Toledo Crash and PEP Band Pics

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Hi all,

Above is a link to view pics from this weekend. Friday night, Isabella, who is in 6th grade PEP Band and plays the saxophone, got to play with the high school PEP Band at the PHS BB game. They had a pizza party beforehand, rehearsal, and then the game. She had a really fun time. She said, the high school band members were nice and that they had to "put up" with her and the other Jr. high band members. It was funny the way she said it. She is really enjoying band this year.

Yesterday, Nick had a game at The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, for the Toledo Crash. I've mentioned before how much he loves wheelchair football! We ordered a sports wheelchair, titanium, for him and it should be in soon. It will be sharp and we won't have to worry about him banging up his other wheelchair as he has numerous times:-) We hope it doesn't make him overly confident though and get "rougher". These players are competitive and love to get rough! It's both fun and scary for a mother to watch! LOL!

Blessings:)
Amy

Putting It Out There- The Risks of Sharing VS. The Rewards

Hi all,

This past week, I posted about Nick's college struggles and I knew he wouldn't be "thrilled" with me for sharing, but I felt the possibility of the rewards were worth the risk of him getting a little upset with me. Turns out, he wasn't "thrilled" but wasn't that upset either. It also turns out, the rewards I hoped for came by some of Nick's friends checking in with him, messages of encouragement and advice were sent to me (Greg and I) and to Nick, and we've had some good conversations about the whole thing. Thank you to everyone who called, e-mailed, sent messages to us. We always appreciate it so much.

The truth is, I personally believe in taking risks in life and putting myself out there. I'm ALWAYS encouraging Nick to do this (and Isabella too!) and I truly believe the rewards are worth the risk of getting hurt at times. If we don't take risks in life, share ourselves with others, we won't experience real love and friendships at all in my opinion. I didn't always feel this way and I have definitely been "burned" and hurt in life, like most people, by taking the risk of putting myself out there. I don't think we ever forget those moments. BUT, it's worth it to me and I feel I've gotten much more benefit from sharing than by not.

When talking with the kids about being afraid to take a risk, try something, put themselves out there, I always tell them to ask themselves, "What is the worst thing that can happen?" As long as they or someone else is not getting hurt, then it is usually not that bad once they think about it. They'll answer, "______ will happen", or I'll fail, or I won't be good at it, people will laugh at me, make fun of me, get mad at me, judge me, etc., on and on...................things we all think if we're honest. I tell them when they get to be my age, they just won't care so much about those things! LOL! We laugh and I'm trying to be funny but it's true:-) Really though, then I say to them, "Ok, imagine that happens. Is it that bad?" Long story short, they often (not always, but often) realize they'll be OK.

People (friends, family, others) have asked me why or how I can share such personal information with others in this blog, including my feelings which are not always "pretty". The truth is, it was hard for me at first but I am pretty blunt by nature and I've grown to be comfortable with sharing our stories of Nick's disability over the years. Nick was only about six months old when we were first asked to talk to a class of graduate students about Nick (our story) and the services he was receiving. Since then, I (and we) have spoken to more classes, groups, etc. than I can count and as you can imagine, our stories and feelings are constantly changing and evolving. From the very beginning, we were told how helpful our willingness to share these things were to others in numerous ways. They didn't mean just the facts, but often said they appreciated or were moved by us being honest about our feelings and it made them stop and think about things.  I now feel that if good things can come from sharing our struggles, triumphs, etc., then it is worth the risk of criticism and judgements by others. Maybe some people wouldn't be as comfortable "putting it all out there" or would be more restrained than I am and I respect that. Many people, however, continue to thank me,  tell me it is helpful to them to read the blog, or that they understand what we are going through,  I get useful information and advice from others, and more. The benefits far outweigh the downside to this as far as I'm concerned. And I feel, if I am not REAL about how we feel about things, and only share the "good" things, and not the challenges and reality, the benefit would not be as great. It wouldn't be the truthful. This is the reality of the journey we are on together.

