Twas the Day before the Night before Christmas

I woke up this morning in what I would call my seasonal funk. The skies were grey, the news was grey, memories of my parents who passed, grey, my husbands deployment, grey. I cried myself to sleep last night. I was grey. As a parent of a special needs child sometimes even when things aren't personal,they are personal because it hits so close to home and my heart breaks for them. Just grey. Seriously, Christmas can be a tough time of year especially when your are surrounded by the Hallmark Channel and LMN. I cried at Bambi and the Lion King so, go figure, I cry at many many many holiday films! So I sat back and thought, Andy always tells me when I am not feeling well (or Grey), get out and walk and drink a lot of water. This comes from his wrestling days but it does work! He went to West Point and wrestled for them and before each match he would walk and drink a lot of water and so I did.

Carter and I walked and walked. I went for a last minute grocery store stop for my Christmas dinner and I went to Starbucks. Gotta love a Starbucks. No, I did not buy the $400 gift card but what to my wonder eyes did appear but a GIANT Snowman cookie that was shedding no tears. So I bought it, ok two of them. At 390 calories a piece, that is my Christmas Day meal and although not "heart healthy", oh so good for the heart.

After Starbucks, we continued to walk. I found myself saying Merry Christmas to what is probably a 90% Jewish Orthodox community and was greeted by so many smiles and returns. After all, who does not love a good Hannukah bush;)

As Carter and I strolled back to the house with the cookies, my ice coffee and groceries in tow...its started to snow. Our first in DC for the season and I smiled and Carter laughed. What Christmas lights that were lit you could see in the daylight and I felt like I was in a greeting card.

My phone started to ring and I looked down and it was Skype. It was Andy. 1000 miles away, literally and he was walking with us.

So on the day before the night before Christmas, the grey turned to light and Santa does exist. As Andy said to me, we have us, we have our furry family, we have our little man and we have 55 plus more years together.

I am so blessed

The Heart Truth

Life and heart health

I questioned posting about this because I am always concerned about how I may look. Too desperate,  too sad, too sick when in fact I am none of the above. What I am is a normal women who has had normal issues.  I use the word normal loosely. To clarify, I am not special and these problems happen every day to women ( and men) everywhere. I have had many fertility issues, heart issues, shingles and most recently the confirmation that at a moment in April when I just thought I was too stressed, my brain MRI shows "markers" that I indeed had a stroke....again.

After April, I re-evaluated my life. I lost what I thought were friends who were at the hospital on that day because frankly people don't like sick and they certainly don't like an emotional break down. I was so scared and all I could think of was my son and husband. I was blessed that after some time I regained all my functionality and just went straight into nut case mode. I was so dedicated to my obligations in life that I showed back up in the very same ER dressed as Heart Man because that was my job and I had to be there. This after leaving AMA just 9 hours earlier. Yes, there was probably a different room I should have been in. What can I say, I have always been committed...ok ok, maybe at time I should have been committed!

I am petrified of hospitals because my parents never left  so I will give myself a little slack. Carter also spent 165 days plus plus plus in moments of question. So a good patient I am not. Just ask my PCM who gladly told my husband prior to deployment that I am not. It took me 7 mos to follow up on April but like many I just figured if I was functioning and they had not called me, I was fine.


The reason why I am writing this is because I advocate for heart health and yet I have not been great with follow up. Its scary but I do know my numbers:)

I made the choice when my husband was confirmed that he was was being deployed to leave the American Heart Association as an EMPLOYEE to focus on my son and to get back to what volunteering does, it allows you to advocate. In development, like any company, you need to make your quota but for me, heart is about heart.

I am blessed and honored to work for, advocate for and be an ambassador for the AHA. 90% of all funds that are raised for the Heart Walk go back into the mission. There are not many non profits that can say that. Its been 11 years for me.

I made some unwise choices this year as far as my health but it also makes me understand why people do what they do. I am so blessed that Adventist Health care, Dr Chen, Walter Reed and of course my husband all had my back and my heart:)

As 2013 approaches, I will heed my own advice and listen to my heart...and head.

The Season of Giving

I can talk a lot, I am filled with emotions and one of my favorite things to do and be involved with is ANYTHING to do with children. If you look at the heart beat of most nonprofits, you will find a strong arm in the future. The future is our children. The American Heart Association, USO, Children of Fallen Soldiers Reelief Fund, St Jude, Mental Health Initiatives, CASA and so many more. This is why I am just at such a loss on the tragedies that have been happening in our society. It seems like no place is off limits whether its the mall, movie theatre or the unimaginable such as yesterday in Conneticut....a school. This is the season of giving. It is the season of faith. It is the season of miracles. Most of all, it is the season for children. I don't understand and will never understand the mind of the insane. How can you hurt anyone, especially a child. I am a Mom and my son is my heart beat. I can't imagine the hurt that is running through so many parents hearts right now.

I found this is wanted to share. Thank you to the Middletown Press

Newtown Youth & Family Services to collect donations for families affected by elementary school shooting

Published: Saturday, December 15, 2012

 

By Viktoria Sundqvist
The Middletown Press

For those wishing to help Newtown residents directly affected by Friday’s elementary school shooting, the Newtown Youth & Family Services is collecting donations.

