Well, not as "artistic" as I would have liked, but I WAS able to get the HA's logo at the top, then the rest is just info info info.. BUT, info is a good thing right??! ;D
Well, I've looked through ALL of my "posting options" here on "Blogger" & I wasn't able to upload the pic of the flyer onto this post - so I had to put it on the sidebar as a picture. ✯ That works too! ✯
☀ So if you will please look over to the side of your screen where all the Widgets 'n Gadgets are, above the Hydro Assoc's pic with link, is a "thumbnail size" of OUR FLYER!!! ☀
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
YaY!! Today I'm making flyers for our group!! ;D
Unfortunately I don't have a printer here on my computer, my fiance has a portable computer and nor does he have a way of printing either, SO, I FINALLY was able to get in contact with a very talented (artistic) friend who has a computer, printer, and the talent to help me make a good flyer to respresent US! ;D
The plan is, to go over there around dinner-time-ish & put an actual NICE, PROFESSIONAL flyer together for our group to spread the word & HOPEFULLY recruit more people!
I would LOVE to be able to put on the flyer saying that we meet "the 2nd Saturday of every other month" or SOMETHING LIKE that.. but unfortunately, with only having a few people so far, like I think I've said before, I NEED to get a SOLID group of anywhere from 7-10 people ( or more! ) and once I have the basic group put together, then we can figure what is good for everyone - for instance will the majority of my group prefer to meet in the mornings? Afternoons? Evenings? Weekends or a WeekDay? I don't & WON'T know these things until I get my first small group of SOLID people totally interested in this, and that I KNOW, are "IN" with us. <-- does that make sense? LoL!
So THAT being said, the flyer will be SOMEWHAT hard to put together b/c prettymuch all I can say is that this support group exists, it's MORE than just a support group - guest speakers & activities will be planned for as well, and contact info: my email address, THIS group blog URL, & our FaceBook page...? Then hang them EVERYWHERE!! HaHa! EVERY doctor's office, EVERY local hospital, ALL OVER THE PLACE in Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, ☀ EVERYWHERE!!! ☀
And PLEASE PLEASE anyone who has any ideas of MORE that I can add to the flyer, I'm open to ALL ideas - leave me a comment on here, email me, do whatever :)
Well, I'm off to give it some thought.. Don't worry though, as soon as I DO get the flyer(s) made I'll make sure I save a pic of it to my computer so I can post it for everyone to see!!
Heck, I'll email 'em to people!
I'll be forever known as: "Andrea, the crazy Hydrocephalus group flyer stalker"!! LMBO!!
Wish me luck!
♥ ℓﻉﻻ٥ ♥
Andrea - the crazy Hydro group flyer stalker lady! ;D
The plan is, to go over there around dinner-time-ish & put an actual NICE, PROFESSIONAL flyer together for our group to spread the word & HOPEFULLY recruit more people!
I would LOVE to be able to put on the flyer saying that we meet "the 2nd Saturday of every other month" or SOMETHING LIKE that.. but unfortunately, with only having a few people so far, like I think I've said before, I NEED to get a SOLID group of anywhere from 7-10 people ( or more! ) and once I have the basic group put together, then we can figure what is good for everyone - for instance will the majority of my group prefer to meet in the mornings? Afternoons? Evenings? Weekends or a WeekDay? I don't & WON'T know these things until I get my first small group of SOLID people totally interested in this, and that I KNOW, are "IN" with us. <-- does that make sense? LoL!
So THAT being said, the flyer will be SOMEWHAT hard to put together b/c prettymuch all I can say is that this support group exists, it's MORE than just a support group - guest speakers & activities will be planned for as well, and contact info: my email address, THIS group blog URL, & our FaceBook page...? Then hang them EVERYWHERE!! HaHa! EVERY doctor's office, EVERY local hospital, ALL OVER THE PLACE in Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, ☀ EVERYWHERE!!! ☀
And PLEASE PLEASE anyone who has any ideas of MORE that I can add to the flyer, I'm open to ALL ideas - leave me a comment on here, email me, do whatever :)
Well, I'm off to give it some thought.. Don't worry though, as soon as I DO get the flyer(s) made I'll make sure I save a pic of it to my computer so I can post it for everyone to see!!
Heck, I'll email 'em to people!
I'll be forever known as: "Andrea, the crazy Hydrocephalus group flyer stalker"!! LMBO!!
Wish me luck!
