re: Nick's disability and how these hit us out of the blue after all this time, I received some wonderful, supportive e-mails. Thank you!
I started this blog for several reasons. One reason was to write about our family, our experiences, and hopefully find some people out there who can relate and also maybe we could help someone else to feel they are not alone if they are experiencing similar feelings and things. So, of course, part of that is my writing about our feelings, good and bad, which is not something I am good at talking about with others, "venting" when needed, basically, whatever I feel I want to write about and share.
I find it interesting that some family and friends stop coming around when you share or show this kind of feeling, emotion, venting, instead of being supportive. It happened to us when Nick was little. We had several friends that just stopped coming around and as I've blogged about, we've made some great new friends in our journey. I was also told that I made some family members uncomfortable (exact words) because of the emotions I showed or things I said, in my grief. That was a big lesson for me and I learned back then to put on a smile and just say, "everything is great" to certain people because most people either don't want to hear the truth or don't care, but it clearly makes people uncomfortable. So, we have always been and are careful about who we share ourselves with. When you make yourself vulnerable to others, they can use it to hurt you, and they often do. There are a rare few we've learned we can talk to honestly about how we're feeling, etc. And, luckily for Greg and I, we talk to each other!:) SO, it was difficult for me to decide to "vent" and share my anger, envy, grief, sadness, all of those feelings that are a normal part of the grief process for someone with a child with a disability or health care issue. I have become ashamed to share these things over the years because I have learned, it MAKES PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE. But, I decided to do it because I just know we are not the only ones who have these feelings and I thought if we could help one other person/family, it would be worth it. It's not like we feel this way 24/7, and the truth is, we are too busy living life to even feel anything about Nick's disability hardly ever! We also DO try to be optimistic, we ARE in fact, and are positive most of the time. So, it's interesting to me that people have the reactions they do when you occasionally share or are going through a tough time. Some people stop calling or contacting you. Some tell you that you shouldn't be putting your own situation on everyone else. I could go on and on about the reactions we've gotten in the past and from this post in October. I've said before, our feelings are NOT about anyone we know, they are about US. But, we do have a right to our feelings and they are normal. I'm sorry if our grief makes people uncomfortable, but at the same time, why should I be sorry? Maybe people need to be aware of and more sensitive to others experiences and feelings, and be ok with it.
We've also found that finding a place to share with other parents and families is helpful, whether that be in person, online. We like Exceptional Family TV on Facebook and their actual website as one resource.
I got a post from a Dad who said he could relate to what I posted about on October 30th and gave me some good advice. He said to acknowledge it, feel it, go through it, and move on. That is what we do and it is good advice. It was nice knowing we reached this person who lives across the US and has the same experiences. That was one of our goals.
I will continue to blog about our family, experiences, feelings, good AND bad, in an honest and truthful way. I'm doing this for us and hopefully for others too. No regrets at all. I just think people should ask themselves WHY someone else's grief, feelings, tragedies, make them uncomfortable.
Blessings:)
Amy
Monday, November 15, 2010
New Addition to Team Hyndman
Hi all,
We have a new addition to Team Hyndman. Isabella got a turtle she has named Shelly. Greg (Daddy) can't say no to Bella, so I just decided to "go with the flow". Bella's super responsible too. She is a cute little thing! I'm sure we'll get a few pics soon.
Blessings:)
Amy
We have a new addition to Team Hyndman. Isabella got a turtle she has named Shelly. Greg (Daddy) can't say no to Bella, so I just decided to "go with the flow". Bella's super responsible too. She is a cute little thing! I'm sure we'll get a few pics soon.
Blessings:)
Amy
Friday, November 12, 2010
Brothers in Arms-Tate and Nash Kemp
Hi all,
You MUST watch this video, Brothers in Arms on Tate Kemp and his brother, Nash, from Melbourne Australia. Tate is 8 and has cerebral palsy. He reminds me exactly of Nick, his personality and determination, so many things. I just got done blogging about opportunities in my last post, logged onto Facebook, and a friend shared this story on Cerebral Palsy Family on Facebook. I laughed and cried and was inspired, and could relate!
Please take the time to watch and pass this on. There are also some Youtube Videos on Tate Kemp I saw on Exceptional Family TV on Facebook. If you go to Youtube and type his name in the search box, I would imagine they'll come up.
