So Much Has Happened!

Since the last time Becky and I blogged, alot of things have happened.

Becky went to Albuquerque last month and competed in the Special Olympics state games.  She won gold medals in both of her wheelchair slalom races!!! She traveled to Albuquerque with a couple of her younger staff persons and spent two nights in a hotel, visiting with her friends and going out to eat at different restaurants. It's always a big treat for Becky and she loves trying new foods.  She's a very adventurous and curious young woman.  Of course, the best part of the trip was the big dance after the olympics were over.  The dance is held under a big tent with a deejay and competitors from across the state of New Mexico.  Becky loves to get there early as possible and has to be one of the last to leave!

Becky's cookbook was completed so she has been selling the cookbooks to her friends, staff & therapy professionals.  The cookbooks are selling for $10 and contain about 16 recipes donated by her care providers, family and friends.  Becky will use the money from the cookbooks for spending money when she goes to New York City.

Becky has also been spending time online researching places she wants to visit during her trip to NYC including Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Broadway.  She has gotten to be an expert at communicating through Skype with me and the rest of her family.  It's been a godsend as a way to stay in touch. 

Weekend at Becky's

Becky and I spent a wonderful weekend together again. 
On Thursday evening, I rode the bus from El Paso to Las Cruces which is a short trip of about 30 minutes. Way cheaper to go by bus at $3 rather than driving when gas is so very expensive.  Becky & her caregivers picked me up at a little cafe near the bus stop and we went to her apartment.  Becky and her roommate, Melissa, have made their apartment so nice and homey.  Melissa has 2 parrots that make just enough noise to let you know they are alive. Becky loves the birds too.  So Thursday night was all about catching up on gossip and figuring out what was on the agenda for Friday. Becky and Melissa have become very close and are like sisters.

Becky's house has been designated an "awake" house by her residential care company. That means the staff does chores around the house while the girls sleep i.e. laundry, mopping, cleaning, etc.  That also means that I no longer sleep on Becky's sofa when I crash at her place.  So, I took come cushions off the sofa & made myself a bed on her floor. She was happy because it felt like a slumber party. lol...it also felt like my rear end was destined to be on the floor between the cushions. Luckily, one of her staff brought over an air mattress for me on Friday night. 
Friday, Becky went to Sunland Park, NM to the casino with her friends from Dayhab. She was very very excited and determined to win some $$$. And she didn't do to badly. She took $20 and came home with $5....better than I usually do at the casino. 
My agenda on Friday was an appointment with my rheumatologist who has an office .6 miles away from Becky's apartment. I walked the .6 miles...downhill...and was so pleased with myself. Lupus has been rearing it's ugly head lately and I've been taking physical activities very slowly.  I got good news from the doctor...no new or additional drugs!  WooHoo!
My good friend, Lesley Maguire, took me to the local printing company and we got Becky's Dream Cookbook set up and ready for printing.  It should be ready for her to start selling next week!
Lesley had such a brilliant idea when she came up with the cookbook project.  Thank you so much, Lesley! Becky will use the money from the cookbook for her spending money when she goes to NYC! 
Becky had her regularly scheduled bowling practice for Special Olympics on Friday night and wow, did she do great!  One strike after another!  She made the highest score on her team with a 278.

Saturday I woke up in the middle of a full blown Lupus attack so I stayed in while Becky went grocery shopping & then on her date with Robbie.  Seems that walking .6 miles was too much to ask of my body this time.  So instead of spending Mother's Day with Becky, I had to go back to El Paso where I could take my meds and crawl into bed for a couple of days.  
Becky is so empathic and caring. She called to make sure I was doing better, to see if she could help somehow. She is a stunning example of how people who have many challenges in life are often the ones to extend their helping hand first.

Becky's Going for Her 1st Independent Adventure into the World!

Well, it's happening!

 Becky is going to NYC with the help of Hammer Travel from Oct. 2 - Oct. 6, 2011.  She'll be touring the city with a group of new friends that have various disabilities and several very capable, well trained staff members from Hammer Travel. 
Becky's dream is coming true due to the help of several key people and many other new friends. The donations all began with my nephew, Becky's first cousin, Matthew Roessler. He donated money after reading Becky's blog and got us all excited about the possibilities that we could actually make this adventure happen.  My first cousin, Scott Robison, was very creative & playful in his generous and surprising donations. And the brother of Becky's godfather who passed away years ago, donated to her efforts. One of my very good friends from Field Kindley High School, Lynn Bastian Morrow, made a large donation and encouraged my other friends on Facebook to do the same.  
Becky's brother, James Wilkinson and her sister, Corey Taylor gave large amounts to help their sister in her efforts to be independent....they have never let her down and have always lifted her up!
My heart was moved deeply when a very special friend of mine who also has a chronic illness, Brenda Jones, made a large donation. Her donation was just one of many made by people who have chronic illnesses such as Lupus, Fibromyalgia and MS. It moved us greatly that people with health problems of their own were often the mostly likely to help Becky.  


