-
SilentFury said... sorry malcolm/joan, I never got around to finishing he blog entry.
Malcolm said...sphen.....what now?
don't worry buddy. we'll get to it!
tell you what...if the spirit moves you...do it on the comment thingy!
malcolm - SilentFury said...
all right, here goes,
" ’DAAAAAAAAAVVVVE’ is back! As soon as Malcolm and Joan showed up, the first thing Kenny said was, ‘Nooooooooo maaaaaaaan, iiiiiiiiii’m Daaaaaaaaaaave!’ It took a while, but Malcolm managed to find a video of ‘Daaaaaaaaaaavvvvve’ on Youtube. I (Sphen) went down stairs for a bath, and thought the ‘Daaaaaaaaaaaavvvvve’ thing would pass, but sure enough when I got back Kenny and his brother Kam, were still shouting ‘Nooooooooooo maaaaaaaaan, iiiiiiii’m Daaaaaaavvvve!’ and we still were laughing hysterically! For the rest of the night Kenny, Kam, Pavel, Joan, Malcolm and I were trying to come up with a new saying, or catchphrase, or whatever it was. Malcolm and Pavel were doing a bit off of Ferris Bueler’s Day Off. Malcolm would do the ‘BAH BAH…’ and Pavel would carry it on with the ‘ChikaChika.’ That was funny too." You guys can add whatever you want
Friday, 16 October 2009
The return of Dave
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Nehal
NormieNehal is a charmer. It is an absolute joy to be around him and I look forward to watching him grow up. If ever there was a twinkle to be put into your eye it can be done by Nehal.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Chubby Girl Babies + Normie
Hey everyone, it's Joan!
Tonight's shift was very quiet, enjoyable, and low key.
Volunteers on shift were : me, Martin (subbing for Malcolm and Steve), Chris and Janelle (both subbing for Amanda).
After dinner of huge, delicious ravioli and turkey meat loaf (aka bird loaf), Jeffrey went back into bed. He is still recovering from his surgery from the summer, but he is doing much better!
Chris, Janelle, Martin, and I all went to the school room with Collin and Kay. Chris watched videos with Collin, Martin started chatting it up with Collin's dad, and Janelle and I sang songs to Kay. Kay has trouble hearing and has an implant in his ear to help him, but his earpiece keeps falling off! Still, when we sang songs that were familiar to him such as "Happy Birthday," he would all of a sudden give a huge grin in recognition and get excited! Tonight, however, he was not having his best day so the nurses put him to bed early.
Afterwards, I went downstairs to see if the nurses needed any help, and I got to hold and cuddle baby Kary. She is so cute!! She has smooth black hair, soft cheeks, tiny hands and feet...and she's so adorably chubby! I kept having to sit her up more because she has laboured breathing, and she fell asleep in my arms a couple of times. She loved the attention! Around me were 3 other baby girls : Jenna, whose parents were there for a bit, Maggie, and Josie.
The thing that will make me remember this shift most, however, is my discovery of an article taped onto the white board at the nurse's station. And who was this article about? Little Normie, real name : Nehal! (Since his real name is in the article, I suppose it won't do any harm to mention it here.) He's the little 4-year-old boy we've talked about many times who absolutely loves rockband. From the name cards provided for volunteers at the hospice, I gathered that Nehal had Tetralogy of Fallot, but from this article, I found out that he has "pulmonary atresia ventrical septal defect with multiple aortopulmonary collaterals" *breathes in*. That is a mouthful! He has had 3 surgeries in the past, which were successful, but because of the complexity of his condition, he is going to Stanford in November to receive another surgery. His mum, Shalini, is such a wonderful person, and Nehal is such a lovable little boy; I really hope they will find what they are looking for in California.
If you would like to read this article, please click HERE.
Tonight's shift was very quiet, enjoyable, and low key.
Volunteers on shift were : me, Martin (subbing for Malcolm and Steve), Chris and Janelle (both subbing for Amanda).
After dinner of huge, delicious ravioli and turkey meat loaf (aka bird loaf), Jeffrey went back into bed. He is still recovering from his surgery from the summer, but he is doing much better!
Chris, Janelle, Martin, and I all went to the school room with Collin and Kay. Chris watched videos with Collin, Martin started chatting it up with Collin's dad, and Janelle and I sang songs to Kay. Kay has trouble hearing and has an implant in his ear to help him, but his earpiece keeps falling off! Still, when we sang songs that were familiar to him such as "Happy Birthday," he would all of a sudden give a huge grin in recognition and get excited! Tonight, however, he was not having his best day so the nurses put him to bed early.
Afterwards, I went downstairs to see if the nurses needed any help, and I got to hold and cuddle baby Kary. She is so cute!! She has smooth black hair, soft cheeks, tiny hands and feet...and she's so adorably chubby! I kept having to sit her up more because she has laboured breathing, and she fell asleep in my arms a couple of times. She loved the attention! Around me were 3 other baby girls : Jenna, whose parents were there for a bit, Maggie, and Josie.
The thing that will make me remember this shift most, however, is my discovery of an article taped onto the white board at the nurse's station. And who was this article about? Little Normie, real name : Nehal! (Since his real name is in the article, I suppose it won't do any harm to mention it here.) He's the little 4-year-old boy we've talked about many times who absolutely loves rockband. From the name cards provided for volunteers at the hospice, I gathered that Nehal had Tetralogy of Fallot, but from this article, I found out that he has "pulmonary atresia ventrical septal defect with multiple aortopulmonary collaterals" *breathes in*. That is a mouthful! He has had 3 surgeries in the past, which were successful, but because of the complexity of his condition, he is going to Stanford in November to receive another surgery. His mum, Shalini, is such a wonderful person, and Nehal is such a lovable little boy; I really hope they will find what they are looking for in California.
If you would like to read this article, please click HERE.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
It appears I was a happy camper
Or maybe I just like to have my picture taken. I promise you that where you see me running, and smiling on the out side...my insides are crying. Can't wait for next year! Adventure Cam to come soon...and a race report.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Last Friday - night of extremes
Hey everyone!
Joan is back! I've been a bit MIA with posting here - my excuse is that I've been busy with back to school and now, school. I am starting my first year in UBC Pharmacy, and it is a bit overwhelming now, but it is all very interesting and I'm sure I will adapt to it all very soon. Tonight I finally have a bit of down time, and seeing that Malcolm hasn't posted about last shift, I will do the honours!
On volunteer shift that night were me, Malcolm, Santos, and new peer volunteer, Amanda! Jen, the receptionist-family hybrid volunteer was also back at reception after a long break to take care of her dog and summer holidays. Welcome back, Jen! Kids in the house included Nina, Nina's brother Doug (I forgot what name he wanted!), Isaac, Elvis, Patrick, and Christina.
The entire night can be effectively described by one word : extreme.
After dinner, we all gravitated towards the Sun room. We turned on Barney to keep Nina happy, plugged Elvis into his celtic and campfire songs on his CD player, and the rest of us sat on our bums and just talked. With Barney's and the singing children's soothing voices, as well as the room's dim lighting, all of us started getting sleepy. We seriously could have just lay our heads down on the sofa and taken a nap - but no! That's not what good volunteers do!
After awhile, a burst of energy came by and Santos, Malcolm, and Doug started having an intense matches of air hockey. And I mean INTENSE. Play was accompanied by frequent yells of joy and frustration, so loud that we had to turn Barney on to almost full volume to keep Nina satisfied. Anyways, the boys finished their matches all tired and sweaty, and I believe Santos was the ultimate winner. =)
And of course...I had my friday-nightly toast and half-a-toasted-bagel with nothing on it.
Joan is back! I've been a bit MIA with posting here - my excuse is that I've been busy with back to school and now, school. I am starting my first year in UBC Pharmacy, and it is a bit overwhelming now, but it is all very interesting and I'm sure I will adapt to it all very soon. Tonight I finally have a bit of down time, and seeing that Malcolm hasn't posted about last shift, I will do the honours!
On volunteer shift that night were me, Malcolm, Santos, and new peer volunteer, Amanda! Jen, the receptionist-family hybrid volunteer was also back at reception after a long break to take care of her dog and summer holidays. Welcome back, Jen! Kids in the house included Nina, Nina's brother Doug (I forgot what name he wanted!), Isaac, Elvis, Patrick, and Christina.
