[straightouttacompton]

The ADULT Cancer Society??

I wanted to post about this topic yesterday night, but I was pretty upset and wanted to sleep on it. I woke up this morning just as upset about it as I was yesterday. So here goes...

I want to start by saying that while I do have respect for the work that the American Cancer Society (ACS) does for adult cancers, I have been quite disillusioned with them for some time since finding out that while they collect billions of dollars in donations each year, they only allot HALF A PENNY from every dollar they collect towards pediatric cancers. That's ALL PEDIATRIC CANCERS COMBINED. Totally unfair considering they utilize sick children in their ads and campaigns quite a bit for someone who does not support them.

Anyhow, yesterday, the following blog post from the ACS DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS was brought to my attention (I have cut and pasted the original file since he felt compelled to remove/revise it today because he received over 350 comments from outraged readers and who knows how many angry emails in his inbox):

Bald Barbie Demand is an Over-Reach

Posted on January 13, 2012 by asbecker

We apologize if the below post offended some of our readers. We realize that in our zeal to highlight an issue that deserves debate, we may have sounded insensitive. This post was written to provoke debate about the proliferation of products marketed to raise awareness, and we think asked legitimate questions. We believe discussions like this can help focus all our efforts more closely on our shared goal of defeating cancer.

You may have seen in the news that a Facebook campaign is underway to pressure Mattel, the maker of Barbie Dolls, to manufacture a bald Barbie. Cancer is one of, but not the sole reason for this campaign. The group’s Facebook page notes,

“We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia or Trichotillomania. Also, for young girls who are having trouble coping with their mother’s hair loss from chemo.”

To the extent that this effort is about fighting cancer, we should ask ourselves what it accomplishes, who would benefit, and while we’re at it, how about asking if a bald Barbie could in fact do more harm than good for kids and parents, not to mention Mattel.

In a world already littered with cancer totems such as rubber bracelets and pink everything (a limited number of which are from ACS initiatives) , do we need one more thing whose function is to “raise awareness” about cancer? Is raising awareness worthwhile? Over at Mary Tyler Mom, who herself is the mother of a child who died from cancer, the answer is a resounding “no.” She makes the excellent suggestion that a donation of $10-$20 to support cancer research would make far more of an impact than buying a doll.

We know that funding more research is key, and every dollar helps, but who would benefit from sales of these dolls? Would it really be about fundraising?

The downside to raising awareness has been well documented by activists in the breast cancer arena. Awareness of breast cancer, for example, has been so thoroughly achieved, and many women are so afraid of the words breast cancer, that about one in 20 who are diagnosed with LCIS, a condition that may lead to breast cancer, are choosing bilateral mastectomy; the surgical removal of both breasts.

This isn’t to say that awareness doesn’t have an important role in defeating cancer. It can be incredibly important when it comes to informing people about ways to reduce risk or about getting recommended screenings regularly. But there may be better ways to attack childhood cancer. Just like radiation and chemotherapy, awareness must be deployed thoughtfully and carefully.

Childhood cancer is exceedingly rare. I would also argue that cancer is rare among the age group of women likely to have daughters young enough to play with Barbies. Women have about a one in 50 chance of developing any kind of cancer before the age of 40 . Which brings me to the claim that bald Barbies can help improve the self-image of little girls who are faced with having lost their hair, or seeing their mothers lose their hair. If they are mass marketed, many of these dolls will end up in the hands of girls who luckily aren’t likely to be touched by cancer in themselves or their mothers. But could they end up being terrorized by the prospect of it in a far outsized proportion to their realistic chances? There is no reason to create this sort of fear. It’s why we don’t see advocates calling for lightning strike dolls.

My final concern is the no-win position Mattel finds itself in. Last year the company went above and beyond, and made one bald Barbie for a four-year-old who was going through chemotherapy. Now the company risks a severe backlash of ill will if it does not accede to the demands of the social media mob. After all, what is more sympathetic than a little girl with cancer? How could this corporation be so unfeeling as to not make the major investment required to put a new product on store shelves? What happens when the next group demands a custom Barbie to represent its social concerns?

Sadly, some 1340 children under age 14 are projected to die from cancer this year. Each one is a tragedy, and they and their families deserve sympathy and support, but it is critically important to pull back from this exercise in consumer bullying and ask whether the need this movement is rising to meet is as big as imagined, and whether it will result in any meaningful support reaching those who need it.