Then a very special person surprised us all. Rory Albanese, executive producer and writer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart contacted me and asked for more information about Becky. He then donated the remainder of the amount needed for Becky's New York City trip.  His generosity simply overwhelmed us. Becky has been watching the Daily Show and clips of Mr. Albanese's comedy online every since!  

We are extremely thankful for these people and the many others who have helped us financially, encouraged us with their own efforts, and those who have pledged to continue helping Becky.  Becky is planning on completing her cookbook project and selling the cookbooks so that she'll have spending money when she hits Manhattan!  

Again, THANK YOU ALL!

Becky's Dream Closer to Coming True

We're so proud of Becky! And the good news is: We made the down payment on her NYC trip this morning! Woo Hoo!

Thank you so much to all the friends, new friends, and family who helped us reach this part of her journey.

When She Was Small

Becky has an older brother, James, and an older sister, Corey. They have always loved her dearly and admired her determination in life.  I found this picture of them taken when Becky was about 2 years old. She was out of her casts and able to crawl by pulling her body forward with her right arm. Much of Becky's day was spent playing on the floor where she had much more mobility and freedom. Her brother & sister brought her toys and played with her, "chased" her and wrestled with her.  She loved pretending she was a ninja and a Power Puff Girl.  Corey & James started out letting Becky win the games, but as she grew stronger, Becky held her own and had a powerful "karate chop".
I guess she was always a superhero kind of girl!

Connecting with her World

Becky has been having a wonderful time getting her new apartment all organized for her electronic gadgets. Every evening, Becky plays on her computer. she uses a large mouse that is adjusted to her touch. She also has a modified keyboard that is color coded and has larger keys to make things easier for her. Becky helps with writing this blog, monitors it, goes on her Facebook and chats with her friends & family. Becky's sister, Corey, got her set up with a reading program on her computer to improve her reading skills.

 Becky loves listening to music on her computer too. She is very skilled at getting on YouTube and cueing up her favorite singers.  Becky's favorite music to find online includes Elvis Presley, Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. Of course, she's also a humongous Justin Bieber fan! We try to go to concerts pretty often both in Las Cruces and in nearby El Paso. She swooned over Ricky Martin, 'N Sync, and Kenny Chesney.  More recently, Becky rocked out to Kelly Clarkson when she was in Las Cruces.
Becky's tastes in music have always been very eclectic and ranged from Spanish music to country music to rock and roll. She also enjoys listening to gospel music once in a while.  For her birthday, Becky received a CD audiobook of Twilight so that she can read along as she listens to her favorite story. (She's Team Jacob).

"I'm Still Your Baby, Mom"

Becky knows exactly how to melt my heart.

I called her last Thursday to talk with Becky about our Easter plans. After making arrangements for us to go out for dinner, Becky asked me what I was bringing her for a surprise. Even though I suspected what she meant, I pretended to not have a clue. "What kind of surprise?"  
She gave out a huge sigh and explained to me that I needed to bring her an Easter surprise...you know, a chocolate bunny. I've bought Becky a chocolate Easter bunny every year of her life. Her older brother and sister finally told me they no longer needed chocolate bunnies every Easter a few years back. I guess we all grow up for a while...then we all yearn for the years we got our chocolate bunnies again!
Anyway, I told Becky that she was an adult now...too old for a chocolate bunny. That's when she reminded me:
"I'm still your baby, Mom. I always will be."  Ah, how true. No matter how old my children get, I always have the desire to keep a part of their baby-ness in my heart.
Needless to say, I had to rush to the store.  I got the very last chocolate bunny that still had intact ears. On Easter Sunday, I arrived at Becky's house with the chocolate bunny wrapped in colorful foil. She closed her eyes as I hid it in her room. It took her nearly 30 minutes to find it and when she did, she smiled as if she were about 5 years old again. And even better?...I smiled as if she were 5 years old again too!