The entire night can be effectively described by one word : extreme.
After dinner, we all gravitated towards the Sun room. We turned on Barney to keep Nina happy, plugged Elvis into his celtic and campfire songs on his CD player, and the rest of us sat on our bums and just talked. With Barney's and the singing children's soothing voices, as well as the room's dim lighting, all of us started getting sleepy. We seriously could have just lay our heads down on the sofa and taken a nap - but no! That's not what good volunteers do!
After awhile, a burst of energy came by and Santos, Malcolm, and Doug started having an intense matches of air hockey. And I mean INTENSE. Play was accompanied by frequent yells of joy and frustration, so loud that we had to turn Barney on to almost full volume to keep Nina satisfied. Anyways, the boys finished their matches all tired and sweaty, and I believe Santos was the ultimate winner. =)
And of course...I had my friday-nightly toast and half-a-toasted-bagel with nothing on it.
Friday, 11 September 2009
psych!
I woke up to a $9000 donation today! my mind raced!
long story short: do you own donations online...and make sure you check what you have submitted!!!
$9000 has been refunded. $900 coming our way!
long story short: do you own donations online...and make sure you check what you have submitted!!!
$9000 has been refunded. $900 coming our way!
Thursday, 10 September 2009
$220 000
thats a big number. that is what 120 of us adventurers have collected for saturday's race. wow!
congratulations everyone. good luck on saturday!
www.adventurechallenge.ca
congratulations everyone. good luck on saturday!
www.adventurechallenge.ca
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Training
Here are a couple of training videos I put a lot of thought into in preparation for the big race on Saturday:
The first:
And the Second:
to be here soon!
I will leave you to decide which is best. I can tell you how I felt after the pancakes.
Looking forward to the race next weekend. As out of conditioning as I feel it will still be a fantastic day. Have you seen the totals for funds raised? I am over $2600 (thanks to Justin) and the Challenge is at $201 000! Hot Dawg! Thank you everyone!
The first:
And the Second:
to be here soon!
I will leave you to decide which is best. I can tell you how I felt after the pancakes.
Looking forward to the race next weekend. As out of conditioning as I feel it will still be a fantastic day. Have you seen the totals for funds raised? I am over $2600 (thanks to Justin) and the Challenge is at $201 000! Hot Dawg! Thank you everyone!
Friday, 4 September 2009
Short term vs long term planning...
well....the race with the trailrider may be on hold as a result of this short term, getting too excited planning philosophy i ascribe to, but that is ok! I understand the limitations that short term planning has to offer and what this leads to is planned, organised, all areas covered, long term planning....which is good.....right?
Some of our ideas might come to fruition this year. I believe that ALL of our ideas (and more) will make it for next years race.
Sweet news in the DONATIONS box this week. Remember my student Justin? He emailed me with some news on a donation that was to be made by his family with thanks to his Aunt. Unfortunately his Aunt is ill. She made available some money to be donated in Justin's sisters name (Tamryn) to a charity. Justin's family has been a part of the Canuck Place family for a number of years. Tamryn passed away at the house after living her short life with Tay-Sachs.
Thank you to the Fishman family for the $900 donation.
Some of our ideas might come to fruition this year. I believe that ALL of our ideas (and more) will make it for next years race.
Sweet news in the DONATIONS box this week. Remember my student Justin? He emailed me with some news on a donation that was to be made by his family with thanks to his Aunt. Unfortunately his Aunt is ill. She made available some money to be donated in Justin's sisters name (Tamryn) to a charity. Justin's family has been a part of the Canuck Place family for a number of years. Tamryn passed away at the house after living her short life with Tay-Sachs.
Thank you to the Fishman family for the $900 donation.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
trailrider
ok...check this out. it could really happen.
Nicole (another house family volunteer) and I (and mike) have suggested and hope to run the 10km trail run of the Canuck Place Adventure Challenge with Luke. Why the challenge? Luke is young kid who spends his time in a pretty skookum wheelchair. The wheelchair, although pretty hefty and solid, is not built for the rocks, boulders, creeks and bridges that the trail offers.
go here: www.bcmos.org
and check out the trailrider. A chair that was the brainchild of former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and friends.
Now we just need to make it happen!
Nicole (another house family volunteer) and I (and mike) have suggested and hope to run the 10km trail run of the Canuck Place Adventure Challenge with Luke. Why the challenge? Luke is young kid who spends his time in a pretty skookum wheelchair. The wheelchair, although pretty hefty and solid, is not built for the rocks, boulders, creeks and bridges that the trail offers.
go here: www.bcmos.org
and check out the trailrider. A chair that was the brainchild of former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and friends.
Now we just need to make it happen!
Monday, 24 August 2009
something is brewing for the race....
..so Leanne says, "Malcolm can you PLEASE help us on Friday for the Trailrider session at Jericho?!?!"
little did she know what thoughts might run through my brain (and similar thoughts through Nicole's brain) as we wheelbarrowed around jericho park and along the beach (past topless woman I might add) that day.
I look to Nicole at the end of our little walk about and say, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
fast forward 3 weeks later and Nicole goes for a run on the course and reports that it is (with some help) something that we can do....with somebody light!
I have been toying with the idea of somebody doing the kayak with me...but nothing ever came to fruition.
"hello Mrs Galvani. My name is Malcolm Chrystal. I am a volunteer at Canuck Place. We met at the Adventure Challenge last year....."
Ladies and gentlemen, it appears we have an epic sherpa event happening on the run in this year's adventure challenge!
Gill...are you able to help Nicole, Luke and I set up a visit with BCMOS sometime before the race so we can see how the chair and luke fit together?
I am away (selling seashells to hawaiians) until the 7th.
Yea!
Go team go!
malcolm
Thursday, 20 August 2009
$20 to Canuck Place from Lip Balm Sales
ok....it is not $1000's, but I am proud to donate $20 to Canuck Place for some sales of our Organic Island Shell Lip Balm. Five dollars from peer volunteer extaordinaire Joan and $15 from the Jericho Oceanman event a couple of weeks ago.
Friday, 14 August 2009
A week after...
I am still recovering a little from friday night! Actually I am recovering from a week of camping...the last night complete with 18 hours of full on RAIN. Packing up early in the morning in full rain storm at 0700.
Back to Friday. Great night all 'round. Dinner was awesome. Right off the bat after didnner I was targeted by a couple of brothers who were looking for a bit of rough action. I was there man!
Martin was in for Santos and he brought his wife in so she could help sign with one of the girls in the house. She has a vocabulary of over a 1000 words and it is awesome that Liz was in to hang out with her. Joan and Holl-y (or is that Holl-y?) were in and we were all ready for the night.
The brothers: a couple of rambunctious boys (one in Grage 8 and the other in Grade 12) that I will call J1 and J2, wanted to wrestle. Problem was wrestling in their minds is the WWF variety. All good and fun to watch on TV...but not the best for everyday folk. I set my mind to teach them how to wrestle the good old fashion amateur/collegiate style! We had tons of fun and J1 the elder was the eventual winner for the night! I think I broke my nose. It still hurts. J2, in some stupendous escape rolled up over my chest and face...smashing the cartilage. OW!
We wrestled for about 75 minutes! Inside for a break. After a little bit Holl-y (or -i) came down with the rest of the crew who wanted to go outside again. Out we go and just hung for a while until we started a game of hide and seek.
J2 eventually had the accident I was warning of him all night.
J2 laughs. Like K-Don laughs...full belly laughs that are exhausting and hard on your bladder. I kept warning him, "you are going to pee your pants if you keep laughing like that!".
J2 and I were hiding in the garden in a little cement nook. He is under the table...laughing (not good hiding strategy as that was how we were found in the bushes by his brother. All of a sudden somebody (not me) lets one rip and it reverberates against the concrete. Guess what? THAT IS FUNNY! J2 laughs even more....and then he squeals, "I peed my pants!!!!", which causes us to lose it completely! (it wasn't a gamestopper...just a little bit!)
Words of wisdom for the night:
When possible everybody should laugh so hard that you pee your pants. SOmetimes there is a good reason for everything!