 

Personally, I am not especially interested in the Bald Barbie controversy, but I was appalled by his callous remarks and the incorrect information he disseminated throughout his post and felt compelled to post the following response in the comments section of his blog (note: I didn't realize at the time that his name was Andrew Becker, and thought it was "Asbecker" which is the name he posts under):

Wow, what incredibly condescending and inaccurate remarks, especially considering that they were written by the DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS for one of our country’s top cancer fundraising charities (we are talking BILLIONS OF DOLLARS here). Mr. Asbecker, you erroneously described pediatric cancer an “exceedingly rare” disease when it is IN FACT THE NUMBER ONE DISEASE KILLER OF CHILDREN (“more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined”).

In your article, you tried to liken the chances of being struck by lightning (which are ONE IN ONE MILLION) with the chances of a child being diagnosed with cancer (which are ONE IN FIVE THOUSAND or TWO IN TEN THOUSAND; in simpler terms, “a child in the U.S. has a 1 in 320 chance of being diagnosed with cancer before their 21st birthday”). I am not twisting your words; you wrote: “If they are mass marketed, many of these dolls will end up in the hands of girls who luckily aren’t likely to be touched by cancer in themselves or their mothers. But could they end up being terrorized by the prospect of it in a far outsized proportion to their realistic chances? There is no reason to create this sort of fear. It’s why we don’t see advocates calling for lightning strike dolls.”

Mr. Asbecker, I have some questions for you that I would like for you to answer as a representative of the ACS and as their Director of Media Relations… If pediatric cancer is so “exceedingly rare,” then why has it touched my family 3 times in a little over a decade? I have a cousin who was diagnosed at age 6, my own son was diagnosed at 22 months of age, and our close family friend was diagnosed at the age of 14. There are no obvious correlating factors involved. Why are pediatric oncology wards usually filled to capacity and why is it that approximately 46 children are diagnosed everyday in the U.S. with some form of cancer? Why is it that approximately 2300 kids (NOT 1340 as you erroneously suggested) in the U.S. die each year from it?

Why is it that you and the ACS feel that you deserve to even weigh in on this topic and ask questions such as: “To the extent that this effort is about fighting cancer, we should ask ourselves what it accomplishes, who would benefit?” How about answering this question instead and being HONEST with the public: What does the ACS accomplish (specifically in terms of pediatric cancer) and WHO DOES IT BENEFIT??? Why does the ACS only contribute .5% of every dollar (less than one penny!) collected in donations towards pediatric cancer???? Why does the ACS actively use photos and videos of pediatric cancer patients in their P.R. campaigns, actively recruit children for their Relay for Life events, and use schools for staging these events, while doing SO LITTLE to help them fight cancer? Forget about the Bald Barbie Movement, the ACS should be asking itself whether it’s own movement is meeting the demand for pediatric cancer research funding, prevention and services as much as it would like for the public to imagine, and also whether the funds contributed by the ACS towards pediatric cancer “will result in any meaningful support reaching those who need it.”

In my opinion, the ACS should clarify their new slogan “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays” by changing it to “The Official Sponsor of More Birthdays for ADULTS ONLY.”

This effort to ask Mattel to create a bald Barbie is not just “about fighting cancer” as you imply. It is so much more than that. It’s about providing comfort for children afflicted with cancer and for children who are close to someone who is battling cancer. Children process things much more differently than adults, and that’s why every major children’s hospital and pediatric ward has an in-patient playroom and why there is such a thing as play therapy for children.

I also believe that even if Mattel did agree to manufacture such a doll and donate the proceeds to true pediatric cancer charities such as St. Baldrick’s and Alex’s Lemonade Stand, I am sure that they would donate more than just a shoddy, token half penny for every dollar they collect, unlike the ACS’ current practices.

