I Pick Things Up and Put Them Down

I joined a new gym in the beginning of March and I love it already! They offer so many different services and they have a lot of great equipment to use. I have been working with a personal trainer twice a week for the past 3 weeks.  One day a week we do all kinds of machines and on the second day we do exercises in the pool. He is really big on switching up the exercises each time I meet with him, so I don't get bored. Working out with him is definitely not boring. Last week, strapped a weight to the back of my wheelchair and made me do 3 laps.  We have been experimenting with a lot of different equipment because some exercises are still tough on my hand. It can be frustrating because I want to push myself, but if I push myself too hard my hand is killing me the next day.  I just have to listen to my body and take it easy.  There's no sense pushing myself too hard and injuring myself again. My trainer and I connected right away because we both have a disability and we talk about the things that we have gone through growing up. It's nice to work out with another person who understands what it's like to have a disability.  I am finally enjoying going to the gym again.

FOMO

FOMO is the acronym for the fear of missing out.  To give you an example, pretend that all your friends are at an Eminem concert and they are posting pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Seeing the pictures on social media will make you fear that you are missing out on having fun with your friends even if you don't really like Eminem's music. FOMO can relate to a wide range of things.  I am going through this right now. You can see what everyone else is doing on social media at all times.  People post pictures of their kids, going out with their boyfriend, and going on amazing vacations, and seeing those pictures can make you feel like your experiences are less valuable. You may say yes to things that you don't want to do and no to things we want to do because you are worried about the things that others think are important.  Every single person in the world is not going to experience every single thing there is to experience.  I am starting to believe that if you are not focusing on what other people are doing at all times you will appreciate what you are experiencing in the present moment a lot more.  Tell me what you fear that you are missing out on in the comments.

Strength in Numbers

I had Proximal Row Carpectomy surgery on my left hand in October due to a bone disease called Kienbock's Disease. Three bones were taken out because my lunate bone, the bone responsible for most of the movement in the wrist, fragmented and started chewing away at my cartilage and radius bone. It was a challenging recovery.  I couldn't do anything independently for six weeks and I lost a lot of my stamina.  I have been trying to get back into my regular workouts and my dance classes, but I still feel pain.  I do about ten minutes on the treadmill and a few arm machines with a low amount of weight. It will take up to a year to heal.  

I found a great group of people on social media who are going through the same thing I am and it made recovery so much easier for me. It also allows me to offer some advice and encouragement to people who are about to have a PRC or any other type of surgery.  According to research that I have done, there are only about 200,000 cases of KD in the United States.  It is scary to have something that is not well known and doesn't have much information available, but I am glad that I have a community of people who will help each other through the bad days.  

Dance With Me!

Hey everyone!  I have been taking lessons at a ballroom dance studio, called Dance With Me, and it is owned by Maksim and Val Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With The Stars. On Maks' Facebook page, I saw that people can sign up for complementary lessons at one of the studios because he is the current winner of Dancing With The stars, so I decided to give it a shot. You get a free private lesson, a free group lesson, and a free social party.  

I had my first private lesson in June. I told the manager beforehand that I used a wheelchair to dance because I wasn't sure how I would do and I didn't know if the instructor had any experience teaching someone with a disability. I was very impressed by how well my instructor knew how to modify the styles. He taught me Cha-Cha, Rumba, The Waltz, and Salsa.  I picked up each of the styles pretty quickly and my favorite style was The Waltz.  

Last night was the social party.  I have to admit I was a little nervous to go because I am new to ballroom and I am shy around people that I have never met before. As soon as I got there, people were introducing themselves to me and asking me to dance. One instructor spun me around so fast five times in a row.  It didn't take long for me to get comfortable because a lot of the other dancers were beginners, too. I was smiling the entire time.  I might have to go to the social party again next week!

The studio is absolutely beautiful! It has chandeliers and all of the instructors are dressed up like they are ready for a competition. The people I have met so far are so nice and welcoming, too.   I think I found a new passion! 

