Went out to Hope and got some great videos + photos!! Check em out!
Pictures are at this link -->
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155578&id=712852512&l=89ff72e3ca
And here's the Youtube video :-D
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Well written letter to editor regarding Abortion - and my Subsequent Remarks
I read a letter to the editor of the Emory University newspaper. It was very well written by a professor of philosophy who is also a member of Rollins School of public health, and projects a part of what I believe regarding abortion and the pill. I will copy and paste the link + content of the article to this blog post and will then put my own comments at the end.
Letter to the Editor: A Different View of What "Abortion Reality" Entails
It's true that we want "a radical change in male behavior," at the same time I also believe that society first requires a radical change in regards to what society and the media put forward as the meaning of manhood and how men should treat women. Just watch sitcoms, commercials, MTV or Muchmusic and men are shown treating women as sex objects.
I also agree that "condoms do not teach respect or love, they teach an easy fix. As Catholics, we believe every woman should be given the respect her body deserves. When sex results in pregnancy, she should be given the resources to choose life."
Condoms and birth control pills certainly don't empower a woman or help her and others respect her body. The pill floods a woman's body with such high levels of hormones that it expodetially increases one's rate of breast cancer. For example, the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute's "Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention: Fourth Edition" book concludes its section regarding high estrogen levels stating:
Furthermore, I find it disgusting that pharmaceutical companies are marketing the pill to younger and younger generations of girls. Pre-teens (tweens) to teenage girls are being targeted and marketed the pill as a way of getting rid of that 'monthly pest' known as the period, rather than embracing it as part of our femininity as part of what makes us a woman, that makes us "roar". Instead pharmaceutical companies work hard to teach young ladies that getting rid of their period and repressing their fertility is somehow freeing - when in essence it is teaching them to deny their femininity. Furthermore, it is endangering both their lives and their future fertility as long term exposure to such high hormonal levels not only expodentially increases one's risk of breast cancer but also decreases one's chance of fertility. I have a number of friends who were on the pill since their early teens (whether it be due to sexual activity or wanting to repress their 'monthly pest' or just get rid of their acne). Then when they got to their mid twenties and decided they wanted to have a child with their partner, after working with their doctors and such coming off the pill and attempting to get pregnant but no matter how many fertility specialists they went to, they couldn't get pregnant, their doctors attributing it to their long term exposure to high hormonal levels affecting their fertility.
Back to the issue of abortion... The DeVeber Institute of Bioethics and Social Research did a study on a woman's health post-abortion. One of the statistics reads, "women who have previously been pregnant and then had an induced abortion had a 31 percent increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Since over 1,000,000 abortions are performed annually in the US and 100,000 in Canada, a possible role between abortions and induced abortions cannot be ignored and should be further investigated to determine its role." (http://www.deveber.org/) Then there are all the links between abortion and breast cancer. A good site for information and statistics on this matter is "Stop the Cover Up" at http://www.abortionbreastcancer.ca/. Some interesting information from this site include:
For more information, studies and resources, check it out here.
Other topics of interest may be Canadian Research Needed and their suppositions on Why the Cover Up - why the government and certain health organizations work so hard to discredit the over 50 studies that have been done since 1957 and found links between abortion and breast cancer.
The more we talk about these issues, the more women can make better informed choices.
Letter to the Editor: A Different View of What "Abortion Reality" Entails
To the editor:
As Catholic women, we are proud of the Church’s defense of our feminine genius: to protect innocent life wherever it is found. We are offended by Ryan Seals’s charge that the Vatican is responsible for deaths of untold numbers of women (“Some Necessary Abortion Reality,” Jan. 26).
The Church actually proposes a different set of things with regard to contraception, abortion and the poor. If the Catholic Church is as backwards as Seals insists, then why, is it the largest provider of free care in the third world? The answer is that the Catholic Church values every human life — rich or poor, born or unborn, male or female. We will never hand out condoms or ask women to pump their bodies full of artificial hormones, because contraceptives are a false hope and a false promise.
What we as women want, and what the Catholic Church promotes, is a radical change in male behavior in regards to sex and fatherhood. We want love, support and intimacy. History shows that widespread acceptance of contraceptives only encourages behaviors that result in death: HIV/AIDS; the sexualization, objectification and abuse of women; and a rise in abortion rates. Condoms don’t teach respect or love, they teach an easy fix. As Catholics, we believe every woman should be given the respect her body deserves. When sex results in pregnancy, she should be given the resources to choose life.
Seals rebukes Pope Benedict XVI for using harsh rhetoric such as “slaughter of innocents.” It is time for Seals to come to his own “abortion reality.” Abortion always results in death. This is a biological fact. What about the women who will never take in their first breath? Are they not denied their right to empowerment? To categorically omit that reality is at its best an extreme form of cognitive dissonance. Is it “empowering” a woman to make abortion her “best option”?
