Just wanted to post a quick update to say we still haven't heard from the Conductive Learning Center. We still don't know if they are going to be able to or want to accept Bryce into their summer camp.
I definitely expected to know by now and that is starting to concern me. We have a second and third choice school but each would be more expensive than the previous.
Lucky though we have had the most heart warming and, honestly, completely surprising outpouring of support. At this rate we might actually be able to swing those other options. If need be.
{I have a whole other post planned on the fundraising but can I just say - thank you to each and every one of you from the bottom of our grateful hearts!}
We still have our hearts set on Michigan. So if I don't hear by lunch tomorrow, I'll cease not bugging them and call them myself.
You'll be the first to know!
Fingers crossed. XX
Thursday, February 7
Monday, February 4
Steady Progress
Fundraising
How awesomely blessed are we to have such an amazing group of friends, family and extended network!? With your support and beyond generous donations to Bryce's fundraiser we've raised an astonishing $2,325!! That's quite nearly half of our total goal!I honestly never dreamed we would be able to raise the money by our goal date in April but at this rate I think we just might get there.
Woo hoo - you guys are the bestest!!
The Application Process
We've completed the application process and I spoke to the director of the Conductive Learning Center today. She said that she had already reviewed Bryce's application and would be looking at his video this afternoon.We spent some time trying to capture what Bryce is currently capable of, based on the recommendations for the video assessment given by the center. Not being absolutely sure what they were looking for was hard since I really just want them to accept him but I guess they have their methods.
Here's what we sent:
The director said that I should expect to hear back from her tomorrow...now if I could only make it come a little quicker!
Friday, February 1
Help Bryce WALK Fundraiser
We've officially begun fundraising for Bryce's 2013 Conductive Education Summer Camp at the Conductive Learning Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
We started yesterday afternoon and have been humbled by the generous support of our friends, family and extended network. We have already raised over $500! And while that is just a fraction of the total we will need, it makes this seem like a real possibility.
Our fundraising goal is $4,810. I know that is a LOT of money so I'm going to break down how we came to that total.
We're using the online fundraising tool Fundly, which allows us to accept credit card donations from anyone interested in helping Bryce reach his fullest potential. It's a fantastic tool because our supporters can donate as well as share our story and fundraiser with their network of friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and Email. We're already impressed with how this has helped to spread the message and optimistic it will further enable us to reach our goal.
I hope you will consider donating to our fundraiser. But if you can't (and if you can too!) please click on the image above and become a supporter - then tell everyone you know about Bryce and the big plans we have in store for our little fighter!
I'll be posting updates as we produce Bryce's assessment video, progress toward our goal, plan other fundraisers and know for sure that Bryce has been selected for the camp.
Wondering what happens if they don't accept Bryce's application? That won't stop us! We have a second choice camp in Orlando, Florida as a back up plan. No matter what I have to do, we'll get Bryce into a program! Thank you for your support and generosity!
Much love & appreciation,
We started yesterday afternoon and have been humbled by the generous support of our friends, family and extended network. We have already raised over $500! And while that is just a fraction of the total we will need, it makes this seem like a real possibility.
Our fundraising goal is $4,810. I know that is a LOT of money so I'm going to break down how we came to that total.
We're using the online fundraising tool Fundly, which allows us to accept credit card donations from anyone interested in helping Bryce reach his fullest potential. It's a fantastic tool because our supporters can donate as well as share our story and fundraiser with their network of friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and Email. We're already impressed with how this has helped to spread the message and optimistic it will further enable us to reach our goal.
I hope you will consider donating to our fundraiser. But if you can't (and if you can too!) please click on the image above and become a supporter - then tell everyone you know about Bryce and the big plans we have in store for our little fighter!
I'll be posting updates as we produce Bryce's assessment video, progress toward our goal, plan other fundraisers and know for sure that Bryce has been selected for the camp.
Wondering what happens if they don't accept Bryce's application? That won't stop us! We have a second choice camp in Orlando, Florida as a back up plan. No matter what I have to do, we'll get Bryce into a program! Thank you for your support and generosity!
Much love & appreciation,
Wednesday, January 30
Exciting Possiblities
Many of you may already know that Bryce is no longer receiving his regular therapy, except for hippotherapy. We had an insurance change effective November 30th that left us with no coverage for the sessions of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy that Bryce has been receiving at least weekly since he was six months old.
