I found this video and thought it was inspiring!
Ella seems to have had tremendous success with adult stem cells.
I’ve been keeping an eye on this and hope to be able to take Nathan if we can one day raise enough money.
Why fight?
July 6, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Sarah, Allison Kate’s mom, wrote 2 wonderful blog posts that I wanted to share:
Visit AllisonKate.org to read them.
It also made me think…why do we fight for Nathan? Why are we always running around the city, country, world, trying to find him the best possible treatments? Why do we work night and day to do our best to make ends meet while paying for all of these expensive bills?
Like Sarah says, it’s a valid question. Why not just let him be? Why not consider the poor quality of his life and just go with the flow?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself very often. You gotta wonder about it, when you’re very ill with pneumonia and about to get on a plane to fly to the other end of the country.
And my answer is… I just can’t do it any other way. I see Nathan with his eyes bright and shining, with a huge smile in his face, looking at his friends and indicating with every fiber of his being how much he wants to go and play with them…and I can’t give up on him. I just can’t.
I think he is in this world to show a different way of life. To show an example of joy and happiness in the most, and I mean most, adverse conditions. I think he is in this world to show that with a strong spirit, courage and determination, so many things can be achieved. I think he is in this world to show that we do not have to think, act, and be like everyone else to be joyful, to feel special, to bring happiness to other people’s lives.
Nathan is my teacher. He has taught me so much. And while he is willing, I am willing. As far as he wants to go.
A tough week
July 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
We have lots of stuff going on this week. We have Nathan’s final assessment for the Dynavox at Rancho Los Amigos. They will decide if Nathan is proficient with the device. It is in Downey and should be an interesting experience. We also have the assessment at the school, which will be a bit of a waste of time as he’s not going to go to the special needs school.
On Wednesday he’s seeing a new Osteopath who’s also an anthroposphicdoctor. We met Dr. Brousseau once before and LOVED him. I’m thinking he will become Nathan’s regular pediatrician. Which will represent the end of Nathan’s path with Western medicine (other than brief forays into that world due to his shunt).
Finally, on Friday Nathan is having his 2nd MRI. Yes, I finally capitulated and decided to sedate him so we can get a full MRI. It’s been almost 3 years now since his first MRI and I really want to know what’s going on inside that brain of his! After the MRI I might do a SPECT scan just to compare the physical structures and correlate what’s happening in different parts of his brain. I’m still thinking about this one though.
And in between all of this we’ll be trying to implement his new Rhythm. So if I don’t get to post much – I’m so sorry – it’s just going to be a busy week for us!