Our particular feminine strength is the ability to protect and defend life when it is most vulnerable; Benedict supports us in that. We should be honored and supported in choosing life, not forced into a false choice. Abortion is the easy way out for men; instead of offering us a “safe and legal” abortion, offer us the support we need to choose life. Authentic empowerment, as President Obama has said, is refusing to choose between our ideals and our safety. To that, we say amen. We refuse to choose between our children’s lives and our own. Women deserve better than abortion. The poor deserve better than abortion. We are not ashamed to stand with the pope in their (and our) defense.
Erika Ahern MA 2008
Luisa Cuervo BA Candidate 2012
Colleen Fortin BA 2008
Ann Hartle, Professor, Department of Philosophy
Claire Kerner MPH Candidate 2009, Rollins School of Public Health
It's true that we want "a radical change in male behavior," at the same time I also believe that society first requires a radical change in regards to what society and the media put forward as the meaning of manhood and how men should treat women. Just watch sitcoms, commercials, MTV or Muchmusic and men are shown treating women as sex objects.
I also agree that "condoms do not teach respect or love, they teach an easy fix. As Catholics, we believe every woman should be given the respect her body deserves. When sex results in pregnancy, she should be given the resources to choose life."
Condoms and birth control pills certainly don't empower a woman or help her and others respect her body. The pill floods a woman's body with such high levels of hormones that it expodetially increases one's rate of breast cancer. For example, the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute's "Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention: Fourth Edition" book concludes its section regarding high estrogen levels stating:
In short, women can be at increased risk for breast cancer when they are exposed to higher levels of estrogen. This may occur through increased number of menstrual cycles or particular patterns of estrogen metabolism which allow for elevated levels or more potent estrogens to be formed. Higher estrogen exposure may also be induced artificially, with hormonal drugs in the form of birth control pills, injections, vaginal rings, IUDs and patches, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Surgical removal of a woman’s ovaries before menopause lowers her exposure to estrogen and decreases her risk.(see http://www.bcpinstitute.org/booklet4.htm#estrogen)
Furthermore, I find it disgusting that pharmaceutical companies are marketing the pill to younger and younger generations of girls. Pre-teens (tweens) to teenage girls are being targeted and marketed the pill as a way of getting rid of that 'monthly pest' known as the period, rather than embracing it as part of our femininity as part of what makes us a woman, that makes us "roar". Instead pharmaceutical companies work hard to teach young ladies that getting rid of their period and repressing their fertility is somehow freeing - when in essence it is teaching them to deny their femininity. Furthermore, it is endangering both their lives and their future fertility as long term exposure to such high hormonal levels not only expodentially increases one's risk of breast cancer but also decreases one's chance of fertility. I have a number of friends who were on the pill since their early teens (whether it be due to sexual activity or wanting to repress their 'monthly pest' or just get rid of their acne). Then when they got to their mid twenties and decided they wanted to have a child with their partner, after working with their doctors and such coming off the pill and attempting to get pregnant but no matter how many fertility specialists they went to, they couldn't get pregnant, their doctors attributing it to their long term exposure to high hormonal levels affecting their fertility.
Back to the issue of abortion... The DeVeber Institute of Bioethics and Social Research did a study on a woman's health post-abortion. One of the statistics reads, "women who have previously been pregnant and then had an induced abortion had a 31 percent increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Since over 1,000,000 abortions are performed annually in the US and 100,000 in Canada, a possible role between abortions and induced abortions cannot be ignored and should be further investigated to determine its role." (http://www.deveber.org/) Then there are all the links between abortion and breast cancer. A good site for information and statistics on this matter is "Stop the Cover Up" at http://www.abortionbreastcancer.ca/. Some interesting information from this site include:
There is one risk factor that is repeatedly ignored, which could account for a large percentage of the "unexplained" cases of breast cancer: induced abortion. It is left out of the debate even though over 50 scientific studies have documented the association in medical journals, the first as early as 1957. For almost 50 years, evidence of the link between abortion and breast cancer has surfaced in medical literature worldwide but has yet to be seriously considered by the mainstream medical and scientific communities....
Breast Cancer Prevention Information Withheld from Women
Women are constantly being warned to watch their diets, limit their alcohol consumption, keep their weight down, quit smoking and breastfeed their babies, but are not told about the single most avoidable risk factor of breast cancer: induced abortion. Before consenting to have an abortion, women deserve to be told the truth about the procedure. Some women may choose not to have an abortion because of the implicated health risks. Of course, not all women who have abortions will develop breast cancer later in life; however, anyone who has undergone the procedure deserves information on the link and should be encouraged to seek regular, early screening for breast cancer. Early detection and diagnosis leads to a better outcome and a better chance for a full recovery. Women deserve the opportunity and legal right to make fully informed choices about their health and lives.
Flawed Research Used to Discredit ABC Link
Many organizations which have chosen not to disclose abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer either cite studies that are seriously flawed, or attribute increased breast cancer risk following abortion to "reporting bias," a theory which has been tested many times and discounted. The US National Cancer Institute which denies the link between abortion and breast cancer is often quoted as well. However, the National Cancer Institute took this position in 2003 after a “workshop” of invited experts in which the evidence supporting the ABC link was not allowed to be presented.
For more information, studies and resources, check it out here.