Donations can be sent via “Caroline’s Gift,” a fund set up in the 1990s by a local family in memory of their daughter. The Caroline’s Gift fund offers financial support to families who are dealing with a child’s terminal or catastrophic illness.

“Any donations made to Newtown Youth& Family Services will be donated directly to those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting,” a message on the organizations website says.

Newtown Youth and Family Services is located at 15 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook, CT 06482. For more details on how to donate, call (203) 426-8103 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 426-8103 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting .

Another group accepting donations is the Newtown Parent Connection, which accepts donations right on its website, www.newtownparentconnection.org. Donations can be made via Paypal or any major credit card, and the organization says all donations will be donated directly to those affected by the shooting. For further details, call (203) 270-1600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 270-1600 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting .

The United Way of Western Connecticut is also accepting donations in a partnership with Newtown Savings Bank. Check donations may be mailed to: Sandy Hook School Support Fund, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown CT 06470, or you can drop off a donation at any Newtown Savings Bank branch location. You can also donate by credit card directly online here: https://newtown/uwwesternct.org

“To several staff, volunteers and contributors, Newtown is home,” the United Way of Western Connecticut says on its website. “We will stand with the community and everyone affected directly and indirectly by this tragic event as we face the days and weeks ahead.”

Stuffed animals are also being collected today (Saturday) until 8 p.m. at Macy’s Westfarms for the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School by Kiss 95.7 FM.

“Something to hold onto and hug in the wake of this tragedy,” a Facebook post from the radio station says.

The radio station will also collect stuffed animals for the children on Sunday at Winterfest at Bushnell park in Hartford from 2 to 4 p.m.  

 

The Facebook group R.I.P. Sandy Hook Elementary School Children, which as of Saturday morning had more than 1.1 million likes, is encouraging everyone to wear blue and yellow – the school’s colors – on Monday in honor of the victims.    

 

For those wishing to help Newtown residents directly affected by Friday’s elementary school shooting, the Newtown Youth & Family Services is collecting donations.

Donations can be sent via “Caroline’s Gift,” a fund set up in the 1990s by a local family in memory of their daughter. The Caroline’s Gift fund offers financial support to families who are dealing with a child’s terminal or catastrophic illness.

“Any donations made to Newtown Youth& Family Services will be donated directly to those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting,” a message on the organizations website says.

Newtown Youth and Family Services is located at 15 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook, CT 06482. For more details on how to donate, call (203) 426-8103 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 426-8103 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting .

Another group accepting donations is the Newtown Parent Connection, which accepts donations right on its website, www.newtownparentconnection.org. Donations can be made via Paypal or any major credit card, and the organization says all donations will be donated directly to those affected by the shooting. For further details, call (203) 270-1600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (203) 270-1600 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting .

The United Way of Western Connecticut is also accepting donations in a partnership with Newtown Savings Bank. Check donations may be mailed to: Sandy Hook School Support Fund, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown CT 06470, or you can drop off a donation at any Newtown Savings Bank branch location. You can also donate by credit card directly online here: https://newtown/uwwesternct.org

“To several staff, volunteers and contributors, Newtown is home,” the United Way of Western Connecticut says on its website. “We will stand with the community and everyone affected directly and indirectly by this tragic event as we face the days and weeks ahead.”

Stuffed animals are also being collected today (Saturday) until 8 p.m. at Macy’s Westfarms for the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School by Kiss 95.7 FM.

“Something to hold onto and hug in the wake of this tragedy,” a Facebook post from the radio station says.

The radio station will also collect stuffed animals for the children on Sunday at Winterfest at Bushnell park in Hartford from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Facebook group R.I.P. Sandy Hook Elementary School Children, which as of Saturday morning had more than 1.1 million likes, is encouraging everyone to wear blue and yellow – the school’s colors – on Monday in honor of the victims.

TEN YEARS OF SAVING LIVES WITH GO RED!

In 2003, the American Heart Association faced a challenge;Cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year, yet women were not paying attention. In fact, many even dismissed it as an “older man's disease.” To dispel these myths of heart disease as the No. 1 killer of women, the American Heart Association, along with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute created National Wear Red Day® to raise awareness of this critical issue. Each year, on the first Friday in February, millions of women and men come together to wear red, take action and commit to fighting this deadly disease.
One year later, in 2004, the AHA also created Go Red For Women - a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health as well as band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges women to know their risk for heart disease and use the tools that that Go Red For Women provides to take action to reduce their personal risk.
Funds raised by Go Red For Women allow the American Heart Association to help women by offering educational programs, increase women's understanding about their risk for heart disease and support research to discover scientific knowledge about heart health. We turn science into materials and tools that healthcare providers and decision-makers can use to help women. Scientific guidelines on women and healthcare providers receive the most up-to-date strategies and treatments tailored to a woman's individual risk.
Since the first National Wear Red Day 10 years ago, tremendous strides have been made in the fight against heart disease in women, including:

• 21% fewer women dying from heart disease
• 23% more women aware that it's their No. 1 health threat
• Publishing of gender-specific results, established differences in symptoms and responses to medications and women-specific guidelines for prevention and treatment
• Legislation to help end gender disparities

But the fight is far from over as still hundreds of thousands of women still die each year. It's time to stand stronger, speak louder and join us in the fight this National Wear Red Day.
It's time to Go Red. Join us.