On Becky's List of Things She HAD To Do in NYC...Go to The Today Show

Becky had a blast in New York City! 

She got to actually live her dream!

Becky and her new friends got up very early in the morning to prepare for the big show.  Even though she took a couple of light jackets & a sweater with her, Becky had to bundle up with blankets & other people's coats while she was at The Today Show.  She's used to the warmth of the desert and the dryness of the desert air.  New York City's humidity makes that cold go deep into her body!  
 When they first arrived at Rockefeller Center, there were only a few people there...so they were able to get a good spot in order to see the hosts and anchors of The Today Show.  As more people showed up for the show, they came over to Becky and her friends to greet them.  Becky also makes lots of friends everywhere she goes.  All of the travelers with Hammer Travel had made signs the night before.  Becky's sign said "I Heart U Mom".   

Al Roker came out first and did a weather report. After the report, he came over and talked with Becky and her friends, shaking their hands. Later, more of the hosts and anchors came out and took the time to greet Becky including Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.  When asked who was cuter, Becky said, "Al Roker, he was neat".  Who was the funniest one?  "Matt Lauer".  Who was the nicest one? "Ann Curry".

After the show was over, Becky and some of the other Hammer Travel friends went to the Top of the Rock.  Becky had chosen that as one of the places she wanted to be sure to see.  She was simply blown away with how high she was. In her hometown of Las Cruces, NM the tallest building is 4 stories tall....she could not believe she was 70 stories in the air. Since there is a thick plexiglass wall around the edge of the building, Becky could see all the buildings in Manhattan and down to the street. "It was crazy".  

Update: Becky's Exploring All Over Manhattan

Becky has been having such an amazing time in NYC! She went to Central Park yesterday and buzzed all around...really enjoying her freedom and independence!  Then she went to the Guggenheim Museum.

After she went to the Today Show this morning, she went to The Top of the Rock!

Tonight Becky and her travel group went to see Wicked and were trying to get autographs after the play was over....I'm looking forward to hearing all about it!

Tuesday & The Today Show

Becky and her new friends from her travel group and Hammer Travel are visiting The Today Show this morning.  They had to get to Rockefeller Center by 6:30 EST so I'm sure she was awake several hours earlier in order to get ready in time.  Knowing Becky, she was likely squealing as her Hammer Travel staff got her dressed and prepared for the day.
I got up to start watching The Today Show at 7am and was thrilled to see a glimpse of her as the camera panned across the crowd early in the first hour.  She was holding a sign and wearing a pink hat; but what made her easy to spot was her smile! I even heard her trademark squeal!  
Here's a pic of her sign.

Pizza in NYC with FDNY on the side

Becky's brother, James Wilkinson, lives in NYC.  He and his girlfriend, Rachel invited Becky and the entire travel group from Hammer Travel to John's Pizzaria on Times Square.  www.johnspizzerianyc.com   Jim showed Becky how to eat pizza New York-style: folded and it ended up being the easiest and best way she's ever eaten pizza! Guess she's a natural-born New Yorker at heart?  Becky saw margaritas on the menu & yelled out, "I have my i.d.!" lol....she ended up drinking virgin.

Jim, Becky and the entire travel group were walking back to the hotel in the rain and noticed the local fire department had their doors open. They all went inside and were treated to having their pictures taken with the firemen and trucks.  Jim reported there was lots of flirting with firemen done by all the ladies of the group.

More to come tomorrow!  It's The Today Show early in the morning! Look for her behind Al Roker!

Becky Is Living Her Dream!!!!!

Becky flew to New York City yesterday...starting her adventure in independence in grand style! 
American Airlines staff were awesome and certainly went the extra mile as they upgraded her flight to first class.  She even got a window seat!


When Becky was a young girl, she had severe scoliosis of her spine. This caused her to sit slumped over to the side and limited her ability to view the world outside the car windows.  When she was 12, she had surgery to place rods in her spine. This was a very complex surgery and she had life-threatening complications during the procedure.  Afterwards, she had to lie flat on her back or on her tummy for six weeks.  Therapy that included stretching and weight bearing followed and was quite painful for her. But of course Becky never complained.
It was finally time to go for her first car ride during the follow up visit to the surgeon.  After going a few blocks down the road, I asked Becky if all the pain and struggle was worth it.  With her trademark huge smile, she squealed, "Yes! Now I can see out the windows!"


So, this week, Becky is looking through all kinds of windows, breaking through the "glass" and embracing the world she's longed to experience.
Thank you to all of you who have given so much of yourselves to help make this happen!


I will be updating the blog often....every time I hear from Becky as she is on her trip.  Pictures and longer stories of her experiences will follow after she gets back home on Friday.

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!

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!

She's Cooking Up Something Fun!

