It's Been a Weird Week

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Last weekend, Faith seemed to be struggling with a cold. On Sunday morning, I thought she had slept it off, but unfortunately, it hit full force that evening. Because she was so stuffed up, and had a lot of drainage, she did not sleep well that night. I tried to put her adjustable bed up as much as I could, but it still wasn't enough. Around 3 in the morning I put her in her chair where she slept for a few hours. After I put her back into bed, her sleep was still pretty disruptive. Finally, around 8:30 she had had enough and just wanted to get up for the day.  On Monday, we called to cancel her Tuesday therapy sessions. She was bummed about having to miss aquatic therapy and occupational therapy but took it well. I was trying my best to help her feel better by giving her nose spray (which she was actually asking for), keeping her humidifier going, and also doing this face mask thing that makes steam so that she can breathe it in. She calls it her inhaler.  On Wednesday, she ...
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Gearing up for GABR

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It's hard to believe that the Great American Bike Race (GABR) is only a month away! We have been involved in this event since 2008 when I formed a team called "Faith's Rockin' Riders" with some ladies at work.

In 2009, we sort of took a break since we were in the process of moving from our old apartment to our current, accessible one. Rob, however, still rode on MedEquip One's Team.

Last year we formed Faith's Fantastic 10 which consisted mostly of our friends. And this year we are gearing up again but with a slightly different name - Faith's Fantastic 12 since we had to expand our team to 12 riders instead of 10! So now there are 1,200 riders taking part in the event instead of just 1,000!


GABR 2008


GABR 2009

GABR 2010

We are especially excited this year because Faith, along with her friend, Tanner are GABR Stars this year! GABR stars help to promote this huge fundraising event which means their pictures are seen everywhere! Faith is pretty excited about it, especially having her photo on the cover of Medcenter's monthly publication.

On March 30 she will be interviewed on the noon show on KXMB. I am a little anxious about that as I have no idea what Faith is going to act like or what is going to come out of her mouth! She can be pretty unpredictable! She will also be seen live on the day of the race on KFYR as they present her with her own GABR jacket. KFYR does a live one-hour broadcast from noon to 1:00 on race day, which is Saturday, April 9th.

All funds raised goes towards equipment, services and making homes and vehicles accessible for these kids. We were able to get a $2,500 adaptive car seat through GABR and also Faith's iPad. If you aren't able to donate, I completely understand and would appreciate your prayers that this event goes smoothly and that there are no injuries to any of the riders (as has happened in the past.)

By the way, our thanks to my brother Todd for sponsoring our team once again which covers the cost of our personalized t-shirts, complete with our team logo designed by our friend Liza Kessel!
 



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It's Been a Weird Week

-
Image
Last weekend, Faith seemed to be struggling with a cold. On Sunday morning, I thought she had slept it off, but unfortunately, it hit full force that evening. Because she was so stuffed up, and had a lot of drainage, she did not sleep well that night. I tried to put her adjustable bed up as much as I could, but it still wasn't enough. Around 3 in the morning I put her in her chair where she slept for a few hours. After I put her back into bed, her sleep was still pretty disruptive. Finally, around 8:30 she had had enough and just wanted to get up for the day.  On Monday, we called to cancel her Tuesday therapy sessions. She was bummed about having to miss aquatic therapy and occupational therapy but took it well. I was trying my best to help her feel better by giving her nose spray (which she was actually asking for), keeping her humidifier going, and also doing this face mask thing that makes steam so that she can breathe it in. She calls it her inhaler.  On Wednesday, she ...
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Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
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