~Reflections of Cystic Fibrosis~

http://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/(click here for more info)

I remember a visit to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Ontario back in 2004.  Tristan (5--diagnosed with Spherocytosis which is a blood disease) was there to have his spleen and gallbladder removal surgery and we had to spend 11 days on the surgical floor as he healed.

I took advantage of having someone to sit with Tristan and I took a brief jaunt to grab a coffee and a snack.  In the nurses/admission area I saw a woman holding a very sick looking little baby.  He was several months old, and had tubes attached to him.  The mother had a very sad glint in her eyes, but smiled at me and said "Hi" as I approached.

My mommy senses kicked in and I just had to take a peak at her baby boy and let her know how cute I thought he was.  I then asked her what was wrong.  She told me he was born with Cystic Fibrosis and his life expectancy was nearing its end.  My heart took a leap and I felt my eyes instantly fill with tears.  I instinctively reached out and placed my hand on her arm and looked at her and told her how sorry I was to hear that as I had also lost a baby to stillbirth and it was a pain that I could relate to.

How does a parent maintain composure as they know their child's life is ending?  At that moment in time I couldn't even conceive of experiencing and surviving such a thing.

She thanked me for listening as she shared her son's all too brief life story and explained that all they could do at that point was provide him with comfort measures and hope for the best.  The only thing which may prolong his life was if another family lost their baby and donated the necessary tiny lungs to another family in need.

I walked away with tears and just felt such an incredibly overwhelming sense of sorrow and heartache for this woman.  Thoughts of her and her baby stayed with me over those next several days, weeks, months, and even years.  Every time I hear the words 'Cystic Fibrosis', this woman and her beautiful son instantly appear in my mind.

Despite the sadness which she was experiencing, she was still able to smile and truly appreciate that I had stopped and allowed her to speak with me.  She said most people just keep on walking and go about their day.  She just needed someone to listen, show compassion and empathy, and provide that little bit of comfort in that moment.

This link gives hope for the future for many families that are struggling to survive with Cystic Fibrosis.  Click here for more personal stories of hopes, dreams, and determination.

As we are in the midst of our holiday season, please remember all those that are spending their holidays in hospitals around the world, watching their loved ones slip away. 

What can you do?  Consider the generous, self-less gift of organ donation to help another family in need.

Life----it's in you to give.

~2 minutes and 42 seconds---DO YOU HAVE THE TIME?~

~2 minutes and 42 seconds--

--do you have the time to view the true heart of humanity at work?

This holiday season, think of the others that many have forgotten or rejected...

..and be grateful for the riches you CAN share IF YOU WANT TO.

Love, Peace, & Nimkee-Blessings to all ♥

~teachparentstech.org

~I receive google blog posts to my inbox, and just had to share some of this knowledge with my readers. This website is awesome! http://teachparentstech.org

You can fill out the checklist and send it to a family member or friend, or just click on the desired info links on the page to see videos of what you want to learn.  On the left hand side you will see a list of various 'themes', and by clicking on the topic, a new list of links will open on the right hand side.  You can then click on one of those links and watch the pertaining videos.

Below is a video which will help explain WHY this website has been created.  I can sooooo relate to this topic!!!  I happen to enjoy doing technical stuff, so it's not really a problem, but for those of you that want to learn how to do it yourself, or if you want to teach your own parents or someone else, then send them this blogpost!  If you don't know how to do that, I know you will find some info for that on the youtube site too!!


Click on this YOUTUBE LINK and it will take you to the youtube website and you will find a list of other information links along the right-hand side of the page.

~How to know if an email is real----beware of phishing!


Grab a coffee, a notepad, and a pen----start clicking---and voila! 

Happy Holidays and Nimkee-Blessings from my family to yours,
Melissa

~Concrete Angel~

~The other night I changed my profile photo to depict a cartoon from days gone by. I also chose to take it one step further and challenge you to do the same. Make the call to help----I have, and will continue to do so. I have to admit that I have hesitated as I've seen things get worse following an investigation. Children are warned to be silent---or else! So unfair. The abusers get sneakier.

Let's ALL put our voices together and tell our government that we need them to increase funding to Protection Agencies so they are able to afford to do their jobs! 

School teachers need to step outside their comfort zone and make the calls based on their suspicions due to negative behaviours of students in their classrooms and school yards. 

Families that appear "well to do" can be abusers too.  How many of us know couples and families that appear cordial and loving in public, but know that behind closed doors is another story entirely?? 

A big home, nice yard, and loads of toys don't mean a damn thing----and are often gifts meant to "silence" the victims. 

This is such a frustrating topic, especially since the death of 2 of my own children. I see loving couples that would make excellent parents and they struggle with infertility and loss of their own----while other families have children that they just can't seem to love and comfort the way any child deserves. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims. 

I pray that you all have strength and courage to make yourselves heard. I know it's not easy, but the moment you hang up that phone, I can tell you there's some relief knowing you did the RIGHT thing.

 ~Take a stand. Help our children have a voice bigger than they are ♥ 

Sometimes it's difficult for when we try to help we can end up being victims of harassment ourselves----but I'm an adult and I can take it. 

Nothing compares to the harassment that too many children face from the people that are supposed to love them the most----their Mothers, Fathers, family members. 

Open your heart. Be brave. Make the call. 

CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS CARTOON CAMPAIGN

~My 2 cents. Part of Child Abuse Awareness is that parents need to take responsibility for the content that their children access on the internet. 

 Facebook is not for children. My sons don't have email or fb accounts......but they've been taught not to talk to strangers, go places alone, or interact with anyone unknown online that wants to engage with them.

~The computer is located in our main living space where they can be observed at all times, and I check the history and cookies to be sure they aren't seeing nasty porn or graphic content. I have installed programs to keep pop-ups and scripts from running.

Parents....do your job and your children have a better chance of being safe. I'd worry more about who they come in contact with while they're running around town, hanging around the town docks with tourists on boats, or hanging out at the beach, half dressed, with strangers all around.

People worry about someone stealing their child's photo. Well, uhm.....have you considered that everyone and their dog owns a digital cam or phone that takes pics and pedophiles can hang out in public places and take your child's photo while standing mere feet away from you!

You worry about your address and phone numbers.....but did you not realize that 411 makes all that info public and it has nothing to do with facebook security or spyware/malware or pedophiles ????

Mass hysteria......just what we need for the holidays.

I don't know about you, but I think this has been a huge success despite the negative attention given as we come to the end of the requested awareness project.

Everybody's talking----and there's strength in numbers.

Stress less about what is happening in your home,  under your nose---and worry about whether they know how to keep themselves protected.  Educate your children, check out websites to keep your children safe online and in your community.

http://www.protectchildren.ca/app/en/

http://www.thedoorthatsnotlocked.ca/app/en/ 

Happy Holidays everyone!