Author: jenannlynn

In March 2004, I suffered a severe brainstem stroke, & was "locked in" for several months". I have been married to a wonderful man, Mark ever since 1994, & we have 3 kids: Zach, Jessie, & Sophie. I have been blessed in so many ways by God, so I wanted to keep a blog to share my recovery, life, & answer questions.

HOBBIES

SAT. I GOT MY NEW 7 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA–MY EARLY X-MAS GIFT. I’M EXCITED! IT HAS A BIGGER SCREEN & I’M GETTING A REMOTE–THEN MARK IS MAKING A STAND 4 IT. THE ONLY THING I’M WORRIED ABOUT IS NOW THAT I HAVE THIS, I WILL BE ASSUMED 2 NOT NEED HELP W/PICS ANYMORE-WHICH’S VERY MISLEADING BECAUSE I’M SLOW, CAN’T STAND & GET CERTAIN ANGLES, ETC.
HOWEVER, I THINK PEOLE THINK I DON’T DO MUCH. SO, I WILL SHARE A LIST I ASSEMBLED OF MY STROKE SUPPORT GROUPS IDEAS (SOME IDEAS R MINE, SOME OTHERS SUGGESTED IT) ABOUT 1-HANDED HOBBIES. U’D BE SURPRISED WHAT U CAN DO–I CAN BARELY MOVE EXCEPT MY HEAD & RT. ARM, SO I’M IN A WHEELCHAIR, & CAN’T TALK–BUT IT’S A FAR CRY FROM THE DOCTOR’S PREDICTION 2 ONLY BLINK & I’M BUSIER THAN B4-I THINK BECAUSE I’M SLOWER, SO A REGULAR TASK TAKES TWICE AS LONG, & BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL MONTHS WHERE TV-A MIND-WASTER 2 ME-WAS MY SOLE ENTERTAINMENT; SO I’M MAKING UP LOST GROUND!!

  • CONVERSE W/ANY1, LIKE A PEN-PAL/LETTER, THROUGH EMAIL
  • DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING- U CAN MAKE WAY SIMPLER PGS. THAN I DO,, & I TEACH IT, SO I WILL POST HOW! U CAN DO TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOKING IF U CAN WRITE & MOVE YOUR OTHER HAND AS A PAPER WEIGHT.
  • AUDIO BOOKS ON A CD PLAYER W/REMOTE
  • PLAY PIANO -ALL U NEED IS A RT. HAND! I USE A SYNTHESIZER BECAUSE MY WHEELCHAIR’S 2 TALL 4 A PIANO.
  • JOURNAL THROUGH TYPE
  • TYPE A BOOK
  • SELL ON EBAY
  • COMPUTER GAMES-I LIKE SOLITAIRE, SPIDER FREECELL, YAHOO’S SUPER TEXT TWIST, HEARTS, & SODUKO ( http://www.websudoku.com/?level=1 )
  • EUCHER, BESPELLED
  • MUSIC & MOVIES & BOOKS IN A DATA BASE
  • TV SHOW
  • READ/TYPE ON WEBSITES/BLOGS
  • GAMES W/FRIENDS–I DO SIGNO (ASL BINGO), CARD GAMES & SKIP-BO & PHASE 10 (USE A CARD HOLDER), MANCALA, RUMMIKUB, APPLES 2 APPLES, DISNEY SCENE IT!, IMAGINIFF, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, TRAVEL BLOKUS, & A FEW OTHERS OCCASIONALLY
  • PAINT-I WATERCOLORED
  • MOVIE W/FRIENDS
  • SHOP ONLINE
  • BIG PUZZLES (II WONDER IF MY EYES COULD DO IT)
  • CHAT ROOMS
  • MY CALLING 4 CHURCH IS HUGE (DOING ACTIVITIES 2X/MONTH FOR ABOUUT 10 GIRLS, 8-9 YRS. OLD)-PLANNING-COMPLETE W/LESSONS, EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS, ETC.

SO U KNOW, CAPS ISN’T NEEDED UNLESS U TYPE IN SMALL PRINT 2 ME–I TYPE IN CAPS BECAUSE IT’S EASIER W/1 HAND THAN HOLDING SHIFT. (I USE AN ACCESSIBILITY OPTION CALLED ‘STICKY KEYS’ 2 HOLD DOWN SHIFT 4 ME & USE A KEYGUARD ON MY KEYBOARD- WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A PIECE OF PLASTIC SO MY HAND CAN REST WHILE I TYPE & NOT PUSH KEYS. IT HAS HOLES DRILLED FOR KEYS & I USE JUST MY INDEX FINGER TO SLOWLY TYPE EACH WORD!) I TYPE FASTER THIS WAY. ENLARGING FONT SIZE TO 24 OR MORE IS ALL THAT’S NEEDED & NECESSARY.

PICS OF TRUNK OR TREAT

I’M A FREAKIN’ TEXAN!

GRANTED, I CAN’T MOVE & HAVE POOR CIRCULATION, BUT I USED 2 MAKE IT TO 50 DEGREES B4 I GOT COLD-NOW IT’S 70 DEGRES! (AROUND 71 DEGREES!) AGAIN ,I SAY, I’M A FREAKIN’ TEXAN!

