A dear friend asked me to post this - Christmas, Dakotah’s favorite things, Nate’s college

I don’t care about Christmas presents – my Christmas wish is just that I don’t lose Dakotah during this surgery (I get more nervous with every day that passes and her surgery date gets closer) and that her recovery isn’t extremely painful for her – I hate that she won’t be able to communicate her pain to me – I will have to gauge her baseline and cries/sounds. I’m sure Nathan would love to have gas money. He was working part-time when he was living at home and he paid for all his own gas and car payments but since being in college with a course load of 15 credit hours, he can’t work. He doesn’t really need or want anything materialistic. We are doing okay for his college expenses. He does have a prepaid college fund for his tuition hours and then he got several grants this year since he’s a first time college student. I am using student loans to pay for my doctorate classes but have to pay for books ($295 this semester – 2 classes – 6 books – ridiculous). It’s hard doing classes and working, but since I can’t get any help for Dakotah, I have to do something so that I can eventually make more money.

Dakotah’s favorite thing – talking about this brings tears to my eyes Angela!!!! Dakotah LOVES to watch t.v. (especially cartoons – Spongebob in particular.  There’s nothing else she can really do – she can’t play with toys or anything. A few months later I also had to pawn our living room t.v. (not good bc she needed that to watch when she is up in her wheelchair or laying on the couch), video camera, digital camera, anything I could find to get money to buy groceries, pay essential bills. I had an old style 19” tv in my room that I moved out into the living room. (Of course Nate was bummed about having a smaller t.v. in the living room but he accepted it like the good son that he is and understood why I had to do it).

As of this posting today (9/13), someone has already offered to buy Dakotah her t.v. for her bedroom and then someone else is giving us a t.v. for our living room. One that is larger enough for her to be able to sit in her wheelchair back by me on the couch and not have to sit way up close to the t.v. (due to her vision issues). I thank God for these people for these donations to my family.

We still have a ways to go to get the bills caught up, especially my van payment but my sweet "angel" Angela is helping us. She is heading up a walk on 9/28 to help raise money for our family. I am forever indebted to her and to all those who are coming together to help us!!!!