Charity-Raising Funds For Team Keegan

It has come to my attention that people will often find themselves doing amazing things after finding themselves in challenging situations.  Take for instance this family i know.  Their son Keegan had cancer…and life got pretty challenging not only for Keegan but for his whole family.  Keegan lives with his parents and he has a younger sibling and an older sibling.  Living in a rural area means that when you have cancer treatments you often have to do a lot of traveling to and from bigger cities that have the facilities that you can not necessarily get in your own small town.  This not only puts a financial hardship on families but it also creates many opportunities for separation of family members.   It is difficult  to be able to work a job or two, balance the physical and emotional needs of all the family members and still find the extra energy to take care of yourself.   Those are issues this family understands, the stress of it all, as they have been through it themselves.

This particular family has gotten through all of that and they decided, as a family, to give back to others going through similar situations.  They were blessed over and over again by friends, family members and  even total strangers during all of the trials they faced while going through testing and treatments.  They have decided to form a non profit to help others.  To get the non profit status, they must raise funds to file all of the necessary paperwork with the state and federal government.

This week they are doing an online auction on their Facebook page Team Keegan   If you believe in doing good things, in taking a challenge and using it to bless others…won’t you visit their page and bid on some of their donated items?  I believe there are wonderful items such as:  a child’s wooden rocking horse, a picture hand-created by Keegan, a sock monkey in a hospital robe, baby chickens, a hand-sewn American made fabric purse, a tote bag with a swaddling blanket and burp rag and a photo package from a local photographer.  This is a fundraiser…and they are planning on doing good things to bless other children and their families facing medical challenges.

If you have ever known someone who has faced cancer then you know just how important support can be.  Please help this family achieve their dream of becoming a non-profit organization who reaches out to others in need.  Thanks for being willing to read this far.  Now won’t you go visit their page at Team Keegan ?

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God Help The Australians

       Breaking news of a horrific nature…Australia has been experiencing some terrible fires, overnight, that has caused major damage to some towns and at least 84 deaths.  Although that number may continue to climb as they gain control of the brush fires.   There are many who were hospitalized with burns and some of them may yet lose their lives because of their injuries.  This is the deadliest wildfire that Australia has ever had.  The areas that have been the most impacted were in the southeastern area of Australia; as well as  towns about 50 miles north and east of the capital, Melbourne.

         People have lost their homes, their livelihoods in some cases and many have lost their loved ones or their own lives.  Some people were killed in the fires as they tried to escape in their vehicles.  This is horrible; it is suspected that some of these fires were deliberately set.   If that is true; it is a crime, the murders of innocent people are on the hands of those who set these fires.  It is unfathamable why anyone would wish to do such harm.  The firefighters are bravely trying to fight the fires, which may take days to control.  I pray that God help the Australians by bringing some rain and helping the firefighters to gain control and help the people of Australia as they cope with their losses.

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Between Fear and Faith

     As a Christian I am struggling with the line between fear and faith.  My parents are both cancer survivors.  However, right before Christmas they both had tests done that have come back with suspicious results.

       I listen to my mother say that she is not going to get worked up until she talks with the doctor about the results.  In general, I agree with that.   My mother is pretty much a positive thinker, which is a great thing.

         My father is cut out of a different cloth.  He automatically thinks negatively; he can’t seem to help it.  His mind goes to the worst case scenerio.  It is experience related…he has had the worst case scenerio happen to him before…so he just expects that to be his luck.   Both mom and dad will be meeting up with their respective cancer doctors before the first week of January is over.

          I am a product of both of my parents.  I am at times a positive thinker….and at times, automatically hit the negativity zone.  I don’t like it that that is true; but, it is honest.  I work hard attempting to focus on the positives.

           The problem is…fear.  I fear hearing the situations that they are facing will possibly return them to the medical world of tests, surgeries, treatments, complications, and hospitalizations.  This is a world that is both isolating and overwhelming, with people.  🙂  I realize that that sounds contrary….but, it isn’t.  

     You are surrounded with people in the medical field….this specialist, that oncologist, the anestesiologist (sp?), the radiologist, the pharmacist, the dietician, the family doctor, the nurses, the insurance company…the list goes on and on.  The isolation comes when you must seperate yourself from the general population because of the possibility of infection.  The isolation that the patient feels when heading in for the surgery or the treatment…no-one else can do those things for them.  It is in isolation that fear takes root and does it’s dirty work.  Discouragement can set in…thwarting all of the good and positive things that are at work in the healing process.

     The thing is, once you have been a survivor…your history can limit treatments.  It can also be eye opening to the types of situations you may be facing this time around.  My mother has  developed conditions that can be life threatening, since the last time around.  Both my mother and father had difficult side effects and complications from their various treatments, in the past.