Other topics of interest may be Canadian Research Needed and their suppositions on Why the Cover Up - why the government and certain health organizations work so hard to discredit the over 50 studies that have been done since 1957 and found links between abortion and breast cancer.
The more we talk about these issues, the more women can make better informed choices.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Reflections on a Greyhound Experience
A friend of mine recently asked some questions on his blog and I posted a long, drawn out response. Thought I would repost it here! First the questions! They read as follows: "why do people travel by Greyhound? What do they say, what do they do , and what happens to them when they travel? If this mode of travel engineers a sense of community and fellowship among passengers as opposed to individuality, how does this come about?"
His inquiry reminded me of a greyhound experience I had when traveling from Memphis back to St Louis over two years ago. I thought I had recorded in detail my trip in one of my blog posts. But it turns out that I only mentioned a few of the events on the bus, without going into much detail. I believe I had originally wrote a long, drawn out description of my bus adventure, which was then accidentally erased so I had to repost and decided to make it shorter and just get on with my day.
Tonight though, I decided to reflect back on what I could remember of my Memphis to Saint Louis Greyhound trip so as to try and answer my friend's inquiries.
Here was my response:
Upon reading your post, I went to my blog and started searching through my posts because I was reminded of a greyhound bus experience I had 2 years ago, when I was coming back to Saint Louis from celebrating US Thanksgiving at my aunt's in Memphis. I thought I had written a blog post about it but it turns out I only briefly mentioned what happened. I regret not writing it out in detail at the time.
I remember the bus was filling up quickly as people poured their way up the steps and down the isle, taking whatever available seats they could locate. When I saw this one gentleman get on the bus, I don't know how I knew but I was sure he was going to be sitting with me. He looked like trouble, with greasy black slicked hair and a leather jacket with chains, tattoos (whether on his neck or his knuckles I can't recall). He flopped down beside me, not failing to introduce himself. I really didn't feel like talking but at the same time, I could tell he needed someone to talk to.
Turns out he had just got out of jail. Was sent there for trafficing drugs. His wife was supposed to be picking him up at the bus stop. They were trying to work things out. She was pregnant and ready to give birth to their second child.
He brought up God and we started talking about the Bible and such. Don't remember in detail what we discussed.
What I do recall is that it was getting dark and I noticed this big burly, biker looking guy across the isle and one seat ahead of us, seemed to be intently listening into our conversation.
We neared the location where the gentleman seated with me was supposed to be picked up by his wife. He was growing anxious with the anticipation of her embrace and touching the bulbous tummy that contained their little baby.
I let him use my cell phone to call her, which resulted in him brimming with even more excitement, which didn't seem possible. He was the only one who got off the bus at the stop, and I got to watch as he ran to his wife, lifting her and spinning her in the air. They both waved goodbye to me as the bus pulled out of the parking lot and myself + the other passengers headed back out on the open road.
Eventually, night began to fall. We stopped at a gas station for people to stretch their legs and use the facilities. The burly biker who had been inconspicuously listening to my conversation with my seat guest earlier during the day took the opportunity to introduce himself and explain that he too just recently got out of jail. There, he said, he had found Jesus Christ and was a changed man + had spent every day since memorizing the bible. I recall at one point he made some very venemous remarks about his dislike for Catholics. This made me smile and I found it kind of funny, since he had just finished telling me how great of a gal I was ;-)
The last part of my trip was rather quiet. I had one of the few seats on the bus where I no longer had a passenger sitting beside me, which gave me the opportunity to strech my legs and try to get some shut eye.
There was some extremely drunk person in the back of the bus, that people seemed to be trying to avoid and not just because of their rank breath but also because of their sour (and potentially violent) demenor. As there weren't many stops along the bus route, the cigarette chainsmokers on the bus seemed to be getting jittery and chose to rectify their withdrawl by locking themselves up in the bathroom and smoking to their hearts content. This filled the bus up with smoke and pissed off the bus driver to no end.
We eventually pulled into the St Louis bus station early in the morning. If you ever get to check out the St Louis bus station, it really is pretty. A little small in size(particularly when it's packed with the Thanksgiving rush of people). The architechture is really beautiful, especially on the inside of the building.
The reason I traveled by Greyhound was I was a student and didn't have enough money to fly from Saint Louis to Memphis and back. Busing it was a lot cheaper. I originally wanted to be seated alone as I felt very tired and in need of some introvert time after an albeit wonderful social visit with my aunt. In other words, when that rough-around-edges-just-got-outta-jail-guy flopped down beside me, I honestly felt like just putting on my headphones and tuning out the world but I listened to that voice inside of me that told me to stop being so selfish. I'm glad I listened, for I enjoyed some very good conversation and was able to share in the joy of this man's homecoming as well as his resolve NEVER to put his family into such a situation again. There was also my discussions with burly biker dude... we continued them on the bus for some time, before I stretched out for a nap. I recall that some other gentleman seated around biker dude joined in our conversation as well, talking about the Bible. Oddly enough, a number of them were all newly converted Christians and just got out of jail. We felt a sense of community. This sense of comradery was even shared between members of the bus who were complaining about the chain smokers who kept using the bathroom as their own personal smoke room :-)
His inquiry reminded me of a greyhound experience I had when traveling from Memphis back to St Louis over two years ago. I thought I had recorded in detail my trip in one of my blog posts. But it turns out that I only mentioned a few of the events on the bus, without going into much detail. I believe I had originally wrote a long, drawn out description of my bus adventure, which was then accidentally erased so I had to repost and decided to make it shorter and just get on with my day.
