30 Day Blog Challenge Day 22: Wear Green For Cerebral Palsy 2015 And Other Events

I like helping people as much as I can I despite my disabilities. That's why I occasionally create Facebook events around various themes. Last year I created an event called Wear Green For Cerebral Palsy Awareness 2014, and yesterday I created the same event  for this year. 

To participate, all you need to do is go to the Facebook page in this link https://www.facebook.com/events/669557266482035/?ref=22

and select whether you are "going" or not. This is a virtual event, and the objective is to get as many people wearing green as possible on March 25. So, whether you have Cerebral Palsy or know someone who does, spread awareness by wearing green! 

I started to invite people to the event yesterday and will continue for as long as I can to invite people because  Facebook puts a limit on the amount of people I can invite. Please do not ignore the invitation, which will be sent to your Facebook account. True, one day of raising awareness will not make a difference  really, but as my CP is a part of me, I can't help but want to raise  awareness at any opportunity I get. 

So, if CP is important to you in some way, big or small,  help raise awareness by joining my event! Other inmportant days for me are  1 May, which is Folic Acid Awareness Day,25 October which is Hydrocephalus Awareness Day    and 1 October which is World Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day.  Whether  an event is worldwide or not, I will market it as worldwide, because to me it is   important  to have  as   much awareness and support as possible, from all corners of the globe.      

Here's a screenshot of the page to help you out with finding it. 

The more  people who join the better. 

See you there! 

  

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 21: A Relaxing Day Amongst Busy Ones

I took a break from my novels today  bcause I wasn't feeling well, and after Alfredo took our Christmas tree down, we watched a few films on TV. One was the 2010 remake of Karate Kid with Will Smith's son in it, and the other was School of Rock. I didn't think I'd like the first too much, but I was pleasantly surprised, and School of Rock was very funny in parts. I would recommend both films.  We were both glad of the break. 

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 20: Being In A Relationship

I have now been with Alfredo since March 2006, and we have been engaged since my birthday (22nd December) 2008. In 2013, we took the decision to have a civil partnership ceremony.

We both would like to get married, and have a family . We are planning to move in the near future, and with it being any year I think this is the best time for anybody to make plans for their lives. We have had our ups and downs because life is never easy, but we're determined to make things work. I never thought I would be in a relationship because I didn't have the confidence in myself from many years, as I've mentioned a lot on this blog, but I'm so glad that I have found Alfredo who is committed to me, because many people never find that special person. It doesn't matter to him I have disabilities, and he is my rock. I really hope that the time comes when I will be writing in a blog article here and telling you that we have moved and that we have got married and had children. For us these are important steps in making life complete.

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 19: Film Review - Lorenzo's Oil.

 As part of an effort to improve my blog, I will now be reviewing books and films related to disabilities and medical conditions. The first film I am going to review is Lorenzo's Oil. 

Lorenzo's Oil  is a 1992 film starring Susan Sarandon and.Nick Nolte, with  Zach O' Malley Greenburg playing the role of Lorenzo.

 The film is based on the true life story of Lorenzo who has  Adreonleukodystrophy (ALD). His parents notice symptoms  when he is five years old. The  condition is a defect in the X-chromosome which is passed onto him by his mother. What happens is it kills off white brain matter and causes neurological disability. In Lorenzo's case, over time this meant that he got to the point where he was bedridden and couldn't move, walk or talk.

 The film is incredibly touching, and I really enjoy any film that is based on the life of anybody with some type of disability or medical condition. I wish there were more films made like this. What struck me about the film is that the whole scenario is really well done, and the film is really realistic. Sometimes, I've seen films based on true stories that are not as realistic. What I liked about this was the fact that Susan Sarandon was in it. She is a great actress, and I have seen many of her films. Here are some articles on the more scientific aspects of ALD. Lorenzo died aged 30 at his home in Washington DC with his dad and close friend nearby.

  Information about the film and critiques http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo%27s_Oil

Information about Lorenzo's parents and their fight to create Lorenzo's Oil, a treatment for ALD. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_and_Michaela_Odone

 More about Lorenzo himself. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Odone

 Information about ALD http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrenoleukodystrophy

The Myelin Project researches about, and raises awareness of, ALD. Read more here

http://www.myelin.org/lorenzosoil.html

My personal opinion is that the film was very good in providing an insight into adrenoleukodystrophy which I otherwise never had heard of , and also into Lorenzo and his family's life. I would have liked to have seen Lorenzo later on in the film because at the end it says that Lorenzo made some progress by being able to control a computer which allowed him to talk. All the parts were very well acted, and the film is very cleverly done but also very emotional.

I was very saddened by news of his death. 

The film 

Lorenzo Odone

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 18: Trying To Keep Warm.

Today it's quite cold day, and I've never particularly like the cold. I've always felt it easily because of not being able to regulate my body temperature, and so it's difficult to stay and keep warm. A lot people with cerebral palsy have this difficulty, and it's a difficult one to cope with.

 What I do is I have to use a hot water bottle when I'm in bed, and Alfredo will make sure that I'm dressed in layers, but sometimes even putting more layers and doesn't make me warm. We have the heating on and sometimes even THEN it is not enough. We often drink a lot of hot chocolate and tea. Luckily my mum bought us some hot chocolate for Christmas we haven't used that yet though. I don't know about you, but winter hasn't been here for very long and I am already looking forward to spring and warmer weather ! Summer is my favourite season of the year.

