SDR Surgery

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery for patients with spastic cerebral palsy.   Anyone heard of it?

A friend, of a friend, told my friend about it and she told me last week.  The friend's 9 yr old daughter had this surgery and I  guess it improved her life quite a bit. 

I haven't done any research on it but thought I'd pass the info on by posting it here:

https://www.stlouischildrens.org/conditions-treatments/center-for-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy

August 31, 2018 - 3rd grade Open House

We went to Kiana's 3rd grade classroom for Open House on Wednesday. There was a wall of portraits that the students had drawn of a family member and I had to find myself based on portrait and description. Kiana makes my heart joyful.
 
Description:
- She was on the news
- She was in Sarah Foley's Veritical Beauty Project
- She is nice
- She is disabled
- She NEEDS chocolate

Teaching compassion and independence, whether they like it or not

My baby is starting kindergarten in a few weeks.  Today was his kindergarten assessment/testing.  While he went into one room with other students and teachers, the parents stayed in another classroom to complete paperwork.  Kiana, my 8 year old, going into the 3rd grade, was with me and without being asked she just started filling out the paperwork for me, knowing it's a tedious, difficult task for me.  She is amazing and I thank God for her.

Although, on the other hand, the other day she was complaining and asking why she was ALWAYS the one who has to help me.  She may roll her eyes and sigh, but she still does what I ask when it comes to difficult tasks.  (Chores on the other hand are a different story.)   She'll appreciate it when she's older.   I do try to make it even and ask Scott for help too.  He's pretty much always willing to help.  For example, if she takes the veggie dip bowl (glass bowl) out of the fridge, I'll ask him to put it away. 

Look for the blessings

I enjoyed this episode with Courtney Wetzel on The Happy Hour podcast. (click link to listen: the-happy-hour-187-courtney-wetzel ) When she talked about her view of her parents (her mother with a speech impediment and her father with a cane) growing up and her view of them now was encouraging to me.  My children are 8 and 5 now, and although I am still their world I know they do get questions as to why I walk differently or why they have to help me do certain things, and there might be a day when they are embarrassed by me (I realize all teenagers  get embarrassed by their parents but I pray they are not teased for having a "different" mother.).  Having a disabled mother is shaping them into independent, compassionate, patient people.  God has a purpose for them having me as their mother.  Just like God had a purpose for me being born with cerebral palsy.  God didn't give me more than I couldn't handle, without Him. I was blessed with the amazing children He gave me.

Vertical Beauty Project

I met Sarah Foley in MOPS. And recently I was part of her Vertical Beauty Project. She also is the author of this blog Vertical Blonde . She radiates courage and strength, and her blog posts have encouraged me to start exercising again.    I am so grateful to have been included in this project. 

Here is the video from that project:

Vertical Beauty Project Video

Article

I really liked this article:

"16 Bloggers Debunk the Top Misconceptions About Living With A Disability"

 https://www.uksmobility.co.uk/blog/2017/12/common-misconceptions-disability/