Back to Friday. Great night all 'round. Dinner was awesome. Right off the bat after didnner I was targeted by a couple of brothers who were looking for a bit of rough action. I was there man!
Martin was in for Santos and he brought his wife in so she could help sign with one of the girls in the house. She has a vocabulary of over a 1000 words and it is awesome that Liz was in to hang out with her. Joan and Holl-y (or is that Holl-y?) were in and we were all ready for the night.
The brothers: a couple of rambunctious boys (one in Grage 8 and the other in Grade 12) that I will call J1 and J2, wanted to wrestle. Problem was wrestling in their minds is the WWF variety. All good and fun to watch on TV...but not the best for everyday folk. I set my mind to teach them how to wrestle the good old fashion amateur/collegiate style! We had tons of fun and J1 the elder was the eventual winner for the night! I think I broke my nose. It still hurts. J2, in some stupendous escape rolled up over my chest and face...smashing the cartilage. OW!
We wrestled for about 75 minutes! Inside for a break. After a little bit Holl-y (or -i) came down with the rest of the crew who wanted to go outside again. Out we go and just hung for a while until we started a game of hide and seek.
J2 eventually had the accident I was warning of him all night.
J2 laughs. Like K-Don laughs...full belly laughs that are exhausting and hard on your bladder. I kept warning him, "you are going to pee your pants if you keep laughing like that!".
J2 and I were hiding in the garden in a little cement nook. He is under the table...laughing (not good hiding strategy as that was how we were found in the bushes by his brother. All of a sudden somebody (not me) lets one rip and it reverberates against the concrete. Guess what? THAT IS FUNNY! J2 laughs even more....and then he squeals, "I peed my pants!!!!", which causes us to lose it completely! (it wasn't a gamestopper...just a little bit!)
Words of wisdom for the night:
When possible everybody should laugh so hard that you pee your pants. SOmetimes there is a good reason for everything!
Friday, 7 August 2009
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1190187032567&ref=mf
Public service announcement from global TV. Little Normie is in this video!
Public service announcement from global TV. Little Normie is in this video!
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Pokemon...
Hi, it's Joan!
Last night was pretty quiet. All the kids were pretty tired from all the sailing and fun at Jericho beach for the Summer in the City event! Malcolm was there helping out - too bad I couldn't go because I had lab volunteering!
Anyways, so there was me, Holly, Tony, and an on-call peer Sumeda. Kids in the house included Kelly, Mitch, Trent, Bradley, Reg, and baby Kate.
After dinner, Kelly went right to bed as she was exhausted from the long and exciting day.
Bradley kept on playing Pokemon Platinum on his Nintendo DS. This was when Holly and I launched into a nerdy nostalgic conversation about the oldest pokemon games on the old game boy colour we used to play. We talked about how Pikachu was useless wherease Squirtle was clearly superior...how Metapod was so annoying because all it could do was "harden"...oh it was delightful! But hey, we're not too old to play these games...I got a new DS lite recently, and I've been playing Pokemon Platinum on it too...=)
Afterwards, most of us went upstairs to the school room, except for Sumeda, who spent her night downstairs with baby Kate. Kate is soooo cute! She's only 11 months old, but she's pretty big, and her arms are so chubby. I was quite envious of Sumeda for getting to cuddle her.
For us in the school room, Trent and Mitch spent the night playing PS3 and watching videos on the computer, Bradley played computer games, and Tony brought Reg to the Snoezelen room and the piano to have some musical entertainment. While watching some Ghost Hunters with Trent, I was also catching up on some Harry Potter...
then it came to bath time! Trent and Mitch both had to take a bath...but neither of them wanted to go first. In the end, Trent got to go after Mitch because he won the polite contest (Mitch was getting quite angry and started being a bit rude).
And...that was it! Malcolm, I can't wait too see the lip balm samples!
Last night was pretty quiet. All the kids were pretty tired from all the sailing and fun at Jericho beach for the Summer in the City event! Malcolm was there helping out - too bad I couldn't go because I had lab volunteering!
Anyways, so there was me, Holly, Tony, and an on-call peer Sumeda. Kids in the house included Kelly, Mitch, Trent, Bradley, Reg, and baby Kate.
After dinner, Kelly went right to bed as she was exhausted from the long and exciting day.
Bradley kept on playing Pokemon Platinum on his Nintendo DS. This was when Holly and I launched into a nerdy nostalgic conversation about the oldest pokemon games on the old game boy colour we used to play. We talked about how Pikachu was useless wherease Squirtle was clearly superior...how Metapod was so annoying because all it could do was "harden"...oh it was delightful! But hey, we're not too old to play these games...I got a new DS lite recently, and I've been playing Pokemon Platinum on it too...=)
Afterwards, most of us went upstairs to the school room, except for Sumeda, who spent her night downstairs with baby Kate. Kate is soooo cute! She's only 11 months old, but she's pretty big, and her arms are so chubby. I was quite envious of Sumeda for getting to cuddle her.
For us in the school room, Trent and Mitch spent the night playing PS3 and watching videos on the computer, Bradley played computer games, and Tony brought Reg to the Snoezelen room and the piano to have some musical entertainment. While watching some Ghost Hunters with Trent, I was also catching up on some Harry Potter...
then it came to bath time! Trent and Mitch both had to take a bath...but neither of them wanted to go first. In the end, Trent got to go after Mitch because he won the polite contest (Mitch was getting quite angry and started being a bit rude).
And...that was it! Malcolm, I can't wait too see the lip balm samples!
BCMOS and the TrailRider
http://www.bcmos.org/index.php
yesterday we had the opportunity to go bushwhacking with some kids from the house with a very cool stroller/wheelchair/all terrain vehicle. it is called the TrailRider.
BCMOS is a group that makes the outsdoors accessible to people stuck in chairs.
They offer opportunities to go in gliders and work with these guys: DSA
They are the Disabled Sailing Association of BC. The kids got to go out in specialised Martin 16 sailboats.
Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan (himself chair bound) appears to be the driving force/inspiration behind both of these organisations.
Nicole (who did the Challenge last year) and I had a thought: Could we haul a kid on our run portion of the challenge? hhmmmmmmmm!!!!
yesterday we had the opportunity to go bushwhacking with some kids from the house with a very cool stroller/wheelchair/all terrain vehicle. it is called the TrailRider.
BCMOS is a group that makes the outsdoors accessible to people stuck in chairs.
They offer opportunities to go in gliders and work with these guys: DSA
They are the Disabled Sailing Association of BC. The kids got to go out in specialised Martin 16 sailboats.
Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan (himself chair bound) appears to be the driving force/inspiration behind both of these organisations.
Nicole (who did the Challenge last year) and I had a thought: Could we haul a kid on our run portion of the challenge? hhmmmmmmmm!!!!
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Return of the K-Dog and the Adventure Cam
What a blast last night (Friday)!
In the House we had K-Don, K-Dog, K-Rod, K-Dahl, K-Dahl's big sister K-Sian, and K-Lux. K-Santos, K-Joan, and K-Mal, and new peer volunteer K-Hol (who remembers me from subbing at West Van High!)
K-dog...aka keith...aka c'mon daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvve. i love this guy. he gets everything. he is one of those guys when you say something to the room...he is the one who gets the humour attached to it. I am a wee bit upset that he is on his way out of the house. The bugger is getting too old.
With respect to being too old...a great guy...and a dirty minded SOB is on his way out of the house is going to be missed. Robert has been part of the house for a long time. When I first met him I nearly kicked him in the face with my feet while one of us was on the swing...it was caught on video!
I know this is not the last I will see of him. We can visit by proxy with his little, albeit tougher and sassier, sister.
We had fun tonight. Highlight? Adventure Cam II!
May I present:
It is a 5 minute video. I thought it was funny! Make sure the volume is up. The K-Don is funny.
K-Dog is going to be tired this week...he did not stop laughing all night...pure, unadulterated, deep and meaningful belly laughs. He laughed so much he was sweating. I was sending zingers his way all night...but he mostly laughed when I wasn't saying anything at all!
In the House we had K-Don, K-Dog, K-Rod, K-Dahl, K-Dahl's big sister K-Sian, and K-Lux. K-Santos, K-Joan, and K-Mal, and new peer volunteer K-Hol (who remembers me from subbing at West Van High!)