     I am a firm believer that God is in control of everything.  I don’t claim to understand the mind of God.  But, i know that he allows things to happen that are very difficult to go through.  If left to our own devices…most human beings would opt out of the difficult things and shoot straight for the easy path…myself included.  My head knows that much can be learned during these hard moments in life…that God has things for us to gain in those moments.  I know he has things to be accomplished during those moments…he puts people in our path for us to connect with and to share with.  We will do our best to bring glory to his name throughout.  For he is worthy of praise in all things.

        So, I will work at praying that God will have mercy…that he will guide and direct us as we face these additional challenges.  I will ask for wisdom, clarity, patience, faith, courage, strength, healing, financial blessings, and any area of lacking; that we may need to overcome in the face of these trials.  

       What i am thankful for, is that we don’t have to pray for love or sharing; or, willing family members to help out.  We are blessed in those areas.  We are a family that knows how to support one another; and, whoever is in need around us, at the time.   Roomates have often been the recipients of the overflow of our big family.  There have been roomates that had no one to look out for them…they were alone in their journey.  My family is nurturing in nature.   I am thankful for that compassionate part of our family. 

     I am thankful for those in the medical community who also have compassion, skill, knowledge and who are sensitive in the way that they go about promoting healing to their patients and their family members.  They are our allies in the war that has been declared on our loved ones..they are on the front lines of battle trying to help our loved ones to have a full and healthy life; so we pray for all of them who will have contact with us.  We respect their skill and dedication.

     We have so much to be thankful for…and, we are.  Are we greedy to wish for health and financial blessings to meet the demands put on the family as we go thru these things?  I don’t think so.   I know that God has a purpose; I pray that we realize it and make the most of it as he would desire us to do.  I am just selfish enough to wish, as Jesus did on the cross, that this cup would pass from out of our hands; if God so desires. 

         Again…the line blurrs between faith and fear that these medical challenges may not pass from us!

           

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Dancing With The Stars-Fab Four

      So tonight on dancing with the stars…it is the fab four.  Four teams of dancers who have gotten to the top of their game by working hard.  What four dancers are left in the competition? 

        Lance Bass and his professional pro-dancer Lacey Schwimmer have made great gains in the last couple of weeks.  Then there is Cody Linley and his pro-partner Julianne Hough.  Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson are in the final four as well as Brooke Burke and Dereck Hough.  Each team has learned how to bring out the best in each other…the teamwork has evolved into some wonderful relationships.

         As the competition heats up…who will end up in the finals will be determined by tonight’s outcome.  I predict the couple to leave tonight will be Cody Linley and Julianne Hough.  Cody has improved alot since he began on the show…however he was sidelined a couple of weeks back when Julianne had to have her appendix removed.  He soldiered on with Edyta as his partner and did alright but he never regained his focus that he was beginning to establish when he was dancing with Julianne.

          Tonight’s results on the show could surprise me …but i believe that the other dancers either have been more consistent in their dancing or have a stronger fan base.  We will see.    Who do you think is leaving…and, who do you think will be the final winner this season?

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China Steals Fetus From Mother’s Womb

      This is a terrible example of how China is wiping away the future of some of it’s children.  This week, a woman is sitting in a hospital under control of the authorities awaiting a forced abortion.  Her crime; she already has two children.  The authorities in China control the population by limiting the amount of children a family is allowed to have.  Parts of China enforce this control by limiting a family to one or two children.

       The woman’s name is Arizgul Tursun.  Arizgul is six months pregnant.  She ran from her village to avoid the forced abortion; however, her family received threats; and, she was taken and placed under custody in the hospital.  Human rights organizations are protesting this treatment.  China says publically that it doesn’t endorse such extreme means of controlling the population; however, this case will shine a light onto the Chinese government’s sincerity.

        This is cruel and inhuman treatment to both the mother and the infant.  At six months, this child could live outside of the womb; however, the authorities will give her a shot that will cause her to deliver a child that will not be allowed to survive.  We need to pray for this woman, her “caregivers”, her child and the authorities in charge of enforcing this abortion. 

          Decisions about family growth should be left up to the parents in a family…not outsiders.  Every life has value and it is immoral to force an abortion on a woman who does not want it.  God help her and her child. 

          Is it right to allow this kind of treatment to take place; without protests and sanctions against countries that allow it?  If China allows this abortion to take place…what should other governments around the world do to demand more humane treatment of individual rights in China?

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Juliane Hough From Dancing With The Stars Has Surgery

       Last night, if you had a chance to watch Dancing With The Stars; you probably already heard…but, Julianne Hough announced that she would be having surgery today to have her appendix removed.  If you remember, last week after competition, Julianne took a trip to the hospital in an ambulance for stomach pains.

        It was disclosed that Julianne has endometriosis; and, that is why she is having her appendix removed.  Endometriosis is a condition that is very painful, it is caused by abnormal growth of the lining of the uterus.  That growth can extend outside of the uterus and spread to the internal organs.  It can contribute to fertility complications. 