Tonight though, I decided to reflect back on what I could remember of my Memphis to Saint Louis Greyhound trip so as to try and answer my friend's inquiries.
Here was my response:
Upon reading your post, I went to my blog and started searching through my posts because I was reminded of a greyhound bus experience I had 2 years ago, when I was coming back to Saint Louis from celebrating US Thanksgiving at my aunt's in Memphis. I thought I had written a blog post about it but it turns out I only briefly mentioned what happened. I regret not writing it out in detail at the time.
I remember the bus was filling up quickly as people poured their way up the steps and down the isle, taking whatever available seats they could locate. When I saw this one gentleman get on the bus, I don't know how I knew but I was sure he was going to be sitting with me. He looked like trouble, with greasy black slicked hair and a leather jacket with chains, tattoos (whether on his neck or his knuckles I can't recall). He flopped down beside me, not failing to introduce himself. I really didn't feel like talking but at the same time, I could tell he needed someone to talk to.
Turns out he had just got out of jail. Was sent there for trafficing drugs. His wife was supposed to be picking him up at the bus stop. They were trying to work things out. She was pregnant and ready to give birth to their second child.
He brought up God and we started talking about the Bible and such. Don't remember in detail what we discussed.
What I do recall is that it was getting dark and I noticed this big burly, biker looking guy across the isle and one seat ahead of us, seemed to be intently listening into our conversation.
We neared the location where the gentleman seated with me was supposed to be picked up by his wife. He was growing anxious with the anticipation of her embrace and touching the bulbous tummy that contained their little baby.
I let him use my cell phone to call her, which resulted in him brimming with even more excitement, which didn't seem possible. He was the only one who got off the bus at the stop, and I got to watch as he ran to his wife, lifting her and spinning her in the air. They both waved goodbye to me as the bus pulled out of the parking lot and myself + the other passengers headed back out on the open road.
Eventually, night began to fall. We stopped at a gas station for people to stretch their legs and use the facilities. The burly biker who had been inconspicuously listening to my conversation with my seat guest earlier during the day took the opportunity to introduce himself and explain that he too just recently got out of jail. There, he said, he had found Jesus Christ and was a changed man + had spent every day since memorizing the bible. I recall at one point he made some very venemous remarks about his dislike for Catholics. This made me smile and I found it kind of funny, since he had just finished telling me how great of a gal I was ;-)
The last part of my trip was rather quiet. I had one of the few seats on the bus where I no longer had a passenger sitting beside me, which gave me the opportunity to strech my legs and try to get some shut eye.
There was some extremely drunk person in the back of the bus, that people seemed to be trying to avoid and not just because of their rank breath but also because of their sour (and potentially violent) demenor. As there weren't many stops along the bus route, the cigarette chainsmokers on the bus seemed to be getting jittery and chose to rectify their withdrawl by locking themselves up in the bathroom and smoking to their hearts content. This filled the bus up with smoke and pissed off the bus driver to no end.
We eventually pulled into the St Louis bus station early in the morning. If you ever get to check out the St Louis bus station, it really is pretty. A little small in size(particularly when it's packed with the Thanksgiving rush of people). The architechture is really beautiful, especially on the inside of the building.
The reason I traveled by Greyhound was I was a student and didn't have enough money to fly from Saint Louis to Memphis and back. Busing it was a lot cheaper. I originally wanted to be seated alone as I felt very tired and in need of some introvert time after an albeit wonderful social visit with my aunt. In other words, when that rough-around-edges-just-got-outta-jail-guy flopped down beside me, I honestly felt like just putting on my headphones and tuning out the world but I listened to that voice inside of me that told me to stop being so selfish. I'm glad I listened, for I enjoyed some very good conversation and was able to share in the joy of this man's homecoming as well as his resolve NEVER to put his family into such a situation again. There was also my discussions with burly biker dude... we continued them on the bus for some time, before I stretched out for a nap. I recall that some other gentleman seated around biker dude joined in our conversation as well, talking about the Bible. Oddly enough, a number of them were all newly converted Christians and just got out of jail. We felt a sense of community. This sense of comradery was even shared between members of the bus who were complaining about the chain smokers who kept using the bathroom as their own personal smoke room :-)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Article on Lily in Local Newspaper
Check it out at http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/12/parents-search-for-cause-of-daughters-pain/
Please consider making a donation to Lily. Friends have set up an account to help Jodi and Braedon Stehr take their daughter Lily to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore for microvascular decompression surgery. Donations can be made to Lily Rose Stehr, account No. 42543454, Bank of America, 30 S. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, or at any Bank of America branch.
