Check out the new Eye Response brochure !

You might want to look at this new Eye Response brochure. I have the paper copy but I just found it on their site last night. As you will see - this is the computer Marcie uses daily !
hh
Be sure to let the site change pictures at least 3 or 4 times if you do not see someone you recognize at first.

http://www.eyeresponse.com/

IS IT SPRING YET ?

Marcie's Prayer Warriors

Here is the youngest member of Marcie's Prayer Warriors - Nate was 3 months old in Jan.

bbbbbb

The team walked in the MDA Walk held this past Jan. at Grapevine Mills Mall. Mandy, Nate's mom, has been heading up this team for Marcie, raising money for ALS research, for 9 years now. This year the team raised $3,000 for ALS research. The team is made up mostly of members from our church. We appreciate all they do for us so much ! ! ! This year Mandy was ask to tell the entire group at MDA's Stride and Ride Walk just why she started this team and for whom !

nnnn

Note the #4 on Nate's cap - this was Lou Gehrig's number when he played for the New York Yankee's baseball team.

Blog to Blog - connecting people

Elizabeth had twins -I signed in on her blog - someone saw my comment and checked out my blog - not unusually - except when this person started thinking back to her childhood something clicked.
---------
When Marcie was first diagnosed with ALS - somehow we met a lady named Brenda who also had ALS - I remember like yesterday -Brenda and her Mom, Marcie and I met for lunch at Grandy's in Richland Hills -I have hardly passed that place in years but when I do I always remember the day I met Brenda and her Mom there.

Brenda had lost her arm strength when we first met - Marcie could still carry her tray but her arms were weak. Brenda could not carry her tray -her mom carried her tray for her. In the months that followed I was caring Marcie's tray as Brenda's Mom had carried hers.

I kept up with Brenda talking to her and her parents on the phone - the somehow - I kinda think her Dad called me to tell me when Brenda lost her battle with ALS. I remember talking to Brenda's daughter at times - just because she answered the phone.

I may have talked to her Mom & Dad - Brenda's Mom & Dad - a couple of times after that and then we lost touch -till this week -

Brenda's daughter Corrie, had gone to ACU with Elizabeth so she was reading Elizabeth's blog - after reading my comment on Elizabeth blog and her checking out my blog Corrie put two and two together and sent me an email saying " This might be the strangest email you will ever receive" explaining just who she was - we have been "talking" ever since by way of email.

Corrie wrote a very sweet posting on her blog today (March 6th) about us reconnecting:
http://mommyloftin.blogspot.com/

God did this - I just know it - for some reason only known to HIM - HE put us back in touch with each other after all these years.

God does everything for a reason -

Kinley and Madelyn are home

The Tarrant twins got home from the NICU last week - being loved by their parent in their home! I have not been to see them yet but I plan on going very soon.

Check out their blog to see pictures of the twins: http://etarrant.blogspot.com/

Twin girls - born last night

The youngest of the Diaper Darlings is now a Mom to twin girls -Kinley Margaret and Madelyn Clare were born last night close to 9:00 to Chris and Elizabeth. Suzanne sent me a text and soon after I headed to the hospital. I have know Elizabeth since she was born and it seamed fitting that I was at the hospital when her girls were born.

Here is Elizabeth's blog where Suzanne is keeping everyone posted on the twins.
http://etarrant.blogspot.com/

Picturers are up with more to follow I am sure- - -

Elizabeth was OK when I saw her for just a second last night after the delivery and Chris was on cloud 9 - camera in hand - when I left the hospital at 10:00 he was in the waiting room surrounded by family and friends already down loading pictures on his lap top for all to see.

So check her blog to watch these precious "Gifts from God" grow.

I can not wait to really see the girl in person - I got a tiny glimpse of one in the NICU through a crack in the door last night.

Thank you God for keeping this family safe and for giving them 2 precious little girls.

15 years with ALS

It has now been 15 years since our lives were changed forever - first diagnosed in Dallas and then a trip to Houston to confirm that our daughter - only 23 years old at that time - had ALS(Lou Gehrig's Disease). A disease that strikes the average age of a person 55 years old - more men than women - however since I have been learning more and more about this "monster" disease it strikes ALL AGES. It has no treatment or cure. If you do not know - it is a progressive degenerative muscle disease - killing the motor neurons in your body which makes you muscles work.

Here is the site for MDA /ALS division on line: http://www.als-mda.org/
and ALSA national web site: http://www.alsa.org/

However my daughter has "Beaten the Odds" - fighting to live well past what the doctors told us to expect which just goes to show God is in control of our live. HE still has plans for Marcie and our family. She has touched so many lives in her lifetime.

I am so very proud of my daughter - she has NEVER GIVEN UP !

Going from a very active person to a wonderful adult. She is so smart and can communicate so fast on her Eye Response computer called ERICA. http://www.eyeresponse.com/

I could go on and on about her but I will not.

The children from down the street come by to see her - they came on her birthday - a very cold night in Nov. and sang Happy Birthday to her from the porch as she sat inside the house. The other day they came down and stood at her window saying "Hi Marcie" "Hi Marcie" and as Hannah left - she is 5 - she said "I love you Marcie".

We pray for a miracle everyday - maybe it will happen soon.

I need your help !

For those of you who know my email address - please send me an email so I can have your email address again - I lost just about all my email addresses and need to rebuild my address back up - my computer had to be cleaned out - I lost so much - should know better then to always count on a machine - thank you - Linda

Message to PALS & CALS

15 years ago this month our lives changed forever!

vvv

In the months that followed Marcie would go monthly to UT Southwestern in Dallas for breathing tests since she was in two different drug trials in those first 3 yeas after diagnoses. In one of the rooms where the breathing test was done was a copy of a picture like this - but it was not colored in - a copy was given to Marcie and she colored it in -

xxx

All PALS and CALS must remember NEVER GIVE UP !

xxx

ALS is awful - for not only the person with ALS but their family members and friends but we all must NEVER GIVE UP - God has always been in our lives but especially during the past 15 years God has been with Marcie and our family - without God we never could have made it - we do not understand this but we have learned to accept it - it is all in God's plan for our life. We are praying for a cure and a miracle to put a stop to ALS forever.

x

In some ways the past 15 years have been so long but in other ways it was like yesterday -

x

So to all PALS and CALS - NEVER GIVE UP ! ! !

Ice for a day !

Many of our trees were covered with ice today - Saturday it was 80 degrees - today it was freezing - BUT that is Texas for you - hot one day ice the next - or the next day ! Tomorrow it will be warm again - I bet!

It did look so pretty on the trees - it was not on the roads so that was OK!