Here's the video and link below:
http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/video/-/watch/22880747
Blessings:)
Amy
You MUST watch this video, Brothers in Arms on Tate Kemp and his brother, Nash, from Melbourne Australia. Tate is 8 and has cerebral palsy. He reminds me exactly of Nick, his personality and determination, so many things. I just got done blogging about opportunities in my last post, logged onto Facebook, and a friend shared this story on Cerebral Palsy Family on Facebook. I laughed and cried and was inspired, and could relate!
Please take the time to watch and pass this on. There are also some Youtube Videos on Tate Kemp I saw on Exceptional Family TV on Facebook. If you go to Youtube and type his name in the search box, I would imagine they'll come up.
Here's the video and link below:
http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/video/-/watch/22880747
Blessings:)
Amy
Nick's Wrestling Schedule and What It Takes for Nick to Wrestle
Hi all,
What does it take for Nick to wrestle? A LOT on his part mostly and a little help too from Team Hyndman, including his PaPa Jagel. More about that in a minute.....
People have been asking so I am posting Nick's wrestling schedule (Perrysburg High School's Wrestling Schedule) on the blog, on Facebook (on Cerebral Palsy Family on Facebook), and I e-mailed it to my contacts as well.
Perrysburg High School Wrestling has a website at http://www.phswrestling.org/. It has a link on the website also to their Facebook Page. Dates and information are on both the website and Facebook.
I scanned a copy of the Jr. Varsity and the Varsity Schedules, which are of course different in some meets, etc. As of today, 11/12/10, we don't know whether Nick is wrestling JV or Varsity. Here are the schedules:
What does it take for Nick to wrestle? A LOT on his part mostly and a little help too from Team Hyndman, including his PaPa Jagel. More about that in a minute.....
People have been asking so I am posting Nick's wrestling schedule (Perrysburg High School's Wrestling Schedule) on the blog, on Facebook (on Cerebral Palsy Family on Facebook), and I e-mailed it to my contacts as well.
Perrysburg High School Wrestling has a website at http://www.phswrestling.org/. It has a link on the website also to their Facebook Page. Dates and information are on both the website and Facebook.
I scanned a copy of the Jr. Varsity and the Varsity Schedules, which are of course different in some meets, etc. As of today, 11/12/10, we don't know whether Nick is wrestling JV or Varsity. Here are the schedules:
Nick is really looking forward to this wrestling season, only his second ever, but this is his senior year. It's hard work for anyone, and with Nick having CP, it is even harder for him. Last season, he was in a lot of pain but he worked through it and gained SO much strength and his walking improved a lot! Because we don't know yet if he'll be JV or Varsity, and because of the fact that Nick tends to get sick easily and more frequently, if you want to come to see Nick wrestle, contact Greg on his cell phone to see if and where, what time he'll be wrestling. We decided to do it that way because things can change day to day with Nick. So, for that reason, we're giving out Greg's cell phone which is 419-699-8515. If he can't answer (if he's at work or busy), leave a message and he'll get back to you. Otherwise, people may show up when Nick isn't wrestling, which happened last year.
Next week is wrestling pictures, ordering wrestling shirts, etc., and we are having a cookie dough fund-raiser for the team. We are PROUD parents/wrestling parents and are glad to do it all! These are the kinds of things you wish for when your child has a disability, just that he can participate, and then we can't complain when all of the expenses and time-consuming things come along with it!
It is a little different for Nick/us to make this work. As Nick needs physical assistance with his AFO (leg braces) which he wears to school and some things with getting dressed/undressed for wrestling, Greg or my Dad /PaPa Jagel (on the days Greg is working) has to go to school (as they go into the boys locker room, I can't exactly go and help Nick and he wouldn't want that either!) to pick up Charger, Nick's service dog and bring him home (it's a long day for Charger by then AND besides, Nick can't keep an eye on him, take him out, etc. during practice or meets), go back and help Nick undress (with his AFO's, FM system, hearing aids, and the normal stuff-he needs some help) and dress for practice (he can't get on the wrestling shoes or tie them either). Then, many times, when they go to other schools or places for meets, they don't have a bus that can accommodate a wheelchair so we have to transport Nick separately sometimes. (most of the time) So, for four months, we, along with Nick, have wrestling 6 days a week (some weeks 5) and over holiday breaks too. It's a lot, a big commitment for Nick, the whole team, the parents, and us with having to physically help and transport Nick. Having said that though, just to explain it really, we are glad to do it! We are glad to do it because for YEARS, since first grade, Nick said he wanted to "play sports, run" with the kids at his school, on his school teams. Until last year, he was not able to do that. It was totally Nick's idea last year to wrestle and the experience was great. HE made his dream come true. So how can we complain or say no to that? We, and others, take these kinds of things for granted. We have the choice and opportunity to do everything our bodies allow us to. So, if we can't do it, we still have the choice or opportunity. Nick never had the opportunity.