Please consider making a donation to Lily. Friends have set up an account to help Jodi and Braedon Stehr take their daughter Lily to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore for microvascular decompression surgery. Donations can be made to Lily Rose Stehr, account No. 42543454, Bank of America, 30 S. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, or at any Bank of America branch.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Little Lily Needs Your Help
To all the parents out there… imagine your child is in so much pain. So much pain your child can’t even talk but only sob in agony. When the pain finally begins to abate, your young child can only repeat, “Mommy owie eye!” Even after countless specialists and trying countless treatments, no relief can be found for the regular attacks of horrendous pain.
This is thee exact situation a friend of mine finds herself. Her poor 3 year old daughter, Lily Rose, has lived with such bouts of pain since she was a about year and a half old. She was diagnosed with Metopic Craniosynostosis at 6 weeks old. Imagine your head in a continually squeezing vice because your brain isn't being allowed to grow and you begin to get the idea of the pressure in her head from Metopic Craniosynostosis.
On top of Metopic Craniosynostosis, this last November of 2009, Lily was also diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia, which is nicknamed the “suicide disease” because it is akin to having “a 220 volt of electricity going through your face.” It is considered one of thee “most painful afflictions known” (The Centre for Cranial Nerve Disorders, University of Manitoba).
Finally Lily and her family had received good news! A world renown specialist is preparing to perform corrective surgery on a major nerve at the bottom of Lily's brainstem in March. You may have heard of this specialist. It’s Dr. Ben Carson. You know, the doctor who inspired the movie “Gifted Hands” -- about the amazing pediatric brain surgeon who’s played by Cuba Gooding Jr!
Thus Lily’s family has this amazing opportunity to have Dr. Carson do Lily’s corrective nerve surgery. However, one drawback for the family is, of course, finances. Lily and her family live in Washington State and Dr. Carson is at John's Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. Money is needed for travel and living expenses while the family is there for over a week. As this surgery comes with great risks, it is important for Lily’s Mom and Dad to be there.
Lily’s mother, Jodi Stehr, has written her own personal account of Lily’s journey, which I have copied below. Please read this account and PASS IT ON. We really want this to go viral so as to bring more awareness to the debilitating illness as well as to help raise money for little Lily and her family.
Also, please consider making a donation to Lily and help her and her family. As Jodi mentions below, the family has set up an account in their daughter's name, Lily Rose Stehr, at Bank of America. If you choose to make a donation, you are REQUIRED TO HAVE the account number, 42543454, when making a donation. You can either bring in a contribution or send a check to Bank of America, 30 S. Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801. FEEL FREE TO CALL THE BANK AT (509) 662-5463 TO CONFIRM THIS IS LEGIT.
If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate, I think you’ve found it! Your help can ensure that Lily regains her health and it able to live a normal life.
Another way you can help is by sharing this story with all your friends and family as well as keeping Lily and family in prayer.
-------------------------------------
Lily’s journey through life. Her story....so far.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
-- Written by Lily’s mom, Jodi Stehr
When our precious angel, Lily Rose, was delivered into our lives on May 23rd, 2006, we noticed some swelling in the area between her eyebrows, but was told it would go away since they thought it was due to delivery. Time went by. It didn't dissipate.
At Lily’s one month old baby check-up, the doctor told me that he thought her head shape was a bit funny and mentioned it might be Metopic Craniosynostosis, which takes place in utero. After a referral to Seattle Children's Hospital, Lily was diagnosed at a mere 6 weeks of age. We were devastated.
What is Metopic Craniosynostosis? The Texas Pediatric Surgical Associates explain that the skull of an infant is made up of free-floating bones separated by fibers called sutures. Premature fusing of the sutures is called craniosynostosis, which restricts skull growth. The cause of this premature fusion is unknown. Simply put, synostosis is the premature union of two or more bones to form a single bone.
What does Metopic Craniosynostosis do to a child? Children born with craniosynostosis have restricted skull growth, that may cause increased pressure on the brain and therefore resulting in agonizing pain and even vision problems. Increased intracranial pressure feels like your head is in a vice and the vice is slowly and continuously being squeezed tighter and tighter. No amount of medication used can take away the pain.
With this intense pain, Lily was only able to sleep, at most, 2 hours at a time. Corrective surgery to separate her prematurely fused skull took place on February 27, 2007, when she was 9 months old. It was the most heart wrenching and longest 9 days in our lives. I remember seeing her in the pediatric intensive care unit for the first time. After seeing all the tubes and machines, thoughts kept running through my head. In particular I kept asking myself, ‘What did I let them do to my baby???’
I will never forget when her Neurosurgeon came into the room after surgery and said to me, "You were right. She did have significant pressure." He then proceeded to describe to us that as soon as he opened Lily’s skull, things just started “popping out” due to all the pressure in my baby’s head. I wanted to scream!
Two weeks post-op, Lily began to sleep through the night. It was heaven sent!
Things went well for a while. It was nice to experience a much happier baby. At about the 18 month mark, she started to have sleeping issues again. A sleep study was conducted at the Seattle Children's Sleep Center. There were SEVENTY-FIVE sleep disturbances recorded. They thought it was some type of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea was ruled out. A complete blood count was done to check everything else. Her ferritin levels were low. In small children, being anemic can cause sleep problems. Lily began to take a prescribed elixir iron supplement. We were told to give it to her for 3 months. Five months later, she was medication free and seemed to be doing well again. The only thing we noticed was she was rubbing her eye region a lot.
