Santa Bob

Santa volunteered at the Sam (Stroke Recovery Association of Manitoba) Christmas Dinner yesterday, carefully listening to so many wishes and reassuring people that they are indeed on the Nice list, at least for the moment. 😊. Santa passed out oranges and candy canes and posed for about a 100 pictures.

Ho Ho Ho

Santa Bob will be at several events around Winnipeg this season and this is going to be one busy week! Tomorrow he will be doing pictures at one Personal Care Home and on Thursday will be at another for the morning as a special guest for a holiday party.  He is brightening the lives of many seniors this week.

Childhood Dreams and Adult Aspirations

Life Goal

What’s one thing that your 10-year-old self thought you would do?

Can you still do it?

How would you approach it to make it happen?

 #HAWMC

Childhood Dreams and Adult Aspirations

When I was a 10-year-old I think I imagined myself a ballet dancer, or a scientist or a zoo keeper or a famous pianist or perhaps I could be a helping people as a missionary in distant and exotic places. Even though I had never gone sailing, I figured that someday I would live on a sail boat in the Caribbean. How can choose only one thing when as a child I thought, like many kids do, that I was invincible and that I could do EVERTHING!

Can I still do it?  I think the bigger question is would I still want to make any of  my childhood dreams come true?

Ballet Dancer?
... all of me hurts at the moment and spinning  and leaping would make me nauseous. I can go in a few weeks and see my 7 year old granddaughter's dance recital and watch her dream of being a great ballerina someday.

Scientist?
... I did become a scientist and worked in that field for about 14 years. I can't do that job any more but that is okay - I am ready for new challenges.

Zoo Keeper?
... At some point I realized that is one really messy job and I wouldn't really want to do it. I do like to learn about ecology and all creatures that have ever  lived, from microorganisms to those extinct dinosaurs. I hope to have more amazing experiences meeting wild animals but I am happy watching the  Discovery Channel.

Pianist?
... I did about 7 years of lessons and it all went away when I got sick. I might be able to get better at playing the piano if I just tried again, but for now I will keep trying to make progress on the guitar.

Distant places?
... I have a daughter who travels to many exotic locations while learning about international health issues and she is doing a lot of good in this world. I can live that dream of mine through her adventures.

Live on a sail boat?
... I had a chance to go sailing on a tiny boat sailing.  I felt sick and dizzy, but loved it anyway. I have plans to go on a Caribbean cruise this year if all goes well.  I think I am okay with living on solid ground.

I have had new goals to work on. This blog, so far, is largely about how I have been working on making my dreams come true.  I am still working on gaining more skills and getting more competent at my older skills. I will just keep taking one step at a time while working on "Leading a Healthy Life".

As I write this I am realizing how many of my own childhood hopes and dreams have been fulfilled in some fashion by my children in their own unique ways. I am proud of my family and ever grateful to them for their patience and support.

 It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. 

~Joyce Maynard

PS ~ I have already missed many of the "Daily" posts in the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge. Easter and hurting my back have made this a couple of difficult weeks and I have not been on the computer as much as usual. I plan to still do all the prompts, but they might not be in the right numerical order. I am learning to do only what I can, when I can.

Linda

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oak Tree Trunk with Virginia Creeper Vine at the Lake

 Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and I have a lot to be thankful for. I would not being doing nearly as well as I am without the help and guidance of so many people. I have had so many experts, friends and family all support my efforts at getting my life back.  My life has been enriched by the many people I have encountered during this journey and I am glad to name as friends many of the stroke survivors and people struggling with other conditions that I have met along the way. What would life  be like without the  many kindly volunteers and compassionate caregivers and health-care professionals that give their time and kindness and prayers so selflessly?
There are still sad, depressed days but I am blessed to say that most days include joy and gratitude.

I have been so busy! --- I get myself so exhausted "doing" that I have no energy left to "write" about it. That, for me, is actually a good thing because it means I am out there leading my life.

