Easter Egg Hunt- Lighthouse for the Blind- Lion's Club

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/video.html?clip=http://static.baynews9.com/newsvideo/bn9/web_video/Beeping_easter_eggs_032313.f4v  this is the video from the egg hunt



Here is the article:)
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/3/23/children_listen_clos.html

I got to share in both:)  And there is some cute video of Sam

We just love Lighthouse for the Blind!  Every state has some organization like Lighthouse but I think Florida's in really good.  They were there for us shortly after Sam was home from the hospital.  The teacher came every week and worked with him and ME!  I think I needed it the most.  Our first teacher was Nancy, and I think I cried on her shoulder every single week for the first few months!  I was terrified of raising a child who was Blind!  But really through their help and through God's, I learned that it was a gift not a curse....yes, it was a different sort of life but it was livable AND it was enjoyable!!!!  I can really not say enough good about Lighthouse!  They all have been such a blessing in our lives for many years. 

This year we had the egg hunt at the Cotee River Lion's Club of New Port Richey Florida.  It was beautiful out there.  they have a place on the Cotee River with a walkway over it.  They prepared lunch for us.  Sam was first in line and ate 2 hamburgers:)  The Lion's Club is important to our family also.  When Sam was first born, he had cornea transplants given by organ donors that gave him a small measure of sight.  The Lion's club does that service for the state of Florida.  We actually got on the elevator with the repersentive from the Lion's Club.  He was carrying a small cooler, and he gleefully told us that the cornea's were in there!  So we rode up to surgery with Sam's new corneas:)  Of course we are forever grateful to the families/individuals that gave the gift of sight to Sam.  Even though it only worked for Sam a few years until his body rejected the grafted corneas...it gave him some sight and most importantly it allowed his brain to make "pathways" from his eyes to his brain and that helped him be ready when he had the implants done to be able to see.  A person has to make those eye/brain connections as a child or they can never have sight!

 

Jon and me on the walkway

Jon in the background

I love the REAL Florida

the pavilion

 

Me

the gang

 

Here are some pictures of the real Florida, the Florida I love and grew up in.  Nothing relaxes me more than being out in nature. 

 

 

some of the kids and staff

Princess Sarah

&

King Sam

 

 

Shad enjoyed playing with a beeping ball.  The kids who were not blind had to wear blacked out glasses so they could experience blindness.  He had a blast and met some new friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Time!

 

 

Steve helped Sam!

 

 

 

 

Sam really enjoyed it but he thought he was supposed to sit down every time he got an egg.  It was hilarious:)

 

Shad participated by wearing the blacked out glasses too:)  He loves to be involved.  Look at his Duck Dynasty shirt....

 

Sarah's first egg hunt:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

She really enjoyed herself

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love this girl:)

 

We didn't bring Selah, it was an hour drive and we didn't think she'd enjoy herself very much.  Plus until we get a handicapped van we can't all go in the same car.  But she was happy when we got home and was just waking up from her nap.   I'm thankful for nurses I can trust to take care of her!

 

 

Only one more week till the casts come off!!!

 

she always responds to Jon, she is such a daddy's girl!!!

 

So everyone had a good day:)  When we got home, Steve put together all our new tv stuff.  Our old ( i think 11 year old pre-owned-thanks Jean)  big screen tv died last week so we moved into the HD age:)  We picked up the stand today and rearranged our living room.  Steve joyfully put it all together AND we got a Blu-Ray!  Wow we have moved into the 21st century LOL  ONLY because we have a teenager!  The boys are so excited, they got Lord Of The Rings on bluray and they are just certain it will be the best movie ever LOL  (they've seen it and have it on DVD but that movie and The Hobbit are their favorite...me not so much but whatever......)

 

Thank you all for your prayers!  Please keep praying for Selah.  I will post more info for the little girl I posted about yesterday when I get a reply from her mom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainy night ~ thoughts on an orphan girl

PLEASE read this and pass it on your FB, blog, email, church prayer line.........I believe I KNOW this child....this family is adopting two children a boy and a girl from my girls' former mental institution. I played with and spent quite a bit of time with the boy. The girl I ...believe we met one time....one weekend we were graciously allowed to go and visit our girls ( very unusual the favor we had) We were out on the "porch" area with the girls and this girl was out there lying in a travel crib! She is 16 yrs old, I'd never would have guessed that although I knew she was older. She would smile at us throughout our visit and honestly it made me uncomfortable. Why? Because we were loving on and playing with our girls and she had no one. I sat on the floor there and prayed in my heart that the girl would have a family come for her. I will admit, I had NO faith that if would happen, she was older and obviously very physically handicapped...but her smile...it haunted me. BUT GOD.....He had a plan for her!     PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY CONTACTS THAT CAN HELP THEM GET TICKETS IN 1ST CLASS FOR HER AND HER MOM OR THE NURSE WHO WILL BE FLYING HOME WITH THEM, PLEASE HELP US OUT!   She is unable to sit for more than a few minutes.  She must be able to recline.   