I think the truth is we have a great family and great life. This involves the good and the bad. We have to have both to really appreciate life. So, even though I will not always please everyone, people won't always be happy with what I have to say, and with all of our imperfections out there for people to read about, I know it is still worth it to continue to share our life and experiences, especially related to Nick's disability. I can only hope ( I believe) we will continue to benefit from it and someone else may benefit from it too. ( I believe we will!)  To me, it's important to take that risk and I know the rewards will be worth it.

Blessings:-)
Amy

Story on Good Morning America This Morning On "Doggy Fat Camp"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/doggie-fat-camp-putting-dogs-diet-exercise-15446743#.TyHspYMJnRE.google

Hi all,
On GMA this morning, there was a cute story about Doggy Fat Camp. This is what Assistance Dogs did with Nick's service dog, Charger, this past summer and he lost a lot of weight thanks to their help!! Click on the link to watch.
Blessings:-)
Amy

A Smile As Big As The Moon - On ABC This Sunday Night, Jan. 29,2002

Hi all,

There's a movie on this Sunday night on ABC called "A Smile As Big As The Moon". I read the book years ago and loved it. It's a true story about space camp for kids with disabilities. A friend of mine from high school actually worked hard to try to organize a group of kids in our area for a similar experience and it didn't work out but she tried really hard to make it happen. That was years ago when Nick was younger. I can't remember how young, but grade school age. Anyhow, here is some info. about the movie. I hope you get to watch it and read the book!

Blessings:-)
Amy

College Freshman Struggles

Hi all,

I just had a long talk with Nick. I was on Facebook today, which I am not always on regularly because I don't have time. I do like to check up with what Nick and some of my family/friends are doing from time to time and I have a group on there that is linked to this blog. Anyhow, I discovered Nick had deactivated hi Facebook Account. To me it was a "red flag" and a sign that something was going on with him.

Now I realize that this may not seem like a big deal to you. To be honest, I have always had mixed feelings about Facebook and have monitored the kids Internet use pretty closely in general because of all of the dangers and things that exist. For Nick, however, we have come to feel that due to his physical disability and the fact that he is not and cannot always be out and about a lot, Facebook, texting, etc. has provided him with an added way to socialize with others that has made him very happy and he does spend more time than we'd like on the computer, BUT we know he is not out like most other teens so we understand it. It has helped him in a very big way. He had put a great deal of time into his pages, his songs he's written, and keeps up with his wheelchair football team and other things that way. SO, given all of that, Greg and I are a little concerned.

At first, Nick said nothing was wrong, but I know him well as his mother. He then came in and we talked. He is feeling overwhelmed by his first year at college and as a commuter ( there are MANY reasons we felt this was the best option for him right now but that's another post.....), he is not on campus meeting people. Because we don't have a personal care assistant yet, basically my Dad or Greg or I have to attend classes with him so this semester, he is taking half of his classes online which only further isolates him but due to Greg's work schedule and Isabella's schedule, etc., it was just hard for one of us to be in class with him all of the time to help him physically. These are the SAME issues we had in high school really but we don't have a para or an aide in college for him.

Nick said he feels like a lot of his friends, cousins, etc. are "too busy" for him and he is the only person that initiates contact with them. He feels they have "moved on" from him and he's just lonely. I shared with him that many college students go through this. I did for sure. But for Nick, he always has the added "disability" layer on top. That means, he has the same issues as a lot of other kids his age but he also has his physical disability which limits him and isolates him in many ways. He feels he has been making an effort to "put himself out there" but people don't reciprocate or think to contact him, ask him to go out and do things with them, etc.

As parents, this is tough to watch him go through. Really tough. We are of course going to continue this ongoing conversation with him and continue to counsel him and try to help him out. Mainly, we'll just (all three of us) BE HERE for him and I can only hope this will be a small comfort in these struggling times. I had hoped college would be a good time for him and I do believe it will in time. My initial feelings are that these are Freshman struggles with the disability layer on top and that we'll work out some of the kinks to the issues in time. We will sure try to help him in any way we can.

Any input or supportive suggestions are always welcome:-)

Please keep Nick in your prayers for us:-) Thanks!

Blessings:)
Amy

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

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