We experienced several family crisis over the summer including one daughter with serious head and leg injuries after an 8 foot fall and another daughter tripped on a curb and we are now awaiting surgery to fix her still injured dominant hand. My youngest daughter had a pin from a previous injury removed from her ankle because of constant pain. It has not been an easy summer but I have been proud of my ability to be of some help during all these stressful events.

I have been taken part in some different counseling sessions, worked with a life coach, gone to exercise groups and worked on the idea of getting employed again. I volunteered for two weeks with The Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba and I worked hard to fix up a house that I rent out.  I went camping with Girl Guides this Fall and .. yes really.. I slept on the ground in my sleeping bag.

When you are in Physiotherapy or Occupational therapy they ask you what it is you want to be able to do, then they start on a few baby steps to try and take you in that direction. I have been slugging away at that list for a long time now, first with the therapists and then on my own, and I find my lists of wants for recovery keeps expanding. There are always higher mountains I want to climb!

Some of the items that I desperately wanted to do  are no longer of much interest to me once I achieve them. I originally was so sad about not shopping independently. Shopping is now doable for me but I find it is very stressful and tiring. The stores with all the people, and odd lighting and colors make me feel dizzy and ill. Driving home is harder than driving there and putting away groceries feels overwheming. Yes, I can now shop independently but it is no longer a pleasant experience for me. It is just exhausting so I try and farm the basic shopping off on the husband or my kids whenever possible now.

Driving on the other hard still seems like a miracle every time I get in the car. I tried for so long to get my license back and now I really treasure it and the freedom it brings.  I still have a few issues. It is not smart for me to drive after dark and I shouldn't try and drive anywhere when I am tired. I need to allow extra time and take a GPS device with me everywhere I go because I have a lot of issues with some kind of spatial memory. I have a few routes that are solid but if I get turned around by even a block  I am really lost. I am driving just fine along the street and with other traffic, but no idea how to get from point A to point B. Eventually I do get to where I want to be. The Trick, like so much in life, is to keep calm, reassess what your destination is and then just get moving again.

It is now time to go help my daughter get the turkey started.  Dinner tonight is for 10 people. We are taking it easy and making potatoes and stuffing from boxed kits because it doesn't have to be Grandmas Special Dressing anymore. That is not what matters. It is the people you share it with that count. It is recognizing the old memories and it is making brand new ones.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a joy filled week.

HAWMC Day 27 The First Time I...

The First Time I… 
Write a post about the first time you did something. What is it? What was it like? What did you learn from it?

This topic was probably intended to let us reflect on the feelings and fears one encounters in new situations and what it takes to overcome challenges and accomplish achievements. What is it ike to face your fears? Challenges or my achievements were not the first thing that came to my mind .when I read today's prompt.

My health crisis began 3 days before Mothers day in 2008. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they determined I had multiple pulmonary emboli (life threatening blood clots in my lungs). They were able to get me stabilized and I got to go home to spend Mothers Day with my family. I was so grateful to be with my family. I have 4 children  and at the time I had one little two year old grandson  and my son and his wife were expecting another child. I wanted to be with them all.

Over that first three months my husband was told three different times that I might not make it through the night. I cried and was convinced that I would never see that unborn grandchild.

Four months later I was still here and I got to see our new baby girl. They took me to the hospital to meet her the day she was born.  I was set up in the arm chair in their room and they put a bunch of pillows under my non-functioning left arm to support it and then placed my darling grand-daughter into my arms for the very first time. I knew how truly blessed I was.

HAWMC Day 27 The Good and the Bad

 5 Challenges & 5 Small Victories. 
Make a list of the 5 most difficult parts of your health focus. Make another top 5 list for the little, good things (small victories) that keep you going.

 

Hi! My name is Alicia and I am guest blogging for my mom today. I am a 27-year-old woman with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder).  I was officially diagnosed as a six year old when I started grade one, but we did know I had ADHD before that.  I wanted to write on this particular prompt because many of the challenges with ADHD can also be positives. It really depends on what my mood is at the time or how I choose to look at a situation. Something that may be very good in some circumstances, like being aware of everything around me, can really help me at work and in emergency situations. At the same time it makes it very hard whenever I am asked to concentrate on some kinds of work or even pay attention while trying to have a conversation with a friend in a busy restaurant.