I didn't blog about it because, quite frankly, I was devastated. I felt like a failure. Valid or not, that is how I felt. My job as Bryce's mom is to care for him and give him every possible opportunity to reach his full potential that I possibly can. And in my mind's eye, that means I should be doing everything there is to be done. I considered regular therapy to be a vital part of that plan.
First I panicked, then I resigned myself to it and decided to enjoy the holidays and our time together before really getting down to brass tacks and figuring out our next step. Well, as the holidays came to a close I noticed that my feelings had begun to shift slightly. We had never had a real break from therapy and it was good to see that Bryce could continue to make some progress even without it. His speech is still a huge worry for us, especially since he's made little to no progress on that front in I don't even want to think about how long. But Bryce has begun balancing to stand for up to 20 seconds at a time. And our little turkey could definitely stand longer if he wasn't so determined to take a step, too!
Despite coming to terms, I've been racking my brain every second of every day trying to figure out our best next move. I'd considered leaving a job I love to find one with insurance but realized I'd have to work outside our home full time and then when and how would Bryce get to his 5 or more hourly therapy sessions per week?
We looked into changing insurance, thinking we could pay more if it gave us the coverage we needed, but low and behold - private insurance policies all have these ridiculously low therapy coverage limits. Even Caleb's policy through his employer would cost more per month than we could afford with a $3,000 deductible before covering just 25 visits per year. Bryce would use all of his visits in the first two months of the year.
Maybe I should stop working and we could qualify for CHIP or Medicaid but then how would we pay for our home and expenses?
The list of possibilities seemed endless but unfortunately so did the reasons why none of them would work for our Bryce.
Beyond frustrated I returned to the clinicaltrials.gov website where I periodically search for clinical studies that Bryce might qualify for and benefit from. And this time, for the first time, there were several I thought could be mutually beneficial for us and the studies.
I began contacting some and asking questions, filling out applications and medical histories, researching the studies and their leading doctors. And it was during the research of a constraint induced therapy study being held at the Columbia Teacher's College in New York that I accidentally found Ability Camp through a paid Google Ad.
I clicked that ad with full knowledge that it was an advertisement and was floored when the very first page showed video of children very much like Bryce making incredible strides in just 5 weeks at this intensive camp.
I had to know more.
So I read up on their method of teaching for children with Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other such brain related motor issues: conductive education.
First founded in Budapest, Hungary in the 1940's, conductive education was hidden behind the iron curtain for decades but has since become the standard of care for these children across Europe. Several years ago 60 Minutes did a segment on the methodology, which you can watch here:
Since that 60 Minutes segment Conductive Education has been spreading across the U.S. There aren't currently any facilities in Texas but 20 states now have CE centers. After thorough research we decided that this has to be our next step for Bryce. We simply can't pass up an opportunity to help him be more independent, to build his self confidence and maybe, just maybe, to walk.
I looked into the various programs being offered and have excitedly decided on the Conductive Learning Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here is a video they did for their annual fundraiser a couple of years back:
We're hoping and praying that Bryce will be accepted to attend their summer camp this year. The summer camp is a 5 week intensive conductive education program where the children attend small group classes for 5 hours, 5 days per week. I can't begin to tell you how excited we are at the potential progress we hope for in that 5 weeks!
Of course, as you can imagine, this is no small endeavor for our little family. Things are tight, we have a 6 month old baby, Grand Rapids is on the other side of the country and a significant investment is necessary to make this a reality. It's a lofty goal but one we feel we have no choice but to go for.
And things are moving fast! The application deadline for the summer camp is February 1 but the center sells out of spots every year, maintaining a wait list each summer. So I sent in our application yesterday and will be sending in an assessment video by week's end. By God's grace, Bryce will be accepted into the program and there will be a spot still open for him. And then we'll be working our butts off to raise the funds to help cover the cost of driving to the center, staying at the Ronald McDonald house for 5 weeks and paying Bryce's tuition.
I hope you will all come on this adventure with us, as you have walked along the challenging, heart breaking, joyous journey of Bryce's life thus far. I'll be back in a couple of days with a video assesment of Bryce so we can all see where he is today and hopefully can look back this summer and see how far he has come.
I didn't blog about it because, quite frankly, I was devastated. I felt like a failure. Valid or not, that is how I felt. My job as Bryce's mom is to care for him and give him every possible opportunity to reach his full potential that I possibly can. And in my mind's eye, that means I should be doing everything there is to be done. I considered regular therapy to be a vital part of that plan.