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 17: Changes To My Blog

We are into the new year, and so far I've been concentrating on my reading challenge, and also on my novels again. Alfredo and I think this year will be a busy one for us . Our Christmas tree is still up, and it still looks just as good as it did when we put it up the first time. We have been watching some films, and the Christmas spirit still seems to be in the air. Yesterday was my cousin Richard's birthday, so I sent him a message on Facebook. As always, I am still reading writing and blogging!

I have decided there will be changed to my  Katherine Hayward My Life With Cerebral Palsy Facebook page because in the last year I have seen traffic to the page has not increased, but has decreased a little. So far the maximum number of page members I have ever had there is 160, and since then it has decreased to 157 and is not picking up no matter what I do. I feel passionate about Cerebral Palsy , Hydrocephalus and disability awareness, so if you do to take the time to stop by and like my page. 

https://www.facebook.com/KatherineHaywardMyLifeWithCerebralPalsy?ref=hl

I have also noticed I get barely any comments on the page from anyone. The page is for people to see.
I know privacy settings often affect the visability, and I am careful about which setting I use. 

NEW CHANGES ARE 

1) Awareness Caises in Blog Posts. I always name the awareness causes ebery month in a Facebook post, but I am now going to blog them. 

2) More Build-up To Important Disability Events  for example the International Day of Acceptance (IDOA) run by 3E Loves Wheelchair Heart, as well as International CP Day and Hydrocephalus Day as well as any other awareness day, week or month. 

3) More Photos And Videos 

4) More About My Life 

5) More  Quotes About Life's Lessons. 

6) Film  And Book Reviews About Or By People With Disabilities And Conditions. 

So, without further ado, let's get started with more causes. The awareness causes for this month are:

Mental Wellness Month
Thyroid Disease Awareness Month
Volunteer Blood Donor Month

Birth Defects Prevention Month
 Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
 Family Fit Lifestyle Month
 Financial Wellness Month
 Glaucoma Awareness Month 
Healthy Weight Awareness Month

Mentoring Month

Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month 
Poverty In America Awareness Month 

If you have any questions about any of my disabilities, just ask. I would welcome more comments on my blog  posts too, and any discussion they may raise. Please be respectful of me, my disabilities, views , life and those of others. Don't be shy, I would like to know you so send a message or comment on my posts! :)  
Mention my blog to your friends and family, anyone you think will be interested. Together, we can bring more awareness of CP, Hydrocepahlus and Blindness! 

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 16: Then And Now

Happy New Year!

 Today I have decided to reflect back on 2014 a little, and obviously forward to  what I hope to do in 2015. 

I have many good memories from 2014: from dictating the next two books The Spellbrooke Trilogy,  in my up in fantasy trilogy for children, to receiving the printed and bound proof copies in the post. I didn't reach my goal of wanting to have the first book in the same series finished and published by the end of the year, but my new goal is to try and get that done before the end of this year.

My parents came over to visit in May for a couple of days after we had not seen each other for a while, and we went to Peggy Sue's one of a chain of 1950's American diner-style restaurants that I had been wanting to visit since my birthday in 2013. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, and I would like to go there again sometime.

I also managed to take part in both the April and October Dewey's  Readathon events, and also both of the Camp NaNoWriMo events in April and July. As you can see, April was a busy month! I did NaNoWriMo again in November. A lot of this year has been spent reading, preparing to write a book or writing a book. 

Last night we had a chinese meal and Alfredo watched a TV show called Stingers which is Australian and was apparently cancelled due to the time slot because there's such a huge difference between there and other parts of the world. I really like it too. I decided to start reading what is my first book of 2015. It is called Taken and is by.  Sharon Hamilton. It is a true story and very well written.  

At midnight, Alfredo got me out of bed where aI was reading and trying to warm up with the aid of my hot water bottle and the heating. My circulation is really bad and I can't regulate my body temperature. We counted down and had the orange segments (see my previous post on this custom). Then it was time for bed because somehow Alfredo is always chosen to work on New Years Day! 

I am going to continue my Goodreads Reading Challenge for the year, and I hope to finish my first book today. I have challenged myself to read 120 books. 

This year, I have been asked to write a guest opening post for the April Dewey's Readathon event, so I am looking forward to that. It is a great event anyway, and a good opportunity to get a weekend of reading and blogging in. It will be especially welcome if I decide to do Camp NaNoWriMo again, because it will give me some sort of a break from working on my novel. I am planning to do these events again, but it just depends what else I have to do. Alfredo and I are hopefully planning to move this year as well.

I hope you have a healthy and happy year where your wishes come true.

 I really hope certain things work out for Alfredo and I. We are real fighters and do not deserve them not to. I shouldn't have to mention what these are, if you know me well you'll know.

New Years Day is a hard day for me and my family, because, 33 years ago, it was the first day since mine and my identical twin sister Natalie's births that my parents were unable to visit her in hospital because she had passed away the day before. Wherever you are Natalie, I still miss you knowing you were my twin!