        In any case, we send best wishes to Juliane.  During her absence, while recovering, Julianne’s dance partner Cody Linley will be partnered with Edyta.  Julianne hopes to be back in a week…but that would be pushing it by most people’s expectations.  I am sure we will get an update on Julianne’s condition tonight on the results show of Dancing With The Stars.  related story:  https://writeasrain.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/dancing-wthe-stars-maurice-greene-is-a-good-sport/

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A Negative Legacy

       When a person passes away…you wonder why kind of epithet (description) others would use to describe that person.  A person’s reputation…legacy…is important.  Most people want to be remembered as someone who other’s genuinely liked, respected and wanted to spend time with.

        Most people don’t want to be remembered negatively.  Today, i heard that Mr. (Richard) Blackwell has died.  Do you know who he is?  I bet when i jiggle your memory cells you will recognize his legacy…it was extremely negative.

         Mr. Blackwell was famous for his very harsh, negative, and biting descriptions of what people in Hollywood and the world of celebrity wore out in public…their fashion sense.  He often said that he wasn’t condeming the person…just their fashion choices.

         He was known for his lists of the 10 worst dressed people of each year.  I was sure that there was so much more to this man.  So i did a little digging.  His celebrity was that he was an author of two books, he was a child actor, he was a television/radio personality, journalist, an artist and a talented fashion designer.  But what is he best known for?  His negativity…that was his claim to fame.  That is such a waste of spirit.  Obviously, he was much more talented that the world knew…however, he put negativity into the world.  Regrets are something that most of us try to avoid…i wonder if he had a few when his time came.

         Mr. Blackwell died of an intestinal infection.  He had been hospitalized for quite some time…and was in a coma, at one point, i believe.  He was born Richard Sylvan Selzer.  He lived in Brooklyn, NY in a poor lifestyle.  He says in his autobiography that he was a thief and a prostitute.  He had a difficult early life.  That might explain why some of his negativity carried over into his professional life as an adult. 

         I think that no matter what…we have to be aware of how we present ourselves to the world.  We all have difficulties…some worse than others.   People can get caught up in trying to one -up-manship in the area of who has had it more difficult; but…at some point, you set aside childhood ills, and YOU take the reins of your destiny as an adult.   At that point, you and you alone, are responsible for the direction that your life takes.  I want to work hard to make sure that the legacy that i leave behind is more heavy on positivity than negativity. 

        What obstacles have you had to overcome to take your life in a positive direction?

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Obsession With What Lies Within

      Once again the news has been covering a recent trend of crimes regarding an obsession with what lies within; another woman has been found dead after having her baby cut out of her womb.  This scenerio has been happening all too frequently over the last decade or so…women being killed for the babies that they carry inside of their wombs.  It leaves a terrible legacy of emotional difficulties for family and friends not to mention the child; if it miraculously survives the amateur delivery.

          In many of the cases, the women who do the killing have had an obsession with having a baby or being pregnant; often they have tricked those closest to them into believing they are pregnant and about to deliver.  Then, after they have stolen an infant, they try to pass it off as their own birth child. 

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Britney’s Sole Mate Makes It Legal

      News today was announced that Britney Spears and her ex-mate, Kevin Federline have agreed to a custody agreement that is going before the court, for a judge’s signature to become official.  Kevin Federline will get sole custody of the two boys that he and Britney had together; Jayden James and his older brother Sean Preston, once that document is signed by court officials. 

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Cancer Patient Bonding

       There is something special and unique about the bonding that takes place when people bond through their shared experiences.  Something that i noticed when my parents each went through their cancer diagnosis and treatment sessions…intense bonding with fellow cancer patients and their families.  That bond in those relationships was a lifeline at times.  The fear of the unknown, the medical traumas, the difficult side effects, the kindness of strangers it all blended to remind us that we were not in the situation alone.

         During hospital stays, during chemo treatments, and doctor appointments; my parents and other patients would share things about their families, about their experiences, their struggles, medical information, tips on how to overcome nausea, or how to cope with some of the side effects of the treatments.   Some patients were alone…they had no family or else their family members lived in distant places.  We would adopt them and visiting and trying to support when we could.   It was all very intense. 

        In what amounts to a, down in the trenches, fight for their lives; cancer patients bond in very intense ways.  When fellow patients would struggle…my parents would ask for prayer for them, from us.  We are blessed with a strong family unit.  We would honor the request …knowing that if we needed the favor returned…it would be given automatically by those same cancer patient friends and their families.   We were all in a fraternity; that none of us wanted to be in….but still, we were in it together.

       The losses hit hard.  The emotions were so deep for my parents and for our family.  Each loss, it was understood, could have been ours as well; but for the grace of God.  Each milestone was celebrated.  Waiting for the results of testing was, and is, filled with anxiety and fear.  It is no less worrisome to hear of others around the world who struggle with the same issues.  http://www.tnbcfoundation.org/tnbcinthenews.htm

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