Be Bald! Be Bold!

Today is the National Fundraiser, Be Bold!  Be Bald! which raises funds to support cancer-fighting charities.  This year, a good friend of mine, Stacy, was diagnosed with cancer.  She has had to have one of her kidneys removed, and has had lots of chemo and surgeries.  She has four beautiful children and an amazing husband.  A group of her friends decided that we should do this years Be Bold!  Be Bald! fundraiser in support of her.  So, we started a fundraising team called "Stacy's Pirate Girls" and have been raising funds to go to cancer-butt kicking foundations.  :)

Each of us are wearing a bald cap and a super cool t-shirt from Be Bold! Be Bald! the fundraising packet that came with it had a magic marker to write who you are supporting today.  I wish my cap was empty with names, instead of the eleven that is on it so far. 

Here are a few photos of our day so far!

See?  She sports the bald EVERY DAY! :)

Love that Marcus wanted to wear the cap for a bit too!

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10 Years Later

Today we went to the Sandy City Healing Field Display 9/11 Memorial. 

In Sandy, right by Cooper's office is the Healing Field Display.  Over 3,000 Flags all lined up in the greenbelt in front of Sandy City Hall representing each life lost on September 11, 2001.  Last week when they were setting it up, I was driving by and I thought to myself, "Wow.  That's really cool that they are doing that.  I should stop and take a picture." But then I kept driving and running errands-- bringing lunch to Cooper, running to target, and running errands by the mall.  I drove by probably 10 times and still didn't stop to take a picture.  Today, we decided that we would go.

Each flag has a tag and a story about the person the flag represents.

It is one thing to read the statistics of how many lives were lost ten years ago.  I admit, I have thought, "wow... over 3,000 people.  That's a lot.  So sad." and that's all.  It wasn't until I walked through all of the flags today to see and feel just how many people that is.  The sheer magnitude of the number of people that lost their lives came into perspective when all I saw around me was flags.  

Looking South, flags for every person who died in the World Trade Center.

And looking north, flags for every person who died in the Pentagon, and on Flight 93, Flight 77, Flight 175, and Flight 11.  

It was incredibly emotional.  Cooper and I both fought back tears (though I don't know if Cooper will admit that... haha.) as we all walked though the flags and read various stories. 

Afterwards we had to explain to Marcus (in kid-friendly terms) about what these flags were about and what happened on September 11, 2001.  He had lots of questions about it and we tried to answer them the best we could.  I know that he doesn't "get" it and he won't for a long time.  But I think that it was a good learning experience for him and for Cooper and I as parents in teaching our children this important piece of American history. Seeing as he wasn't even born ten years ago, he is too young to actually remember, but not too young to learn.  I'm glad that we were able to talk about it with him and remember ourselves. 

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The Heart of the Matter

I have been writing this post all month... Well, I've been writing this post in my head all month.  :)  For those of you who didn't catch it before now, the month of February is American Heart Month. 

While America has an entire month devoted to heart health, having a day where people wear red to raise awareness of heart disease.  It was spotlighted at least weekly on the Today Show, and the reminder is even on the side of your Diet Coke can. (hahaha... or you could have just thought it was cute hearts for Valentine's Day...!) 

I WAS planning on writing this post at the beginning of February, but decided I wanted to wait until the END of February because it is something that is important to everyone to remember and think about through all months of the year. 

Heart health is an important subject to me.  While I DO have family who it effects, lately I have been hearing MUCH more than just family stories of heart problems.

This past year, I have made some amazing friends, Annie and Paul who's son Connor was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (CHD) called Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF).

Annie and Baby Connor when he was only a day old.

Paul and Connor

Basically, Connor was born with a hole in his heart.  Connor was born 3 weeks early, and  he was admitted to the NICU for having a hard time breathing.  Annie and Paul were told that the NICU staff thought that Connor had a CHD, and he was sent to Primary Children's Hospital here in Salt Lake City where their thoughts were confirmed.  Connor spent the next 2 1/2 months in the NICU at Primary Children's.  While he was there, he had a feeding tube in his nose, but he was able to come home.  He also developed severe Acid Reflux.  He was scheduled to have open heart surgery, but the surgery had to be rescheduled 3 times before he was able to have surgery this past June to repair his ToF.  His surgery lasted seven hours and was very successful and he stayed in the hospital for two weeks.

I LOVE this picture of Connor!

He had a cardiology checkup in November, and the cardiologist said that his pulmonary valve is leaking more than they would like to see, so in a few years, Connor will have to have open heart surgery again and have his entire valve replaced.  He will probably need to have some type of surgery or procedures throughout his life to replace and upkeep his valve.

Connor at 1 years old

Also this month, I read an amazing story of  my friend, who's grandfather was admitted into the hospital for a heart attack.  He too had emergency open heart surgery and died on the table SIX times.  The second time was the longest duration of the six, and the doctor was looking up at the clock to pronounce the time of death when her grandfather's heart began to beat again.  During his open heart surgery, a team of twenty-two worked to partially clear one of his main arteries that had become 100% blocked.  Her grandfather is still alive, and "24 hours after his surgery, he was sitting up in bed, chowing down on his first solid meal in three days, and had ditched 3 of the 4 IV machines he'd had the day before.  Onward and upward!"

This month, these two stories have really helped me become more thankful for my health and that of my family.  It has made me want to help, even if this blog post gets read by only Annie and a few others, I still feel that putting it out there has somehow made a difference.

YOU can help too by helping yourself. The American Heart Association has a great program called "My Life Check: Life's Simple 7 Success Plan".  It is a fun quiz you can take to see how you are doing in your optimal health.  It's a great way to start

YOU can help too by helping your family.  If you are a mom who plans the meals, plan some that are yummy and heart healthy.  If you are a dad who is sick of your "family fun" watching a Disney movie on the couch, take your kids out for a walk around the block or go play catch at the park.  Encourage your family to have checkups and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.  If you are expecting a new baby, talk to your pediatrician about testing your baby for a Congenital Heart Defect.