♥ ℓﻉﻻ٥ ♥
Andrea - the crazy Hydro group flyer stalker lady! ;D
Monday, November 16, 2009
Read on Please :)
First, I’m going to copy & paste what was written by a friend of mine, Jenn Bechard, on FaceBook about a young boy with Hydrocephalus named Kadyn, and how ALL OF US can help give him a better Christmas this year, this will be the first Christmas he won't be spending in a hospital (yes, he has Hydrocephalus)
written by Jenn Bechard:
Christmas for Sara & Kadyn
The response has been overwhelming so far and we cannot thank you enough for participating in our first “JUST BELIEVE” Christmas project. Sara (Kadyn’s mom) is absolutely thrilled that we are doing this! All she is asking for is a great Christmas for little Kadyn. We are hoping and praying that we cannot only help them but also that they can celebrate this Christmas at home. Kadyn is 2 and has never been home for Christmas. He has always been in the hospital with his Mom.
Please remember gift card amounts can be of any amount. We appreciate any donations, big or small. We have asked that you please let us know what you intend on buying if possible. This will help us let people know, when asked, what is still really needed for the family. We ask for your name but this will not be included in the updated list sent out to people, It will just state “purchased” so that everyone has their privacy!
Cash or checks are welcome too! If you would rather donate a check please make checks payable to Sara Inman.
All items can be mailed to:
Jennifer/Denise Bechard
15315 Golfview Street
Livonia, MI 48154
written by: ME! :D
**Since there was SUCH an OVERWHELMING amount of Christmas cards & gifts for “Noah” ( who I wrote about in a previous post ) I figured I would mention Kadyn as well. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he’ll get to spend Christmas at home this year and not at the hospital! *
Next, there is a website that I belong to that I frequent actually, it’s www.cafemom.com and they have, oh I dunno, probably over a MILLION different forums you can join!! From single moms, to Lesbian moms, to Coffee drinking moms, & ofcourse, groups for moms with "Special Needs" Children.. I think I belong to 5 or 6 forums there, but theres no limit to the amount of forums you can join, and believe me, there IS something for everybody there!!
ANYWAY, yesterday I was reading through posts in “Children with Special Needs, etc..” and a post by the group leader,(screen name - Akhlass), was “What is Cerebral Palsy?” and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! So naturally I copied & pasted it into my “notepad” & after I thought about it, decided to share it here on our blog.
I know not ALL people with Hydrocephalus have CP, but my daughter does, so I DO often get asked "hey, what exactally IS Cerebral Palsy" quite often. But there IS a signifigant amount of people that have Hydro, and CP BECAUSE of the brain damage from their Hydro (which is my daughter's case)
So whether CP interests you or not, it's an informative post to read, & I hope you enjoy :)
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Doctors use the term cerebral palsy to refer to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but aren’t progressive, in other words, they don’t get worse over time. The term cerebral refers to the two halves or hemispheres of the brain, in this case to the motor area of the brain’s outer layer (called the cerebral cortex), the part of the brain that directs muscle movement; palsy refers to the loss or impairment of motor function.
Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities inside the brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and posture.
In some cases of cerebral palsy, the cerebral motor cortex hasn’t developed normally during fetal growth. In others, the damage is a result of injury to the brain either before, during, or after birth. In either case, the damage is not repairable and the disabilities that result are permanent.
Children with cerebral palsy exhibit a wide variety of symptoms, including:
•lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia);
•stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity);
•walking with one foot or leg dragging;
•walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait;
•variations in muscle tone, either too stiff or too floppy;
•excessive drooling or difficulties swallowing or speaking;
•shaking (tremor) or random involuntary movements; and
•difficulty with precise motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy differ in type and severity from one person to the next, and may even change in an individual over time. Some people with cerebral palsy also have other medical disorders, including mental retardation, seizures, impaired vision or hearing, and abnormal physical sensations or perceptions.
Cerebral palsy doesn’t always cause profound disabilities. While one child with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need extensive, lifelong care, another with mild cerebral palsy might be only slightly awkward and require no special assistance.
Cerebral palsy isn’t a disease. It isn’t contagious and it can’t be passed from one generation to the next. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but supportive treatments, medications, and surgery can help many individuals improve their motor skills and ability to communicate with the world.
Now wasnt that informative?! LoL!
I will as always, keep you all posted!
Thank you for reading & visiting our site.
xx
Andrea
written by Jenn Bechard:
Christmas for Sara & Kadyn
The response has been overwhelming so far and we cannot thank you enough for participating in our first “JUST BELIEVE” Christmas project. Sara (Kadyn’s mom) is absolutely thrilled that we are doing this! All she is asking for is a great Christmas for little Kadyn. We are hoping and praying that we cannot only help them but also that they can celebrate this Christmas at home. Kadyn is 2 and has never been home for Christmas. He has always been in the hospital with his Mom.
Please remember gift card amounts can be of any amount. We appreciate any donations, big or small. We have asked that you please let us know what you intend on buying if possible. This will help us let people know, when asked, what is still really needed for the family. We ask for your name but this will not be included in the updated list sent out to people, It will just state “purchased” so that everyone has their privacy!