I've always said, I wanted Nick to have all of the opportunities in life that he would have if he did not have a disability. Now, I'm not crazy. I know that this may not always be possible, but THIS is the goal we shoot for and try to make happen in every way we can. It's about having the opportunity and/or different ways of doing things at times for Nick. Would we love a miracle, a cure for cerebral palsy? SURE! We are realistic, however, and just try to shoot for the highest possible outcome short of that miracle cure. We're painfully grounded in reality at times and aware of Nick's situation and disability, but we choose on most days and times to focus on his abilities instead, and on creating and giving him every opportunity to live his life the way he chooses to. Wrestling is just one example of Nick's choosing, one example of him making one of his dreams come true of playing a sport for his school with other kids he goes to school with.
Blessings:)
Amy
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
"Making A Difference" | Exceptional Family TV
Hi all,
A great blog on Exceptional Family TV, www.exceptionalfamilytv.com.
"Making A Difference" Exceptional Family TV
Blessings:)
Amy
A great blog on Exceptional Family TV, www.exceptionalfamilytv.com.
"Making A Difference" Exceptional Family TV
Blessings:)
Amy
Comment from Reader
Hi Amy and family
hope you are all well amy thanks for subscribing to my blog I just have a couple question what were some of the deciding factors in getting Charger I am thinking about getting a service dog for myself but have some reservations in terms of the dogs care as I live in a snowy climate and winter as a manual chair user isn't fun I have enjoyed reading your blog and was also wondering if you would like to do a guest post or two ever?
Hope to hear from you soon
lifeofthedifferentlyabled
--
Blog:
http://www.lifeofthedifferentlyabled.wordpress.com/
rss feed link :
http://feeds.feedburner.com/lifeofthedifferentlyabled
hope you are all well amy thanks for subscribing to my blog I just have a couple question what were some of the deciding factors in getting Charger I am thinking about getting a service dog for myself but have some reservations in terms of the dogs care as I live in a snowy climate and winter as a manual chair user isn't fun I have enjoyed reading your blog and was also wondering if you would like to do a guest post or two ever?
Hope to hear from you soon
lifeofthedifferentlyabled
--
Blog:
http://www.lifeofthedifferentlyabled.wordpress.com/
rss feed link :
http://feeds.feedburner.com/lifeofthedifferentlyabled
Greg's Work Featured on Good Morning America
Hi all,
Good Morning America did a Segment called Work With Me this week and this morning, it featured Greg's work of 13 1/2 years (he'll be there 14 years in April), Northstar Bluescope Steel. Check it out:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/work-essay-robert-broun/story?id=12048727
Yes, I am a proud Northstar Bluescope "Widow" as they call it. Greg works a 12 hour swing shift and has for years. You adjust and make it work for you the best way you can! Anyhow, it was a great segment.
Blessings:)
Amy
Good Morning America did a Segment called Work With Me this week and this morning, it featured Greg's work of 13 1/2 years (he'll be there 14 years in April), Northstar Bluescope Steel. Check it out:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/work-essay-robert-broun/story?id=12048727
Yes, I am a proud Northstar Bluescope "Widow" as they call it. Greg works a 12 hour swing shift and has for years. You adjust and make it work for you the best way you can! Anyhow, it was a great segment.
Blessings:)
Amy
Monday, November 8, 2010
Update November 8, 2010
Hi all,
Well, Halloween was a lot of fun. Isabella had a GREAT time dressing up and trick-or-treating with her friends and Greg. Nick sat on the porch and enjoyed handing out candy. He's really great with kids and he really seemed to like seeing them all. It was nice for our parents to come by and we had a nice meal to top it off.
Last week, Nick started her driving with the special driving instructor from an agency called Capabilities in St.Mary's, Ohio (about an hour a way from our home). (www.capabilitiesinc.biz) He's doing well and it's going to be a process, but if everyone stays healthy and the weather cooperates, Nick may be ready to take his driving exam for his license by December. It's amazing how much expertise his instructor has and we're glad he's got someone like this helping him and grateful for his suggestions.