More time went by. The rubbing, extreme clinginess, crabbiness and sleep issues were beginning to surface again. Lily was also experiencing speech delays. We enrolled her in The Pediatric Therapy Center for speech services. It was slow to start, but then she really began to take off. When she reached her speech goals, she was moved to their preschool program. She soaked up everything and loved going to her school to see ‘Teacher Katie’. She flourished.
Lily was finally able to communicate her feelings, wants and needs. When she did have attacks, she was in so much pain, she couldn’t speak. But when it would start to abate, she would just repeat, "Mommy owie eye! Mommy owie eye!” My heart broke!
The Seattle Children's doctors were clueless as to what could be the cause of her pain. They tried their best. Time went by, and no progress was made. After countless tests, a neurologist tentatively diagnosed Lily’s condition as Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy, which normally affects the limbs. While it was wonderful to finally have a name to go with the painful symptoms, my feelings of relief were subdued because I felt like a lot of pieces were missing from the diagnosis.
By happenstance, I came upon a segment on “The Doctors” TV show about Trigeminal Neuralgia and became ecstatic! All the symptoms… everything fit. I then researched Trigeminal Neuralgia and passed on the information to the specialists at Children’s Hospital, who eventually conducted MR images of Lily’s nerves on November 9th, 2009.
Lily Rose was finally diagnosed after watching a segment on "The Doctor's", a daytime TV show. This is Seattle Children's Hospital’s FIRST CASE of Trigeminal Neuralgia in a child this young. She’s also the youngest person in North America to be diagnosed with this debilitating illness. How debilitating? Trigeminal Neuralgia (shortened to ‘TN’) is coined "The Suicide Disease" and described as a 220 volt of electricity going through your face. The smallest of things like lightly touching her face, catching a cold, cold air or wind can trigger an attack. She doesn't get to play outside in the snow.
Now that there was a diagnosis, I started to research treatment further. Kaci, supportive friend from CAPPS and Kim, mom of Dr. Carson's youngest patient highly recommended Dr. Ben Carson at John's Hopkins. He is one of the very, very, very few that will actually take on kids that have TN as it is mostly in the older population. His youngest case to date has been of a 12 year old girl. Ali is now 13 years old and doing wonderful. Her mom has become an amazing person of support and advice thru a TN support group.
I requested a copy of Lily’s MR images on CD to be sent to Dr Carson after they agreed to review them. They were received Wednesday, December 16th. We received a phone call Thursday, December 17th at 4 pm from Carol, Dr. Ben Carson's Lead Physician Assistant. She explained in full detail of what they look for in the MR images and tons of other information. My brain was over flowing with all she had said. Then finally she said, "We would like to invite Lily to Baltimore!" and "We think we can help her!" Hearing this news was the best Christmas present ever!
The surgery is called Microvascular Decompression.
I bawled like the biggest baby. They were not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness and a sense of relief. WOW!!! Chronic pain has ruled Lily’s life since she was about 18 months old. Now it seems like there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. God is definitely good!
Now our goal is to get her there and to spread awareness. We are in Washington State and Dr. Carson is in Maryland. One of my favorite sayings is, “Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible.” Even if it seems impossible, we will do whatever has to be done for Lily to live a normal and pain free life. No little child should have to deal with this sort of pain. She is such a trooper and has a heart of gold. We are anxious to have our happy and pain-free little girl back!
After many requests, we have set up an account in our daughter's name, Lily Rose Stehr, at Bank of America. You are REQUIRED TO HAVE the account number, 42543454, when making a donation. You can either bring in a contribution to any Bank of America or send a check to Bank of America, 30 S Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801.
Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support through this time in our lives! We are forever grateful to see such amazing determination from our family and friends to get Lily the help she so desperately needs.
Love as always,
The Stehr Family
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas :-)
It's been a good day. Started cooking right after I woke up. My mom woke me, calling my cell to wish me a Merry Christmas. She's going to be driving home tomorrow. We call Dec 26th Boxing Day in Canada and it's a lot like the Canadian version of the US Black Fri or whatever they call it. Boxing day is when there's all sorts of crazy bargains and sales to be found in malls. I'll be working and getting paid time + 1/2 since it's a stat in Canada.
I immediately started cooking right when I woke up. I stuffed the turkey + prepped all the veggies. After wards I had a quick shower then my sis, her friend and I went in search for some coffee then took Siska for a walk in the park. It was a gorgeous, sunny day out. The air was a little crisp but enjoyable.
All day, my dog Siska's been dressed up in the silly santa outfit that you can see in the photo album I posted to facebook. She's been jingling away, as the collar bit has bells all over it.