K-dog...aka keith...aka c'mon daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvve. i love this guy. he gets everything. he is one of those guys when you say something to the room...he is the one who gets the humour attached to it. I am a wee bit upset that he is on his way out of the house. The bugger is getting too old.
With respect to being too old...a great guy...and a dirty minded SOB is on his way out of the house is going to be missed. Robert has been part of the house for a long time. When I first met him I nearly kicked him in the face with my feet while one of us was on the swing...it was caught on video!
I know this is not the last I will see of him. We can visit by proxy with his little, albeit tougher and sassier, sister.
We had fun tonight. Highlight? Adventure Cam II!
May I present:
 |
| From malcolm |
K-Dog is going to be tired this week...he did not stop laughing all night...pure, unadulterated, deep and meaningful belly laughs. He laughed so much he was sweating. I was sending zingers his way all night...but he mostly laughed when I wasn't saying anything at all!
Friday, 24 July 2009
Sponsorship - Tongue in Cheek
I understand that amateur athletes and professional athletes are always on the hunt for sponsorship. It is like sales: you have to knock on every door and give your sales pitch.
The difference between me and people who do athletics full time is the 'time' part. Nonetheless I believe I want a sponsorship...two of them!
The first would be a new ride. For those new to the blog I didn't own a bike 4 years ago and borrowed my big brother's bike: a skookum Brodie Enduro. The second year I borrowed it it was unceremoniously stolen from the back of my car the day of the race. Long story short: I ended up buying an old, too small, and scary condition bike on the corner of Hastings and Carroll (the Mecca of stolen goods in Vancouver...I was looking to see if my brother's had made it down yet) at 8am and began the race at 9am. (Long story long--click here!)
The second sponsorship would be a kilt. I own a Utilikilt (from Seattle) and as a joke told them of my intention to do the race in my kilt...but didn't want to ruin the one I own. They didn't respond to my joke.
I also sent a message to BiltKilt.com with same request. They are a canadian company so I am hoping for some homegrown hospitality!
I just though of a third sposorship I need: an Adventure Cam. Last year I mounted my camera on the bars of my bike and took pictures like this:
The difference between me and people who do athletics full time is the 'time' part. Nonetheless I believe I want a sponsorship...two of them!
The first would be a new ride. For those new to the blog I didn't own a bike 4 years ago and borrowed my big brother's bike: a skookum Brodie Enduro. The second year I borrowed it it was unceremoniously stolen from the back of my car the day of the race. Long story short: I ended up buying an old, too small, and scary condition bike on the corner of Hastings and Carroll (the Mecca of stolen goods in Vancouver...I was looking to see if my brother's had made it down yet) at 8am and began the race at 9am. (Long story long--click here!)
The second sponsorship would be a kilt. I own a Utilikilt (from Seattle) and as a joke told them of my intention to do the race in my kilt...but didn't want to ruin the one I own. They didn't respond to my joke.
I also sent a message to BiltKilt.com with same request. They are a canadian company so I am hoping for some homegrown hospitality!
I just though of a third sposorship I need: an Adventure Cam. Last year I mounted my camera on the bars of my bike and took pictures like this:
This year I am looking for a helmet mounted video camera that will take longer shots than one minute!
So there you have it. My three simple sponsorship dreams!
Somebody: Make it so.
Back to the House tonight. It has been a long time since I have been up there. Looking forward to it.
So there you have it. My three simple sponsorship dreams!
Somebody: Make it so.
Back to the House tonight. It has been a long time since I have been up there. Looking forward to it.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Oceanman 2009 - August 8
Mark the date. This is the one and only time I get to train for the paddle section of the Adventure Challenge each year: www.oceanman.ca
This takes place at Jericho Beach and is a 1k swim, 6k paddle, and a 10k run. My friends Blair and Carol will make up a team for the 3rd year in a row.
We are the volunteers extraordinaire team: in between set up and tear down of the event we do the race. Blair and I share the swim (500m each), tandem kayak (i need better songs to sing this year), and since the run is two parts Carol and I split the run.
It has the best athletic interludes ever. after the swim there was a tire carry, after the paddle there is a stand up paddle, somewhere on the first run is a croquet challenge. Who knows what will happen this year??
A great run
Well, a great run/walk! It was a smoking 29C (my favourite running weather) so I took my sore hamstring and gave it a little wake up.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Adventure Challenge Looms
So the countdown is on. Less than 2 months to go and I can tell by the way my body feels that I am woefully unprepared. I am hamstrung by a hamstring and I refuse to go for a run so I can take the time to stretch it out. School is out and my bike riding distances have dropped from 75k per week to zero. Despite being off for the summer my business quotient has risen through the roof.
My alternative "exercise for pay" options have slowed (this is the program where I do hard labour for you at $25 per hour. I love working hard in the sun hauling dirt, chopping wood, cutting lawns, cleaning roofs. you name it and I will do it!)
What is an adventure racer to do?
I need to be inspired. What would inspire me is if I can pass the $2000 mark in fundraising.
That, and geting on track with my alternative "exercise for pay", would be inspiring.
N'est ce pa?
Back to the house on the 24th. It has been ages since I was there. When you miss a shift...you miss a month. That sucks.
My alternative "exercise for pay" options have slowed (this is the program where I do hard labour for you at $25 per hour. I love working hard in the sun hauling dirt, chopping wood, cutting lawns, cleaning roofs. you name it and I will do it!)
What is an adventure racer to do?
I need to be inspired. What would inspire me is if I can pass the $2000 mark in fundraising.
That, and geting on track with my alternative "exercise for pay", would be inspiring.
N'est ce pa?
Back to the house on the 24th. It has been ages since I was there. When you miss a shift...you miss a month. That sucks.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Friday July 3rd
Hey everyone, it's Joan!
Last night's shift was very quiet indeed.
When I stepped into the house, I noticed that the green lamp was on. Leanne later filled me in that a teenager, new to the hospice, had come in for end-of-life care. She warned me that it might be a bit chaotic as extended family members would be coming in later that night. All this meant that us volunteers had to be extra sensitive and quiet with the kids.
Interestingly, there was no-one that we needed to keep quiet that night - no little people! In the house, there were only teens : Kirsten (new to the hospice), good-natured Alan, Stan, and Christina. Kirsten, Alan, and Stan spent time with their family and caretakers, so we only had to look after Christina.
Volunteers that night were me, Martin (subbing for Tony) and Hilary - a new peer volunteer and also my highschool/university buddy! So there were three volunteers, and all our attention was to Christina. What a lucky girl! (her hair is getting ever so long, and her nails were painted yellow with white flowers!)
The first part of the night, us three went outside with Christina for a walk around the house and to enjoy the last few rays of sunshine. Later, we let Martin go home, and Hilary, Christina, and I sat in the alcove to watch "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." So entertaining to see the actors all young and cute!
And..that was it! Til next time...
Last night's shift was very quiet indeed.
When I stepped into the house, I noticed that the green lamp was on. Leanne later filled me in that a teenager, new to the hospice, had come in for end-of-life care. She warned me that it might be a bit chaotic as extended family members would be coming in later that night. All this meant that us volunteers had to be extra sensitive and quiet with the kids.
Interestingly, there was no-one that we needed to keep quiet that night - no little people! In the house, there were only teens : Kirsten (new to the hospice), good-natured Alan, Stan, and Christina. Kirsten, Alan, and Stan spent time with their family and caretakers, so we only had to look after Christina.
Volunteers that night were me, Martin (subbing for Tony) and Hilary - a new peer volunteer and also my highschool/university buddy! So there were three volunteers, and all our attention was to Christina. What a lucky girl! (her hair is getting ever so long, and her nails were painted yellow with white flowers!)
The first part of the night, us three went outside with Christina for a walk around the house and to enjoy the last few rays of sunshine. Later, we let Martin go home, and Hilary, Christina, and I sat in the alcove to watch "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." So entertaining to see the actors all young and cute!
And..that was it! Til next time...
Friday, 26 June 2009
I'm here!
Hey everyone, it's Joan. I'm back! Surprised?
I've finished summer school, passed my road test, done my pharmacy interview...now I'm just waiting...and beginning to enjoy summer! Hooray!