You wrote: “In a world already littered with cancer totems such as rubber bracelets and pink everything (a limited number of which are from ACS initiatives), do we need one more thing whose function is to ‘raise awareness’ about cancer? Is raising awareness worthwhile?” RAISING AWARENESS IS EVERYTHING BECAUSE WITHOUT AWARENESS THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY NO DONATIONS, WHICH MEANS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LESS FUNDING FOR CANCER RESEARCH & PREVENTION. Come on! You know this already, don’t you? Please be honest and disclose the amount of annual ACS revenues which are dedicated to raising awareness and the need for funding for prevention and research??? Don’t even get me started with your remark about our world being littered with “cancer totems.” Why is it okay for the ACS and Susan Komen and many other organizations to do more far more than their share of the “littering,” yet, when someone approaches a major manufacturer to create a doll which will not only comfort children, but also raise money for pediatric research, why is it suddenly not worthwhile to litter our world with such awareness?

As far as “a limited number of which are from ACS initiatives”— let’s be HONEST; the ACS markets and peddles HUNDREDS of different kinds of cancer totems (http://www.acsgiftshop.com/default.aspx), and yet, you are protesting the manufacturing of ONE Bald Barbie for children? What is this really about?

You went on to state that “sadly, some 1340 (erroneous statistic) children under age 14 are projected to die from cancer this year. Each one is a tragedy, and they and their families deserve sympathy and support…” Sadly this sympathy and support comes from sources other than the ACS.

To suggest that parents, other family members and friends of children who either have cancer or are somehow affected by cancer are a “social media mob” and/or “consumer bullies,” or to suggest that this is merely a “publicity stunt” as one of your supporters wrote, is incredibly irresponsible, insensitive and an “over-reach” in itself.

Put yourselves in our shoes. I think if you had a child or were close to a child who had cancer, you would take a much difference stance and I doubt that you would even be able to retain employment with the ACS in good conscious based on the principles raised above. Thanks for your two cents in this matter (really just half a cent, actually), but you can keep the chump change.

ACS, how about changing your policies so that they are more fair towards the sick children whom you exploit in your marketing campaigns instead of just apologizing to “some of the readers” that you offended? That would be a more logical approach to focusing your efforts on defeating cancer in all age populations, not just adult ones. I feel that is a much more legitimate question than any of the ones raised in this article or your subsequent apology.

 

Andrew Becker's poorly thought out and condescending, hurtful remarks created a HUGE outcry from parents and loved ones of pediatric cancer patients, in addition to healthcare professionals and even adult cancer patients and/or ACS supporters. This outcry has been all over the internet, including on the ACS' Facebook page, their blog and other blogs. Today, he felt compelled (or coerced) to retract his original statement and  post this "updated" version:

Bald Barbie Demand is an Over-Reach –UPDATED

Posted on January 13, 2012 by asbecker

I want to sincerely apologize for the pain my post, which I have now removed, has caused. Like many other committed staff members and volunteers at the American Cancer Society, I have lost loved ones to cancer, and I work here because I want to help end the suffering caused by the disease. But losing a child to cancer (or for any other reason) is unimaginable to me. The idea of having one of my children diagnosed with cancer is a pain I cannot comprehend. I am sorry for making anybody feel marginalized. It was not what I intended. It is not how I feel.

When I set out to write I wanted to raise questions about activism and social media around disease. I did not mean to imply that I or the American Cancer Society believe that sick children are not important. Indeed I wrote that each of these cases is tragic, and that the children and their families deserve both sympathy and support. That is what I believe.

I am committed to repairing the relationship between the advocates I have upset and the American Cancer Society. The idea that my words would cause people to lose faith in the good work of the Society is horrifying to me. The Society succeeds because of our more than three million volunteers, and because of millions of others who generously support our work. In my more than four years working at ACS I have seen one example after another of this organization’s incredible mission being carried out, and each time, I am inspired. I have also seen success that extends to all of us, as cancer incidence and death rates continue to drop. I hope I have not jeopardized the good will that makes this progress possible.

Andrew Becker

 

To which I responded:

Dear Mr. Becker,

Thank you for your apology, however, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. An apology with no actions to back it up is damage control at best.

It’s time for the ACS to change it’s policy towards pediatric cancer. The fact remains that that the ACS only donates less than half a penny towards all pediatric cancers for every dollar donated to the organization. If you are so committed “to repairing the relationship between the advocates (you) have upset and the American Cancer Society,” then it is only logical that you begin to work on repairing this heinous policy. Alternatively, stop using children in your campaign slogans and stop encouraging them to raise money for the ACS since your organization is unwilling to step up to the plate for them when they are diagnosed with cancer.

