Making the Pieces Fit

Some days life is like a collage, which takes patience and planning to make things balance and work. This week has been a bit like that. Early in the week, I was excited to see the results of two projects that I had been working on recently. I designed a partial scrapbook using MyMemories™ scrapbooking software which I finished online using Shutterfly’s custom path tools. It was a birthday retrospect for my daughter's boyfriend of fun events over the past year. I was thrilled to see the 8 x 8 book, and James ended up loving it, too! (Pssst, check back soon for a giveaway and promotion involving My Memories scrapbooking software!)

But the day leading up to giving it to him, was eventful. My daughter had an allergic reaction to the lunch I packed. Unfortunately, I mixed up her gluten-free ravioli's with ours. The initial reaction wasn’t too terribly bad and was halted by some benadryl and claritin. She was a bit sleepy and had to chill out at home, which made it perfect for giving James his late birthday presents from us.

Here is James with his photo canvas collage of his high school soccer state championship highlights.

Most photo canvases are just one image stretched over the entire canvas, but Kai wanted to do a collage photos I had taken at the state championship game. Being short on time to execute this, she asked for my professional help. I worked on it in Photoshop to include as many of the important photos as possible along with the game’s scores, list of teammates and James’ name and number. Little did I know that the next day would involve some of the same challenges of trying to make things work out under stress...Kai had two recurring allergic reactions amounting in two separate ER trips in one day. That was a first and hopefully last time for that to happen. Returning home at 6 am the following day, we were less than thrilled with our second ER experience and the lack of care we received from our hospital. It seems more evident than ever that in today’s healthcare system, you are your best and sometimes only advocate for knowing what is best for your child. 

Our lesson learned: if you even think you need epinephrin, you better get over the fear of the needle and administer it yourself. ER personnel seemed to have an even bigger fear or resistance to giving it to you. Who would have thought that I would be forced into a career in nursing, against all creative resistance!

So this canvas represents for me what it often life’s daily challenge...making many things work, fit and balance at the same time while insuring the outcome is pleasing. We send out a huge thanks to Dali Decals for their awesome execution of this 20" x 24" poster-like canvas art and their speedy turn around. We know it is special to James since he is contemplating putting it in place of his Kelly Slater poster!

I hope that your next project allows you to pull all the pieces together and

  

No More Room 25!!!!

Today will be a double post day. Life has been a bit crazier than normal at the Wenger house, and it has nothing to do with the holidays...imagine that! Forget the to do lists and the half decorated tree, I have spent the last two nights at the ER with my youngest daughter, Kylie. Both nights, we landed in the same dreaded room...room 25. Not a very magic number for us this holiday season!!!

Kylie was diagnosed back in August with a condition called EE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis). It is a condition where she experiences swelling, difficulty swallowing foods and this sometimes is in response to a delayed allergic reaction to foods. She also has anaphylaxis to oats and some severe food allergies to many foods. These two trips to the ER shed no real light on what is going on presently, however Kai’s allergist reassured us today that her asthma is under control and these symptoms that she is experiencing seem related to EE and some muscle aches with another fancy name. She is back at school and hoping to have no repeat visits to room 25 this weekend.

I haven't really talked about this until now, but I think it is time to make others aware of this rising epidemic that many kids are being diagnosed with daily. EE is one of the Eosiniophilic Disorders that specifically effects the esophagus. For more info about EE & EGID, you can check out the APFED website which explains these conditions in greater detail. Our world was rocked 3 mos. ago when she was put on a highly restrictive diet along with medications to treat this condition. I joined a yahoo support group that is growing in new members daily. These parents are the most wonderfully supportive individuals and the stories are heartbreaking for the suffering that many of these kids are going through. 

Can you imagine not being able to tolerate food, to never indulge in your favorite treat again, to be on a super restrictive diet or rely on a feeding tube and nutritional supplements to survive? Think about what it is like for a child with restrictions to eat lunch at school, to hesitate to go to a friend’s birthday party because they know they can't eat cake, pizza or snacks, and how stressful a common holiday celebration can be for the whole family when you really have to consider everything on the menu. We have had to learn to read EVERY label for the ingredients, to wander aisles even in the nutritional food stores to only find one item that is o.k. to eat, to learn to cook using different ingredients, and to have to pack alternative foods when we go elsewhere to eat. My daughter and I have shed many tears together, picked one another up on those down days and have held hope for the future that she can maybe have some of the foods back one day, and not lose any others. We all work together to make life as “normal” as it can be.

There is a foundation called CURED, and if you are looking to make any year end donations, I encourage you to support this cause so that we can find a cure for our kids who are suffering from Eosinophilic Disorders. There are T-shirts and bracelets for sale, or you can do direct donations for as little as $1. Another organization that has been a great resource to Kylie is the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis site for teens (FAANTEEN.ORG). And as you count your many blessings this year, don't overlook the most basic ones. As Kylie said to me the other day, “I will never ever take food for granted.” Continue to keep us in your prayers in the year ahead.