Here is more information about Dance With Me: http://dancewithmeusa.com/

Wrist Update: Kienbock's Disease

In late November, I started having wrist pain and I went to the doctor in December.  I thought I sprained it when I was dancing because I was very active at that time. He told me that the pain and inflammation was caused by overuse of my wrist, so he recommended wearing a brace and taking Aleve for the symptoms.  If I still have pain in a month I should see the specialist. That seemed to work for a few months, but the symptoms came back again and I saw the specialist in the beginning of July. 

During the appointment with the specialist, I explained my symptoms and he ordered an MRI and told me I might have something called Kienbock's Disease.  I still had pain and inflammation, but I also had limited range of motion.  I still had full range of motion when I went to the doctor the first time. Of course I went home and Googled the disease as soon as I got home.  

Kienbock's Disease is a lack of blood supply to the lunate bone in the wrist, causing the bone to break apart and die. There are several stages and several procedures that can be done to slow down the progression of the disease.   If it is not treated, the other seven bones will break apart and the wrist can become arthritic.  The disease is not hereditary and it does not affect the other joints. 

The specialist told me about a procedure that can be done to restore the blood supply to the wrist, but the patient's wrist must be immobilized for 8-12 weeks.  Since I use my arms to ambulate, he has to decide what the best approach will be.  I am going to see him again at the end of July.
If you want me to continue to update you let me know.  

I hope everyone is having an awesome summer! 

National Elementary Honor Society

I was asked to speak at a National Elementary Honor Society induction ceremony and I thought I would share my speech. This was the first time that I was ever asked to give a speech and I was very proud and honored to do it.  

Good evening faculty, parents, and our inductees.  It is an honor and a privilege to have been asked to speak at the induction ceremony of the National Elementary Honor Society of 2014.

Being inducted in the National Elementary Honor Society is not only a celebration of your accomplishments in demonstrating Scholarship, Leadership, Character and Service, but recognition for the hard work and determination that has enabled you to be here today. This achievement celebrates who you are and who you have the potential to become. 

Scholarship is to do your best in everything that you do and you have to want to work hard in everything that you do.  School didn’t come easy for me because I learned at a slower pace than the rest of my classmates. I had to work extra hard to get good grades.   To be honest, one of the most difficult grades of my life was fifth grade.  I remember staying up until 11pm or midnight doing homework on long division.  Despite all the academic struggles that I went through, I achieved my goal in getting a Master’s degree in Counseling.  Scholarship isn’t just about getting good grades in a classroom.  Scholarship is about applying what you learned in the classroom to the world that you live in.  We are constantly learning from everything and every person we come in contact with. It is about having an imagination and coming up with ideas that might not have been thought of before.

Character is to make good choices every day. Students with good character are respectful and responsible. I walked differently from the rest of my classmates. I used a walker and in the front it had a basket for books.  As I got older I started using a wheelchair to get around as well.  My classmates didn’t accept me because I was different and I was the only one in the whole school from Kindergarten to senior year of high school that had a disability that you can see. From Kindergarten to the time I went to college, I went from having an aide in school to living on my own and I became more independent and confident in myself.  My family, friends, and teachers supported me through all of the times when I thought I wasn’t good enough. I was very shy when I was younger and I never would have imagined speaking in front of a large group of people. 

Leadership is taking initiative to help make a positive change.  When I was in college, I had the idea of making the bathrooms bigger because I couldn’t fit into the bathroom with my wheelchair. I asked my classmates to sign a petition to make the bathrooms bigger and a few years later, they did make one of the bathrooms bigger.  Leadership could also mean taking the lead on a group project, being a captain on a sports team or being the president of a club.  Leaders need to believe in themselves first before anyone else can believe in them.  A good leader is not only a good communicator, but a good listener.  Leaders need to listen to the ideas and opinions of those around them in order to make a positive change. 