Becky LOVES being in the kitchen. She likes being there alone, quiet and sneaky as she opens drawers and snoops, discovering what treasures have been stashed inside.  She's done that since she was a very little girl.  In fact, one of her wonderful, creative doctors recommended that to help Becky's cognitive and fine motor development, we should take drawers and put them on the floor, dump them out and have her put all the stuff back into the drawer.  It was one of Becky's favorite things to do as I cooked or did other household chores.  To make it even more fun, we'd pretend that she had gotten in trouble for making such a mess on the floor and she had to pick it up.  Her brother enjoyed that part of it. Becky would break out in a big grin and happily pick up her "mess".  She used to maneuver her wheelchair up beside a drawer to snoop inside.  But now, in her new wheelchair accessible kitchen, she can wheel right up under the cabinet and pull the drawer out over her lap.  She's in heaven!

Becky also likes to cook. One of her annual goals is to cook more for herself. But, of course, this requires quite a bit of assistance. Her caregivers help her prepare the meals, but encourage Becky to do as much as she can. For instance, her caregiver Claudia held Becky's right arm as Becky sliced through cucumbers with a sharp knife. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't have to witness that as I am afraid of my kids cutting themselves...yes, even my adult kids.  Becky likes to stir pots, set tables, serve food and clear the dirty dishes now that she has full access to the stove, counters & sink.  But, like her mom, her favorite kitchen task is baking. I wonder if that's because we love brownies so much?

Becky's next big project is gathering recipes from her friends, family & caregivers in her life and compiling them into a cookbook. Not only will this give her a wonderful resource for the food she will help prepare, but it will be used as a fundraiser for her trip to New York City!  A very special friend of the family came up with the idea and is donating the copying and binding costs.  Becky is the primary force behind the creation of the cookbook and is very excited about seeing it become a reality.

Wheelchair Dancing

Relationships are challenging for most people. Imagine being a young person with special needs; talk about having to work at a relationship!  If you were a young lady with limited mobility, who used a wheelchair and needed help to get in/out of it, how would you go dancing with a date? How would you give a goodnight hug or kiss? If you were a young man who needed someone with him to drive, to manage money, to keep him safe, how would you plan a date? And, how would a special needs couple get any privacy when there are always caregivers with them?  These are just a few of the issues "special couples" have when they date.

Becky has been in a relationship with Robbie for almost two years. Robbie is an attentive, thoughtful young man who is simply nuts about Becky.  He has his devoted mother to provide him with supervision, guidance, assistance with more challenging tasks and who drives him around town. Robbie is quite physically active and loves to swim, bowl and go dancing with Becky.

Tuesdays are usually karaoke nights for Becky and Robbie. They attend the karaoke even put on by the local ARC, where they sing, dance and socialize with their many friends. If you ever get a chance to go to a dance where there are people with special needs, be sure to take advantage of the opportunity.  It warms the heart and could very well make a person shed a few tears to watch the pure joy and love of life that is expressed as they dance.  Robbie has learned to dance with Becky by holding onto her right hand as he sways and twirls. Becky loves to dance and given the extra space needed, will move her wheelchair in time with the music.  Otherwise, she moves her arm side to side and bobs her head in rhythm. Keep on dancing, Becky!

Mondays With Becky

When I think about my social life, I think about going out for dinner once in a while, an occasional night listening to live music at a local bar, taking my grandkids to McDonald's for breakfast and meeting my friends for a cold drink.
Becky's social life is much more interesting than mine and it's certainly much busier than mine!
Becky and her friends see each other nearly day as they meet up around town. Most of Becky's friends participate in day hab (day habilitation).  Day hab provides a service that helps Becky and her friends live a richer life by being active in the community. They take her on outings at the parks, shopping, to museums, bowling and many other places. It also provides a comfortable, attractive place for them to meet for lunch, rest breaks and is a respite for cooling off...or warming up.
Becky is starting a reading group at her day hab center, Angelcare. She loves to read, especially her Twilight series of books. Becky chooses the title they will read together and then they take turns reading and discussing the story.
She enjoys attending a "girl's" group at Angelcare where they get their hair fixed, nails painted and experiment with makeup.  Becky likes feeling all prettied up, but what she really likes is the chisme, or gossip, that happens there!

Late this afternoon, Becky has an appointment with her ophthalmologist. Most people do not realize that glaucoma is a common and serious condition that goes along with cerebral palsy.  Becky has glaucoma in both eyes that is being reated with medicated eye drops and close monitoring.

So, that is a typical Monday with Becky...fun, friends and doctors!

UPDATE: Becky's eye appointment went well! No changes in her eye pressures!

Make A Difference

You can Make A Difference in the life of a young lady. That alone is a beautiful concept.
You can Make A Difference in the life of a young lady who has dealt with many challenges that would be entirely too daunting for many people. Now THAT is how you create blessings and good karma for yourself and those around you!