Nick also started wrestling practices. If anyone is interested in following their website, Perrysburg High School Wrestling, www.phswrestling.org , and you can sign up to receive e-mails, etc. They also have a Facebook page you can follow. I've already had requests for his schedule and so far we don't have it and it's not on the website yet as of today. I can post it when I receive it or as I receive more info.
Isabella had her school conference last Friday (parent-teacher conferences), which in the 5th grade, are student-led. Greg had to work but I went and you could tell she put a lot of preparation time into it. It was very cute as she first introduced us to each other and then went over her work and goals, etc. Her teacher had only great things to say. One of the many great things he said was how "compassionate" Isabella is. This is no surprise to us as we know she is very kind and compassionate but it was nice that her teachers are seeing it too!:)
This past weekend was busy. Isabella attended her first sibshop meeting on Saturday and loved it. For more information on sibshops ( I know I've already posted about them!), check out www.siblingsupport.org. She had a lot of fun and went on and on telling me all of the fun things they did. She is looking forward to the next meeting in January. There were about 10 kids in her age range who attended the group this week.
Then we attended a friend's 40th birthday party at the Shoreland Park Shelter house, which has been recently newly built (re-built). This is the neighborhood I grew up in from 3rd grade until I got married, so it was right down the street from our old house and I (we) spent LOTS of days at this park and walked to and from school through the park, often cutting across the creek when it was frozen. I know, not safe, and I wouldn't recommend it, but we did it! The kids then had a sleep-over with their cousins and yesterday, we had a nice dinner at my sister's house with her family and our parents, a spur of the moment get together which was really nice. I got to visit with all of the kids but I also got my "baby fix", well, now "toddler fix" with my youngest niece, Lucie, which is always fun. So, it was a busy but fun weekend. Unfortunately, it was Greg's weekend to work BUT he is off next weekend so we hope to get some nice time together then:) We just make sure to enjoy his weekends off and he gets days of during the week when he works weekends, so that is nice too.
Finally, I have to tell you what happened this week. I had a flashback to 1986, one night, Greg's Mom and I were waiting for him to come home from football practice. It was Greg's senior year on the Waite High School Football Team. Back then (mid-80s!), Greg had long, thick, really nice hair. It's still thick today but not a long! Anyhow, he walked in the house and he and the other team members had gotten their heads shaved, one side had a "W" on it and the other side, his number. His Mom and I both cried, because we weren't expecting it and he had such nice hair, but we came around and it of course grew back! Well, this has been a favorite story for our kids on those nights when they ask us to tell story after story about when we were growing up.
Forward to this week, 2010. Greg took Nick out for a haircut and when they returned, they came in, I didn't see Nick, but I assumed he'd get his hair shaved for wrestling. I commented to Greg that they were done a really long time. He said to me, "Let me explain" and with those words, I instantly KNEW (and was right) that Nick did something special to his hair. Yep, he got it shaved, one side with a "P" and one side with "11" for his senior year of wrestling. This time around, I was very "zen" about it, as it is just hair and it will grow back, and I knew it was a fun, priceless experience for Greg to take Nick to do this as he had done it over 20 years ago. For that reason, I knew Nick thought it was kind of special too. Very cool!:) We laughed and laughed.
I'll post a couple of Halloween pics soon and get a few pics of Nick's head and try to post them too soon. Until next time, stay healthy and safe:)
Blessings:)
Amy
Well, Halloween was a lot of fun. Isabella had a GREAT time dressing up and trick-or-treating with her friends and Greg. Nick sat on the porch and enjoyed handing out candy. He's really great with kids and he really seemed to like seeing them all. It was nice for our parents to come by and we had a nice meal to top it off.
Last week, Nick started her driving with the special driving instructor from an agency called Capabilities in St.Mary's, Ohio (about an hour a way from our home). (www.capabilitiesinc.biz) He's doing well and it's going to be a process, but if everyone stays healthy and the weather cooperates, Nick may be ready to take his driving exam for his license by December. It's amazing how much expertise his instructor has and we're glad he's got someone like this helping him and grateful for his suggestions.
