Is It Really Over!

Let me begin by saying thanks for the emails and concern about my health and safety. MS has been rearing its ugly behind, but I refused to let it dictate my life, I get SATISFACTION each and every time I do not allow the symptoms of MS keep me from doing something worthwhile. Besides going to graduations, doctors appointments, having medical test, (which I will talk about in my next post), the following is what I have been doing to keep from being in bed because of the symptoms MS kept throwing my way.

The month of May started with me, my husband, and dog (Shelly) spending the majority of our weekend in our emergency room. For three consecutive days, Mother Nature pounded us with rain, lightening, hail, and tornado threats. Unfortunately, many people in my city lost everything from the flood and did not have insurance. We were fortunate to live on the other side of town and the rain seized just in time, otherwise it would have flooded on my end of town. I did get a little water in my garage and the room from the garage. Thankfully I believe in all types of insurance coverage and I did have flood insurance to cover the small amount of water damage to my home. Below are a few pictures from when it stopped raining for an hour and my husband and I ventured out when we heard parts of our city was flooded. However, when it started raining again another levee breached, causing more damage and the evacuation of the Mid-South Naval Base.





I thought Friendship Safehaven was going to cancel its fundraiser May 7 and 8 because some of the children participating in the MASK program were displaced by the flood. To my admiration, the children wanted to exhibit the confidence they developed using theater art as their foundation. Watching them perform "Who Killed Kevin" made every Saturday from September 2009 to May 2010 worthwhile fighting MS symptoms to volunteer my time.

I felt like a mother giving birth. It was amazing seeing the transformation of the young people who were once shy, lacked confidence, and self-esteem to perform in front of 200 people each night as if they were professional actors and actresses. It also warmed my heart that they thought enough of the volunteers and gave us a dozen roses at the end of the final performance. With excitement in their voices stating, "We want to come back next year!" Finally, to hear the mother of two sisters in the MASK program say to me several days after the fundraiser, "You know my Dad died the day before the fundraiser, and had it not been for my daughters participation in the MASK program; they would have never stood together to read a poem out loud at their grand father's funeral. I am glad they participated and they are looking forward to coming back next year." Below are a few pictures of the MASK students during their performance of "Who Killed Kevin"











Between entertaining and enjoying some mother and daughter quality time when my Mother came to visit me for a week, I did not have time to sit down after Friendship Safehaven fundraiser. I have been volunteering my time with another program. If a program is about benefitting children and I believe in it, I will do whatever I can to help. Summer Camp Wellness is a free program for young people ages 7 through 17. The response to this camp has been phenomenal, therefore next year after the MASK program 2011 Summer Camp Wellness will be longer. I am looking forward to telling more about this program soon. The camp ends this Friday June 4 and I will back to regular blogging soon. I hope all of you have been in good spirits and health and I will be back to visiting your blogs soon.

BD...THANK YOU for the monetary support you have been sending to Friendship Safehaven. More pictures of the MASK students' performance and a video will be on the web site soon.