Tonight's shift was pretty cool - me, Steve, and Joanna, who is a new peer volunteer! (Martin came in for dinner, but went home soon after because there weren't many kids in the house that needed 4 volunteers!)
After dinner, Steve, Joanna, and I brought Eliza, Nina, Stan, and baby Maria (Lucas and Gloria's baby sister!) outside to take a stroll around the house. Then we just hung out by the swings in the warm sunshine. Maria quite stole the whole show there - she is the cutest baby ever, and what's cool about her is : she has 6 fingers on each hand, and 6 toes on her left foot! And she has so much baby fat her arms look like they have 3 sections. She seemed to enjoy all the attention and was thoroughly content in her stroller and white hat.
When we didn't do something for a long period of time, Nina would start making crying noises; that indicated to us to go around the hospice again.
Finally we went inside!
Steve took Stan, and little Normie (who just finished dinner) downstairs for Rockband.
Joanna and I stayed with the girls on the 2nd floor and watch Cinderella! Eliza loves princess movies, and she was engrossed in the film completely.
Then Normie came upstairs to get his meds while sitting on my lap. He is the cutest thing ever! He pretends to be shy with a new nurse, but really he's so quirky and has such an energetic and fun personality - no wonder her mum is always so tired out by him!
Then little Katy (who is baby Shanna's sister) came back from what she called "Jang-jang", which I still do not understand, and watched some TV with us.
I think the highlight of the night was...when Normie bid us good night, and he went over to Katy and gave her a hug and kissed her shoulder, then her forehead. It was the cutest thing everrrrr! Joanna and I were like " awwwwww" SO CUTE. Malcolm too bad you missed it!!!!
After Normie went to bed, we finished Cinderella, and even watched a bit of Beauty and the Beast before we had to go.
Overall, it was a very relaxing and calm night. =)
I've finished summer school, passed my road test, done my pharmacy interview...now I'm just waiting...and beginning to enjoy summer! Hooray!
Tonight's shift was pretty cool - me, Steve, and Joanna, who is a new peer volunteer! (Martin came in for dinner, but went home soon after because there weren't many kids in the house that needed 4 volunteers!)
After dinner, Steve, Joanna, and I brought Eliza, Nina, Stan, and baby Maria (Lucas and Gloria's baby sister!) outside to take a stroll around the house. Then we just hung out by the swings in the warm sunshine. Maria quite stole the whole show there - she is the cutest baby ever, and what's cool about her is : she has 6 fingers on each hand, and 6 toes on her left foot! And she has so much baby fat her arms look like they have 3 sections. She seemed to enjoy all the attention and was thoroughly content in her stroller and white hat.
When we didn't do something for a long period of time, Nina would start making crying noises; that indicated to us to go around the hospice again.
Finally we went inside!
Steve took Stan, and little Normie (who just finished dinner) downstairs for Rockband.
Joanna and I stayed with the girls on the 2nd floor and watch Cinderella! Eliza loves princess movies, and she was engrossed in the film completely.
Then Normie came upstairs to get his meds while sitting on my lap. He is the cutest thing ever! He pretends to be shy with a new nurse, but really he's so quirky and has such an energetic and fun personality - no wonder her mum is always so tired out by him!
Then little Katy (who is baby Shanna's sister) came back from what she called "Jang-jang", which I still do not understand, and watched some TV with us.
I think the highlight of the night was...when Normie bid us good night, and he went over to Katy and gave her a hug and kissed her shoulder, then her forehead. It was the cutest thing everrrrr! Joanna and I were like " awwwwww" SO CUTE. Malcolm too bad you missed it!!!!
After Normie went to bed, we finished Cinderella, and even watched a bit of Beauty and the Beast before we had to go.
Overall, it was a very relaxing and calm night. =)
Thursday, 25 June 2009
No Man, I'm Dave
This is what happens when you get a bunch of boys together: nonsense.
In the house were Keith, brothers Kenny and Kam, Kaleb (all known only as Dave), and a couple of other young ones who were hanging on the kid's floor, and a new girl to the program (and her Mum). Dinner started of with a bang. Somehow Kenny (the older brother) managed to spill on himself and the floor a full pitcher of apple juice. The dining room was full tonight and there was a lot of chatter. I met Kam for the first time and he was asking Joan and I "how do you spell it?". Not knowing what word he was talking about we kind of left it hanging! Kenny and Kam both speak in a very slow and drawn out manner which makes for great 'No Maaaaaannnnnnnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaaavvvvvve' s. Keith is 17 or 18 and when he speaks it is a real challenge to understand. He also speaks very slow and it is a real neuromuscular challenge for him to get words out. With Keith if you can get the 'yes or no' questions handy he communicates well. Kam is Kam. He has a new name for this post. Kam is a kid who is often at the house on my shifts. Sometimes he is a bit grumpy but tonight he is in a great frame of mind.
Tonight was game 7 of the stanley cup playoffs. For some reason we all agreed that the game started at 7pm local time. Some of us are not very smart (and I had been in playoff denial since the Canucks were out). So we had a good hour and a half to play outside. Keith only had eyes on the computer. After a bit of stalling and miscommunicating, and having to go pee I brokered a deal with him to go outside until hockey. I often imagine what it is like being in a chair your whole waking day and think of the number of times you think you have to go pee. For most of us sometimes you actually do and sometimes you really don't need to, but we can run to the can and figure that out. It is really different if you need somebody to help you go pee if you can't get out of your chair and you don't use a bag. Anyways...Keith didn't actually need to go pee.
When we got outside the boys (and Santos and Joan) were playing hide and seek. Keith and I jumped into the game. Found a great spot: I drove Keith into a big rhodoendrun bush. It took a while to be found. When we came out we were covered in tons of dead flower stuff. As Santos said, "hey, you are all covered with stamen". Interpreted as a highly innappropriate comment by someone (me). Now we are ready to watch the game!
We get inside and get up to the school room to find the game 5 minutes into the third. What a great third period!!
Keith and I are surfing, going to his facebook and other sites. He wants to show us a video that he and his classmates had made on homelessness in the city. There is a link for a local website and when we click on it it takes us to www.dave.ca . Who's Dave? I kept asking. Kam is a bit of a parrot and he started saying Dave in his long drawn out voice. Then I started the 'No man....I'm Dave' routine. Soon enough everybody in the room is yelling "No maaaaannnnn, Iiiiiii'mmmmm Daaaaaave", and then laughing hysterically at ourselves. That is what boys do.
At 2000 it is time for Kenny to go have his bath. A little later the PCA who gave him his bath comes back upstairs and makes directly for me (the nurses and PCA's always think it is me):
"Who is Dave and why is Kenny repeating over and over and over (throughout his whole bath), "no maaaannnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaavvvvve", and then laugh hysterically at himself?
I like nights like that. If I see Keith, Kenny, Kam, or Kaleb in the future I hope to hear them yell out "Noooo mannnnn....I'mmmmmmmm Daaaaavvvve"
In the house were Keith, brothers Kenny and Kam, Kaleb (all known only as Dave), and a couple of other young ones who were hanging on the kid's floor, and a new girl to the program (and her Mum). Dinner started of with a bang. Somehow Kenny (the older brother) managed to spill on himself and the floor a full pitcher of apple juice. The dining room was full tonight and there was a lot of chatter. I met Kam for the first time and he was asking Joan and I "how do you spell it?". Not knowing what word he was talking about we kind of left it hanging! Kenny and Kam both speak in a very slow and drawn out manner which makes for great 'No Maaaaaannnnnnnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaaavvvvvve' s. Keith is 17 or 18 and when he speaks it is a real challenge to understand. He also speaks very slow and it is a real neuromuscular challenge for him to get words out. With Keith if you can get the 'yes or no' questions handy he communicates well. Kam is Kam. He has a new name for this post. Kam is a kid who is often at the house on my shifts. Sometimes he is a bit grumpy but tonight he is in a great frame of mind.
Tonight was game 7 of the stanley cup playoffs. For some reason we all agreed that the game started at 7pm local time. Some of us are not very smart (and I had been in playoff denial since the Canucks were out). So we had a good hour and a half to play outside. Keith only had eyes on the computer. After a bit of stalling and miscommunicating, and having to go pee I brokered a deal with him to go outside until hockey. I often imagine what it is like being in a chair your whole waking day and think of the number of times you think you have to go pee. For most of us sometimes you actually do and sometimes you really don't need to, but we can run to the can and figure that out. It is really different if you need somebody to help you go pee if you can't get out of your chair and you don't use a bag. Anyways...Keith didn't actually need to go pee.