Good Things

1.  I am aware of lots of things at the same time. ADHD makes me very close to being a multi-tasker.
2. Sometimes I can hyper focus and give all of my attention to a single item of interest.  Give me a math challenge or a game and I have an advantage.
3. I have lots of energy and I am always on the go.
4. I learned at a young age to be an advocate for my own needs as a earning disabled girl and once I laws able to advocate for myself I began advocating for others and has turned into something I am very passionate about.
5. Learning about ADHD helped me learn about brain function, which in turn helped with learning Psychology and Human Development courses in university.

 Challenges

1.  I am constantly aware of so many distractions that it is hard to function. I even needed to take exams in an isolated room to eliminate distractions
2. When I am over focused I really am not aware of what is going on around me and I do things like walk into traffic while daydreaming.
3. I am constantly fidgeting and the fidgeting annoys other people. I am constantly picking things up in my hands and I am not even aware that I am handing them.
4. Attention Deficit Disorder is an invisible disorder and people sometimes think I am just being weird, rude or stupid. They pick up that something is wrong but don’t automatically assume it is a disability. Even if I decide to tell someone I have ADHD I get reaction such as “No you can’t possibly have that”,  “but you are too smart to have that”,  “ADHD? What is that?”  or “I thought that was just something kids have not adults”.
5. Schools are not set up for people with ADHD. You spend so much time stuck sitting down and having to pay attention for long periods of time, not to mention test taking. The expectation is that we will all learn something the same way at the same way and my brain developed in a different way than the average student. I wasn’t ready at the same time as other students and teachers did not acknowledge my earning differences. There has not been enough progress in the 21 years since I was officially diagnosed.

Vacation Time

Bob and I,  along and our adult daughters, are going on a trip to Hawaii tomorrow morning! I am soooooo excited. We have been planning this for months and I can hardly believe the trip is finally here. The girls are only staying a few days for our tropical family vacation and then Bob and I will be staying for another week on our own little second honeymoon.

 Our daughter found us a good deal and booked us into a couple of different exciting locations!

I must admit that I have had a lot of anxiety about this trip and a lot of trouble getting organized, but now it is too late for me to do anything different. No more lists. No more shopping, no more planning how to pack or planning where to stay. All I can do is get on that plane.

I went back and forth about just how I was going to manage physically on this trip.  I have not been using the walker for months now, but I also have not been doing as much walking or challenging moving as I was a year ago. I am finding that my new knee brace is a really big help but I don't think it will be enough. The knee brace makes my knee feel a lot better, but when I wear it I find that my ankle gives out much faster for some reason.

My family will do all they can to help me but I still can't imagine how I will carry my luggage, stand in lines and still do all that I want to do and only hang on to my cane.  We decided that I am going to take the walker, and the knee brace, and the ankle brace and yes the cane!

I am ready for adventure!



clip art from http://www.rosiepiter.com/

Strawberry Picking

On Saturday morning my husband and I took our son, his wife and my three grandchildren strawberry picking in a town about an hour from our city. We choose what will probably be the hottest day this year to go sit in a sun drenched field.

I really had a very good time in spite of the temperature. We went last year and it was okay but the season was dry and it was a whole lot of picking to get even one pail and getting up and down was way too hard for me so I mainly took pictures. This year was different and the berries are amazing. It has been wet and warm in the flooding areas of Manitoba and the berries on this farm were bursting with juice.

This was the 8 month old baby's first time going "picking" and he got to taste his first strawberries ever straight off the plant. There was no stopping those grabbing little baby hands after that! Strawberries are Yummy!

Our two preschoolers were very excited and well behaved, but we were all getting overheated and I was getting exhausted and cranky fast in that kind of unusual heat.

