Faith's Adaptive Skiing Adventure

-
Image
I am usually all for Faith trying something new. Years ago, though, I drew the line at adaptive skiing. I knew that Dreams in Motion does an annual event at Huff Hills (North Dakota's largest ski area), but I was too afraid to let Faith try it. I just didn't know how she would do being strapped down so tightly, especially with her high tone and issues with her left hip.  At her day program, some of her friends had been going for years and Faith thought it sounded like so much fun. So, this year, I decided we should give it a try. Since there are only 20 spots available for this event, I got her registered the morning it opened up.  Lots of fresh powder at Huff Hills  As the event drew near, I knew I needed to get snow pants for her (since she had none) and make sure I had all the right winter apparel to keep her warm. That was also one of my biggest concerns is her getting too cold, which can cause her tone to increase even more.  As the day approached, she was...
Post a Comment

A Super Mom Saves the Day

-
It is yet another cold, blustery day on the Northern Plains. The temperature may be above zero, but the wind makes it biting cold. Personally, it is not the kind of weather in which I want to be pushing a wheelchair. Frankly, I probably wouldn't even be able to push a wheelchair through this wind especially over the snow-drifted sidewalks and icy patches. That's where my friend, Tina comes in. She has truly saved the day more than once this winter.

It was in December during a cold snap that Tina noticed me pushing a very bundled up Faith to school. Her heart went out to us and that night she asked her husband to take one of the seats out of their van so they could transport Faith to school. Tina called me and wanted to try it. Although I admired her enthusiasm, I had my doubts that it would work. Faith's chair was heavy, and we were going to have to lift it up into her van. Plus, I didn't know if Faith was going to sit very well in one of her daughter's car seats.

We picked a day that was semi-warm to try it out. I was surprised at how easily the two of us were able to pick Faith's chair up and fit it into her van. And although it's not optimal for her, Faith does sit okay in Tina's daughter's chair. The best part of it all though is how much fun Faith has going to school and back home in the van. She laughs and giggles when we put her in the van, and she loves having Tina's daughters help get her buckled in the seat.

There have been many days this winter that I have been so thankful for Tina's kindness and willingness to transport Faith. I really didn't think winter would be such a problem being so close to the school. But God knew and He made a way to get Faith to school. He also showed us that when moms get together such problems can be solved, and we can get through all of the difficulties and challenges that life hands us.

It's better to stay indoors during the winter, if we can!


Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Faith's Adaptive Skiing Adventure

-
Image
I am usually all for Faith trying something new. Years ago, though, I drew the line at adaptive skiing. I knew that Dreams in Motion does an annual event at Huff Hills (North Dakota's largest ski area), but I was too afraid to let Faith try it. I just didn't know how she would do being strapped down so tightly, especially with her high tone and issues with her left hip.  At her day program, some of her friends had been going for years and Faith thought it sounded like so much fun. So, this year, I decided we should give it a try. Since there are only 20 spots available for this event, I got her registered the morning it opened up.  Lots of fresh powder at Huff Hills  As the event drew near, I knew I needed to get snow pants for her (since she had none) and make sure I had all the right winter apparel to keep her warm. That was also one of my biggest concerns is her getting too cold, which can cause her tone to increase even more.  As the day approached, she was...
Read more

An Unforgettable February!

-
Image
February started out as it typically does: very cold! This year, my parents and sister braved the weather to have a small get together for my birthday. Faith thought I needed another party like I had last year, but I told her 51 just wasn't as exciting! She also asked if her Auntie Tesa was going to fly up again.  Faith really does love a good party!  Accurate!  Dawn, Faith, and Me Dad practicing holding his arm for after shoulder surgery The next day, my parents took me to IHOP , which had recently opened here in Bismarck, but I hadn't had a chance to go yet. It did not disappoint. My pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns and coffee were all perfect!  I was glad to have gotten this meal in with my parents as two days later, my dad would be going through shoulder replacement surgery. We were all expecting him to be in and out on the same day, which is exactly what happened a couple of years ago when he had knee replacement surgery.  I, along with my siblings, was shocked t...
Read more

Adults Living with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)

-
Image
We are right in the middle of Congenital Hearts Defect (CHD) Awareness Week, which runs from February 7th through 14th. I am glad to see so many posts on social media to help draw awareness! Many of those posts center around children with CHD, which is good as heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States. But many people are unaware of how CHD affects adults. Hence, this blog post!  In 2010, there were 1.4 million adults in the United States living with congenital heart defects (CHD). Due to increased survival, this number increases by about 5% every year. These numbers are significant considering that at one time babies born with CHD had virtually no chance of becoming an adult. Thanks to surgical advances and research in pediatric cardiology in the past 50 years, most congenital heart defects have been able to be corrected. Today, babies born with heart defects have a much better outlook than they did 50, or even 15 years ago. February 7-14th is CHD Awar...
Read more

Faith's 4 Year Day Program Anniversary

-
Image
This past week marked a huge milestone in Faith's life - she has been at her day program for 4 years! I well remember how excited I felt when I found out that in order to qualify for the program, all she needed was to be 18 and have a high school diploma.  I know that is not the case in some states. And in many cases, parents choose to have their special needs child in school until they are 21 and then after that they can attend a day program. For Faith though, since I homeschooled her, we were both ready for her to move on to her adult life when she turned 18!  Faith at the Science Center with one of her day program staff  After a few meetings with her case manager and day program staff, she was ready for her first day. But was I? She was excited when I dropped her off, but as I drove away from the building, I began to cry. Would she really be okay here? Would staff know what to do if she looked uncomfortable or seemed like she was in pain? Faith is verbal, but she canno...
Read more