One in One100 babies are born with some sort of Congenital Heart Defect. Remember how the Super Bowl was this month?  Well, the Dallas Cowboys stadium can seat 80,000 people.  If you took every baby born THIS YEAR with a congenital heart defect and put them in a seat, they would fill nearly HALF the stadium.  Between 35,000 and 36,000 births a year.


YOU can help too by raising awareness.  Tell your friends and family how important it is to take care of their Hearts.  Volunteer.  Write or call your legislature and ask to have CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training given to students (at least) before they graduate.  Ask for better screening for heart problems to the uninsured and under-insured.  Ask for basic screening for newborn babies for congenital heart defects before they leave the hospital by pulse oximetry screening after 24 hours of life.  (For a great example of a mother who went before her state of Indiana's legislature demanding this very easy and life saving screening click here to read Cora's Story.)  Even asking legislature for a basic mandate for schools to have regular GYM CLASS, RECESS and HEALTHIER FOOD in your child's school helps immensely!

You can help too...!

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Two Weeks after Paying it Forward

...Five dollars. Or ten. Or fifty. Or one.

Two weeks has passed since my Paying it Forward post. For those who don't remember, and who don't want to click on the link provided, I'll give you a bit of a background. I stumbled on a blog less than a year ago of a super strong mother named Kelle Hampton. She is such an amazing photographer and writer, and like many now-a-days, has chosen to document her life through a great blog, "Enjoying the Small Things". Immediately following the birth of her second daughter, Nella, she wrote an amazing blog post about that day that changed her so much, for the better. Nella was born with Down Syndrome. This post went viral (take that, surprised kitten video!) and that is how I stumbled across it, on a post on a random moms group bulletin board.

I have been a reader ever since.

This past Saturday was Nella's First birthday. In honor of her birthday, her family set up donations to the National Down Syndrom Society (NDSS) through "Nellas ONEder Fund" linked in a post on Friday, January 7, "Pay It Forward...Rock the ONEder Fund." The original goal was to raise $15,000 before Nellas Birthday in two weeks...

Well, this is a quote from her blog today... I'll let her share it in her words.

"I am thrilled to announce that the total online and offline total of Nella's ONEder Fund surpassed our $15,000 goal. It surpassed our $47,000 goal and our $63,000 goal. I'm excited to report that you all have helped us wish our girl a happy birthday and spread love to thousands of families. Friends, together we raised $101,144. 

...and it's still growing. (Thank you to Dana Wainstein who spun off her own fundraiser to help Nella and raised over $6,500). Thank you to every one of you for giving and for sharing. I never dreamed it could happen like this. But, then again, I never dreamed a year ago that a little moment could change my life so wonderfully."

That's Right People, $101,144...and growing...

The Mission of the NDSS is to creat a culture that fully accepts and includes individuals with Down Syndrome.

So, if you were one to pay it forward.  Thanks.  There are lots of people who are thanking you for your support.  

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Paying it Forward... Even if it's only Five Dollars...

I cried this morning.

It could have been my crazy pregnant hormones, but I'd like to think that it's because I read a post today from an amazing blog that touched a piece of my heart. And I'd like to share it with you.

A little less than a year ago, I found this Blog post of a woman who had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Nella, who has Down Syndrome. Her name is Kelle Hampton. She is a Photographer, A Wife, A Mother, and an Amazing Writer. It was composed so beautifully and filled with so much emotion, that I read it many times, and have been reading it ever since. I really do thank her for documenting this year so well and allowing the world to learn and grow with her.

This morning on her Blog, www.kellehampton.com, I read her words.

"When I sat down to write this post earlier this afternoon, I intended to make this about Nella. But, I've learned something more this year. I've learned to look beyond. While yes, the rawness of loving my own child and imagining her almond eyed, milky-cheeked, tiny-toothed grin on the face of every other child with Down syndrome is what initiated my purpose in this new world, it has become more. I care not just because my daughter personally connects me to this greater world but because I have learned to see their hearts, their capabilities, their spirit, their determination, their love."

And then she gave her readers a challenge.

"So, here's the deal.

I'm going to ask you for something. And it's really important to me. To a lot of people.

I'm going to ask you to think about what you've taken from this space this year. I have felt incredibly inspired by not only the feeling of community here but by this productive push toward good that arises simply from the understanding of the power of a group of people connected in a small way on the Interweb but, more importantly, in a much greater way within this vast world. And so, I'm asking you again, have you gained anything from visiting this space this year? A smile, a thought, a connection, the encouragement to dig deeper or let your own voice speak out. If you have, I'm asking you to give back today. Please, pay it forward.
In honor of our girl's first year, we are asking you to give back to her. And the 400,000 other individuals living with Down syndrome in the United States alone.

The mission of the NDSS is to create a culture that fully accepts and includes individuals with Down syndrome.

Let me say that more clearly. The mission of the NDSS is to create a culture that fully accepts and includes our little girl. Our Nella."

And this is how you can do it... you can donate to the National Down Syndrome Society through Nella's ONEder Fund. Her goal THIS MORNING was to raise $15,000 in the TWO WEEKS from today to Nella's Birthday. That goal was passed in about 12 hours. So, now she has doubled it. 30,000 in two weeks.

It just fills me so much hope and happiness that so many people would donate, even small amounts, $1...$5...$15... to such a great organization that is dedicated to making people's lives better.

I would love to live in a world that fully accepts people living with Down Syndrome.

And that's why we paid it forward today too. And here is some more... getting the word out. :)

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