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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First Responders Often Decide Who Lives & Who Dies

       Did you ever wonder about the integrity or the value systems of the people who work in your area as a first responder? These are the people on the front lines of emergency calls when people find themselves, or another person in desperate need of medical/fire/police personel.  Most people in those positions are there because they care about people and because they love what they do.  They take that reponsibility seriously.  However, a news story this week was a bit eye opening as first responders often are in the position to decide who lives; and, who dies according to the actions that the first responders take.

     It seems that in Britain a man by the name of Barry Baker thought he was having a heart attack and called emergency services.  The dispatcher kept him on the line talking, getting information until he collapsed and was no longer able to stay conscience.    The phone line was still live and recording which is how two first reponder/emergency workers have now found themselves under arrest.

        Barry Baker lived alone and used sticks as an aid for walking.  He had hip replacement surgery and did not get around well.  His home was messy.  We know this because of the live phone line that was left open for the dispatcher who was gathering information to aid in the emergency services provided.  The EMS workers can be heard commenting on the messy conditions of the home as well as  allegedly discussing whether this man ” was worth saving”.   If the man was not able to move around easily it is easy to understand why his home was not neat and clean.   It is also alleged that the EMS workers discuss what to tell the ambulance dispatch…apparently deciding to tell them that the man was already dead when they got there.  The problem you see, is that this conversation was being recorded unbeknownst to them.

       Barry Baker did indeed die that day.  Would he have lived had different medical tactics been employed?  Who is to say.  However, it is fairly clear that these two first reponders did not employ proper actions, if reports are true, that would have increased the likelihood of Mr. Baker’s survival.  This is unacceptable.  There is an ongoing investigation taking place at this time.  If it is proven that they acted improper…and how can it be otherwise if there is sufficient evidence on tape….they should be held to a very high standard.  After all, they are entrusted with the most valuable thing which is human life.

     Does anyone know what the criteria is, regarding resuscitation and or an evaluation of a patient’s condition for a first responder or a medic when sent out on a call?  Is the criteria different from one country to another? 

         

       

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Share What You’ve Got-With Those Who Don’t Have Alot

       People are funny; when things get tight…their fists often get tighter; but not always.  This year, like no other year in recent memory, people are hurting.  They are hurting in many areas financially.  Many have lost their homes, their jobs, their savings…along with medical coverage.  It is a difficult time for many in our nation.

        Most everyone has something that they have been blessed with that they no longer use.  Those things that you have been blessed with and no longer use just might be terribly useful to someone else.  Have extra blankets (or sleeping bags) in the closet or attic that you have no use for?  Someone else has need for them; donate it to a shelter, a church, or an agency that gives to those in need.  Don’t forget places like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.  Let’s challenge ourselves to find ways to have a positive impact on those around us.

         What about checking out deals, when you grocery shop, that make use of buy one get one free…then, donating that extra item to a food pantry?  In fact, things people often run out of and have a hard time replacing are necessities such as laundry soap, shampoos/conditioners, toothpaste, dish soap, toilette paper; when money is limited…having those things donated to a food pantry can really be a big help.  Maybe you have a baby or toddler that has outgrown their diapers or pullups…and you have a partial package left; donate it, don’t let it set on a shelf somewhere unused.  What good are those items doing sitting there collecting dust?

          Do you have warm clothes that either don’t fit, things that aren’t your style; or, perhaps you just have an extra set of clothes that you could pass along?  What about coats or boots, mittens or hats/scarves?  Items such as these are desperately needed in colder temperatures and climates.  The fall and winter weather is unforgiving if a person is not sheltered and dressed appropriately for cold temperatures.  Children and adults are both in need; so, please check your closets and storage areas for things that you are not using.

          Here is another idea; have you had a tree fall on your property that you would like removed?  Offer it to those who heat their homes with wood for free…just for the taking.  Wow…how wonderful to get it removed and bless someone else with the wood who could use it to heat their homes. 

          So you say…you don’t have anything physical to give.  How about donating your time or possibly a service like raking leaves/shoveling snow for an elderly person who you know isn’t able to do it for themselves?  Maybe you could offer to get their mail so they don’t slip on the snow and ice or offer to run some errands for them.  There really are so very many ways to help another person who is in need. 

          Think about the homeless who are living on the streets.  Do you perhaps have a shelter or tent that is not going to be used in the near future?  Can you live without it?  Find an agency or charity that will use it to house those folks who cannot or will not live in a shelter.  We have many veterans and run-aways who live under bridges and tunnels all around this nation.  Is a tent or a shelter from your basement or garage an ideal place to live?  No but, it may just keep someone safer from the extreme elements, temporarily, until they can get back on their feet.

           Are any of these suggestions going to cure the ills our nation is facing; probably not…but, it may just help communicate caring to someone who is feeling desperate and alone.  Think about what you can do to help someone who has it a bit worse than you and yours.  Your donations could mean the difference between life and death for someone; and it doesn’t have to cost you more than a bit of compassion for others!

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Mixed Signals Allow For Conflicted Perceptions…Is It Rape or Intimacy?

       There was a recent news story that did much to anger those who work with women who have been “date raped”.   Helen Mirren, a British actress, who won awards last year for her portrayal of the Queen, did an interview with GQ in which she claimed to have been raped several times, many years ago, when she was a student.  Helen is 63 years old now. 

         The reason some people have been upset with Helen, over that interview, is that she seemed to down play the experiences.  She said there was no extreme violence, she was not hit…but rather, was locked in a room and made to have sex.  She did not file charges in those incidents.  She also said that if a man and a woman were about to get intimate and the woman changed her mind, and the man continued; that was indeed rape.  However, in that circumstance; she didn’t feel that a woman could then turn around and take that man to court for it.  Those are highly controversial remarks when taken individually or out of context.  To some people…those comments smack of judgementalism…that those situations aren’t worthy of prosecution of a person who sexually assaults another.  Those comments appear inflammatory to many folks.