 

I want to be clear and state that this is not just an issue involving a bunch of irrational, emotional parents fighting to have a bald Barbie created. This is so much more than that. This is something that has been on-going for a long time, this problematic relationship between the ACS and most pediatric cancer parents. This issue is based on the fact that pediatric cancer is so severely underfunded, and the ACS just contributes to that dilemma by using children in their campaigns to collect donations, but allotting pediatric patients and research  only .5% of the total donations they collect.

Ryan matters. Every child afflicted with cancer matters. They are worth so much more than just .5%.

In the words of another parent: "Children are our future and these are the people that will be taking care of US at some point so we need to give them a chance to live a full life just like we have. Not to take away anything from someone suffering through an adult cancer but they are ADULTS….they have voices and the means to raise money and to get the word out. Children suffering through pediatric cancer do NOT….so we need to be their voice."

happiness and progress

The Great Cornjulio!

Ryan had his regular check up at City of Hope today, and (in Jason's words) "Regular labs and all are normal. He also started his immunizations all over again. Four shots, one in each limb all at once. OUCH!! Even with all that he was jumping, laughing and yelling as we left." He is seriously tough & happy stuff!

By the way, speaking of happiness, HAPPY NEW YEAR and BEST WISHES to all of you from our family!!! It has been a LONG time since my last post and I also feel bad about not sending out cards this past holiday season...

I feel totally compelled to get back in to the blogging groove this New Year. Blogging last year while Ryan did some major recovery work following his transplant was very hit and miss, partly because we have been so busy catching up on life and getting to this point where we now feel like we have somewhat of a "normal" life again after so many years of everything revolving around Ryan's treatment and survival. Not just his survival. Our survival. Surviving day to day. The other reason why I didn't blog much last year was because I had so many conflicted feelings and a lot of anger that I had to work through. It took a long time to work through most of it and understand where it was coming from and why. I was trying to process everything we had been through. There was a lot of grieving and anger and I was starting to wallow and lose myself in it. It wasn't necessarily the feeling sorry for myself type of grieving and anger; more like the "Ryan is better and I am grateful everyday day for that, but I'm also *so fucking incredibly pissed* that there are so many kids & families out there who are still struggling through this cancer bullshit and some of them are not making it, but no one else seems to think this is a problem (except other peds cancer peeps) but I do and I don't know what to do with all these pent up emotions" type of grieving and anger. I was really angry for a long time and didn't know how to express it, understand it or channel it. Since then, I have learned that I'm entitled to be angry, but I've also learned that there is so much positive stuff that can be accomplished with such intense energy and emotions. ...And that has brought me so much more peace & clarity and made me much stronger and happier.

As for Ryan, Teresa, Jasmine and Nick, they are all doing well. They are dealing with the normal challenges of growing up instead of living the life we had to live for four and a half years. I feel like this blog post should be a recap of what they've been up to since last year because I didn't send out a Christmas/New Years card. I feel like a bad mom, because I have been able to get them done the past few years dsepite Ryan's illness (even though I didn't always have a chance to finish sending them *all* out, lol) but I didn't this year, and also I like seeing them and having them as a tangible record of the kids' progress/growth each year. 

Ryan is doing phenomenally well. He is flourishing. He is such an incredibly happy & resilient kid. He has made an excellent recovery and transition. His days are spent at school playing catch up and learning lots of new stuff in kindergarten and playing with all his buddies. He played soccer this fall and it was the first time he has ever been able to participate in organized sports. He loved it! He was a bit awkward because he hasn't been exposed to the regular physical activities that most kids his age have been exposed to, but he love almost every moment of it. He could be seen 90% of the time running around the soccer field with a huge smile on his face. He wasn't particulary interested in strategy or being competitive like most of his teammates were starting to be. He just seemed so happy to be running around on a field, breathing fresh air with a bunch of kids his age. Watching him run was breath taking and I cried his first few practices and probably during his first game because it was so hard to believe, yet so beautiful to see. Something so simple.

  

Believe it or not, he also had a chance to kind of learn how to ice skate in December, thanks to an amazing young woman (and fellow camper) named Kristina, who set up a free ice skating day for our entire Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times family. She did this as part of her requirements for earning one of Girl Scouting's highest merit badges. She also made arrangements for volunteers to coach the kids out on the ice. Ryan's volunteer buddy/coach opened up a whole new world of fun and speed on ice for him and he enjoyed it immensely!