Becky has been the most courageous and positive thinking person I've ever imagined. She has obviously thrived and become a very independent woman despite having cerebral palsy and arthrogryposis, resulting in multiple surgeries, bracing, serial casting, and endless therapy.
But she also has overcome abusive situations, loss of family members who meant so much to her and has built a life with a vibrant social life and a large circle of friends.  Becky's brother & sister are extremely close to her as she has been a source of courage, determination and optimism.
That's why we are working to help Becky...to Make A Difference in her quality of life!

Challenges of Being Limited By Your Body

I'm lying in bed with my laptop propped up on my knees...recovering from a very busy day of pushing my body's limits by having a garage sale.  I've been reflecting about how challenging it is to do fundraising projects when a person is limited physically.  It's given me a fresh perspective regarding my amazing daughter, Becky.


You see, I have Lupus; my body's immune system attacks itself and today it thinks it's winning. Lupus makes me have extreme fatigue...what i call "sick tired".  Like too tired to get up from a chair, but too tired to sit in a chair. It also gives me bad episodes of pain, especially when I do alot of activity....like walking, lifting boxes of junk at a garage sale.  
But it seems fairly wimpy for me to whine and complain too much.  I mean, if Becky never whines or complains...how can I?


Becky was born with cerebral palsy and arthrogryposis.  Arthrogryposis is a connective tissue disorder.  The simple way of explaining it: Becky's muscles were not attached to her bones in the right way and some muscles never even developed as a result.  When she was born, she had 2 dislocated hips which made it impossible to even put a diaper on her at first. Both her knees were unable to be bent and her kneecaps were behind her knees instead of in front. Both of her feet were clubbed with the bones of her feet being all jumbled up, going every which way. Several of her fingers had joints that were fused, unable to bend.  When she was born, she held her fingers in the sign language position of "I love you".  We took it as our first message that she was going to be a strong, loving girl with a determined spirit.  Well, she definitely proved we were right about that!


Becky has had surgeries on both hips, both knees, 2 surgeries on each foot, and surgery to put rods in her spine to correct severe scoliosis.  She wore casts on her legs for long months at a time and by the time she was 6 years old, she had been in casts for a total of half her life.  She endured being stretched after surgeries and would cry, but would then comfort me or the therapist stretching her afterwards.  Becky loved doing her exercises and had to be told to stop or she would exercise too hard & too long.  In one exercise, she would lie on the floor with a horizontal bar placed over her so that she could do "pull-ups".  She would work at it so hard, she had "white knuckles" from the exertion.  
She's always been a very stubborn and determined young lady.  When she had to use a manual wheelchair, she worked & worked at finding a way to make the chair go straight...because she could only use her right hand/arm to make it go. Naturally, it wanted to go in circles but Becky found that if she pushed it forward hard and then pulled it back a bit gently, she could go control which direction she went.  She's always wanted to go her own way, under her own power.


And she's never complained. Never whined. Always assumed that she could do pretty much anything she wanted to do...although she might have to do it in her own special way.  


So I'll take today to rest...I might take several days to rest. But I won't be whining or complaining. (much)  
I had to laugh last night. Becky called me and asked why I sounded sick.  I told her I was just very tired from the garage sale.  She was surprised!  She told me garage sales were easy to have and fun to work.  Compared to crawling the length of a house without using my legs...like Becky did...she's right.  Compared to being strapped in a standing frame and having to hold my body erect while also working out my arms...like Becky did...she's right.  

Whew!

We've been getting ready for another big yard sale. It's been a pretty constant pace of gathering and pricing and today will be all about getting it organized, scrounging up tables to put stuff on.  I'm certain that people with wads of money will be on my driveway waiting for the garage doors to open up!

I had a yard sale for Becky about a month ago and raised $250 to go toward her big trip.  We had several big ticket items which made it go faster.  That yard sale was at Becky's old house in Las Cruces, NM.  It couldn't have been timed better as she was moving to her newer, smaller apartment and needed to get rid of extra furniture, etc.

This yard sale is being held in El Paso at my house.  My boyfriend recently moved out of town and donated several items to the sale and my oldest daughter has also put in a bunch of items.  We have enough to almost fill one side of a two-car garage.

This will be my last big fundraising effort that requires actual physical exertion! Since I have Lupus, physical activity is often very challenging for me.  I'm definitely feeling the effects of all the exercise I've gotten getting ready for the sale.  That's how I came up with the idea of using the internet to help me raise $ for Becky.  I can sit and be on the internet all day...or even lie in bed like I am right now!

Wish us luck!

Special Olympics

Becky is "in training" for Special Olympics again!  

Becky is going to be in the wheelchair races again this year.  The regional games are in Anthony, New Mexico April 16 and the state games in Albuquerque are the weekend of May 21. 

For now, Becky goes to the track two times a week and practices staying between the lines as she runs her wheelchair on high speed.  She loves being with her friends as they practice for their events.  Becky is the only person in a wheelchair at practice so she has to be very independent and highly motivated to keep at it.  But she never complains about anything.  She works through the bright sun, the heat and gets the job done!

Here are some pics of her at Special Olympics last year.