The definition of Service is to help others benefit without taking the credit for it.  It is important to give back to your community because it not only benefits the people you are helping, but it gives you a sense of accomplishment.  One of my biggest passions is helping people and that is one of the reasons why I decided that I want to become a counselor.  You can provide service to others by raising money for a charity or doing something as simple as saying hello. I once went out of my way to say hello to someone and the person said that I was the only person who reached out to them that day. It made them feel good. 

Being in the National Elementary Honor Society is an opportunity to make a positive difference in school and your community, by having these four characteristics.  Part of being in the National Elementary Honor Society is making the right choices and you can help your fellow students make the right choices too. If there is something different about you, use it as an opportunity to stand out and make a positive change and don’t look at it as limitation.  You should all be proud of yourselves because this is a big accomplishment.  

I am going to leave you with a quote that is very special to me. It says, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Congratulations to the National Elementary Honor Society inductees and may all of your dreams come true.

Babysitting

This afternoon, I got my first taste of what it is like to take care of a little baby all by myself.  To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking because I wasn't sure if I would know what to do. On the other hand, I was happy that I was trusted to watch him on my own.  He was fine in the beginning, but then he started SCREAMING!  Usually when he starts crying, someone would take him and walk around with him because that is what he likes to do. Today, I was unable to walk around with him, so I tried to distract him with toys that I played with when I was a baby.  That method worked for about 5 minutes.  The whole experience made me start thinking about how I would be as a mother with a disability.  I don't know why I am thinking about this now, but I am sure that I will be ready when the time comes.  

Embrace.Educate.Empower

3E Love is an organization that was founded by entrepreneur and artist, Annie Hopkins, in the hopes of bringing together and starting conversations to change attitudes towards people with disabilities. She was also the creator of 3E Love's "wheelchair heart" symbol. She wanted to create a disability owned and operated project that would empower and spread her message of social acceptance of all abilities.

On January 20, 2009, Annie Hopkins passed away from complications of an operation and her friends, family and people in the disabled community, helped keep her dreams and ideas alive. Her brother, Stevie Hopkins, took on the role as the owner of the organization and kept it going in Annie's memory.

International Day of Acceptance began in 2010. Annie's brother Stevie wanted to change the meaning of January 20th by asking friends and family to accept their differences and to celebrate Annie's life and spread her message of embracing your own challenges and to accept all abilities.  

Today, January 20th, 2014 is International Day of Acceptance. Embrace who you are as a person. Embrace your talents, your thoughts, your ideas, and your differences.  Live your life the way you want to and wear your heart on your sleeve. 

For more information about 3E Love and their message, visit their website.

Embrace.Educate.Empower

New Years Resolutions

It's 2014 and everyone is making resolutions for the new year. I figured I would share mine. Aside from the big goals I spoke about in this blog, I wanted to make a few lifestyle changes, as well.

1. Eat less processed foods: For the past few years, I think that have done a pretty good job about losing weight and incorporating more healthy food into my diet, however I am still eating a lot of processed meats and frozen meals.  They contain a lot of sodium and I think I need to cut down on them.  If anyone has recipes they would like to share you are more than welcome!

2. Drink less soda:  I have a habit of drinking diet soda at least once a day.  I need the carbonation. I cut my intake down from three cans of soda in years past.  I used to drink Sprite every single time I went out for dinner, but now I like to order unsweetened iced tea or seltzer.  I have to start drinking seltzer more at home.  

3. Have a better sleep schedule:  Since I am currently not working, I have been going to bed around 3am and waking up around 11am.  It also doesn't help that I drink coffee at 11pm every night.  I got used to going to bed late and I need to train myself to go to bed earlier.  

4. Write more: I need to write down my goals and make lists more often. It will help me with my organizational skills and commit to my goals.  I will also commit to writing more blog entries. 

5. Stop overthinking things: I overthink everything and I need to learn to trust myself more.  I have had a lot of anxiety because of overthinking things and I just need to take more risks.  I will be happier in the end.  