         Most people are clear that if a stranger attacks another person and forces sexual relations…then that is rape.  It is true enough…it is.  But there are other forms of rape as well that aren’t as clearly defined for some people.

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Family Reunions For Fundamentalist Church Of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Families

          Breaking news today that a Texas judge involved in the removal of the sect’s children for suspected abuse has ordered that the more than 400 children be returned to their families today.  It is family reunion day for the children and their parents of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.

           In getting the return of their children, the families have to agree to take parenting classes; that is fairly typical in cases where children have been removed when there have been concerns about parenting skills.  They also have to submit to either psychological or medical testing for the children if it is deemed necessary.   The families may not leave Texas and move out of it’s jurisdiction.  It sounds as if the case is not closed but, it will continue to be monitored with the children placed back into their homes.  For the children to be back in the home…their families have to agree not to interfere with any investigation.

            I am sure this is not the end of the whole mishandled situation.  When all is said and done with the investigation and cases are proven or disproven…i am sure there will be more litagation to follow.  Those who were falsely accused who had their children removed will want to be compensated in court…to make it clear that they were not abusers and to prevent this kind of mass assumption of guilt in the future.  For those found guilty, they will be held accountable.

            In the larger picture, much damage has come from this situation for those individuals who were seperated from their families.  This case has made history and it’s impact is going to be far reaching from one state to another in determining the limits of power that the child protective departments will be able to wield over individual rights.

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Asthma Sufferers In Distress

         I just read something that is going to make asthma sufferers very distressed and somewhat fearful.  The Federal Drug Administration has said that by the end of the year that inhalers made with CFC’s will be banned.  CFC is Chlorofluorocarbons; and, they deplete the protective ozone layer around the earth.  So, by December 31st of 2008 the inhalers, that operate by using CFC’s to push the medication out of an inhaler and into the lungs of a patient, will no longer be available.  These inhalers are life savers.  Without an effective way of getting the medication into the lungs of a person with asthma they could suffer ill health or die.

         There are new inhalers that use hydrofluoroalkanes to administer the medicine.  The new inhalers don’t have damaging chemicals to hurt the earth’s ozone layer.  The ozone layer is important because it protects earth and it’s people from harmful ultraviolet radiation.  Green practices in our everyday lives is important…but it seems to me that there could be other areas of cutting back that don’t endanger people’s lives.

         It is important to protect the ozone…but, not at the risk of individual asthma sufferers well-being.  Most asthma patients know that changing medicines take time for the body to adjust…this could mean more trips to the doctor or the hospital while their bodies adjust to the new inhaler.  They will want to discuss this issue of inhalers with their doctor soon…so that they can find an effective treatment that works for them.

          The problem here, is that the new inhalers don’t work in the same way.  Therefore, many people are concerned about the health of the people they love being able to breathe the way they need to.  The medicine is not delivered efficiently through the new inhalers.  It seems that they tend to clog up more and the cost is higher for the new inhalers.  People need to learn the new way of using the inhalers, to get the best results.  This could be dangerous if not done properly.  People do die from asthma if it isn’t properly managed.  Patients will need to talk to their pharmacist and/or physicians to get accurate information.

          Many are feeling a bit of panic about this because it is going to happen no matter what.  This is about people’s life and health.  There is no room for error when it comes to asthma.  It is distressing to think that these inhalers are being forced on patients when the asthma sufferers aren’t sure that they will work just as well as the old inhalers for them.  What do you think about this issue? 

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Derranged Daddy Destroys

       By now, most of you have probably heard about the derranged daddy who destroyed the lives of at least 8 people.  They lived in Austria.  He locked his 18 year old daughter in his specially designed, tiny basement for 24 years.  He abused her;  impregnating her 7 times.  One of the babies died soon after birth; and, the father allegedly put the baby into the furnace.  What a psychological nightmare…something out of an almost unbelievable book of fiction; that noone wants to read.

        Over the years, he had the daughter write a letter saying she could not care for her 3 of her children…after she “disappeared”.  The mother raised three of the children.  How could she do this and not push for some answers?  Did she push for answers?  Or was she just as abused in her own way by this man?   Three more of the children were locked in this basement along side of their mother.  This is the only world they have ever known.  The trauma,fear and pain they must all be in seems almost too much to bear.

       Many people are saying…did the mother know> how could she NOT know?>why would she not push to know more>   There is so much that we do not understand at this time; i am afraid there will be even more horrors to come out in time.  For instance, who helped him build this basement with secretive rooms?  Why didn’t authorities search his home when the daughter went missing?  How did food and water…and other basic necessities keep them alive without SOMEONE KNOWING?  And if someone did know…how could they not do something to end this world of pain and suffering?  There are more questions than answers at this point in time.

       The father admits this horror is true.  His daughter and her three children, that were confined, are getting help; but it may take a lifetime.  But truly, is any amount of help ever going to allow these poor people to live a normal life?   They certainly deserve to live in peace and safety. 

        What about the three children who lived “upstairs” with their grandmother and for lack of a better term GRANDFATHER?  Were they abused?  How will they process the fact that they lived right above their mother and siblings?  How will they deal with the knowledge that their mother and siblings lived like caged animals while they did not?  There is going to be long term mental health treatment for all of these people. 

        They have never had education, normal human interaction, health care, or freedom.  It must be a bit like flying into space and finding an alien environment and being forced to land there and function. 

         And let’s talk about the father…how does someone become such a detached person to cause such damage to those you are “wired” to love and protect in a normal way?  What a contemptible situation for human beings to be in. 

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