Cash or checks are welcome too! If you would rather donate a check please make checks payable to Sara Inman.
All items can be mailed to:
Jennifer/Denise Bechard
15315 Golfview Street
Livonia, MI 48154
written by: ME! :D
**Since there was SUCH an OVERWHELMING amount of Christmas cards & gifts for “Noah” ( who I wrote about in a previous post ) I figured I would mention Kadyn as well. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he’ll get to spend Christmas at home this year and not at the hospital! *
Next, there is a website that I belong to that I frequent actually, it’s www.cafemom.com and they have, oh I dunno, probably over a MILLION different forums you can join!! From single moms, to Lesbian moms, to Coffee drinking moms, & ofcourse, groups for moms with "Special Needs" Children.. I think I belong to 5 or 6 forums there, but theres no limit to the amount of forums you can join, and believe me, there IS something for everybody there!!
ANYWAY, yesterday I was reading through posts in “Children with Special Needs, etc..” and a post by the group leader,(screen name - Akhlass), was “What is Cerebral Palsy?” and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! So naturally I copied & pasted it into my “notepad” & after I thought about it, decided to share it here on our blog.
I know not ALL people with Hydrocephalus have CP, but my daughter does, so I DO often get asked "hey, what exactally IS Cerebral Palsy" quite often. But there IS a signifigant amount of people that have Hydro, and CP BECAUSE of the brain damage from their Hydro (which is my daughter's case)
So whether CP interests you or not, it's an informative post to read, & I hope you enjoy :)
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Doctors use the term cerebral palsy to refer to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but aren’t progressive, in other words, they don’t get worse over time. The term cerebral refers to the two halves or hemispheres of the brain, in this case to the motor area of the brain’s outer layer (called the cerebral cortex), the part of the brain that directs muscle movement; palsy refers to the loss or impairment of motor function.
Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities inside the brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and posture.
In some cases of cerebral palsy, the cerebral motor cortex hasn’t developed normally during fetal growth. In others, the damage is a result of injury to the brain either before, during, or after birth. In either case, the damage is not repairable and the disabilities that result are permanent.
Children with cerebral palsy exhibit a wide variety of symptoms, including:
•lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia);
•stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity);
•walking with one foot or leg dragging;
•walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait;
•variations in muscle tone, either too stiff or too floppy;
•excessive drooling or difficulties swallowing or speaking;
•shaking (tremor) or random involuntary movements; and
•difficulty with precise motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy differ in type and severity from one person to the next, and may even change in an individual over time. Some people with cerebral palsy also have other medical disorders, including mental retardation, seizures, impaired vision or hearing, and abnormal physical sensations or perceptions.
Cerebral palsy doesn’t always cause profound disabilities. While one child with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need extensive, lifelong care, another with mild cerebral palsy might be only slightly awkward and require no special assistance.
Cerebral palsy isn’t a disease. It isn’t contagious and it can’t be passed from one generation to the next. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but supportive treatments, medications, and surgery can help many individuals improve their motor skills and ability to communicate with the world.
Now wasnt that informative?! LoL!
I will as always, keep you all posted!
Thank you for reading & visiting our site.
xx
Andrea
Friday, November 13, 2009
Support the Hydrocephalus Association on the "Twit Cause Experience Project"
Please take a moment of your time and follow the badge's link to "Twit Cause" by "Experience Project" and VOTE for the Hydro Association!! :) With all of our AMAZING Hydrocephalus fans on Twitter we were able to vote our butts off and make it into FIRST PLACE right now! Lets keep that pace!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Noah has a Christmas Wish for Cards!!
Diana Biorkman needs your help in making her son’s wish come true. She has a 5 year old son, Noah, in the last stages of a 2.5 year battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. The family is celebrating Christmas next week and Noahs request is to get lots of Christmas cards. Please consider sending cards to:
Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountian Viewcircle
South Lyon, MI 48178
We (meaning my family) sent out our card to him on Friday / 11.5.09
Don't forget to send his card out ASAP because this family is celebrating Christmas BEFORE the rest of us! -- next week I believe..
Thanks for reading & I hope we can get this 'lil guy more cards than he ever could've imagined!! <3
Andrea
Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountian Viewcircle
South Lyon, MI 48178
We (meaning my family) sent out our card to him on Friday / 11.5.09
Don't forget to send his card out ASAP because this family is celebrating Christmas BEFORE the rest of us! -- next week I believe..
Thanks for reading & I hope we can get this 'lil guy more cards than he ever could've imagined!! <3
Andrea
Monday, November 02, 2009
Say Prayers for a friend in the hospital for a shunt revision please!