What are your New Years Resolutions?

It's Been A While

Hello everyone!  It's been pretty busy and I have been slacking with the blog, but I am back! I can't believe it is 2014 already! I hope you all had a great holiday season. For the past few weeks, I got to see family and friends that I don't get to see very often.

I had a great Christmas.  We just had company at our house and mom cooked. I got a new camera and I have been taking so many pictures of my nephew.  On Christmas, he was sporting a reindeer hat and an outfit that says, "My First Christmas." He looked adorable. He is quite a stylish one month old!  

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reading my blog since it started in July.  I have gotten so much great feedback and I really appreciate the support. 

Happy New Year! 

Festivus For The Rest Of Us

My list of grievances:

1.All of the organizations and commercials asking for donations during the holidays.

2. Able-bodied people who use the accessible bathroom stall  when all of the other stalls are open.

3. People who are preoccupied with their phone at inappropriate times. When they are walking, driving, in the bathroom, and when I am trying to have a conversation with them. Put your phone away.

4.Reality TV shows like Honey Boo Boo and the Housewives.  I lose brain cells watching those shows.

5. People who can't spell common words like tomorrow. There is no a in tomorrow. Stop spelling it with an a.  

6.  People who like to start debates.

7. People who talk to whoever I am with about me instead of just talking to me directly.

8.  When celebrities make the news for doing stupid things instead of a lot of other important stuff we should be worrying about. I don't want to hear about Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes, and The Kardashians.

9.  People who just stop in the middle of a hallway. It's OK. I'll just run you over. 

10.  People who tell me to make sure that I am walking a lot because it's good for my circulation.

11.  Grown adults who ask me if it is OK if their kid can cut in front of me in a line so the kid can see what is going on.  No it is not OK.  

12. People who bless me all the time. I know you are just trying to be nice, but it makes me uncomfortable.

13.  When I go to a restaurant or store in the winter and there is a pile of snow in the accessible parking spot.

An Update On My Wrist

I went to the doctor today because my left wrist has been bothering me for the past 3 weeks.  The x-ray showed that I have inflammation of the soft tissue, due to overuse and hyperextending my wrist.  The doctor recommended that I take Aleve twice a day, and I have to change the way that I wheel and walk with my crutches.   He also recommended that I wear a wrist brace whenever I dance or go to the gym. If it doesn't improve in the next few weeks, then I would have to see a specialist. Does anyone have experience with this? What do you do to treat it?

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

I struggle when people ask me what I want for Christmas because I never know what to ask for. Whenever I really need something, I would just go out and get it myself.  I don't want to ask for something just to have something to open on Christmas morning.  

As a kid, I always knew what I wanted for Christmas, new toys.  After a few months, the toys always ended up in the closet because I got bored with them.  I'm not a kid anymore and I don't want something that I will only use for a short time.  

I am working toward some goals and I might need some things in the future, but for now I have everything I need.  I have a new baby nephew in my life to shop for, a wonderful family, and amazing friends.  Honestly, spending time with the people I love means so much more to me than getting an eyeshadow palette or a new sweater.  

I hope everyone gets what they ask for this year. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Job Interview

Today, I had a job interview at PNC Bank for a customer service position. It was a group interview, with 6 other people from my job training class and 4 people who work in the bank.  There was one main person asking all of the questions.  Everyone was very nice.

Before the interview, we took a tour of the branch and we got to see everyone in action.   After we were done with the tour, we went into a conference room and began the group interview. We went around the room discussing our experience on various topics, such as sales, providing exceptional customer service, and future career goals and I believe that I gave good examples based on my experience.  
This is the first interview that I did not hesitate while answering the questions.  I was nervous in the beginning, but I started to relax as the interview went on.  As we were walking out, one of my classmates mentioned to the interviewer that I became an aunt recently and she wanted to see pictures. I showed her pictures of my nephew on my phone.  The interviewer made everyone feel comfortable and she was very nice.  