http://www.kacirek.blogspot.com/  here is the family's blog, it is beautifully written.....they've taken pictures of the child and it shows how awful her condition is.  She has CP and scoliosis  and her back is twisted.  There is no way she can sit up from Ukraine to America!

I tell you what, the fact this girl, has a family that have come to adopt her...it just blows me away.....totally blows me away.  God HEARS the prayers of these orphans.  One day when we stand before the King, He is going to require of us an accounting of how we have spent our lives...how we took care of "the least of these"  What will you say???  I know I will say I have NOT done enough!  I've wasted so many many years of my life not doing ALL I could for others.  Now our circumstances are not in a place where we could adopt again.  That grieves my heart.  I wish I had done more.....much much more.....

Here is a picture of Selah and me and their daughter ( I beleive) in the background.  She is cognitive as you can tell from her interchanges with the facilitator and her family in their blog.  I had wondered how they trusted a child outside like that by herself but now I understand.   Most of the children at the institution were very low cognitively. 

 

Selah had a good day, she had her OT evaluation and that will be starting soon.  I'm continuing to get everything ready for her to do the HBOT.  I was going to try and put a paypal button up on the side of my blog but I've decided not to do that.  If you'd like to give to her HBOT, please send a check to our church Grace Church 7060 Berry Rd, Zephyrhills Fl 33540.  attn Selah Clanton medical treatments.  You will get tax credit and the church will just issue one payment to the therapy office.  We have no doubt, that God will provide whatever she needs for her medical treatment.  It will cost about $4,400 for the first set of treatments, if there is any real change we will do a second set.  Our doctors are cautious and not too encouraging about the HBOT, and I respect that...however if I'd listen to the medical world about Sam's eye implants, my son would still have no sight.  It worked for him, for others the eye surgery did not (or they weren't eligible like Sarah)  So the HBOT might not work for Selah BUT we must try everything to see what can help her!  I wouldn't want to have that regret in the years to come.  It's best to do treatment as soon as possible after the accident to see the best results. 

 

Well my house is Spring Cleaned:)  I'm Happy Happy Happy about that:)  Tonight is a nice rainy night and Selah is calm and asleep, my other little ones will be soon....I feel a sense of contentment that I've not felt for some time. 

 

Thank you for your many prayers for our family and for the many other needs I bring to your attention.  Please pass this need on for this little girl and her family!  And please continue to pray for our precious jewel.....

Day 139 fish Oil study

Selah had another good day.  She was up alot and her numbers are great.  We are all excited and we have HOPE that this HBOT may help her some! I also am working on getting her into speech therapy with someone who is used to working children off traches.  I spoke to a nice lady today and she is setting some things in to motion.   Between prayer, fish oil, therapy and HBOT...we are ready to see some results!  I did alot of phone tag as we are setting up the HBOT and doing some other things too.  I also started crazy spring cleaning at my house:)  Actually all the bedrooms are completely cleaned!  My goal is to be done by lunch tomorrow. 

It's so great to feel some HOPE in my heart.  Selah was just so cute today and content...I just kept going in her room and telling her to rest up because we are ready to do some more fighting for her:)  She had finished tummy time and all her range of motion exercises with her nurse and was taking her afternoon nap.

 

Don't you love her custom made hospital gown?  BJ made her a bunch of gowns and I love her having them.  Usually we just use them at night but with her casts they are so much easier to put on! 

Although she is asleep, she is really holding her head up great with no pillows. Somedays she doesn't manage her head as well as others but today was a good day!  Look at her hands they are so relaxed.  I love that! 

