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Family and friends have always been an important part of my life. This weekend, I was able to literally stand up by my cousins side as she said her vows. This was the first wedding that I had been in since my correct diagnosis. And it was wonderful!!!  Back in the day, when I would be asked to be a bridesmaid, I would happily say yes, but as the day came closer my nerves would begin to build. I wasn't nervous about the typical things will my dress fit? or what if I trip on my dress walking up the stairs? Instead, the thoughts that ran through my head were more like How am I going to keep from tripping as I walk down the isle? or Where will I go when I can no longer stand up front? and of course how bad will my tremors be? These internal thoughts kept me from being there for the bride and simply enjoying the day.  This Saturday, I was able to walk down the isle with confidence and stand through the entire ceremony without worrying about anything!! I was able to focus my attention on the sermon and listen to the bride and groom share their special vows without wondering am I gong to fall? For me, this was an amazing gift!! I wish Jessie and Randy a lifetime of happiness and thank them from the bottom of my heart for including me in their very special day!   
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It's hard to believe that my little boy is three today. I was so excited to make him a Mickey Mouse cake for a couple of reasons. First of all John loves Mickey Mouse just as much has he enjoys eating chocolate cake!! But more importantly, I just enjoy making cakes for my kids on their special day. Sure, I may have had a DRD moment (sudden jerk of my hands) and the sprinkles flew every where expect where I wanted them to go, but my little boy doesn't care. He loves how the cake turned out and keeps asking, "Is it time for cake yet?" I was never able to make my daughters cute cakes when they were his age. I would buy a princes cake of some sort from the local bakery and have to call it good. Sure, they were thrilled to have a super cute dessert, but I love it that John will grow up having a homemade birthday cake year after year. Sure, this mouse may have some sprinkles in the wrong places, but back in the day I could barely frost a cake. And the thought of piping homemade butter cream, never even crossed my mind. Plus, the way I see it, if John doesn't care about the mistakes his mommy made, then neither will I! Happy Birthday, John!!   I always had really big dreams as a little girl. The thought of being on TV thrilled me. Someone needs to pinch me, because I'm pretty sure that I achieved one of those dreams today! How can it be that my face along with my words were on The Today Show? I was given a platform to advocate about Dopa Responsive Dystonia to millions of people. What an incredible gift that fuels my fire to work even harder to achieve my other dream...to write and publish my life story.
Since my correct diagnosis, I have been writing memoirs about growing up with Spastic Diplegia, a form of Cerebral Palsy. I would love, love, love to see it in print. I want to inspire those who are dealing with difficult medical conditions, express that there really is someone out there for everyone, and to remind everyone to appreciate the little things in life. Until then, I look forward to sharing my blog with all of you! Thanks for all the support!! Here's the link to the Today Show!! http://www.today.com/health/woman-misdiagnosed-30-years-gets-relief-simple-pill-t19806 After driving 650+ miles in 11 hours with three kids (13,11 and 2) alone, I am beyond exhausted. And if I wasn’t so tired, I’d be grinning from ear to ear because I was actually able to do this today. I’ll be honest…I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I doubted my new ability and thought I would have to get a hotel room about 6 hours into the drive to rest my body. But I did it! I was able to take my kids into the rest stop for bathroom breaks, walk into fast food restaurants to grab a quick meal and pump gas. Each one of those tasks was something that I couldn’t do before. At least not without the help of someone else. But today I did all of it! And without the help of another adult. And for that, I am unbelievably grateful.   Life is a gift. Daily we are given opportunities and it's our choice as to whether or not we make the most of it. Some days may have more unique gifts than others and for me, today was that day. Yesterday, I watched my kids and their cousins go on roller coaster after roller coaster with huge smiles on their faces. I'd watch in wonderment and try to figure out why do they like that or how do they do that? After talking with my sister-in-law, Michelle, about how scary it seemed to me, she kindly offered to go on Powder Keg with me. I couldn't help but hem and haw, but finally decided that "yes, I'll do it." And I know that this may seem really silly to some, but every time I rolled over during the night, I thought about the start of the rapid coaster. I too would find myself going 0 to 58 in 2.8 seconds! I have to be honest, there really wasn't any strong desire to go on this terrifying excursion other than knowing that not long ago, going on this ride would't have even been an option. Any stressful or tense situation would have sent my muscles into a big knot and not just during the ride, but likely for the rest of the day, if not two! Plus, I couldn't help but think about those who would give anything to go on a jaunt like this but maybe can't, do to limitations similar to what mine use to be. So, yes, this really was something that I HAD to do. Once the attendant had me locked into position and the cars moved into the starting position, I looked at my sister in law and said, "There's no going back now." I became a ball of nerves and she graciously offered to link arms and I wasn't about to turn her down. I looked over at the rest of my family (many of whom had already ridden the ride) and smiled at them as the pressure began to build in my body. And before I knew it, we were off on the ride of our lives. Yes, this was incredibly scary, but I am so happy that I took this opportunity to face my fear and can wake up tomorrow with no regrets. Is there anything better than that? |
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