Finally... The Continuation of the Patrick Henry book review

Okay,



So this post has been a long time coming, I know. I apologize if it's not to the standards of my previous posts regarding this book review. In the previous posts, we have explored the following themes:

1.) Turning Lemons into Lemonade (a.k.a. making the best out of a difficult situation)
2.) Do what you can to make your life better, while accepting the rest.
3. ) The power of and how it impacts someone's life.
4.) Passion: Doing What You Love

As I continued to review this book, it amazes me how many lives have been affected just hearing Patrick Henry's testimony and music. I think his father puts it best when he says, "Finally, I have a purpose in life that is bigger than me- spreading God's message of possibilities and unconditional love to all who choose to listen. It's a wonderful and I owe it all to Patrick Henry!"

When we last left the book, Patrick Henry was in high school and taking piano lessons with Ms. Henda at her house. Over time, this became difficult because of accessibility issues (Up until this point, his father had been carrying his son inside the house) As a result, Ms. Henda began coming to their house and still comes there today for his lessons. To Patrick, music is not only a love but a challenge.

"The most exciting late pursuits are the ones you can never fully master," he replies. That challenge, he says, is what propels him to the next day, overcoming whatever comes his way. He admits it's not always easy finding one's passion. But when you do, it changes your life forever.

As one of Patrick Henry's friends put it, music was a form of escape for her. At first, he didn't quite see his passion that way. But now he does. He explains, "It's an escape to places inside of me that I couldn't otherwise reach,"

I think this is an appropriate place to stop for right now. Next week, we will explore his next principle, "Be the You Your Mother Would Be Proud of."
Most people would be surprised to find out music is not Patrick's only passion in life. He also enjoys studying Spanish.

Opening of the Winter Olympics last week

Welcome back,

Okay, so I used be more into the Winter Olympics then I am today. It's probably because all of my old favorites have turned professional in their winter sports or have retired to move on in their lives. Not that I blame them though of course. That being said, I was upset like most people when I heard of the tragedy from Vancouver. But in the tradition of the Olympics, the athletes stayed strong and continue in their games.

On another note, I was surprised to find out that Paralympic athlete Rick Hansen was chosen to carry the torch into the opening ceremonies. What a unique choice; a great way to show the diversity among people. I tried to find a full clip of the Rick Hansen making his entrance. But I couldn't find one; this is the best I can come up with...
http://vimeo.com/9345077

Another interesting piece about autism

Okay,

So I don't quite get it, the last couple of days there has been a lot of disability related information on the news. This one is yet another study on the probability of autism in premature births. University College in London connected the research evaluating over 250 births. The results: over 8% of those premature births (births before the 26th week) were diagnosed with autism by the age of 11

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Citation for TV Program: "Health Alert " Fox channel 5 WTTG DC, News at 5 pm, February 12, 2010

Possible MS breakthrough

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't been feeling well enough to continue my series on I Am Potential. I hope to be feeling better by Saturday, so I can sort through what I think is most important about the book. When we last were reviewing it, I told you about his struggles to find the perfect piano teacher that would suit his disability- adapting the lessons to his limitations and yet giving him the wings to fly on his own. Please stay with me, it's a remarkable story that I'm sure we can all learn a lot from.

For the time being, though, I came across this new segment that I found quite interesting. This one involving the possibility of a blood flow abnormality causing the symptoms. The study suggests that patients with MS are "twice as likely to have blood flow problems in the neck". This not only restricts blood flow to the brain but is thought cause the iron deficiency that leads to the MS symptoms

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Citation:

Citation for TV Program: "Possible MS Breakthrough " Fox channel 5 WTTG DC, News at 5 pm, February 11, 2010

New study regarding autism risks

Welcome back,
Okay, so I didn't make my projected deadline for the Patrick Henry book review again! I just don't think I have the patience to listen to the CDs to find out where I was. Let alone, it seems to be snowing again in Virginia, so I can't really do much. Since it doesn't seem like my personal assistants will be working for me anytime this week, I plan on getting a lot of writing done. Still, be on the lookout for the book review this Wednesday. I might just do it! For the time being, I heard a interesting piece of news related to autism today. A recent study showed the impact that age had on pregnancy risks. According to the study, your risk for autism increases by 18% for every five years in a woman's age
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Citation for TV Program: "Health Alert " Fox channel 5 WTTG DC, News at 5 pm, February 8, 2010

Makeover for 23-year-old young woman on the Tyra Banks show.

Okay,

So it looks like I'm going to be snowed in for another big snowstorm. Over the last the last couple of months, Virginia has said records amounts of snow. Not that I mind, but that's one of the positives to moving here and what do we get? I can't figure it out.. I guess this will allow me the time to catch up on some writing projects. That being said, I haven't forgotten about my promise to continue my series on Patrick Henry's I am Potential. That blog post was scheduled for Wednesday, but it's going to take me a few hours to figure out where I left off in the book and write an adequate post. So look for it later on this weekend..

Today, I want to highlight something very special on my blog. I just happened to be watching the Tyra Banks show and see clips from upcoming shows. In my area, the Tyra Banks show is shown during the three o'clock and four o'clock time slot . Well, I just happened to be watching the three o'clock episode oddly featuring women who are newly divorced and struggling to find themselves again- but that's besides the point. Anyway, they previewed clips from her next show which included random strangers who thought they had fashion sense trying to make over some of the people on the streets of New York. me tell you, the people with fashion sense were right to pick the people they did because their transformations were amazing..

Part of the show included Tyra telling this inspirational story of meeting one of her fans on the street. This fan, named Janelle,, who happens to be in a wheelchair with CP, was "walking" with her mother and just happened to see Tyra up ahead. Obviously, Janelle wanted to meet her. So her mother introduced the two of them. But you know what the first thing Janelle said was? It was: "Tyra, I want a makeover!"

So that's what Tyra did.

Turns out, Janelle avidly watches America's Next Top Model, so as part of the surprise, she had two of her favorite models Yvonne and Aminat to help out.

Janelle wanted to make over.. but why? She puts it best saying, "She wanted to prove that people in wheelchairs would like makeovers once in a while,"

In the end, Janelle came out wearing a pink sweater with some kind of Leopard print underneath and black tights. She was also accessorized with a pink headband.

I applaud Tyra so much for doing that for Janelle. Like her, I have never disabled models in media, which is something I would like to see more of.

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Citation:

Citation for TV Program: the Tyra Show: CW channel 3 or 463 (WDCW or WDCWDT) February 5 at 4 PM

Growing Problems in Adults with CP.

Welcome Back~

Okay, so silly me.. I can't remember whether I posted this article before or not. This article makes some startling revelations as to the growing number of health problems in adults with CP. I know it's true because I've already experienced a few of these problems myself. But I figure if you know what to expect, then you are better prepared for what may come in the future. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

http://physical-disabilities.suite101.com/article.cfm/cerebral_palsy_in_adults

On a personal note, I realize that I have yet to finish my book review of Patrick Henry's book, I Am Potential. For those of you looking forward to the continuation of the series, I am truly sorry it's taken me so long. I have every intention of finishing it- starting Wednesdays from now on. I will do my best to start where I left off, but I really can't be sure if I'm doing so because I'm going from a audio book. Also, if you have any other suggestions or comments, feel free to e-mail me.