Hello all
One of our "followers" to our SW PA group here, Jenn Bechard unfortunately messaged me Saturday and said her shunt hadn't been feeling right & that she wanted to avoid the emergency room at ALL costs & Hopefully make it until Monday A.M. so she could head STRAIGHT to her Neurosurgeon. WELL she DID make it until this morning.
No one has been updated on her status (as of yet) on whether she's gone into surgery or not - etc. I'm sure her mother or boyfriend WILL get a post out to us on FaceBook or her website letting us know how she is :)
I've been worried sick about her (although she IS an old pro at this, I want to say this is SOMETHING like her 88th Surgery in her lifetime!) so SHE probably isn't even as worried as I am LOL
But I look up to her SO much, she is a HUGE "spread the word about Hydro" kinda gal, and I know that NOTHING means more to her than the others out there with Hydrocephalus, and the Hydro Association "community" in general. Not to mention a GREAT friend to have when you need someone to talk or vent to. :)
So with ALL of that being said PLEASE everyone say an extra Prayer for her tonight! I'm SURE she will do just fine but some extra prayers NEVER hurt right?? ;D
& LASTLY, please don't forget to keep spreading the word about our NEW Pittsburgh / SouthWestern PA Hydrocephalus Organization!! My GOAL is to round up a good SOLID 10-20 people through-out theese winter/Holiday months & to hold our first actual Meeting AS SOON as I get that "Solid" group of people (which will hopefully be by the beginning of Spring 2010 - but sooner is NO PROBLEM w/ me!)
We have MANY ideas of things to do AT our meetings, one of the first ones we'd like to do a "friends & families meet & greet" kind of "unformal" thing, as well as going to the extent of having meetings at the NEW Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh & hopefully getting a Neurosurgeon and / or a Neurologist to Speak.
I also have some "activities" planned for during the meetings - I promise, I WILL NOT let you guys down! ;D I JUST have to get the people FOR the group! so, HELP!! :( LoL!
Looking forward to making many new friends! Whether they be IN my area or not, I LOVE making friends w/ people from ALL OVER either WITH Hydrocephalus, or parents of Children with it ( like myself for example)
Many ways to contact me! Leave a comment after ANY of theese posts, or visit my OTHER, more personal blog about my Daughter with Hydro, Cerebral Palsy, & Epilepsy and her daily activities, as well as struggles, at http://andreajunelleb.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to talking with you soon!
One of our "followers" to our SW PA group here, Jenn Bechard unfortunately messaged me Saturday and said her shunt hadn't been feeling right & that she wanted to avoid the emergency room at ALL costs & Hopefully make it until Monday A.M. so she could head STRAIGHT to her Neurosurgeon. WELL she DID make it until this morning.
No one has been updated on her status (as of yet) on whether she's gone into surgery or not - etc. I'm sure her mother or boyfriend WILL get a post out to us on FaceBook or her website letting us know how she is :)
I've been worried sick about her (although she IS an old pro at this, I want to say this is SOMETHING like her 88th Surgery in her lifetime!) so SHE probably isn't even as worried as I am LOL
But I look up to her SO much, she is a HUGE "spread the word about Hydro" kinda gal, and I know that NOTHING means more to her than the others out there with Hydrocephalus, and the Hydro Association "community" in general. Not to mention a GREAT friend to have when you need someone to talk or vent to. :)
So with ALL of that being said PLEASE everyone say an extra Prayer for her tonight! I'm SURE she will do just fine but some extra prayers NEVER hurt right?? ;D
& LASTLY, please don't forget to keep spreading the word about our NEW Pittsburgh / SouthWestern PA Hydrocephalus Organization!! My GOAL is to round up a good SOLID 10-20 people through-out theese winter/Holiday months & to hold our first actual Meeting AS SOON as I get that "Solid" group of people (which will hopefully be by the beginning of Spring 2010 - but sooner is NO PROBLEM w/ me!)
We have MANY ideas of things to do AT our meetings, one of the first ones we'd like to do a "friends & families meet & greet" kind of "unformal" thing, as well as going to the extent of having meetings at the NEW Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh & hopefully getting a Neurosurgeon and / or a Neurologist to Speak.
I also have some "activities" planned for during the meetings - I promise, I WILL NOT let you guys down! ;D I JUST have to get the people FOR the group! so, HELP!! :( LoL!
Looking forward to making many new friends! Whether they be IN my area or not, I LOVE making friends w/ people from ALL OVER either WITH Hydrocephalus, or parents of Children with it ( like myself for example)
Many ways to contact me! Leave a comment after ANY of theese posts, or visit my OTHER, more personal blog about my Daughter with Hydro, Cerebral Palsy, & Epilepsy and her daily activities, as well as struggles, at http://andreajunelleb.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to talking with you soon!
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