Jason and the girls also had a chance to get out on the ice while I stayed on the side lines, observing, with a somewhat broken camera (which has since been fixed, thanks to the generosity of a very special person). I tried getting out on the ice initially but quickly realized that my ankle was still too weak for ice skating due to the fracture I sustained nearly three years ago (on that fateful day, sliding down a small hill in Death Valley, lol). 

When he is not at school being a well behaved student, Ryan is at home with us being a mini tyrant, bossing us around. Or at least trying to boss us around. He is getting better about that. He still thinks he's the boss of us at home. He loves playing video games, despite the fact that we didn't allow him to play them until he was hospitalized after his relapse. He is now obsessed with them, I am embarrassed to admit. He also enjoys playing with his toys, riding his bike, riding his police car, watching movies and having us read books to him. He is in LOVE with the iTouch that was generously gifted to him last year by employees from College of the Canyons who adopted his "mini wish" last year through their annual "Make a Difference Day" program. His iTouch has really, truly made a huge difference for him. He has educational apps, movies and games loaded on it, and it especially comes in handy when he has visits at City of Hope, and while we are travelling there, in addition to the three times that he had to visit an emergency room last fall (two visits for the fever while we were camping in BFE, and one more when he split his lip and gumline open). We also use the iTouch and the video games to bribe him to do what he's supposed to do on a daily basis, as in "finish ALL your homework" or "pick up ALL your toys" "if you want to play videogames or watch a movie on your iTouch today." It works wonders on him and has helped us a lot. Remember, this is a kid who almost drowned in toys/rewards when he was really sick and who really couldn't have chores or normal daily tasks. So we had a lot of disciplining to catch up on the past year. Surprisingly, Angry Birds stickers also work well in enforcing good behavior with him. We also use regular stuff like "finish blah blah blah if you want to go outside and play."

The only lingering issues that Ryan currently struggles with as a result of his treatment are developmental delays and cognitive issues. He remains a couple of years behind his peers physically and academically. He seems to be catching up with them socially and emotionally. He has an aide in class, the lovely Ms. D., whom he shares with another student. He is in a regular kindergarten class, but it's called an "enhanced kindergarten classroom" because of the "one-on-one" aide that two students share. She is also able to help other students, but her priorities are with Ryan and the other student. Ryan struggles to focus on and process information that might come naturally for other kids his age. This is probably a result of the intrathecal chemotherapy that he had at such a young age and for such a long period of time (intrathecal means injected into his spinal canal). He had 27 of those toxic (but life-saving) injections between the ages of 1 and 5.

Ms. D. helps him to remain focused, explains tasks to him and helps him through it. She is also starting to encourage him to be more independent, as is his regular teacher, Ms. C. Ryan is still learning to write his first name independently without tracing it, while other kids in his class have already moved onto writing small sentences on their own. He still struggles with recognizing many of the sight words that other classmates are now reading and forming sentences with independently. He still can't really draw simple, recognizable pictures. During P.E., he is unable to keep up with simple instructions and exercises. His mind and body simply aren't communicating properly enough for him to do it on his own yet. However, he has made TREMENDOUS progress since the school year began and continues to make progress and we are extremely proud of him. 

He continues to have half an hour each of speech and occupational therapy at school each week, and in addition to that, Jason and I recently started taking him to a place called "Wellness Works" for an extra half hour each of weekly speech and occupational therapy, in addition to a half hour of physical therapy. This is all to help improve his coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and to help him catch up. He loves going to Wellness Works. His therapists are amazing there and actually offer weekly feedback and homework assignments for him at home, unlike the ones at school, who I only meet once a year during his annual Special Eduation assessments, or if I seek out a special appointment with them on my own. I have learned the past couple of months that there is a world of difference between private therapy that you pay for and therapy that is offered through the school district. I'm not trying to say that the school therapists suck (although one of his speech therapists last year was a bit of a nightmare), but in terms of feedback and a coordinated relationship between the parents and the therapist, you get what you pay for. I wish I knew this years ago. Twelve years ago, to be exact, when I first started dealing with Special Education services for Jasmine and Teresa. They have had some good therapists & some decent ones, but seeing Ryan's private speech therapist in action with him makes me wonder what other advances we could have accomplished with the girls had I known about the world of private speech therapy the past twelve years. I highly recommend additional private sessions for any child who needs speech therapy.