I want to give honor tonight to a little girl who was adopted through the ministry of The Shepherd's Crook Ministry.  Shad was on TSC list, as they try to help place kids with special needs.  This sweet little girl was one of the first they had listed.  She spent her first 3 years in a crib in Bulgaria....then her family came and loved her with all their hearts.  A few days ago she got sick with a cold/flu and her heart got infected.  She was taken off life support today.  Please pray for this family.....and hold your family close tonight....  We never know what the future holds.....  http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f14884e6c88d4b68239654ec5&id=01307465f6&e=9c7b6bfa20 

Thank you for your prayers for Selah.  Tomorrow is a big day, she has physical therapy and her occupational therapy evaluation.  Hopefully we will have our phone interview with the doctor overseeing her HBOT therapy also.  Hopefully I will have lots of info to share tomorrow:)

HOPE...HBOT

This morning I was doing some errands and went down a street in town that I've not gone on in a long time and saw a new Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy office!  I went in and got some info and we are excited.  We hadn't looked into it as much as we wanted to since we knew it would involved me driving her daily to either Tampa, Orlando or St Pete.  Usually a child is seen 2x a day for an hour at a time.  So I thought I would need to wait until things calmed down more.   It would have been hard to schedule it.  Then I see one just a few miles from my home! 

We already have begun the process to start her.  I'm getting together her medical records and a few things.  Of course it is not covered by insurance at this time.  There are some things that insurance will cover HBOT for but brain injury/near drowning is not one of those.  So....we will be doing some fund raising for this therapy.  It is not cheap nor does it come with any guarantees.  It is not FDA approved.  There have been studies done that indicates it helps brain damage but the jury is still out.  We don't know if it will help her, we just know we are going to try it....  I am looking at various ways to set up a site where folks who'd like to give could give towards her treatment.  Hopefully I will have something in place in the next few days.

We've always believed in researching and trying things to see if they'd work for our children.  We were told there was nothing that could be done for Sam and yet we found a doctor that was able to give him a measure of sight.  This may not "cure" Selah but maybe it will help her improve.  She is still on fish oil so maybe the two things together would be the thing that would help her the most.  One of the men who recovered completely from a brain injury and who is on the study Selah is on, also did HBOT.  And in my opinion, he has the fullest recovery of anyone that was on the study (that we've seen video of) 

So tonight I feel more hopeful for Selah to have some more recovery than I have in awhile.....I believe God gives doctors wisdom and knowledge in order to help others.  So I feel like seeing this office was an answer to prayer.  I actually passed it as I was on my way to the bank and then turned around and went back to it:)  Believe me, I was excited!!!!

Selah has had a really good day today.  It seems she has turned the corner and is not as bothered by her casts...Only one week and 5 days to go:) 

Our nurse told me that the PT had told her that Selah had really good skin, fat, and more muscle tone (in a good way) than any child she'd ever worked with that was in a near drowning accident.  That also encouraged me as the PT is not one to throw out compliments or anything false to get hopes up, she is pretty realistic.  Selah is so round, so normal looking in her limbs and body.  She looks very healthy.  I take that as a good sign.  I think kids who have these type of brain injuries often have their muscles atrophy and there is often other issues in which they don't thrive as well.  Selah has thrived to say the least, she is a Chub and looks adorable:)  We've been blessed not to have to deal with some things like that.  I take that as a good sign. 

We have a nice rainy night here in Florida, just what the garden needs, a long slow soak.  I hope it rains all night!

Here is an interesting article.  It is from Charisma magazine, a magazine I used to like but have grown tired of for the most part over the last few years.  This article however is really good and says what I was trying to say a few nights ago about WHY so many folks are excited about this new Pope.  We, in the charismatic/pentecostal movement are growing TIRED of silly celebrity preachers.... http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/fire-in-my-bones/17130-no-more-pentecostal-popemobiles   Anyhow I thought you might find this interesting. 

Thank you all as always for praying for Selah.  I appreciate it and probably none of us will truly know what the power of prayer really does this side of eternity...but I know God hears....I still am like the widow woman who Jesus talked about.  I pray most of my waking moments for Selah to be healed.  My husband has always called me a bulldog (as a compliment)  and I tell God that I have no one and nothing but Him and I'm not going to let go and I will not stop praying for a miracle for her.  I hope I "bother" God like the widow bothered the unjust judge....I tell God that He is a just Judge but I won't stop praying for my La-la. 

PRAYER REQUEST!
One of my BFFs will have TWO of her sons in surgery tomorrow!  They both are having their tonsils out and of course there are some concerns.  My friend was also given some hard news today about another one of her children, who was diagnosed with a learning disorder that is not something that will respond much to therapy....she has alot on her tonight.  Please pray for my dear friend who has been there for me so many many times....

The Call

A year ago today I got "the Call"...a real literal call telling me our lives were about to change.  Not everyone gets such a call. 