I feel really good about the whole process.  The training really helped boost my confidence because we had a lesson on answering possible interview questions and I used some of the tips our professor gave us.  I will know what the final decision is in a few weeks. Wish me luck!  

A Setback

I'm sure a lot of you have injured something on one side of your body and you had to do everything with the other side of your body to compensate for the injured side. I have to use both of my arms for everything in my daily life to compensate for my legs, but I haven't been able use my left hand for the past few days for certain tasks.

In order to push myself onto the passenger car seat, I am used to using my left hand. In order to push myself onto my bed, I am used to using my left hand.  I am so used to doing things a certain way and now I have to force myself to do the same tasks a different way.  I thought that losing the ability to use my dominant hand would be difficult, but losing the ability to use the nondominant hand is just as difficult.  It's funny how we don't think of these things until something happens.  

This is just another setback that I have to deal with and hopefully it will be better in a few days.  I am going to take it easy and give my hand a rest before I write another blog post. I will talk to you guys soon. Thanks for reading!

Becoming An Auntie

This week has been life changing for my family. On Saturday morning, my nephew Brayden was born.  I was at dance class right down the street from the hospital that morning as it was happening. When my dad came to pick me up after class, he told me I was an aunt and I started crying in the studio. I finally got to hold the little guy in my arms on Wednesday for the first time.  It was the greatest feeling.  He weighs over 9 lbs, but he is so tiny.  He is the cutest little boy!! I was trying to figure out if he looks like my sister or my brother-in-law, but I can't tell just yet.  I am really looking forward to babysitting a lot and being someone that my nephew can look up to.  It is so important for kids to have positive role models in their lives and I want to be one of them. I can't wait for him to start calling me Auntie Mandy. Let the spoiling begin! Welcome to the world Brayden. ! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for today and everyday. I am thankful for my wonderful friends, my wonderful family, for my health, a healthy baby nephew, a place to live, having electricity, and the good food we are about to eat! I am thankful for everything I have. Never take anything for granted.  I hope everyone has a great day today! Happy Thanksgiving!

Wheelchair Repairs

The casters on my wheelchair have broken four times in the last year.  For the first three times, I took the wheelchair to a company that does wheelchair repairs and this last time I had the idea of taking the wheelchair to a local bike shop.  The guy who fixed the wheelchair at the bike shop knew exactly what was wrong and he fixed the wheelchair for significantly less than they charged at the wheelchair repair company and he did just as good a job as the guy who fixed my chair at the wheelchair repair company. He even fixed my Roho cushion. I would highly suggest that my disabled friends seek out a bike shop the next time they need repairs.  

Asking For Feedback

A few weeks ago, I asked people to send my Life Coach three things that they like about me and three things they would like me to improve on.  It was scary for me to do this assignment because I was afraid of what people had to say about me. I think it is a great exercise to do from time to time because things become known to you that you might not have been aware of.

When I read the feedback, there were things that I would agree on and things that stung a little bit.  After processing the information with my coach, he told me that I can't dwell on every little thing that people say to me because it would really weigh me down. I just have to take it with a grain of salt and move on.  It is just feedback. I can either take it and make a change, or I can leave it and do nothing at all. I want to make a change.  I just need to evaluate where these perceptions are coming from and make better decisions with my words and actions. 

I value the relationships I have with these people and their opinions of me.  I feel fortunate that people care enough about me to take the time to help me become a better person.  Thank you!

Throwback Thursday

The day my sister got married was one of the best days of my life.  It rained every single Saturday that summer, but it was bright and sunny on that day.  Everyone looked amazing. The band was amazing. The food was amazing. It was so much fun to see people from both sides of our family having conversations and dancing with people from her husband's family. I danced all night long.  One of the highlights had to be when my brother-in-law's brother jumped in my lap for our big entrance into the reception! Everything about that day was perfect.