THANKFUL THURSDAY

There are a number of exciting things I want to tell you about so to coin a phrase ‘are you sitting comfortably? then I’ll begin’.

Firstly I want to thank everyone who has through their actions, made me realise once again how kind and generous people are and how my words alone will not cover the gratitude that we feel as a family.  Some I have mentioned before in previous blogs, others are recent family members below are two people who are friends of Emma's that have recently raised money to go towards specialised equipment for Jess.

Charley Webb  This brave lady did a sponsored sky dive.   Thank you Charley , well done for being so brave.  I hope you enjoyed the experience.

Helen Pennington Recently completed her first marathon after only starting to run a couple of years ago and again asked people to sponsor her. Helen you are an inspiration.

Incase you think (as I might have done at one time) that all equipment needed is supplied by the Local Authority etc., then let me tell you that it is most definitely NOT.  And even if the LA are willing to supply certain equipment it is never straight forward.  Ask any parent of a child with disabilities and they will tell you, you have to fill in endless forms, make lots of pleading telephone calls, jump through hoops even and still the answer will probably be no!  Families rely heavily upon charities and the generosity of others. 

Having a disabled child in the family is life changing.  Not just for the parents but for other close family members too.  

It is not necessarily life changing in a negative way though.  For myself, since the birth of Jess I have learnt so much (and still learning) I have also had the pleasure of getting to know some wonderful people who I would never have met before.  It has also changed my perspective on life.  Made me realise that despite everything we have such a lot to be thankful for.  The saying “there is always somebody worse off than yourself” is very true. 

I love the things I am doing now and want to keep on doing them, so with that in mind I have also been assessing how to best look after myself and keep myself fit and healthy. At 58 I am in the age bracket where putting on a few pounds seems par for the course.  According to the Wii fit my BMI indicates that I am overweight, not too much mind but nevertheless I could do with being in the healthy weight range to lessen my chances of heart disease and strokes etc.  I have always had a healthy appetite and so have never had any success with diets but I know that to keep myself healthy a balanced diet is important but more to the point regular exercise to get my heart beating a bit faster.  

I had embarked upon the couch to 5K fitness programme some time ago and was enjoying it despite having never jogged/run in my life before except a quick spurt for a bus at times.  I then suffered a bout of plantar fasciitis which is a very common but painful condition and which put me off my training programme.  I am happy to say that has now cleared up and I have started running again, but this time I have been inspired by the determination of Helen and her marathon run and the guts that Charley had to do her sky dive.  I started to think about all the lovely people who have given up their time and overcome fears and obstacles to raise money for Jess and others like her and because I believe strongly in 'putting back’ I have decided that I am going to run a 5k race next year for charity and hopefully that will be just the start.  I can’t promise any marathons mind you!  I shall be logging my progress over on my other blog site Coffee & Waffle.

Now for more good news…

Swimming plays a big part in Natalie’s life. You may recall the Swimathon that she did with her friends to raise money for the charity Newlife who were supplying Jess with a special bed, (click here to read about this event) well I am pleased to say that she has been shortlisted for an award to commemorate her achievements!

Emma recently sent me details of something she had seen from the ASA in partnership with Kelloggs.  Each year they host a Gala Swimming Celebration called the Swimtastic Awards which aims to congratulate outstanding participants from the world of swimming.  

I nominated Natalie for the Charity Award.  She has been shortlisted and in November will be having the day of her life.  The day starts with  a ‘swim with the stars’ session.  She will have the opportunity (along with Mummy) to meet and swim with some of the UK’s top swimming stars.  Later there is an evening awards dinner when the final winners of each category will be announced.  

I am so pleased for her.  Natalie is such a good girl and a wonderful big Sister and Jess adores her.  It is not easy having a sibling with a disability and there are sacrifices that have to be made at times but Natalie accepts these without question and I think she deserves this special day in recognition of that.  Even if she is not an overall category winner on the night she will always be a winner in the eyes of her Sister and of course us.  I shall let you know how it all goes.


And finally….
Last time I blogged I included a short video of Jess walking unaided across the room.  Well I am happy to tell you that she is now walking everywhere that she can.  Last week we went to a small nature reserve and Jess happily walked (holding onto an adults hand as it was slippery underfoot) most of the way around, it was only after walking for over half an hour that she got tired and was carried a short way back to the car.  

She now walks around Nursery and only needs her wheelchair whilst there for having her pump feed.  She also climbs the stairs (with supervision of course) when its time for bed and the other day I went with Emma to pick Natalie up from school and Jess walked up and down the playground for a short time (she likes the painted coloured circles ) completely unaided and enjoying every minute of it.  No-one would have guessed that it was thought by the medical profession that she would never be able to walk.  Another display of guts and determination.

You may have wondered why I have called this blog Thankful Thursday?  Thankful Thursday is something that the support group (SWAN Uk)we belong to run on their Facebook page every Thursday. The idea is that people post whatever it is they feel thankful for.  I am thankful to EVERYONE who has supported us during difficult times, THANKFUL that there are such kind people in this world who have organised events, sponsored an event or just attended an event that has helped raise money either for equipment for Jess or for the various organisations and charities that we rely on so much.  THANKFUL that people actually read my blogs and share them so that more and more awareness can be raised to hopefully help others in the future.

THANKFUL that I have such a wonderful family and friends.