Lupus, Raising Awareness

This story on WNDU really caught my attention. My mom died a few years ago from complications of her Lupus. She had it for many years. It was very hard to watch her suffer with this debilitating disease. It effected her physically and mentally.

There needs to be a lot more research done to find the cause. Thank you Mikayla Wireman and Mikaela Reed, for bringing awareness to this little known illness. 

Millions of Americans live with the symptoms of lupus each and every day. But, the relatively low awareness for the disease can leave some people without a diagnosis for years. One Indiana high school student is doing her part to help those coping with the disease.

Mikayla Wireman and Mikaela Reed share more than a name. They are best friends and are now raising awareness for the same cause.

“I knew her mom and I knew the struggles,” Mikayla Wireman said. “So, the initial idea in my head was to do a Lupus walk.”

Reed's mother was diagnosed with Lupus in 2007. Emotions ran deep when her friend told her about the idea for the walk.

“I bawled when she told me she was going to do it,” Reed said. “My family didn’tt have that support because we didn’t know anyone else who had it.”

Lupus is an auto-immune disease that can leave those with this condition feeling weak and less able to fight off health problems.

One of Reed and Wireman's classmates recently found out that lupus does not discriminate against age.
“I’m sick all the time,” Taylor Peterson said. “I really don't have energy to do much. I miss school a lot because I’m sick or because really I am that tired and cant even function.”

Peterson knew more about Lupus after the last year's walk. She also knew she had someone to turn to.
“When Taylor came to my mom, it was touching that she felt like she could do that,” Reed said. “It puts it into perspective that kids at a younger age can have it.”
Now, preparations are in full swing for the second year of the walk.

Most of all, Wireman said she wants this walk to help build support for those living with lupus.

“From what I've discovered, people in our community have it and no one knew,” Wireman said. “It’s a hidden disease and people don’t know how serious it is. And they don’t give the sufferers the support they deserve.”

The walk is scheduled for October 22nd and will kick off at Bell Memorial Public Library (101 W. Main St. Mentone, Ind.). For more information email Wireman at dancer2mw@hotmail.com.

Time For Some Fall Fun!

 When our kids were little, they loved the leaves. Now we share the fun with the grand kids. Playing in leaves is just plain fun for everyone.

The grand kids just love coming to our house in the fall. We have some good ole fashion outdoor fun!

Having so much fun makes great videos!

Too Old For a Tat and a Tummy Tuck? No Way!

How old is too old for a tattoo? The Today Show reports that there are more older women getting their first body ink. Just goes to show, we are never too old for a little fun!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How about a tummy tuck? A boob lift? 

Cosmetic Surgery and Seniors: What Did Grandma Have Done?

Princess 19 on 11 Aug 2011 at 9:00am

Who says you have to be young to do something to feel good about yourself?  A growing number of "older" individuals are having plastic surgery these days and you'd be surpised at what they are having done.
Recently, the Daily Mail profiled British women in their 50's and 60's who chose to have surgery later in life.  Their decisions to go under the knife were made for reasons other than the typical "I want to look better in my tops."  For Lyn Owen, 61, she wanted to fulfill a dream to walk the Great Wall of China.
"I had a fantastic retirement package and longed to discover more of the world," said Lyn. "But, I rapidly realised I wouldn’t fulfill a single dream because I weighed 22 stone (308 pounds) and was a dress size 22 (US size 20)."
Lyn had gastric bypass in 2008 when she was 57.  She is now down to 13 stone (182 pounds), a 126 pound weight loss more suited for her 6 ft frame.  With her boosted confidence, she also got a facelift, a neck lift, and an arm lift (some procedures due to the weight loss and others just to feel good) - bringing the total costs to about $25,000 of work.  She claims to not only have lost weight from the surgeries, but also got a "personaity transplant" and a renewed outlook on life.
"After the Great Wall of China, I’m planning a trip to South America."
Joan Lloyd, 65, had breast augmentation at 64.  She enhanced herself to an F-cup to make herself feel better after the loss of her husband in 2010.  Her husband, who needed round-the-clock care for 15 years after suffering a series of strokes, drained Joan emotionally and physically.  When he died of a brain hemorrhage, Joan realized she should enjoy the rest of her life.
"I’ve always been impulsive and, on the spur of the moment, I decided to have a boob job," said Joan. "A boob job at 64 helped me adjust to widowhood."
But, what about a boob job at 83?  The New York Times reported that 83-year-old Maria Kolstad from Orange County, Calif., underwent a three-hour breast lift with implants, an $8,000 procedure, in July. 
Maria comically said that at her age, "“your breasts go in one direction and your brain goes in another."
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that in 2010 there were 84,685 surgical procedures among patients age 65 and older.
According to plastic surgeon, Dr. Robert Buchanan from North Carolina, "There are no increased risks of implants in older women. The only possibility of increased risk is with the surgery if you have a medical condition that anesthesia could affect. If you are past menopause and not on hormone replacement therapy with no medical problems, your risks are actually less than a younger woman on birth control pills."
Says Maria, “Physically, I’m in good health, and I just feel like, why not take advantage of it?”
Perhaps Maria and Joan Rivers should form a support group.