When we got outside the boys (and Santos and Joan) were playing hide and seek. Keith and I jumped into the game. Found a great spot: I drove Keith into a big rhodoendrun bush. It took a while to be found. When we came out we were covered in tons of dead flower stuff. As Santos said, "hey, you are all covered with stamen". Interpreted as a highly innappropriate comment by someone (me). Now we are ready to watch the game!
We get inside and get up to the school room to find the game 5 minutes into the third. What a great third period!!
Keith and I are surfing, going to his facebook and other sites. He wants to show us a video that he and his classmates had made on homelessness in the city. There is a link for a local website and when we click on it it takes us to www.dave.ca . Who's Dave? I kept asking. Kam is a bit of a parrot and he started saying Dave in his long drawn out voice. Then I started the 'No man....I'm Dave' routine. Soon enough everybody in the room is yelling "No maaaaannnnn, Iiiiiii'mmmmm Daaaaaave", and then laughing hysterically at ourselves. That is what boys do.
At 2000 it is time for Kenny to go have his bath. A little later the PCA who gave him his bath comes back upstairs and makes directly for me (the nurses and PCA's always think it is me):
"Who is Dave and why is Kenny repeating over and over and over (throughout his whole bath), "no maaaannnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaavvvvve", and then laugh hysterically at himself?
I like nights like that. If I see Keith, Kenny, Kam, or Kaleb in the future I hope to hear them yell out "Noooo mannnnn....I'mmmmmmmm Daaaaavvvve"
Sunday, 14 June 2009
No Man....I'mmm Daaaaaave
Ah yes, a throwback to the old Cheech and Chong skit. Well at one point on Friday there were 6 of us yelling in the classic voices, "no man!....I'M DAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaave".
It kind of tells of the whole night. This is just the teaser. The 'rest of the story' to follow.
Dave
Thursday, 4 June 2009
joan gets all the fun
I wasn't able to make it last week as something came up that needed to be attended to. I missed another teen night. they are probably thinking I am avoiding them!
don't know what they did...but it was probably fun!
i was planning on reading to them...something like moby dick....
don't know what they did...but it was probably fun!
i was planning on reading to them...something like moby dick....
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
still here!
I have not disappeared. I am still here.
As Joan pointed out how busy she was with exams...I am busy with the school year ending as well!
Back to the house on Friday and hopefully Joan and I can get back into the swing of things.
On the 12th my school came down to do a little gardening for their annual 'Mitzvah Day' (day of doing good things in Hebrew).
Last year I was keen on getting a Canuck Place entry into the Red Bull Cart Race, but failed in my attempt. This year I have my entry all planned out. I need to build a replica of the house and put it on wheels that can steer down a windy course.
That is as far as my idea has got.
Hello to runner dude! thanks for following us. we usually do have more stuff. Summer's second wind is on its way.
Malcolm
As Joan pointed out how busy she was with exams...I am busy with the school year ending as well!
Back to the house on Friday and hopefully Joan and I can get back into the swing of things.
On the 12th my school came down to do a little gardening for their annual 'Mitzvah Day' (day of doing good things in Hebrew).
Last year I was keen on getting a Canuck Place entry into the Red Bull Cart Race, but failed in my attempt. This year I have my entry all planned out. I need to build a replica of the house and put it on wheels that can steer down a windy course.
That is as far as my idea has got.
Hello to runner dude! thanks for following us. we usually do have more stuff. Summer's second wind is on its way.
Malcolm
Saturday, 9 May 2009
A few week's worth of blogging...
Hello everyone,
so tonight I am going to be blogging about last week (May 1 + 2) and this week (May 8), because I have been a wuss and have neglected to blog for a while...I'm blaming it on my final exams and the beginning of summer school. :P
Friday May 1: TEEN BOYS MOVIE NIGHT!!!
Man it was awesome. Alan, Mitch, Jeffrey, Dante, Josh were all super excited when Steve and I arrived. So we quickly had some delicious dinner and had to get going fast because we had to make the 6:30 showing of WOLVERINE at richmond SILVERCITY! (Too bad you were sick Malcolm!!) Transport was directed by Will, who served as our bus driver, and with all the boys buckled into place, we set off. We arrived well ahead of time and got great seats in the theatre. Dante took the longest getting settled because he went and bought some popcorn and pop with Steve first. The movie was soo good! I hadn't watched any of the other X-men movies before...so I guess it was a good place to start because it talked about the beginning of Wolverine. I must watch the other ones! The boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves, so much that on the bus back to CP they were noticeably more hyper than before and made funny noises and talked about really silly things (mostly Alan and Mitch, ahha)
Saturday May 2: TEEN BOYS EDUCATIONAL MINGLE!
So on Friday May 1 a very worried Leanne came to me and begged me to attend the mingle that the teen boys were organizing on Saturday. Leanne was so worried because she had no idea if anybody RSVPed to come, and she couldn't check because the list was on Sara's account and Sara was on sick leave! So I did go, and it was amazing! All 5 teen boys presented something special to us; Jeffrey addressed the issue of age appropriate activities, Josh lead a song guessing game, Dante presented a list of all fun walkable places around Canuck Place, Mitch showed us how to work his camera, wheelchair, and the bus-wheelchair hook, and Alan taught us how to go onto the internet on the PS3. It was really interesting learning about the things that each boy valued, and many things that they talked about will really help us volunteers in improving ourselves to be better volunteers. Jeffrey and Dante even printed handouts for us! It was so great.
Friday May 8: Quiet Night
Last night was a pretty calm night. I went a bit early and found Allon and Mike(PCA) with Kenneth in the school room. Then I found two little girls in Grandma's Attic playing Barbie! I got really excited and asked if I could join them - I hadn't played with Barbies in ages! So these two little girls are siblings of a baby patient, and their names are Cassy(8yrs) and Ava(5yrs). Then we went downstairs for dinner, where we saw Tony, Jen, and nurses, parents, and more kids : Corrine and Madeleine. After dinner Cassy, Ava, and I went back upstairs to play with more Barbie while Jen hung out with Corrine on the computer. Later, Cassy, Ava, and I went outside for a bit and bumped into their Dad and older brother, Evan. Us girls played a bit of house, swung on the swings, spun on the red-blue-merry-go-round, and even biked around the house a few times! Ava still needed training wheels, but when I asked Cassy if she needed them, she replied very matter-of-factedly "I'm waaayy past that stage!" Afterwards the girls had to go in for a bath and they said thank you to me (so sweet!) and I went to look for Jen. It turns out that Corrine was tired and already went to bed, so we went upstairs to relieve Tony of Kenneth so that he could go home to sleep (work at 5am!!)Kenneth was content just to play with a few video games, and around 8:15 it was time for him to go shower. With no more kids in need of entertainment, Jen and I were free to go home.
While in the volunteer room, we looked at the info cards of all the kids in the house and read a few of them. Corrine's card really struck both of us; she has been diagnosed with Huntington's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of physical ability, decline in mental ability, and occurrence of behavioral problems (thanks Wikipedia). She inherited this disease from her family, and from the info card it says that she was diagnosed in 2006 - when she was only 11! Her case of Huntington's is a less common case since the onset of the disease is usually around 40 years of age. Before her symptoms and diagnosis, Corrine was a very active girl and a gymnast! Now her disease has progressed to hinder her in many aspects of her life, but her spirit is still there! She loves the music video on youtube for Titanic's "My Heart will Go On" and she sings along with it as well as she can (when Malcolm isn't around, that is.)
Finding out more about Corrine's disease has turned my head a bit to look at this differently. I had always naively assumed that each patient I have met at Canuck Place has had their disease since they were super young (1-5 years old). Knowing that Corrine was diagnosed with her disease when she was just about to enter her teenage years made me think more about what she might be thinking now. She is 14 and has many of the same interests as other teenagers. She deserves to be treated as a 14-year-old should be, and this really echoes with Jeffrey's presentation on age-appropriate activities. Hopefully I will be able to take this and upgrade to become a better, more knowledgeable version of a volunteer!
so tonight I am going to be blogging about last week (May 1 + 2) and this week (May 8), because I have been a wuss and have neglected to blog for a while...I'm blaming it on my final exams and the beginning of summer school. :P
Friday May 1: TEEN BOYS MOVIE NIGHT!!!
