Let's use our feet is an expression a dear friend of mine would ask when she wanted to go for a walk. On these walks we would share our daily lives, our dreams, our fears, and sometimes just the silence of walking with a friend. They are some of my sweetest memories. But why didn't she ask if I just wanted to go for a walk? She had a very smart dog who L-O-V-E-D walks! If we used the W word - the dog had to go. This was a dog with short legs and couldn't walk as long as we used to enjoy. Our penance would to be to walk with the dog around the block a couple of time or 1/2 mile and then we could go on our real "walk". Then the dog caught the spelling version W-A-L-K also meant pure bliss and that is how the Let's Use Our Feet became our secret code :)
Well I write this entry today because I want to use my feet. There are two causes in April that are both very near and dear to my heart. On April 14, 2012 I plan to walk a "FUN 5k" in support of Strides for Autism in honor of a sweet little princess named Madison :) I have worked in the past with peoples of disabilities. It is a career I miss very much as it was some of the most rewarding work (if you can call it that as there was much fun to be had and many memories that still make me smile) I've had the privilege to do. Autism used to be diagnosed in extremely rare situations and has endured some horrible falsehoods. One being that people diagnosed with autism were autistic due to refrigerator mom syndrome. Basically that their mothers did not show them enough love. What a horrible thing to believe and many people did for way too long of time. Much research is being done (and needs to be done) because the prevalence is very real: 1 in 110 U.S. children with boys outnumbering the girls four to one. (I don't have an article to support this fact as it is the most common stat I have read in at least ten articles/books within the last three years). Good chances you know someone or a family that includes a person with autism. I include family because this is a disability that doesn't change one person's life but all of those who support that person. Communication, behavior, and health can all be altered due to autism. This a disorder with a large umbrella of all those it affects and how it affects each individual. There is not a one size fits all solution. But as more research is done, more people can be helped, supported, and encouraged to live the best version of themselves. If you would like to support this charity please donate funds at https://scautism.org/strides/team/3/ for Team Madison!
The other charity I plan to Use my Feet is for the March of Dimes when we will March for Babies April 28,2012. I live in South Carolina and our statistic according to March of Dimes research is that one in seven babies are born premature. There is a reason a pregnancy is meant to take forty weeks and what develops the most in the last couple months of pregnancy- lungs and brains. Those are two very important organs; they help us breathe and they help us think. I started writing this blog as a reaction to take my health more seriously when my niece Lilli was born at only 24 1/2 weeks at the weight of one pound six ounces and twelve inches long. She could wear my brother's wedding band up to her shoulder! She is doing amazing! But thanks to research and support she is alive and can see. She faced a very real risk of going blind, but because of research - doctors were diligent in their observations and knew what warning signs to watch.
Almost a year after our niece's birth, my husband and I received news that we were to be parents. Our joy grew but I have to admit there was always a gray cloud hanging in the back of my thoughts. I feared my son being born prematurely. I witnessed a miracle and the wonders God can do. But I also witnessed and felt the rides of a frightening roller coaster ride that involves a NICU stay. When I hit my twenty-fifth week of pregnancy I rejoiced, but not for too long as my body started to show signs of distress a couple of weeks later. I was put on bedrest and four days later was admitted to the hospital. I was given steroids in hopes of speeding up my son's development. Every night I prepared myself for the possibility of my son's birth physically (no food or liquid after midnight) and emtionally (prayers of the healthiest timing) and every morning I was wheeled to an ultra-sound where tests were ran on both my son and myself. It was deemed on my ninth day in the hospital that the safest alternative for Drew and me was to deliver. I was only at 29 weeks. My son was born at three pounds and eleven ounces and seventeen 1/2 inches long. That is just a tish longer than a legal size piece of paper and lighter than most roasts. My son was placed in the NICU for forty-four days. I am grateful for the research that has been done on prematurity, the staff who cared for and about our son, and the prayers that lifted up our entire family. Not everyone has the success story that we experienced twice in our family. Every family should have the moment of welcoming home their own miracle. Please help me support the efforts of March of Dimes. My team page is http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1731408 where you can see a couple of our miracles and donate to our family team : Early Bugs. Or you can also donate online at www.marchforbabies.org/SuzySullivan .
Your funds are most appreciated for either or both charities - that is why I am Using my Feet in hopes of raising money for these two organizations. But there are other ways to show support; Prayers are always needed and appreciated, encouragement is nice, and advertising these web addresses through e-mail, facebook, twitter, or your own blog/website is beyond helpful :)
Thank you for your time, your assistance, and your support.
May your HealthFULL Journey motivate you to use your whole self. 'Til we meet again. . .
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