Resources for Grandparents Raising Grand Children

USA.gov has put some resources together to assist grandparents who are raising their grand children. 

Benefits and Assistance

• AARP Grandparent Information Center
• Benefits and Government Assistance Eligibility Tool
• Child Care Locator and Information
• Children's Bureau
• Children and Families Programs from HHS
• Kinship Resources for Federal Employees
• National Center on Grandparents Raising Children
• Social Security Benefits for Grandchildren
• Student Loans and Grants
• The Grandparent Foundation

Back to Top

Health and Safety Resources

• A Grandparents Guide for Nurturing and Safety
• Child Abuse and Neglect
• Food Safety Automated Questions and Answers
• Health and Safety in Child Care
• Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
• Sex Offender Registry: National Search
• Stop Bullying
• Toy Safety Publications
• Travel Safely with Children
• Vaccination Schedule for Children and Adolescents

Back to Top

Data and Publications

• Books Suggested for Grandparents and Grandchildren
• Census Facts on Grandparents
• Child and Adolescent Health Data
• Grandparents As Parents: Facts and Tips
• Older American Facts
• Older American's Act Programs
• State Fact Sheets for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• More Publications for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

State Resources

• Grandparent Programs, by State
  Find grandparent and grandfamily support, discussion group, kinship care, and more in your state.
• State Fact Sheets for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
  Data, programs, policies, and laws, by State. Produced by AARP Foundation, Children's Defense Fund, and others.

One year later

It is so hard to believe that our 2 little angles have been gone for a whole year! They moved to a town not far from us. I think I am suffering from grammy withdraw! I miss their little faces and hugs!

Hopefully, they are on the path to a better life with their mom. She is a good mom, just made some bad choices. We all have made some bad choices at one point or another in our lives, we live and hopefully learn to not make the same ones over and over.

Next week we are taking the 2 oldest grand sons for a few days. That should be interesting! Grandpa will have to make a fishing date! And Grandma will have to find ways to keep them busy!

Really looking forward to having some fun with them! I will post some pics and a review after!

Last summer, I babysat at least 5 of them per day!! I only have one son, so the experience of 3 rotten (LOL) little boys was sometimes not a good thing! I discovered how rotten they can be! Hopefully the older 2 won't be so bad together!! Wish me luck!!

Does a Child You Know Suffer From ADHD?

Is someone in your life struggling...My Grand Daughter was

Are they losing their quality of life...BeCalm is bettering her quality of life!

Do you feel powerless...We Gave her the power to change and grow!

Attention, Focus, Concentration, Depression, Anxiety, Violence, Suicide, Traumatic Stress, Substance Abuse, Addictions, Mental Fog, Over-activity,

Apathy...  Loss of "Self"...

Loss of Family...  Loss of Job...

Even loss of life itself...  the list seems endless.

There's a common thread, and it's easily mended.

NeuroGenesis Inc. scientists have repeatedly proven this since 1984, with patent after patent, study after study, brain after brain. 

Seeking a permanent solution?  You've been led to the right place. 

Amino-Acid Precursor Therapies, (Neu-Beclam'd) are a common sense approach that simply concentrates, and delivers into your brain, the very same exact stuff God put into food.  Our brains are literally starving for it. 

Imagine the fog lifting...

the hyper stopping....

your "self" returning...

a calm remaining. 

Imagine your brain... running on premium.

You are not alone:  Listen to the voices of folks, just like you, reporting now common miracles.   

Read some the emails, we've received over the last fifteen years, you'll be moved.  I know I am.

---

After over 25 years of scientific research and success after success, NeuroGenesis knows something that you don't.

It has always been unnecessary... and still is. 

Dr. Kenneth Blum discovered all this back in 1984, these formulations have been offered by NGI since then and it's the same price it was in 1995.  How many other products with these credentials come to mind.

We've been poisoning ourselves and our families, and we're seeing the disturbing results. Just watch the news. Kids with guns in schools!

Drug therapies have many disadvantages.  Take Ritalin for example. "Reported side effects include insomnia, nervousness, skin rash, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, headaches, blood pressure and pulse changes, cardiac arrhythmia, abdominal pain and weight loss, slowed or interrupted growth, etc." 12 year old Matthew Smith, died from taking it.  They also state, "There is neither specific evidence which clearly establishes the mechanism whereby Ritalin produces its mental and behavioral effects in children nor conclusive evidence regarding how these effects relate to the condition of the central nervous system.

Don't believe the drug pushers when they tell you there is something wrong with "you" or your child.  It's Meth (lite) their forcing on our kids!

Alcoholism and substance abuse of all kinds, is as old as mankind itself.  Only in the last century have we come to understand that there are underlying genetic processes at work.  Pioneering medical research by Dr. Kenneth Blum, at the University of Texas, has led to this series of therapies, each tailored for specific individual needs during initial addiction recovery.
"Stop the Sirens Call".