This was the easiest picking I have ever done. I went about 6 feet out into the row and plopped down on the straw dropped my cane beside me between the rows and picked my basket full with only scooting along a bit twice.  I kind of wanted to pick even more baskets, like my son was doing, but I for once I realized it wasn't worth pushing myself and getting overwhelmed.
We paid for the berries, put them into our cooler, got in the car and drove to a nearby air conditioned restaurant to have some lunch. The kids were still hungry in spite of having tummies full of berries!




Now I have to do something with the two overflowing large baskets of berries we picked and my son has 6 baskets to deal with.
My daughters want to go raspberry picking very soon. The good news with that is you don't have to crawl on the ground and try and get back up again when you are picking raspberries. The bad news is I am not sure how long I can stand and pick, and I sure can't keep bending over to put them in a pail.
Any helpful hints? I would also love any suggestions for making low calorie jams.
Next time, I am taking a comfy lawn chair ... just in case.

"Swim" by Jacks Mannequin

I attended some group therapy sessions with a Kathy, a terrific social worker/ counselor. Kathy used a mixed music CD to inspire us and this is one of the songs she shared with us. Music keeps having a pivotal role for me. I love to sing or play music, I like to make slide shows coordinating my photos to music, and sometimes I find myself humming a tune over and over and I am not even sure why. I often realize later that the lyrics that go with the songs are directly related to issues I am trying to sort out in my mind.  This song has been stuck in my head lately.

Today would have been my Dad's 92nd Birthday. My Dad knew how to keep going and how to look for "the brighter days" when facing adversity in his life.

Andrew McMahon, of the band Jack’s Mannequin, had Acute Lymphatic Leukemia (ALL). Fortunately Andrew had a successful stem cell transplant from his sister.

In an effort to initiate change and provide a voice for the generations of young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, Andrew founded the Dear Jack Foundation in July of 2006.                                                                         http://www.dearjackfoundation.com/

Check out the Bands page too.
http://www.jacksmannequin.com/



I love this song!

SWIM
From the album The Glass Passenger.

You gotta swim
Swim for your life
Swim for the music that saves you
When you're not so sure you'll survive

You gotta swim
And swim when it hurts
The whole world is watching
You haven't come this far
To fall off the Earth

The currents will pull you
Away from your love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
Cracking the armour, yeah

I swim for brighter days
Despite the absense of sun
Choking on salt water
I'm not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Through nights that won't end
Swim for your family, your lovers
Your sisters and brothers and friends

Yeah you gotta swim
For wars without cause
Swim for these lost politicians
Who don't see their greed is a flaw

The currents will pull us
Away from our love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
Cracking the armour, yeah

I swim for brighter days
Despite the absense of sun
Choking on salt water
I'm not giving in
I'm not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Swim in the dark
There's no shame in driftin'
Feel the tide shifting
And wait for the spark

Yeah you gotta swim
Don't let yourself sink
Just find the horizon
I promise you it's not as far as you think

The currents will drag us away from our love
Just keep your head above

Just keep your head above
Swim

Just keep your head above
Swim

Just keep your head above
Swim

The King's Speech Won!

I didn't see a lot of this years nominees, but I sure am glad that this one won. I wonder what impact the Oscar win by this film will have on awareness of speech related disabilities.


The portrayal by Colin Firth was so incredibly moving and seemed so authentic. It may have been the story of a monarch at war time, but it really portrays the amazing perseverance and human resiliency through the struggles of a man with a disability.

The support of his wife and the guidance of his therapist and friend contributed to his success. The humor that is displayed is such a real part of coping day to day and it is good to see that shared on the big screen too.

I hope you get to see this movie sometime soon and I hope you find it to be the encouraging and uplifting story that I did.

Video- My name is Lisa

The stress on the family is tremendous when a member is affected by cognitive impairment.
This is a very moving video.

Here is a link to the Canadian Alzheimer's Organization. This is a very good site with lots of useful info on Brain Awareness and Healthy Brain advice that is a little more generic and reaches beyond Alzheimer issues.