So today let's talk about the support systems in place. The Ronald McDonald House is within a couple of blocks walking distance from 3 main hospitals downtown. They offer open kitchen privileges for making meals from the well stocked main refrigerator and individual rooms have small fridges, too.
Families use the House as home base and come and go as needed. A big grassy yard for the kids is out back and a playroom stocked with toys, puzzles and books is in. TVs are in the rooms, which are spacious private family bedrooms ample enough to toss a couple of sleeping bags on the floor.
They hold to good neighbor rules for all these people thrown together by circumstance. Heck, a couple of times a week there's even a pot of soup bubbling on the stove with a welcome sign to grab a cup. And everything is free.
What a fantastic gesture to take away this small burden from so many families already overburdened and sick with worry. The House even found room for Granny and Grandpa's 40 ft motorhome so there is love and support literally a step away.
Next time you buy a Mickey D hamburger, imagine how much more you're doing.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A JOURNEY OF HOPE, LOVE, SPIRIT AND TRIUMPH
Purple Butterfly
Please click on to listen as you read (Return to Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins)
Ribbons of Hope
YanaBug
Hercules
Grandma Faye and Yana
Yana's Life Miracle, as told by her big sister
I wanted to share a little bit of Aiyana's life with all of you so you understand why she is our family miracle.
March 6, 2001, Aiyana came into our lives. At one point during our Mom's pregnancy it looked like might be carrying twins. We all expected a very big baby ... and she was perfect with her dark brown curly hair and big brown eyes that were full of love, wonder and happiness. She overwhelmed our lives with joy.
She brought something out in all of us. I had been a big sister 3 times already but there was something different with her. It wasn't that I didn't love my brothers or sister, but I just wanted to be Aiyana's mommy, too.
Aiyana started to crawl and was getting very good at playing with stuff, but we noticed she didn't crawl like the rest of us: she would scoot on her bottom always on one side. Mom and Dad also noticed she wasn't utilizing her right hand when she played and it was in a tight fist. Right before her first birthday, our parents took her to the doctor and they did some tests and a catscan and discovered that more than half of the left hemisphere of her brain was empty space that had never developed. The doctors think that while she was growing in the womb Aiyana developed a blood clot that led to a massive stroke while her brain was developing.
The doctors said that Aiyana had cerebral palsy and started listing all of the things she WOULDN'T be able to do, like walk, talk, read and write ... the list went on and on. The family was crushed. I couldn't imagine my baby sister not able to run outside ... or dance ... or sing.
Physical therapy started immediately. They were teaching her sign language to communicate and all of a sudden 'daddy' and 'mommy' started coming out of her mouth, and then she walked one step, then another. And before you know it, she was running all over the house, talking, singing and dancing.
She continued to grow and continued to amaze us, each day drawing a line through the doctor's WOULDN'Ts. Because all of this occurred while her brain was developing, her brain re-wired itself to take over the undeveloped part. She got a little leg brace to strengthen it and a hand brace to keep her hand open. As time went on she continued to amaze us.
Aiyana had her first seizure about that time and it has been controlled with meds. Doctors cautioned that seizures will increase as she gets older, but again Aiyana just keeps trucking along. Eight years have passed and she excels at everything she does: riding her bike, break dancing, jumping and skipping, reading and writing. If you say CAN'T, she shows you she WILL.
Falling down doesn't keep Aiyana down, it does the opposite. She has never given up on anything she has done because she fights for it. Only God knows why things have come to this extreme point, but this spectacular girl is a miracle child and has defied all the odds.
For those of you who haven't met her, we hope it helps you see what we see, that Aiyana isn't giving up on this and every day that goes by she is showing us how to fight and keep our spirits up. We can't wait to dance with her again.
--Morgan
March 6, 2001, Aiyana came into our lives. At one point during our Mom's pregnancy it looked like might be carrying twins. We all expected a very big baby ... and she was perfect with her dark brown curly hair and big brown eyes that were full of love, wonder and happiness. She overwhelmed our lives with joy.
She brought something out in all of us. I had been a big sister 3 times already but there was something different with her. It wasn't that I didn't love my brothers or sister, but I just wanted to be Aiyana's mommy, too.
Aiyana started to crawl and was getting very good at playing with stuff, but we noticed she didn't crawl like the rest of us: she would scoot on her bottom always on one side. Mom and Dad also noticed she wasn't utilizing her right hand when she played and it was in a tight fist. Right before her first birthday, our parents took her to the doctor and they did some tests and a catscan and discovered that more than half of the left hemisphere of her brain was empty space that had never developed. The doctors think that while she was growing in the womb Aiyana developed a blood clot that led to a massive stroke while her brain was developing.
The doctors said that Aiyana had cerebral palsy and started listing all of the things she WOULDN'T be able to do, like walk, talk, read and write ... the list went on and on. The family was crushed. I couldn't imagine my baby sister not able to run outside ... or dance ... or sing.
Physical therapy started immediately. They were teaching her sign language to communicate and all of a sudden 'daddy' and 'mommy' started coming out of her mouth, and then she walked one step, then another. And before you know it, she was running all over the house, talking, singing and dancing.
She continued to grow and continued to amaze us, each day drawing a line through the doctor's WOULDN'Ts. Because all of this occurred while her brain was developing, her brain re-wired itself to take over the undeveloped part. She got a little leg brace to strengthen it and a hand brace to keep her hand open. As time went on she continued to amaze us.
Aiyana had her first seizure about that time and it has been controlled with meds. Doctors cautioned that seizures will increase as she gets older, but again Aiyana just keeps trucking along. Eight years have passed and she excels at everything she does: riding her bike, break dancing, jumping and skipping, reading and writing. If you say CAN'T, she shows you she WILL.
Falling down doesn't keep Aiyana down, it does the opposite. She has never given up on anything she has done because she fights for it. Only God knows why things have come to this extreme point, but this spectacular girl is a miracle child and has defied all the odds.
For those of you who haven't met her, we hope it helps you see what we see, that Aiyana isn't giving up on this and every day that goes by she is showing us how to fight and keep our spirits up. We can't wait to dance with her again.
--Morgan
Blog Archive
-
▼
2009
(31)
-
▼
November
(25)
- She Begins Her Journey
- Blessed
- On the Grassy Slope
- Those Who Love
- The Mermaid
- Storytelling
- The Greatest Minds
- Her Courageous Heart
- Third Time's A Charm
- The Fourth Day
- Pudding Laughter
- Woo Hoo!
- Some Over the Moon News!
- Homecoming
- An UP Sunday
- Well Wishers
- A Slow Melt
- Yin and Yang
- Smile Songs
- Recipe of Love
- Taking the Hill
- Soup on the Stove
- Another Thing Coming
- Over the Din
- October 31st
-
▼
November
(25)
0 comments:
Post a Comment