Man it was awesome. Alan, Mitch, Jeffrey, Dante, Josh were all super excited when Steve and I arrived. So we quickly had some delicious dinner and had to get going fast because we had to make the 6:30 showing of WOLVERINE at richmond SILVERCITY! (Too bad you were sick Malcolm!!) Transport was directed by Will, who served as our bus driver, and with all the boys buckled into place, we set off. We arrived well ahead of time and got great seats in the theatre. Dante took the longest getting settled because he went and bought some popcorn and pop with Steve first. The movie was soo good! I hadn't watched any of the other X-men movies before...so I guess it was a good place to start because it talked about the beginning of Wolverine. I must watch the other ones! The boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves, so much that on the bus back to CP they were noticeably more hyper than before and made funny noises and talked about really silly things (mostly Alan and Mitch, ahha)
Saturday May 2: TEEN BOYS EDUCATIONAL MINGLE!
So on Friday May 1 a very worried Leanne came to me and begged me to attend the mingle that the teen boys were organizing on Saturday. Leanne was so worried because she had no idea if anybody RSVPed to come, and she couldn't check because the list was on Sara's account and Sara was on sick leave! So I did go, and it was amazing! All 5 teen boys presented something special to us; Jeffrey addressed the issue of age appropriate activities, Josh lead a song guessing game, Dante presented a list of all fun walkable places around Canuck Place, Mitch showed us how to work his camera, wheelchair, and the bus-wheelchair hook, and Alan taught us how to go onto the internet on the PS3. It was really interesting learning about the things that each boy valued, and many things that they talked about will really help us volunteers in improving ourselves to be better volunteers. Jeffrey and Dante even printed handouts for us! It was so great.
Friday May 8: Quiet Night
Last night was a pretty calm night. I went a bit early and found Allon and Mike(PCA) with Kenneth in the school room. Then I found two little girls in Grandma's Attic playing Barbie! I got really excited and asked if I could join them - I hadn't played with Barbies in ages! So these two little girls are siblings of a baby patient, and their names are Cassy(8yrs) and Ava(5yrs). Then we went downstairs for dinner, where we saw Tony, Jen, and nurses, parents, and more kids : Corrine and Madeleine. After dinner Cassy, Ava, and I went back upstairs to play with more Barbie while Jen hung out with Corrine on the computer. Later, Cassy, Ava, and I went outside for a bit and bumped into their Dad and older brother, Evan. Us girls played a bit of house, swung on the swings, spun on the red-blue-merry-go-round, and even biked around the house a few times! Ava still needed training wheels, but when I asked Cassy if she needed them, she replied very matter-of-factedly "I'm waaayy past that stage!" Afterwards the girls had to go in for a bath and they said thank you to me (so sweet!) and I went to look for Jen. It turns out that Corrine was tired and already went to bed, so we went upstairs to relieve Tony of Kenneth so that he could go home to sleep (work at 5am!!)Kenneth was content just to play with a few video games, and around 8:15 it was time for him to go shower. With no more kids in need of entertainment, Jen and I were free to go home.
While in the volunteer room, we looked at the info cards of all the kids in the house and read a few of them. Corrine's card really struck both of us; she has been diagnosed with Huntington's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of physical ability, decline in mental ability, and occurrence of behavioral problems (thanks Wikipedia). She inherited this disease from her family, and from the info card it says that she was diagnosed in 2006 - when she was only 11! Her case of Huntington's is a less common case since the onset of the disease is usually around 40 years of age. Before her symptoms and diagnosis, Corrine was a very active girl and a gymnast! Now her disease has progressed to hinder her in many aspects of her life, but her spirit is still there! She loves the music video on youtube for Titanic's "My Heart will Go On" and she sings along with it as well as she can (when Malcolm isn't around, that is.)
Finding out more about Corrine's disease has turned my head a bit to look at this differently. I had always naively assumed that each patient I have met at Canuck Place has had their disease since they were super young (1-5 years old). Knowing that Corrine was diagnosed with her disease when she was just about to enter her teenage years made me think more about what she might be thinking now. She is 14 and has many of the same interests as other teenagers. She deserves to be treated as a 14-year-old should be, and this really echoes with Jeffrey's presentation on age-appropriate activities. Hopefully I will be able to take this and upgrade to become a better, more knowledgeable version of a volunteer!
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Quiet rockband night. oxymoron?
Hello everyone,
so last shift (April 10) it was Jen, Martin, and I who were the volunteers (Tony called Martin in because he was spending time with his family.) The green light was turned on. We went in and saw this HUGE feast laid out in front of us, especially prepared by the kitchen, because the hospice was expecting lots of people that night. Unfortunately, only half the expected people showed up in time for dinner, so there was lots of left over. There was even an easter bunny chocolate cake and tiramisu! I couldn't resist but have a bit of cake.
Kids in the house who we got to see - Kameron, Shawn, Christina, and little Gordon.
Christina's hair is getting so long now! That night she had it in a very looong pretty braid. And her nails are never without colour - she had pink nail polish on. =D
Little Gordon is so cute; he has a pacifier that hangs down from his bib with lots of wooden beads on it. If the pacifier drops out of his mouth, he will start to nibble on his own fingers instead!
So anyways, the main highlight of the night was rockband! (Malcolm you missed out. :P)It was Shawn on bass, and me or Jen on the guitar, voice, or drums (yes drums! they got new ones!)Even Martin joined in on the guitar and drums a few times. All throughout it, little Gordon was moving back and forth in his chair to the beat of the music with his hands sticking up in the air. Kameron was content with just listening to his iPod at a volume that I was a bit worried about. While it was still bright, we also took the boys for a little stroll around the hospice.
So you might be wondering why I haven't talked about who Kameron and Shawn are, but it's because I'm saving it until now. Throughout the night, us volunteers chatted with them in between songs, and we discovered that both boys are 18 years old. To Jen and Martin, this might not mean so much ;), but to me, it was quite something. One thing is that, them being 18, they are nearing the end of their visits to Canuck Place. The biggest thing is that they are the same age as me. Throughout the night, I couldn't help but imagine what they would be like if they don't have their illnesses and disabilities, and I also came to really admire the way they acted. Especially Shawn, he is so much more mature than most 18 year-old boys that I know. And Kameron, bless his heart, never gets tired of repeating his words until we understand and perseveres to control his own power chair even while he has some difficulty. Hanging out with these two boys was a reality check for me to be grateful for what I have and not take things for granted.
And the night ended quietly, with the boys staying downstairs with the nurses to keep the 2nd floor quiet for the very sick baby and his family.
The green light was turned off by the time us volunteers left for home.
so last shift (April 10) it was Jen, Martin, and I who were the volunteers (Tony called Martin in because he was spending time with his family.) The green light was turned on. We went in and saw this HUGE feast laid out in front of us, especially prepared by the kitchen, because the hospice was expecting lots of people that night. Unfortunately, only half the expected people showed up in time for dinner, so there was lots of left over. There was even an easter bunny chocolate cake and tiramisu! I couldn't resist but have a bit of cake.
Kids in the house who we got to see - Kameron, Shawn, Christina, and little Gordon.
Christina's hair is getting so long now! That night she had it in a very looong pretty braid. And her nails are never without colour - she had pink nail polish on. =D
Little Gordon is so cute; he has a pacifier that hangs down from his bib with lots of wooden beads on it. If the pacifier drops out of his mouth, he will start to nibble on his own fingers instead!
So anyways, the main highlight of the night was rockband! (Malcolm you missed out. :P)It was Shawn on bass, and me or Jen on the guitar, voice, or drums (yes drums! they got new ones!)Even Martin joined in on the guitar and drums a few times. All throughout it, little Gordon was moving back and forth in his chair to the beat of the music with his hands sticking up in the air. Kameron was content with just listening to his iPod at a volume that I was a bit worried about. While it was still bright, we also took the boys for a little stroll around the hospice.
