As always our year had it's ups and downs. But you can't appreciate the good without the bad, I mean how would you know it was good if you had nothing bad to compare it too.
Overall 2011 was a great year many things to be thankful for and feel blessed to have another year under my belt! I had the worst health year in my entire life, 4 hospitalizations. That has definitely been the hardest part of our year, hardest on Colton. They started in April with what seemed like a normal CF flare up, I seemed to recover. But apparently not because I ended up back in through the ER in May with lung pain and shortness of breath. After another 3 weeks of IV's I felt better again. The doctor's thought maybe I had some bugs that were not showing up in a regular sputum culture, so they scheduled me to have a bronc-scope. So in July 20th I went in for the Bronc, came home after in A LOT of pain and ended up back in the ER that night. It was by far the scariest CF flare up I have had to deal with. I recovered again after 3 weeks of IV's again and felt great for the rest of the summer. Then in November I got a sinus infection, me and the rest of the country that is! But mine landed me back in the hospital, I really wasn't feeling horrible like in the past few hospital visits, but I wanted to get in and get better before all the holidays, and winter time. I have felt great since being done with that round the day after Thanksgiving. The only other thing I can think of that was that bad was Colton being bit by a friends dog and had to have 8 stitches in his cheek.
We had many blessings in 2011. We had a great sledding day at a ski resort north of us with my cousin in March. Colton also turned 7 in March, love celebrating his birthday's as much as mine! He got a trampoline which he had been wanting for a while. I had been fighting to get social security for about 7 years, and finally got my hearing in May, and the final decision came in June that I had finally won! Which took a huge burden off from us. We also finally won a fight we had been fighting with our local township about our house taxes. Had a great family vacation in northern Michigan with Colton. Took our annual trip to Michigan's adventure (an amusement park). Brad and I took our vacation together to the Drag Racing Nationals in Indianapolis. I spent some time working on my Hot Rod and running in on the track a couple times. It was truly a great year and we are happy to have had it.
What I look forward to in 2012. Spending more time with my family of course! But to be more specific, DISNEY! We are surprising Colton with a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida in March (so if you read this and see Colton don't say anything)! Another successful Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis. Brad getting a vacation and bear hunt with his Dad. And most of all I have hope for a healthier New Year. As far as New Years resolutions I don't have one, I never follow through with them. So to all of you and yours HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wish I may wish I might first star I see tonight.....
Coming home from a family Christmas party Sunday, this is the conversation between me and Colton.
Colton- Mom I see the first star! What's the song to make a wish?
Me- Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
Colton- Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight, I wish they could find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
Me- You know you should wish for something for yourself sometimes.
Colton- Nope I will always wish for a cure.
Me- That's really nice buddy, thank you.
Colton- Your welcome, I love you Mom.
I love you too buddy!
Colton- Mom I see the first star! What's the song to make a wish?
Me- Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
Colton- Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight, I wish they could find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
Me- You know you should wish for something for yourself sometimes.
Colton- Nope I will always wish for a cure.
Me- That's really nice buddy, thank you.
Colton- Your welcome, I love you Mom.
I love you too buddy!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Why I Fight...Blogger Challenge
Why I Fight for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis...
To live for Colton, my 7 year old son. That is the very first thing that comes to my mind when people ask. And then there are the other reasons that come to mind immediately after that. My husband, no one signs on to be a widower. My Mom and Dad no parent can imagine outliving their child. My Brother, he's one of my best friend's. My Grandma's, they once thought that they would outlive their grand daughter. For everyone in my family immediate, distant, and friends whether they are my best closest friends or the friends I have on facebook that I've never meet. You could say that I fight because I almost think it's expected of me, I mean what else do you do when faced with adversity. This is my life, I know no different, I have no idea what it's like to NOT fight for my life. And to be completely honest I wouldn't have it any other way, true I would love a cure and be "normal" or "healthy" for obvious reasons. But I almost guarantee I have a better appreciation for life then the average person, and appreciate the little things with more gusto. To me this is easy, when I think of the awful things in life me fighting CF is not one of them (most the time). The awful things is my Grandma losing her Son and Husband within 2 months of each other, a friend I went to school with and her 3 year old son dying in a horrific car crash leaving her 5 year old daughter motherless, and Scot and Mindy Christenson losing and having to bury their baby boy at just days old. Those things are awful, if this is the only burden I carry compared to some other awful things in life I can more then handle it. Then there is for all the other CF'ers out there, that my life has in some how helped with fund raising and research enough that soon a baby born with CF will be nothing, and those of us living with it will have our progression stopped in it's tracks so we can live our lives out long beyond what was expected for us. Which for those who don't know, my parents were told I would not live past elementary school, I have a diploma, I would never be old enough to marry, I have been married for 8 years, I could never have children, my son is the light of my life! And it comes full circle to why I fight.