Our paperwork had been in country for two months as we waited through all the Ukraine shut downs for Christmas, various holidays, the change over at the adoption office...finally some families started getting their calls telling them they had a date to meet with the DAP to get their child's referral...I was JEALOUS when I heard others got their dates, I was ready!  So that fateful Monday morning I had really just about given up hope.  Many times the call came early (like 6 am early)  so by the time it was 9 am, almost all hope was gone.  I was still sitting on the couch with my home phone and cell beside me and on the computer looking to see if anyone else in our group got their call when the phone rang....  OMGosh....it was our stateside helper telling me we had a date to meet the DAP at 10 am on April 2 .....WOOHOO!!!  I cried and screamed and the poor lady hung up to call others, with her ears ringing:) 

I called Jon and then set about booking our tickets immediately.  We were leaving on March 30th to meet our girls......

Knowing that the call was coming, I was trying to pack our bags but not being able to get too far with them.  The call did not help, it made things even crazier:)  I HATE to fly and so now I had that to dread too but we were going...Someone in the goverment of Ukraine was kind enough to see our paperwork and give us a date.  I was excited/scared/terrified/ and kinda was thinking we'd lost our ever living minds:)

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So that begins my first blog about our one year anniversary.....I plan on blogging about it since I didn't when we were in Ukraine for the most part.  I have some great pictures to share.  Thankfully I saved my pictures by the dates so I will know the corresponding dates/posts.... 

Selah had PT this morning and that seems to just center her for the day.  Her nurse took her outside for awhile also.  She is relaxed and we have only one week and six days till the casts come off!  WE gave her a real bath today and then I blowdried her hair.  She looks so good and clean.  It takes me and the nurse and Steve to get her in and out even with the bath chair but once she is in the tub, the bath chair is the BOMB:)  I got her squeaky clean today:)

Finally I started back walking.  Before we left for Ukraine I walked just about every day for 3-5 miles a day for years.  Once we came home I walked some but it was challenging to get the three little ones up, breakfasted, and ready to meet my friends.  I only went a few times and then I had a horrible issue with my foot that ended up requiring several surgeries.  Then NY happened....so anyhow I am back, full speed ahead.  We did three miles this morning on the Mountain:)  Our hospital has a cardiac 1/2 mile track that will kick a Florida's girl's butt!  It has real hills built in.   So this morning we did it 6 times around.  It felt great, love the burn and the sweat:) Even got to go out with my friend to eat breakfast since she had some unexpected free time!   Came home and finished the garden, put in two box gardens of potatoes and one with carrots.  Then I ran to the store, and got "The Hobbit" my kids have been dying to see it.  They saw it when it came out in theaters but was ready for it to come to the Clanton Theater.  I also found Duck Dynasty season 1 and 2!  HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY:)    Yes we like DD.  When I first started seeing folks post about it I thought it sounded crazy...yep that's about right, crazy like I grew up.  I know so many good old boys like those guys, they just make me smile:)

It felt good to go and do something like walking and eating out with a friend.  Most of what I do right now revolves around Selah, which is necessary and which I want to do, but I know I need time to see that the world does gone on.  It's so easy to get focused on your problems and sorrows. 

After my scare the other night, I've resolved to be healthier.  (we actually have been researching some things)    We've always eaten healthy (except for my Pepsi addiction and love of fried chicken)  I'd been reading a book called "The Great Cholesterol Myth"  We've always eaten low fat due to my husband's family history of heart disease.  BUT after reading this book it makes us wonder....my family was a country family, they cooked everything with LARD!  Lots of things were fried, but most home grown.  We used REAL butter....no one in my family died of heart disease.  In fact most died of old age OR lung cancer ( as most of the men smoked BUT the men were all in their 70's when they got the cancer)  Most everyone lived to their 80's or even 90's....    According to this book they ate more natural foods and nothing or very little processed foods so that is the best for the body and the heart overall.   Jon did take a statin drug but he had heard about this book some months ago, and the risks of statins and decided to come off them.  I was not happy with him but agreed to it if he'd take fish oil.  Well with the past few months, everything has been out of wack but now we are going to really focus on healthier eating (but no I can't bring myself to use Lard!  Just Olive Oil)   I'm going to set up appointments for us to get all our bloodwork checked and just to watch things on him.   You might find this book interesting.  I'm actually going to buy it so I can really mark it up.  I even bought real organic butter the other day....NEVER had before in my life!  We are still researching but one thing the book is big about is lowering the sugar in your diet.  I don't really like sweets but I do love Pepsi but I have gone off it completely.....I'm drinking tea and coffee now which both have good things in them, I do sweeten them but less than before.  Tea has so many good things in it.  My family drank tea by the gallons....maybe that is why they all lived so long and were pretty healthy.  I add lemon to my tea, really squeeze it in to give an additional boost of Vitamin C and it is supposed to clean the liver out too.   I'm not having any soda in the house so my kids are not happy but they will live....  We are taking Vitamin C, Fish oil ( Dr Sear's Brand http://www.zonehealth.com/theclantonfamily  the same pure type that Selah takes but in capsule form for us)  CoQ12, and a baby asprine a day. 

