Poker Tournament

My cousin was telling me about a poker tournament her in-laws were doing for the American Stroke Association. I thought it would be a good thing to consider doing. I know plenty of people who like to play poker. We just have to figure out a place to have it. =) We have to keep the wheels turning. Anyone else got any suggestions? If you do, please leave your suggestions on our comments area. THANKS!

Fundraising Update

Well thanks to the Doll family (Bailey's classmate at the dojo) and the recycling we had a home and got from Ridgemoor's faculty, we had PLENTY of recycling to do this weekend.  In this trip alone, we raised $63.05.  We will hang onto the money until the end of the month and make the donation online, once again.  I have been keeping receipts to post on here, but I have not been able to scan them.  But I have been blogging the amounts on here so that everything is updated and accounted for.  I want people to see and realize how serious about this cause and see where the money is really going.  I thought about using it for shirts and what not, but I will find people to sponsor us to pay for the shirts and really put the money Bailey is working so hard to raise, to the cause.

So thank you to everyone who has made donations to our recycling drive.  We truly appreciate the support.

While I am thanking people, I want to acknowledge some of our sponsors last year.  A big thank you to the following businesses and families that have supported our team with very generous and sizable donations and we highly recommend their services.

Hope Plaza Pharmacy (for three years in a row)

Dr. Michael Erickson Orthodontist (Donation to team and shirts)

Health Plus Inland Empire (Donation to team for three years)

Dr. Anthony Flores 

Temecula Mechanical

Mike and Nora Ross

Odona Galos

Michael Galos III

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Holiday!

Visit to Rady's Children's Hospital

It is amazing to me that every time I get so anxious about something, whether it be another test or procedure, anything that has to do with Bailey...everything turns out okay.  Today we went to Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego.  I have to admit it was hard for me to be back there.  As soon as we started walking towards the hospital I was overcome with so many different emotions.  I was flooded with so many memories of our last visit there, almost nine years ago.  To top it off, we had little Conrad with us, who is starting to look a lot like his brother Bailey.  When we walked the halls I kept thinking about how scared I was after handing over Bailey to get his open-heart surgeries.  We would walk back and forth in those halls waiting for news, trying to keep ourselves occupied, and mostly trying not to go insane.  All those feelings felt so fresh to me.

When we checked in, Bailey got nervous because they put a medical bracelet for him, so I reassured him that we just had to do that because they wanted to make sure they put the right person on the bike.  When we went into the room where they were performing the Exercise Stress Test, it was a little comforting for Bailey to see lockers in the room with names of his favorite football team, the San Diego Chargers.  I could tell he was a little nervous with all the machinery in there, but he remained calm.  I think it was a huge relief that Ed and Conrad were in the room too.

The first thing that Bailey had to do was breathe into a machine.  It looked a little weird because they had to put a clothes pin looking thing on his nose, but he did fine.  Afterwards, they put all the monitors on him, the blood pressure cup, the EKG leads, the head gear that held his breathing monitors.  He was then given the instructions to make sure that the bike remained at 70 and that with each passing minute, it would get harder to maintain.  He did fine, I kept my eye on the EKG and noticed that throughout the whole time, he was not having any irregular heart beats (THANK GOD!), which was something they were concerned about.  

After about 8 minutes on the machine, he was told he could stop.  The doctor told us that he would review the recordings in-depth but from the look of it, everything look good.  He said that usually he sees kids with his condition have difficulty with breathing (asthma, etc.).  Bailey didn't have that.  So once again, Bailey is proving that miracles do happen.  Every day with this child blesses us exponentially.  So with this test being done, I feel so much relief.  We see his Cardiologist in a couple of weeks.  I anticipate that it will be a good visit.

An example of bringing a community together is this recycling drive.  We just found out that a family from the dojo will be donating their recyclables to us.  How very generous!  We also have a secretary of a PTA from another school offering to bring up a possible penny drive at their school.  I am so grateful for the amount of support we are not only getting from our family and friends, but from our community as well.  It is amazing how a child's dedication can bring a community together.