Please take a look at this video that was put together by Emily's family and friends.
Emily's Entourage Video
Then take the challenge below!
Here are your official rules for participation:
1) View Emily's amazing video here, then consider making a donation of your own or "liking" her page on FB (neither is required, but both are encouraged!).
2) Create your own blog post, FB status update, or other form of social networking tool (letter, email, whatever). In the body of the message, place a small paragraph of why YOU fight for a cure for cystic fibrosis and why this cause matters to YOU. This can be your CF story, your wish for the holidays, your version of community -- whatever.
3) Link to Emily's Entourage Website and encourage your own readers to take up the challenge.
4) Comment on Piper's blog amatteroflifeandbreath.blogspot.com (it won't link for me for some reason) with a link to your blog a message about how you shared this vision for an automatic entry into a drawing for a very special CF/transplant-awareness prize package, including gifts from iheartguts.com, apparel, and other fun goodies!
5) Re-post these rules on your own page.
To live for Colton, my 7 year old son. That is the very first thing that comes to my mind when people ask. And then there are the other reasons that come to mind immediately after that. My husband, no one signs on to be a widower. My Mom and Dad no parent can imagine outliving their child. My Brother, he's one of my best friend's. My Grandma's, they once thought that they would outlive their grand daughter. For everyone in my family immediate, distant, and friends whether they are my best closest friends or the friends I have on facebook that I've never meet. You could say that I fight because I almost think it's expected of me, I mean what else do you do when faced with adversity. This is my life, I know no different, I have no idea what it's like to NOT fight for my life. And to be completely honest I wouldn't have it any other way, true I would love a cure and be "normal" or "healthy" for obvious reasons. But I almost guarantee I have a better appreciation for life then the average person, and appreciate the little things with more gusto. To me this is easy, when I think of the awful things in life me fighting CF is not one of them (most the time). The awful things is my Grandma losing her Son and Husband within 2 months of each other, a friend I went to school with and her 3 year old son dying in a horrific car crash leaving her 5 year old daughter motherless, and Scot and Mindy Christenson losing and having to bury their baby boy at just days old. Those things are awful, if this is the only burden I carry compared to some other awful things in life I can more then handle it. Then there is for all the other CF'ers out there, that my life has in some how helped with fund raising and research enough that soon a baby born with CF will be nothing, and those of us living with it will have our progression stopped in it's tracks so we can live our lives out long beyond what was expected for us. Which for those who don't know, my parents were told I would not live past elementary school, I have a diploma, I would never be old enough to marry, I have been married for 8 years, I could never have children, my son is the light of my life! And it comes full circle to why I fight.
Please take a look at this video that was put together by Emily's family and friends.
Emily's Entourage Video
Then take the challenge below!
Here are your official rules for participation:
1) View Emily's amazing video here, then consider making a donation of your own or "liking" her page on FB (neither is required, but both are encouraged!).
2) Create your own blog post, FB status update, or other form of social networking tool (letter, email, whatever). In the body of the message, place a small paragraph of why YOU fight for a cure for cystic fibrosis and why this cause matters to YOU. This can be your CF story, your wish for the holidays, your version of community -- whatever.
3) Link to Emily's Entourage Website and encourage your own readers to take up the challenge.
4) Comment on Piper's blog amatteroflifeandbreath.blogspot.com (it won't link for me for some reason) with a link to your blog a message about how you shared this vision for an automatic entry into a drawing for a very special CF/transplant-awareness prize package, including gifts from iheartguts.com, apparel, and other fun goodies!
5) Re-post these rules on your own page.
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