Thank you all for your very sweet and supportive posts and emails about my blog on the anxiety attack.  I almost had another one last night but I took a pill and walked outside for a little bit and then sat on my swing and made myself breath deep for a few minutes.  I often quote scriptures to myself , so I can focus on that rather than the problems at hand.  Scripture comforts me and I'm thankful for all the memorization I did growing up.  I wasn't so happy about it at the time but now I know it gets in your heart and stays there! 

There is nothing else in this world that is firm and unchanging but God.  Kingdoms rise and fall, people come and go, circumstances changes, finances change but God is forever faithful and is the solid rock that I stand on.  "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand"   I'm thankful for that real solid Rock to stand on......

Thank you for all your prayers for Selah and for us!  I do not take them for granted! 

Aniety attack...

Last night after feeling so sad all day, I thought I had sorted through my feelings and had had a good cry.  So I was sitting half skimming a book ( on WWII and the Holocaust- I know not light reading) and half watching the movie "the Bible" and out of no where I am slammed with chest pain and my heart beating so fast and hard.  I didn't want to tell anyone what was going on so I got up and went to my room and took a few aspirin.  I sat there for about 30 minutes trying to be calm but shaking.  ( I tend to shake when I am upset)  Jon came looking for me and I decided to go to the hospital.  After being checked out, the doctor said I'd had a panic attack.  It was NO fun let me tell you.  I've had twinges before in my chest and had had some testing just to find out it was a muscle condition in my ribcage and this seemed to tie in with that also.  So I was given a prescription for an anti anxiety med that is really light and non addictive.  I am not one to take meds and they usually adversely affect me but it seems to have helped some.  I still find it hard to catch a deep breath but I'm trying to relax.  today I took the kids to run errands, it's just good to be out together.

I am somewhat embarrassed by this reaction.  I was offered some meds when this all first happened and I declined them.  But after all these months, it felt good to have the edge taken off.  I am not sure that I will stay on this prescription, right now it is only to be used as needed.  Since I call this blog "My Real Life" I thought I'd be real and share this with you all.  Last night I had the nicest doctor and nurse at Zephyrhills Hospital.  They were kind and understanding.  He was also concerned with my neck and said he could feel tightness half way down my back.   I was treated fast but with enough tests that it relieved my mind, for the most part.  You do know I"m a closet hypochondriac.  I do NOT read anything medical on the web.  I know moms who can rattled off all kinds of medical stuff, no, not me!  I stay as far away as I can or it just totally freaks me out!  I really fight it, mostly by ignoring it LOL...

So after all of that, Selah had a great night with Jon LOL  He got a good night's sleep.  She has had a good day and did great during PT.  Our nurse had her up most of the morning and early afternoon and she is sleeping so nicely and peacefully already.  Two weeks from today the casts will be off:)

Here are some pictures of Sarah walking by pushing a chair in front of her.  She seems to do better with leaning forward and walking although you can see she still puts her feet down oddly.  The PT is puzzled by her.  Sarah has the ability muscle wise to walk it would seem.  She is quite fearLESS so it's not that either.  She wants to and likes movement, she is never still.  But yet she is not walking yet.  I'm glad she is finally in therapy and hopefully she will start walking soon.  I love one thing the PT said "If Sarah had been yours from the beginning she would be walking"  how nice of a compliment  that was to me.  I am very commited to see her achieve that:) 

 

 

So please pray for Selah and for me too.  I am so thankful for all the messages and emails I get from so many saying they are praying!  It really means so much to my heart:)

Looking Back....

http://myreallifebyyvonne.blogspot.com/2012/03/introducing-selah-johannah.html

A year ago today I introduced Selah to my blog.....it just rocked me to think it's been a year today since the first post about her....