Brain trauma of all kinds can only be made better by supplying the brain the "raw materials" it needs to function properly.  If you don't fertilize your garden, don't be surprised at the results.  It's just common sense that we must feed our brains the very specific 'fertilizer' it requires to function.  The "American Diet" is wreaking havoc with more than our waistlines, it's affecting our delicate brain chemistry, why are we surprised at the results?

NeuroGenesis, Inc. products are based upon the physical structure and function of the brain and its basic nutritional requirements.  Supplying the brain with the "raw materials" it requires to function properly. 

Metal Motivation on Preventing Child Abuse

Planned Parenthood in Indiana in Jepordy!

This is on the Indiana Planned Parenthood site. I heard about this on the news this morning and I find it very disturbing!

Planned Parenthood of Indiana Vows to Keep Fighting

Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) and its network of supporters are outraged the Indiana State Senate has voted to put the health care of 22,000 Hoosiers at risk and vowed to immediately file for injunctive relief if HB 1210 becomes law, which could be costly for the State of Indiana.

The bill’s intent is to immediately shut off nearly $3 million in federal family planning and Medicaid funding that passes through the state to Planned Parenthood of Indiana. The funding pays for preventive health care for low-income Hoosiers – Pap tests, birth control, breast exams and STD testing and treatment.  “It’s unconstitutional, on its face,” said PPIN President and CEO Betty Cockrum.

In my opinion, the closing of Planned Parenthood puts more lives of the living in danger! Women who cannot afford annual exams, and birth control, will be left to become ill, and have no resources to important health care.

Although some say abortion is the issue, the health of 22,000 women is a much larger issue. The fact is abortion is only 6% of their services! I believe that is a lot less than 22,000 potential sisters, mothers, and daughters who could be lost to preventable illness and disease!

Schools are suffering!

This is happening everywhere. Our children and grand children are already paying for our Government's mistakes!

They are all being denied a good education.  Too many cuts to our public school systems will cripple our nation in the future.


Gov. Rick Snyder's budget plan, announced Thursday, calls for a $300-per-student cut to school funding, as well as reductions to funding for Michigan's 15 public universities. Combined with a previously budgeted cut, the number increases to $470 per pupil, The Associated Press reported.
This number jumps even higher when adding the increase in retirement costs, Grand Haven Area Public Schools Superintendent Keith Konarska said. At $230 per pupil, this brings the total cut to $700 — meaning the Grand Haven district would lose an estimated $4 million in total. Read more 

 Parents will have to become more involved in supplementing their children's education.

The economy may be on the mend, but signs of decline still dominate in America's public schools as they plan their budgets for next year: Thousands of teachers once again brace for pink-slip season; more students will sit elbow-to-elbow in crowded rooms; computers that break down will sit unused; and kids will bring home longer lists of supplies – from crayons to sanitary wipes – that parents are supposed to buy for their classrooms.  Read more

A thought occurs to me as I read and hear about all the schools and the financial struggles. Grand parents could also give their grand children a hand with education. Grand parents are a valuable resource and should help insure the future.

One out of Ten Children In the US are Raised By Grand Parents

That is the first thing that caught my eye as I was looking around today for some new information for this blog. One out of Ten. Wow. That is just mind boggling! It seems there are more and more Grand Parents taking over the care of their Grand Children. The more of us there are, the more resources become available.

Thankfully, our time raising our grand children is done, for now. They have finally moved out and are living less than 20 miles away. We have mixed emotions about them leaving. We kind of got used to having them around. Now, they are close, but we never see them. We hope to never be put in that situation again.

It is hard, especially when our children are grown up, with their own family, to see our children still making the same mistakes over and over. I often wonder where some of these people that make the evening news for loosing custody get their parenting skills from? Really, I was raised to protect my children from the bad elements of life, and arm them with the tools to avoid falling into the trap of drugs, and alcohol. I honestly tried to teach my children the same values.

The time raising our grandkids has taught me to always be prepared for the unexpected. It happened once, it could happen again. If it does happen again, we will know a lot more how to handle the situation.

Grand Parents raising grand children has grown to have a place in the U.S. Government resources. A lot of good information is available. There you will find resources for financial assistance, to support groups for those grand parents who have been blessed with raising grandchildren, no matter what the reason.

The Today Show has some excellent resources for grand parents. There are many places and resources to help. It is tax time. You may be able to claim them, depending on your circumstances.

Parenting Weekly has a Grand Parents section as well. There are resources for grand parents to assist in entertaining, playing with, and discipline. Keep up with the latest trends in grand parents raising their grand children. Seek the support you need to get you and the children through a difficult time.

If you are blessed with raising your grand children, you deserve a medal! Make this time with them a loving, fun time for them. Things in life often happen, and they are beyond our control. The best we can do, is be loving, supportive grand parents. Our grand children need us! And we are there.