My purpose in sharing Ryan's struggles is not to just complain and feel sorry for him. I don't feel sorry for him; I admire him! He's a tough little dude, tougher than most adults, and I'm incredibly proud of him and his accomplishments and triumphs. I guess in a way I am complaining, but I am complaining with a purpose because I want for people who are not directly affected by pediatric cancer to know that 3/4 of kids like Ryan are affected by life long, long term side effects as a result of the very treatment that saved their life. "When the doctor says 'Go home, you're cured,' that's not the end of the story," for pediatric cancer patients. The lucky 75% who survive "have the rest of (their) life to get busy living through the challenges and consequences of not dying from (their) treatments..." ...And that is NOT okay. Trust me, Ryan's learning disabilities are the least of my concerns for him and I am grateful that his disabilities are not extremely severe. However, I have met and heard about other kids who carry a much larger burden and wage a much harder struggle.  I am NOT okay with the fact that kids who have already been through so much go on to have life long burdens and struggles as a result of toxic treatment. ...And that is why we must continue to support research and further advances in pediatric oncology.

...but I digress, because I've kind've wandered off the topic of how all of the kids are doing and what they are up to. 

So Ryan in a nutshell is a super happy camper, full of energy and might, and busy catching up and making up for lost time.

Jasmine is now 15 years old and in tenth grade. She is doing well after initially struggling a bit with the transition to high school. She was recently recruited by the school's frosh/soph basketball coach and she now plays for her school!

It has made a world of difference for her. The past few years, four and a half years to be almost exact, were hard on all the kids, not just Ryan. All of the bigs basically had to stop playing sports and being involved in extracurricular activities while Ryan was sick because we could not firmly commit to anything other than his health. Our lives revolved around him. Now that he is better, the bigs are starting to be able to pick up where they left off with their young lives.

Jasmine has always been extremely athletic and to be able to once again have outlet for it is a real source of joy, pride and inspiration for her. I am really proud of her and happy for her. I used to also play varsity sports in high school, and being an inner city kid, it was not only good for me physically, but it also opened my eyes up a bit more to the world, being able to travel to other cities and other schools and participate in activities that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Jasmine is not an inner city kid, but our life has been very narrow, rigid and focused the past few years and now she is able to just take off, have some space, independence and explore the world a bit more now that she is part of the team. She is busy with basketball 6 out of 7 days most weeks. She is also maintaining her grades and being even more responsible than she was with her assignments before she started playing basketball, despite the fact that she has a lot more responsibilities and less time now. We are proud of her.

Teresa is 17 and she has had a rough year, but she has grown and learned a lot. She is a great kid. She maintains her grades and brings home good progress reports each week. We are currently exploring creative options for her in terms of extracurricular activities. She has toyed with the idea of returning to soccer, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, we are looking into horseback riding instead. This past summer of course, both girls also learned how to surf, which I shared on our blog. I am hoping that next summer I can join them. Some of Teresa's New Year Resolutions are to get braces, continue to  get good grades and graduate. She also wants to jog everyday, start practicing her driving skills again and get a job during summer vacation. We are also very proud of Teresa.

 

Nick is doing really well and he is still living in Carlsbad. He is getting back on his feet financially after struggling with having two car accidents within a 6 month time span. He's been working for Target Mobile for around 6 or 8 months now, and he has progressed to a mangerial position in a really short time frame. Not bad for a 20 year old kid. He is now focusing on balancing his responsibilities at work with getting back into school because ultimately a college education is his other immediate goal in life. He is a great kid, and he is a really wonderful big brother and cousin to Ryan & the girls. Next time he is up visiting us, I really need to concentrate on taking more pictures of him now that my camera is back in action.

...Manuel, I have not spoken about much on the blog the past year,  mainly to protect his privacy and I will continue to do so. Manuel has not lived with us for well over a year and sadly we do not get to see him that often. He is currently trying to work & figure things out for himself on his own because sometimes that is the only way to achieve that goal. We are hoping that he is able to do so in the near future.

I need to wrap up this post. I have almost hit the 3000 word mark and still might hit it by the time I say "bye," so I'll be brief and say thanks for stopping by as always. ♥