Monday's Making a Difference - A Good Chair

Brielle's Wheelchair

Today's Making a Difference isn't a "who", it's a "what"...

When Brielle was about a year old, her therapists advised us to start working with our insurance company to get Brielle fitted for a wheelchair because she would probably never walk. She defied the odds (or at least the predictions) and began walking with a walker before her third birthday and was walking on her own in just a few months.

However, as she grew, she could no longer fit in traditional infant/child strollers. When she was about five years old, we upgraded to a medical stroller/wheelchair. Although we only use it for times/events with lots of walking, it's been a lifesaver on many occasions.

And boy, has that chair traveled around!

Sea World in San Antonio, TX
2001

Little friends can ride a long!

We used to always take it to the mall.
When Brielle was little enough, my purse could sit beside her!

At a celebrity golf tournament in Austin, TX
Look at all we can hang off the back of the chair!

With a family friend at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio
2007

At the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia
Spring 2008

At the Atlanta Aquarium in Georgia
June 2008

At Disney! (in Orlando, FL)
February 2009

In front of the White House! (in Washington, DC)
September 2010

At Clearwater Beach, FL
September 2011

At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL for new student orientation
Again, look at all we can pile on the back of her chair!
June 2012

Today, we actually needed it around the house. It seems as though Brielle might have broken her big toe yesterday. :(  She can't put any weight on her right foot unless she is wearing her sister's "boot" from when she broke a toe last summer. (That was the second time Ashley broke a toe -- My girls seem to be prone to this sort of thing, eh?) To make things easier around the house, we're using the wheelchair.

Today with her broken toe :(
Owie!!

The fact that she still fits in the chair after 12 years is fairly shocking, although it isn't an "ideal fit" for every day use. It looks less like a wheelchair than some models, but is sturdy and can even be loaded on to a school bus if needed. This chair folds in half and is portable even though its bulk and weight almost maxes out my ability to lift it into the back of my vehicle.

Folded up in the back of my vehicle
(see the back right in front of Brielle)

None the less, it has been extremely useful over the years and makes an incredible difference when it's needed!

Friday's Photos - Celebrations!

 

Just Mom and Brielle being silly!

Brielle and Dad headed to a school dance!

 

Brielle rockin' out her new Taylor Swift
cooking gear!

 

Making pizzas for her birthday celebration!



Opening birthday presents

Brielle with Daisy (left - her old doll)
and Angel (right - her new doll)

Thursday's Teaching Highlights - Parks

The best highlights of our teaching week:

Thank you letters!

- Handwriting: Brielle wrote thank you letters for gifts she received on her birthday. Yes, she knows her manners!

- Social Studies/History: We learned about Rosa Parks, the "mother of the Civil Rights Movement."

Scrapbook page for our trip
to the Henry Ford Museum in 2007

Ashley at the
Rosa Parks bus
at the Henry Ford Museum

We even found my scrapbook page about our visit in 2007 to the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, MI where the bus is on display. Although Brielle says she remembers being there, I'm sure (at the time) she didn't know what that bus was all about. The whole museum is VERY interesting and well-worth the time and cost! (just in case you ever get the chance to go there!)

While working on our lesson, I realized Brielle had no idea what "black" meant let alone why there was segregation. How precious is that innocence not to see the difference?