After the walk with my sister and her friend, we came home and the turkey was done. I left it to cool while cooking the veggies. In the end, we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, string beans in mango sauce, homemade cranberry sauce, salad, really good gravy... I think that's about it. Probably am forgetting a few things. There were lots of leftovers though, and that's one of the best parts! :-)
My sis and her friend left right after dinner. Her friend had a family dinner of her own to get to that night. I asked my dad if he wanted to go to Church with me and he didn't so I ended up going to Church alone. I find it very lonely going to Church by myself on a holiday like Christmas. You look around the Church and all these families are gathered, smiling and shaking hands and hugging. And I'm alone.
It was difficult during the sign of peace, where everyone's supposed to shake hands and greet each other. Some background, at the height of the H1N1 swine flu scare, the diocese decided to issue a letter to all parishes stating that people didn't have to shake hands during the sign of peace but could choose to just wave or bow, since shaking hands can spread germs. In the Church in Surrey, they even took away the fonts of holy water and installed these holy water dispensers, much like the motion-detecting soap dispenser one sees in a bathroom. I find it very tacky and it's always out of holy water since it only takes like 20 people to use it before it runs dry. It's very out of tune with the specifications for sacred art, that's for sure.
Aaanyways, I was looking forward to the sign of peace today in Church because I was already feeling lonely as I had no family with me and was sitting pretty well on an empty bench with families in front and behind me. So the sign of peace comes and all the families are hugging + I'm patiently waiting for them to extend the sign of peace to me. They finish hugging and then maybe one of the family members would smile at me but for the most part a lot of them ignored me. So I waved, smiled, then turned around facing the altar... and burst into tears. I tried controlling it. But man, it did hurt.
If I were at the Church I grew up in out in Hope, it would be different because everyone there is pretty well family. Everyone hugs and even kisses each other's cheeks. Sure if someone has the sniffles or something they will just step back during the sign of peace and smile + make a peace sign to everyone around them.
At the Church I attend here near my dad's, it's actually thee largest congregation in Vancouver, with over 3 000 registered FAMILIES. And those are only the people who are registered. There are many families who are not registered members of the Church too. It's a huge congregation. So big that they have 7 different services on Sundays. This can lead to a feeling of alienation and being lost in the crowd.
So after I shed a few tears, I closed my eyes and started reflecting on things. I saw the experience as a dose of humility. My thoughts turned to Jesus. And the readings were even about how he was not accepted or acknowledged by his own people.
Furthermore, I know I am not alone. I just feel that way at times. I know the families did not mean to ostracize me. I also know I am more sensitive than normal at the moment. Furthermore, theologically, we are all made one in the Body of Christ, particularly through the sharing of the Eucharist. So I can't say I am alone when I am one with so many people around the world and through so many generations and times. All united.
I also thought about + prayed for all the people who feel alone on this day, who have no family, no food... all the people who feel forgotten. Surely what I felt is only a tiny ounce of their pain. And so I prayed they be granted peace.
When I got home from Church, I took some pics of my new haircut (friends were asking to see how short it is) + pics of Siska and posted them on facebook. I believe I emailed you the album on facebook.
So yes, today was a good day. I had some emotional issues throughout; however, it is still a good day. Shared a wonderful dinner with my family, I talked with my mom + wished her a merry Christmas, I got hugs from my sister upon her parting, went to Church... oh yes and at Church after receiving the Eucharist a little 6 yr old boy sung a reflection song beautifully. The words went along the lines of wishing Jesus a happy birthday and how Christmas is a wonderful time full of many presents, bells, family and friends but most important of all its remembering... Happy Birthday Jesus. I wish I had the words of the song because it was more profound than I'm regaling.
I immediately started cooking right when I woke up. I stuffed the turkey + prepped all the veggies. After wards I had a quick shower then my sis, her friend and I went in search for some coffee then took Siska for a walk in the park. It was a gorgeous, sunny day out. The air was a little crisp but enjoyable.
All day, my dog Siska's been dressed up in the silly santa outfit that you can see in the photo album I posted to facebook. She's been jingling away, as the collar bit has bells all over it.
After the walk with my sister and her friend, we came home and the turkey was done. I left it to cool while cooking the veggies. In the end, we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, string beans in mango sauce, homemade cranberry sauce, salad, really good gravy... I think that's about it. Probably am forgetting a few things. There were lots of leftovers though, and that's one of the best parts! :-)
My sis and her friend left right after dinner. Her friend had a family dinner of her own to get to that night. I asked my dad if he wanted to go to Church with me and he didn't so I ended up going to Church alone. I find it very lonely going to Church by myself on a holiday like Christmas. You look around the Church and all these families are gathered, smiling and shaking hands and hugging. And I'm alone.
It was difficult during the sign of peace, where everyone's supposed to shake hands and greet each other. Some background, at the height of the H1N1 swine flu scare, the diocese decided to issue a letter to all parishes stating that people didn't have to shake hands during the sign of peace but could choose to just wave or bow, since shaking hands can spread germs. In the Church in Surrey, they even took away the fonts of holy water and installed these holy water dispensers, much like the motion-detecting soap dispenser one sees in a bathroom. I find it very tacky and it's always out of holy water since it only takes like 20 people to use it before it runs dry. It's very out of tune with the specifications for sacred art, that's for sure.