Nick also started wrestling practices. If anyone is interested in following their website, Perrysburg High School Wrestling, www.phswrestling.org , and you can sign up to receive e-mails, etc. They also have a Facebook page you can follow. I've already had requests for his schedule and so far we don't have it and it's not on the website yet as of today. I can post it when I receive it or as I receive more info.
Isabella had her school conference last Friday (parent-teacher conferences), which in the 5th grade, are student-led. Greg had to work but I went and you could tell she put a lot of preparation time into it. It was very cute as she first introduced us to each other and then went over her work and goals, etc. Her teacher had only great things to say. One of the many great things he said was how "compassionate" Isabella is. This is no surprise to us as we know she is very kind and compassionate but it was nice that her teachers are seeing it too!:)
This past weekend was busy. Isabella attended her first sibshop meeting on Saturday and loved it. For more information on sibshops ( I know I've already posted about them!), check out www.siblingsupport.org. She had a lot of fun and went on and on telling me all of the fun things they did. She is looking forward to the next meeting in January. There were about 10 kids in her age range who attended the group this week.
Then we attended a friend's 40th birthday party at the Shoreland Park Shelter house, which has been recently newly built (re-built). This is the neighborhood I grew up in from 3rd grade until I got married, so it was right down the street from our old house and I (we) spent LOTS of days at this park and walked to and from school through the park, often cutting across the creek when it was frozen. I know, not safe, and I wouldn't recommend it, but we did it! The kids then had a sleep-over with their cousins and yesterday, we had a nice dinner at my sister's house with her family and our parents, a spur of the moment get together which was really nice. I got to visit with all of the kids but I also got my "baby fix", well, now "toddler fix" with my youngest niece, Lucie, which is always fun. So, it was a busy but fun weekend. Unfortunately, it was Greg's weekend to work BUT he is off next weekend so we hope to get some nice time together then:) We just make sure to enjoy his weekends off and he gets days of during the week when he works weekends, so that is nice too.
Finally, I have to tell you what happened this week. I had a flashback to 1986, one night, Greg's Mom and I were waiting for him to come home from football practice. It was Greg's senior year on the Waite High School Football Team. Back then (mid-80s!), Greg had long, thick, really nice hair. It's still thick today but not a long! Anyhow, he walked in the house and he and the other team members had gotten their heads shaved, one side had a "W" on it and the other side, his number. His Mom and I both cried, because we weren't expecting it and he had such nice hair, but we came around and it of course grew back! Well, this has been a favorite story for our kids on those nights when they ask us to tell story after story about when we were growing up.
Forward to this week, 2010. Greg took Nick out for a haircut and when they returned, they came in, I didn't see Nick, but I assumed he'd get his hair shaved for wrestling. I commented to Greg that they were done a really long time. He said to me, "Let me explain" and with those words, I instantly KNEW (and was right) that Nick did something special to his hair. Yep, he got it shaved, one side with a "P" and one side with "11" for his senior year of wrestling. This time around, I was very "zen" about it, as it is just hair and it will grow back, and I knew it was a fun, priceless experience for Greg to take Nick to do this as he had done it over 20 years ago. For that reason, I knew Nick thought it was kind of special too. Very cool!:) We laughed and laughed.
I'll post a couple of Halloween pics soon and get a few pics of Nick's head and try to post them too soon. Until next time, stay healthy and safe:)
Blessings:)
Amy
Monday, November 1, 2010
Looking Back-Wrestling Last Year
Hi all,
Nick's starting wrestling AND driving with his special driving instructor after wrestling. I was watching video of Nick wrestling last year and reading the Blade article again. If you haven't had a chance to see it, here are the links below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJ1l4Cj03c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc0p7jzcuwQ
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100113/COLUMNIST08/301139998
There are LOTS of posts from Jan.Feb. of 2010 re: the whole wrestling thing, and other months too around there. I hope Nick has a great experience again this year with wrestling in his senior year!:)
Blessings:)
Amy
Nick's starting wrestling AND driving with his special driving instructor after wrestling. I was watching video of Nick wrestling last year and reading the Blade article again. If you haven't had a chance to see it, here are the links below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJ1l4Cj03c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc0p7jzcuwQ
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100113/COLUMNIST08/301139998
There are LOTS of posts from Jan.Feb. of 2010 re: the whole wrestling thing, and other months too around there. I hope Nick has a great experience again this year with wrestling in his senior year!:)
Blessings:)
Amy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)