So you might be wondering why I haven't talked about who Kameron and Shawn are, but it's because I'm saving it until now. Throughout the night, us volunteers chatted with them in between songs, and we discovered that both boys are 18 years old. To Jen and Martin, this might not mean so much ;), but to me, it was quite something. One thing is that, them being 18, they are nearing the end of their visits to Canuck Place. The biggest thing is that they are the same age as me. Throughout the night, I couldn't help but imagine what they would be like if they don't have their illnesses and disabilities, and I also came to really admire the way they acted. Especially Shawn, he is so much more mature than most 18 year-old boys that I know. And Kameron, bless his heart, never gets tired of repeating his words until we understand and perseveres to control his own power chair even while he has some difficulty. Hanging out with these two boys was a reality check for me to be grateful for what I have and not take things for granted.
And the night ended quietly, with the boys staying downstairs with the nurses to keep the 2nd floor quiet for the very sick baby and his family.
The green light was turned off by the time us volunteers left for home.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
They call me Santos...,
or Saul, or Jeffrey, or Dante. In fact we need to call him Santos Santorini de la Escabara.
Let me hearken to a previous post: "Santos broke it".
Saul, Dante, Jeffrey, and Mitch were in for a Boys Night Out weekend and we were discussing the blog and the names Joan and I create. Santos, formerly known as Steve (who broke it) made it known he wanted a new name....but I think I forgot the one he suggested....!
The boys were in for dinner and then out the door to go to a movie--Fasterer and More Furiouser--or something like that with Santos, formerly known as Steve. It was nice to visit with Jeffrey after dinner. I haven't seen him for a while.
After the boys left Joan and I remained with the little ones--Little Normie, Liander, and a later intake Enid.
When I got to the house little Normie was walking to dinner...yes...walking (he is usually in a chair) and he walked right into my arms for a big hug. Mum is always behind him lugging his O2 AND tube feeder tanks. Normie is a demanding little boy...not in a bad way...just a demanding way. He doesn't like to be away from his Mum and really gets upset when he can't have her right near by. Mum had a bit of a day off today and spent the day at a temple for prayers (and super good food).
Joan and I spent most of our night with Normie. First, as always, we did a little rock band without the drums (because Santos Broke them). Normie did a little guitar, then a litttle singing, then he got Joan and I to perform for him!
Baby Liander's Dad was down a few times playing Guitar Hero. Liander's mum and dad are in for a first intake and are learning a lot about their littlest boy (they also have a 2 year old) and what they need to do to look after him.
Normie had to be weighed at some point during the night and his nurse wheels in this skookum electronic scale. It had a platform big enough to take a wheel chair! In this corner Little Stormin' Norman weighs in at 11.3kg, and in the other corner...the big guy came in a 93kg. We all were weighed (Mum and Joan) but privacy issues forbid me from telling everything.
After weigh in we played a little ball, had all our meds taken care of and then it was time for bed.
Another good night!
Let me hearken to a previous post: "Santos broke it".
Saul, Dante, Jeffrey, and Mitch were in for a Boys Night Out weekend and we were discussing the blog and the names Joan and I create. Santos, formerly known as Steve (who broke it) made it known he wanted a new name....but I think I forgot the one he suggested....!
The boys were in for dinner and then out the door to go to a movie--Fasterer and More Furiouser--or something like that with Santos, formerly known as Steve. It was nice to visit with Jeffrey after dinner. I haven't seen him for a while.
After the boys left Joan and I remained with the little ones--Little Normie, Liander, and a later intake Enid.
When I got to the house little Normie was walking to dinner...yes...walking (he is usually in a chair) and he walked right into my arms for a big hug. Mum is always behind him lugging his O2 AND tube feeder tanks. Normie is a demanding little boy...not in a bad way...just a demanding way. He doesn't like to be away from his Mum and really gets upset when he can't have her right near by. Mum had a bit of a day off today and spent the day at a temple for prayers (and super good food).
Joan and I spent most of our night with Normie. First, as always, we did a little rock band without the drums (because Santos Broke them). Normie did a little guitar, then a litttle singing, then he got Joan and I to perform for him!
Baby Liander's Dad was down a few times playing Guitar Hero. Liander's mum and dad are in for a first intake and are learning a lot about their littlest boy (they also have a 2 year old) and what they need to do to look after him.
Normie had to be weighed at some point during the night and his nurse wheels in this skookum electronic scale. It had a platform big enough to take a wheel chair! In this corner Little Stormin' Norman weighs in at 11.3kg, and in the other corner...the big guy came in a 93kg. We all were weighed (Mum and Joan) but privacy issues forbid me from telling everything.
After weigh in we played a little ball, had all our meds taken care of and then it was time for bed.
Another good night!
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Chrystal : $50 Fishman: $640
Canuck Place: $690
I am astounded! I haven't even started fundraising for this event and our total is at $690 thanks to Justin's contacts. This rocks.
Thank you to my colleagues, my students parents, and friends who have already donated or in the process of donating!
I am astounded! I haven't even started fundraising for this event and our total is at $690 thanks to Justin's contacts. This rocks.
Thank you to my colleagues, my students parents, and friends who have already donated or in the process of donating!
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Justin helps even more
Justin asked me if he could help me raise money the other day. " Of course!" says I.
We are in a study block and he sends me this email. It is rather difficult not tear up while I am reading this:
Hi everybody,
My teacher, Malcolm Chrystal, has been volunteering at Canuck Place for almost five years. He works there as a family volunteer, his job entailing spending time with the children and making their stay enjoyable.
For those of you who don't know, Canuck Place is a children's hospice. It basically is a form of palliative care for young children…yet it is so much more than that. When I was five years old, my late sister Tamryn was in the program at Canuck Place, having been diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease. The hospice did everything they could to make her comfortable…and more. I remember the grief therapy groups my parents attended at Canuck Place, who understood the importance of helping the families as well. There were even groups for siblings, where we would learn how to handle the grief and also try to keep us happy during very sad times.
This year, Mr. Chrystal is participating in Canuck Place's Adventure Challenge, covering a distance of 46 kilometres by kayak, bike, and foot. He is collecting pledges for the challenge, with a goal of $2000 in mind. All the money goes directly to Canuck Place, as good a cause as any. Please support Malcolm by following these links and donating. Then, pass the email along to friends and family.
Malcolm's blog:
http://canuckplaceadventurechallenge.blogspot.com/
Pledge for Malcolm:
https://payment.csfm.com/events/canuck_place/event_pledge/index.php?action=inputinfo&participant_id=161030891177650194
Canuck Place Adventure Challenge Site:
http://www.adventurechallenge.ca/
Canuck Place Children's Hospice:
http://www.canuckplace.org/
Thank you Justin.
We are in a study block and he sends me this email. It is rather difficult not tear up while I am reading this:
Hi everybody,
My teacher, Malcolm Chrystal, has been volunteering at Canuck Place for almost five years. He works there as a family volunteer, his job entailing spending time with the children and making their stay enjoyable.
For those of you who don't know, Canuck Place is a children's hospice. It basically is a form of palliative care for young children…yet it is so much more than that. When I was five years old, my late sister Tamryn was in the program at Canuck Place, having been diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease. The hospice did everything they could to make her comfortable…and more. I remember the grief therapy groups my parents attended at Canuck Place, who understood the importance of helping the families as well. There were even groups for siblings, where we would learn how to handle the grief and also try to keep us happy during very sad times.
This year, Mr. Chrystal is participating in Canuck Place's Adventure Challenge, covering a distance of 46 kilometres by kayak, bike, and foot. He is collecting pledges for the challenge, with a goal of $2000 in mind. All the money goes directly to Canuck Place, as good a cause as any. Please support Malcolm by following these links and donating. Then, pass the email along to friends and family.
Malcolm's blog:
http://canuckplaceadventurechallenge.blogspot.com/
Pledge for Malcolm:
https://payment.csfm.com/events/canuck_place/event_pledge/index.php?action=inputinfo&participant_id=161030891177650194
Canuck Place Adventure Challenge Site:
http://www.adventurechallenge.ca/
Canuck Place Children's Hospice:
http://www.canuckplace.org/
Thank you Justin.
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