FRI. WE WENT 2 TRUNK OR TREAT AT CHURCH AGAIN. THERE WAS NO FISHING OFF THE BACK OF THE TRUCK THIS YEAR, BUT 1 VAN ‘RAN OVER’ SOME1 & HAD A CSI THEME. I GUESS THAT WAS LIKED, BECAUSE THE NEXT VAN PUT NOT JUST PANTS, BUT A REAL PERSON UNDER THEIR VAN! TURN-OUT WAS AMAZING (100 KIDS?). IT WAS WINDY, BUT I LASTED IN MY COSTUME ALONE UNTIL THE SUN WENT DOWN & IT WAS ABOUT 66 DEGREES. i came prepared w/a blanket & shawl! LOL & FIA, SITTING ON MY LAP, MAKES ME WARMER. STILL, I ENDURED ENOUGH COLD & A RUNNY NOSE, SO I OPTED 2 NOT TRICK OR TREAT ON THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY.

AS 4 COSTUMES, FIA WAS ARIEL (& COULD SING ARIEL SONGS-SHE PRACTICED!), JESS & ZACH WERE FROM LORD OF THE RINGS-JESS WAS ARWEN & ZACH A RING WRATH, MARK A COWBOY, & I WAS NOT JUST ANY CHEERLEADER, AS MANY THOUGHT, BUT I WAS SANDRA DEE FROM GREASE.

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I LOVE THE MOVIE GREASE-DID U NOTICE THE “R” 4 RYDELL HIGH?- & HAVE BEEN JOKED SINCE HIGH SCHOOL I WAS SANDRA DEE (OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN) ; BECAUSE I LOOKED LIKE HER & MY HAIR WAS STRAIGHT IN THE DAY, BUT CURLY, LIKE HERS, WHEN I PERFORMED AT NIGHT!

HOWEVER, MARK POINTED OUT HOW I WAS LIKE THE C SUPERHERO CHEERLEADER WHO COULDN’T DIE FROM THE TV SHOW “HEROS.” HAVE U SEEN HERO? IF SO, IT’D MAKE MORE SENSE. THERE WAS A SMALL CHANCE I’D LIVE FROM MY STROKE, SO I FOUND THAT HILARIOUS, & WHENEVER THE SHOW’S PHRASE, “SAVE the Cheerleader–Save the world!”, WAS WHISPERED, I DIED LAUGHING!

AT CHURCH ON WED., I MEET THE 8 & 9 YR. OLD GIRLS 2X/MONTH. WE FOCUSED ON MANNERS & COURTESY THIS TIME. LET ME SHARE A FEW THINGS CONCERNING MANNERS & DISABLED/HANDICAPPED/ETC:

–The biggest courtesy is to not avoid a person who is different. It is a Little awkward at first, but those who do not have experience with people with disabilities will never feel comfortable until they just leave their comfort zone.

–AS A CARETAKER, MARK RAISED A GOOD POINT:
I dislike strangers approaching people with an obvious disability in public to satisfy their curiosity about why a person is in a wheel chair, blind, deaf, or whatever. How is that helpful to ask someone something so sensative in a public place, or from a stranger? SAY I’M IN THE MALL. I MAY NEED SOMETHING MOVED 2 MANUVER, BUT NO1 IN MY FAMILY SHOULD BE ASKED WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. I SHOULD NOT BE STARED AT EITHER LIKE A CIRCUS FREAK!

–BE COURTEOUS & THOUGHTFUL-OPEN DOORS, ETC.

— WHEN C-ING A SHOW OR SOMETHING, DON’T STAND IN FRONT OF THEM.

—DON’T “BABY TALK,” TALK SLOW, OR TALK LOUD. REMEMBER, IT IS A COMMON MISTAKE 2 SIGN 2 ME–ASL is so they can understand me., NOT SO THEY CAN SIGN TO ME-IT IS A COMMON MISCONCEPTION!

—BE PATIENT—DISABLED R SLOW & OFTEN MAKE MISTAKES.

–Do not assume they can not participate in daily living activities because they have a disability.

–Ask before helping.

–FROM MARK, WHICH I LEFT IN, BECAUSE PASSENGERS IN A VEHICLE CAN COMMUNICATE THIS 2 DRIVERS: Do not park “momentarily” in handicapped spots- tons do this.

CAN I POST A PERSONAL COMPLAINT? I’M OFTEN ASKED ?S THEN PEOPLE RUN 2 MARK, MEANING WELL & BEING NICE, BUT I END UP DEALING W/THE MISCONCEPTION & APEARING 2 HAVE ‘CRIED WOLF.’ 4 EX., I CAN BE ASKED IF I’M COLD. MOST ANYTIME, IF I FEEL A CHILL — WHICH IS THE MAJORITY, I SIGN ‘SORT-OF.’ THIS DOES NOT MEAN I WANT A COAT! MY KIDS HAVE LEARNED THE ART OF ASKING ME THE RT. ?S & NOT ASSUMING EVEN THE ‘OBVIOUS’! WHEN I WANTED A COAT, I GOT 1, THANKS 2 THE HELP OF AN OBSERVANT SISTER-IN-LAW (SIL).