Aaanyways, I was looking forward to the sign of peace today in Church because I was already feeling lonely as I had no family with me and was sitting pretty well on an empty bench with families in front and behind me. So the sign of peace comes and all the families are hugging + I'm patiently waiting for them to extend the sign of peace to me. They finish hugging and then maybe one of the family members would smile at me but for the most part a lot of them ignored me. So I waved, smiled, then turned around facing the altar... and burst into tears. I tried controlling it. But man, it did hurt.
If I were at the Church I grew up in out in Hope, it would be different because everyone there is pretty well family. Everyone hugs and even kisses each other's cheeks. Sure if someone has the sniffles or something they will just step back during the sign of peace and smile + make a peace sign to everyone around them.
At the Church I attend here near my dad's, it's actually thee largest congregation in Vancouver, with over 3 000 registered FAMILIES. And those are only the people who are registered. There are many families who are not registered members of the Church too. It's a huge congregation. So big that they have 7 different services on Sundays. This can lead to a feeling of alienation and being lost in the crowd.
So after I shed a few tears, I closed my eyes and started reflecting on things. I saw the experience as a dose of humility. My thoughts turned to Jesus. And the readings were even about how he was not accepted or acknowledged by his own people.
Furthermore, I know I am not alone. I just feel that way at times. I know the families did not mean to ostracize me. I also know I am more sensitive than normal at the moment. Furthermore, theologically, we are all made one in the Body of Christ, particularly through the sharing of the Eucharist. So I can't say I am alone when I am one with so many people around the world and through so many generations and times. All united.
I also thought about + prayed for all the people who feel alone on this day, who have no family, no food... all the people who feel forgotten. Surely what I felt is only a tiny ounce of their pain. And so I prayed they be granted peace.
When I got home from Church, I took some pics of my new haircut (friends were asking to see how short it is) + pics of Siska and posted them on facebook. I believe I emailed you the album on facebook.
So yes, today was a good day. I had some emotional issues throughout; however, it is still a good day. Shared a wonderful dinner with my family, I talked with my mom + wished her a merry Christmas, I got hugs from my sister upon her parting, went to Church... oh yes and at Church after receiving the Eucharist a little 6 yr old boy sung a reflection song beautifully. The words went along the lines of wishing Jesus a happy birthday and how Christmas is a wonderful time full of many presents, bells, family and friends but most important of all its remembering... Happy Birthday Jesus. I wish I had the words of the song because it was more profound than I'm regaling.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Do Catholics Worship Idols and Saints?
I was conversing via wall posts on a friend's profile page. My friend's friend with whom I was conversing is an Eastern Orthodox who has had a lot of her Protestant-Evangelical friends telling her that her reverence for the saints is idol worship. I got this a lot my first 2 yrs at TWU and decided to give her some feedback as how to respond in an assertive manner. I would appreciate your feedback on what I shared with her. I would especially appreciate feedback from those who are Protestant-Evangelical, as I am always trying to further my understanding of the Protestant worldview on this one.
Here is what I wrote:
Many Protestants are coming to understand the Christian traditions that do venerate saints are not worshiping them nor making them into false idols. What some don't get is those of the Catholic, Orthodox and even Anglican traditions don't pray to saints, we pray with them.
I went to a Protestant-Evangelical university for my undergrad so got lots of accusations + questions but the more people got to know me (and the other Catholics+Orthodox+various Anglicans) on campus, the more they came to realize we asked saints to pray for us like we ask our close friends to pray for us.
I explain it to my skeptical Protestant-Evangelical friends by asking them questions, "Do you ask your friends to pray for you when you're struggling?" they respond yes. "Why don't you just go to Jesus yourself? Why do you ask your friend to pray for you?" Their usual response is "I do go to Jesus myself but I also ask my friend to go to Jesus with the same petition." My response is, "that's how it is with me and the saints." Then I state, "Is it not reasonable to therefore believe that we can ask our friend's in heaven to pray for us?" It can be helpful also to quote from the Bible. Like Ps 141: 2; Rev 5:8, and 8:3. The saints are in heaven worshiping at the seat of the Lamb for all time. Why not ask such friends to pray for us? After all they're praying all the time, and their prayers rise as incense (see Rev quotes) before the Lord?
One thing I find a number of Protestant-Evangelical traditions have is a divorce between the communion and communication of heaven and earth. What I mean is in some of the Evangelical traditions there seems to be a complete denial of any such communion. And a denial that communication can go on between the two.
Catholics, Orthodox and a variety of Anglicans hold fast to the belief we can communicate with the saints, as well as our friends and dead relatives. I'm not talking break out your ouija board communication. I'm talking when we lay awake at night and talk to Jesus, as well as our lost friends and relatives, or we go to Sunday worship (liturgical communication), or celebrate the liturgical seasons like Christmas and Easter, understanding that those celebrations are more than just a remembrance of a past event. We understand liturgical worship and the liturgical seasons in a bit of a different way too, but that's for another discussion.
Jesus bridges the gulf between heaven and earth. Traditions like Catholicism and Orthodoxy affirm the close relationship and communication existing between heaven and earth, which is especially made present during the Eucharistic celebration, as both heaven and earth rejoice, singing, "Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!"
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