Happy Earth Day and More!

Happy Earth Day All!
Today the girls and I worked on a science project sent from Grandma K that we hung in the windows once completed and now we will watch to see if our flowers grow and see the life cycle of water before our eyes!

As the Nebraska weather turns more like a traditional Spring we are getting outdoors on the acreage to move our bodies more, enjoy the sunshine while it is still cool enough as SIOD children like Emily are very sensitive to the heat and sunlight.

We sent out our quarterly newsletter last week via mail and email. If you have not received one and would like to please go to our website and fill out the form for future mailings.  Shout out to KNOCK OUT printing in Omaha for their KNOCK OUT pricing they gave us!  And a special thanks to our UNO Service Learning students for helping to create this quarter's newsletter.

I wanted to talk a moment about therapy and special needs, not only for Emily and SIOD children, but for any families out there as we are "without" services for quite some time now due to COVID19.
Here is what we are doing while not going to therapies of HETRA (equine therapy) and Aquatherapy or School PT:

1. Keep as active as possible whatever ability that is.
  When it isn't nice enough out we walk laps in the house or make obstacle coursed depending on ability.  We do yoga or stretch.  ( I'm talking 5-10 minutes at a time)

2. Call or email your services to help provide you with at home therapies.
  We have a plan laid out from Emily's PT school therapist as she was hurting more in her hips.

3. Take advantage of what your therapy places may be providing to keep the face to face virtual connections: (ie: HETRA is providing webinars for their riders to learn more about horses in different ways and Emily has received mail as well, which really makes a difference in keeping those relationships strong)

These are a few ways to keep your special needs child moving and less aches and pains while away from services.  We are stepping up our game at home as she is having more aches in her arms now as well- with the help of her therapists I will add.  The girls used "survivor" skills and made Emily a splint for her arm even!  How cute!

Please note our upcoming events in the graphic as well!
BELIEVE-

Keep On Keeping On

Like many of our non-profit friends and small businesses in particular we are tackling each day like we typically would with working towards our goals and finding new ways of communicating and raising awareness for our missions.

Although we have had to cancel and/or postpone events we had planned we are looking forward to these:

Our ongoing 2020 Pledge 10 Campaign
*One thousand people donating 10 dollars a month to raise 100,000 dollars!

May 20, 2020 online Omaha Gives initiative

July 11, 2020  Emily's Hometown Hero Blood Drive with NCBB

TENTATIVE postpone new date from May 8 to July 25- Omaha StormChasers Night at the Ballpark

October 4, 2020 our biggest annual event: LGF Farm Run (registration is open)

 

Donate Life Month

Many diseases and conditions can affect your kidney function by attacking and damaging the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units inside your kidney where blood is cleaned. These diseases and conditions are called glomerular diseases and can have many different causes. Focal Segmental glomerulosclerosis is a type of glomerular disease and describes scarring (sclerosis) in your kidney. The scarring of FSGS only takes place in small sections of each glomerulus (filter), and only a limited number of glomeruli are damaged at first. Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis affects both children and adults.(https://buff.ly/ApeBG2)

#SIOD children get FSGS, which eventually turns to kidney failure and dialysis and transplant are needed. One of the areas of research that your donation dollars goes to is figuring out the WHY!

Daddy Joe is a living donor hero to our daughter Emily. Nearly 12 years now that he gave his kidney to her! We are both registered organ, bone marrow  donors and blood donors!

 It didn't always used to be that way.  We were like perhaps some of you.  We knew about organ donation and we knew it was important, but that was something someone else did or it was only when you died that you give your organs.  Emily opened our world and we became educated and learned so much and now want to inspire and enlighten you to consider becoming an organ, tissue, eye , bone marrow and or blood donor as well.  You could save lives.  Go to https://www.organdonor.gov/ for more info and to https://bethematch.org in regards to bone marrow specifically.  Nebraskans can check out our friends at https://www.ncbb.org/ about blood donations.

Photo taken 2 years ago at a Donate Life Nebraska Walk. Joe donated his kidney almost 12 years ago to Emily