Another possible fundraiser?

So I was looking at one of the ads on the blog and came across this Popcorn Fundraiser.  I thought it would be a great way to raise money.  I know it is something my kids would enjoy and a few other people in our family.  So I am weighing out the options of weather or not it is worth pursuing.  I think it could be something that can benefit us.  We will see how it goes.  I am consulting with my co-captains.  =D  I am in the midst of writing letters to the Menifee community asking for their support with the recycling drive.  Wish me luck!

Camp del Corazon

I know I mentioned that ER featured a program called Camp del Corazon recently.  I have always thought about letting Bailey experience this because I think it would be good for him to be around other kids with heart conditions so he would be surrounded by other people who knew what it felt like to be in his shoes but he has shown no interest.  I was hoping that after watching it on ER, he may be more excited about it, but he wasn't.  

Here is the link in case you were interested:  Camp del Corazon.  I met someone a few years back who was a heart recipient and she told me about how difficult the transition was for her.  Back then I didn't think Bailey would ever need a heart transplant, so I didn't fully grasp how important it was for me to meet her.  I wish I had kept in contact with her.  But the reason why I talk about her now is because she was a counselor at Camp del Corazon.  I wish I remembered her name.  She was a military brat too, was seeing a common Cardiologist.  I hope she is thriving now and over all the complications she was going through.

Bailey has been having a hard time lately.  His condition is really starting to set him apart from his peers.  When he was younger, he could play around with his classmates and not get so winded.  These days, he gets too tired to participate in the games and activities he enjoys.  It breaks my heart because he is trying so hard to find that happy medium of being "normal" and watching his health.  He is not afraid to tell anyone about his heart defect.  We have raised him to not be ashamed of his condition and that his heart makes him special.  He doesn't even fault the kids who give him a hard time...he just wishes he could make them understand.  I am so glad he is such a strong kid!  But I know it has been very difficult for him to be in this transition.   Thank God he's a fighter, otherwise I don't know what I would do.

March Recycling

I know that we only raised $14 from the March recycling but I wanted to make sure that people understood that the proceeds go directly to the heart walk, so I added a few dollars to make the online donation.  It can be my own little donation for my son's hard work.  I think it is important to show him that I really do believe in his ideas.  I have been trying to figure out how to get our small community more involved, so if anyone has any ideas, please send them my way.  I am contacting local businesses and newspapers to get the word out.  Please keep your fingers crossed for us!  Everyone please enjoy your Thursday.

On a side note, Bailey and I watched ER last week and it was about Camp Del Corazon.  I have to say the story they told broke my heart.  When Bailey was born, there were three of them who had similar heart problems.  We used to see the other two boys at appointments and procedures and even surgeries.  Sadly, neither of the two boys made it past kindergarten.  i count my blessings every day that I am given with Bailey.  If this is just a fraction of what I can do for his future, I would gladly do it.

So for those of you who even check this, please, go out there and get involved and do what you can for these causes.  We understand that the economy is tough right now, but that does not stop the need for these researches, community outreaches, or education.  So we have to do what we can to make sure that the fight continues, even if it means taking baby steps.

Giving back

This is our superhero, our Bailey.

I have always taught the kids that it is more important to give than it is to get.  So I try to lead by example.  I wish I could do all the causes in the world, but I can't and I think my family and friends would go absolutely nuts.  So I really put all my focus on the Heart Walk because it affects many people in my life, but more importantly, my son Bailey.  But, when a friend participates in another walk, I will be one of the first to make a contribution because I know if they have as much passion for the cause as I do, every little bit will be appreciated.  In order for people to continue to support you, you not only need to show dedication, but show that you will return the support.

We turned in our first recycling batch.  It was $14.34.  Not a whole lot, but hopefully if we get the word out, more people will want to donate some of their recyclables.  That is what we hope.  Not bad for a couple of weeks though.  We will be sure to keep you up to date on our progress.