First I panicked, then I resigned myself to it and decided to enjoy the holidays and our time together before really getting down to brass tacks and figuring out our next step. Well, as the holidays came to a close I noticed that my feelings had begun to shift slightly. We had never had a real break from therapy and it was good to see that Bryce could continue to make some progress even without it. His speech is still a huge worry for us, especially since he's made little to no progress on that front in I don't even want to think about how long. But Bryce has begun balancing to stand for up to 20 seconds at a time. And our little turkey could definitely stand longer if he wasn't so determined to take a step, too!
Despite coming to terms, I've been racking my brain every second of every day trying to figure out our best next move. I'd considered leaving a job I love to find one with insurance but realized I'd have to work outside our home full time and then when and how would Bryce get to his 5 or more hourly therapy sessions per week?
We looked into changing insurance, thinking we could pay more if it gave us the coverage we needed, but low and behold - private insurance policies all have these ridiculously low therapy coverage limits. Even Caleb's policy through his employer would cost more per month than we could afford with a $3,000 deductible before covering just 25 visits per year. Bryce would use all of his visits in the first two months of the year.
Maybe I should stop working and we could qualify for CHIP or Medicaid but then how would we pay for our home and expenses?
The list of possibilities seemed endless but unfortunately so did the reasons why none of them would work for our Bryce.
Beyond frustrated I returned to the clinicaltrials.gov website where I periodically search for clinical studies that Bryce might qualify for and benefit from. And this time, for the first time, there were several I thought could be mutually beneficial for us and the studies.
I began contacting some and asking questions, filling out applications and medical histories, researching the studies and their leading doctors. And it was during the research of a constraint induced therapy study being held at the Columbia Teacher's College in New York that I accidentally found Ability Camp through a paid Google Ad.
I clicked that ad with full knowledge that it was an advertisement and was floored when the very first page showed video of children very much like Bryce making incredible strides in just 5 weeks at this intensive camp.
I had to know more.
So I read up on their method of teaching for children with Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other such brain related motor issues: conductive education.
First founded in Budapest, Hungary in the 1940's, conductive education was hidden behind the iron curtain for decades but has since become the standard of care for these children across Europe. Several years ago 60 Minutes did a segment on the methodology, which you can watch here:
Since that 60 Minutes segment Conductive Education has been spreading across the U.S. There aren't currently any facilities in Texas but 20 states now have CE centers. After thorough research we decided that this has to be our next step for Bryce. We simply can't pass up an opportunity to help him be more independent, to build his self confidence and maybe, just maybe, to walk.
I looked into the various programs being offered and have excitedly decided on the Conductive Learning Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here is a video they did for their annual fundraiser a couple of years back:
We're hoping and praying that Bryce will be accepted to attend their summer camp this year. The summer camp is a 5 week intensive conductive education program where the children attend small group classes for 5 hours, 5 days per week. I can't begin to tell you how excited we are at the potential progress we hope for in that 5 weeks!
Of course, as you can imagine, this is no small endeavor for our little family. Things are tight, we have a 6 month old baby, Grand Rapids is on the other side of the country and a significant investment is necessary to make this a reality. It's a lofty goal but one we feel we have no choice but to go for.
And things are moving fast! The application deadline for the summer camp is February 1 but the center sells out of spots every year, maintaining a wait list each summer. So I sent in our application yesterday and will be sending in an assessment video by week's end. By God's grace, Bryce will be accepted into the program and there will be a spot still open for him. And then we'll be working our butts off to raise the funds to help cover the cost of driving to the center, staying at the Ronald McDonald house for 5 weeks and paying Bryce's tuition.
I hope you will all come on this adventure with us, as you have walked along the challenging, heart breaking, joyous journey of Bryce's life thus far. I'll be back in a couple of days with a video assesment of Bryce so we can all see where he is today and hopefully can look back this summer and see how far he has come.
Wednesday, December 19
A Moline 2012
Where has this year gone? It's been a wonderful year in the Moline home. Sure, we've had our fair share of stress and worry but we also expanded to four, had a lot of laughs and celebrated some pretty amazing milestones.
Here's a little visual recap...
Thanks to everyone who thought of us, prayed for us, read my blog and stood by us throughout 2012. Here's hoping 2013 is even better, for our family and yours!
Here's a little visual recap...
Moline life in 2012. Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.
Thanks to everyone who thought of us, prayed for us, read my blog and stood by us throughout 2012. Here's hoping 2013 is even better, for our family and yours!
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