Faith was so excited last weekend when I told her they were having wheelchair soccer again. Her first question was, "Can Adam push me again?"
I told her I had no idea if he even went to school at the University of Mary anymore. When we got out there, she was disappointed to learn he had another obligation that day. Everyone assured us Adam would be there the next time. She still had fun with a few other guys from the college soccer team who pushed her around to help her play.
In wheelchair soccer, they don't actually use a soccer ball, instead it's
more like a beach ball. Normally, the soccer players who push the
kids around throw the ball to each other and then help the kid they are
pushing hold onto it as they try to get into the net. She had so much fun and the faster they pushed her, the bigger the smile
on her face.
Ramsey helps Faith with the ball
Faith making friends
Faith having fun with Garrett the goalie
This weekend, despite the fact she was suffering with a terrible cold
and hadn't
gotten a lot of sleep, she still wanted to play. She was thrilled to be reunited with Adam, who I found out was a
junior in college and had come to Bismarck all the way from Ireland.
Although the organization, Dreams in Motion,
has other adaptive sports throughout the year for those in wheelchairs
and other mobility challenges, I can't convince Faith to try them. (Although, she
did try curling once.) They also have basketball, tennis, skiing, sled
hockey and dance.
Soccer is her favorite but unfortunately, they only
have it a couple of Saturdays a year, although they might try to get an
outdoor game going in the Spring. We also told Adam we would love to see
him play when his soccer season starts at school in late summer.
Faith taking a break
Faith and her all-time favorite soccer player
Everyone's a winner!
Dreams in Motion is a great organization for planning these events. I was also impressed with the dedication of the soccer players from the University of Mary who took time out of their Saturdays to help out and spend time with the kids. You can click on the video below to see everyone in action!
When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit. Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home. Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay. On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her da...
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm. The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
Today we said goodbye to our Special Tomato adaptive car seat. And special it was. It helped Faith stay safe and secure in our Hyundai driving her back and forth to therapy appointments, shopping excursions, and many other activities. It also helped us through our time of not being able to afford an accessible van. Like all adaptive equipment , the special car seat was expensive and although it is the law that a child is secured in a car seat while traveling in a vehicle, neither health insurance nor Medicaid would pay for it. Thankfully, we were able to receive funds from the fundraiser, the Great American Bike Race ( GABR ) which helps families pay for services and equipment that insurance doesn't cover for kids with cerebral palsy and related disabilities. After doing research on the Internet and talking to Faith's physical and occupational therapists, we decided to go for the Special Tomato adaptive car seat. You would think something with that name would b...
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...
Comments
Post a Comment