Update

Hello friends. We had a wonderful time in California. I'm working on a post and slide show to share all of our wonderful experiences. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to update with a "REAL" update. Stay tuned...

Ramirez Family

Hannah and I had the wonderful opportunity and pleasure to meet the Ramirez family this weekend. They have two amazing kiddos - Sophia just turned 7, and Eli is 2 1/2. Eli has some of the same issues Hannah has, plus a few more. He is facing leg amputation surgery in the future, and Hannah and I went so they could see what they have to look forward to with Eli.

Sophia met us in the driveway. After just a couple of minutes, the girls were fast friends and scrambled up the stairs to the play room. Seeing Hannah scamper up the stairs brought tears to Melissa's eyes. It was soon obvious to them, that having no legs wasn't slowing our little dynamo down.

Soon Eli was finished with his lunch and was down and on the move to see what the girls were doing. Watching him scoot around brought back memories of the way Hannah maneuvered before she was actually walking. It may take him a little longer to get where he wants to go, but he gets the job done. It was quickly obvious to me that even though Eli has a very limited vocabulary, he can get his point across. This little guy has soooo much personality.

The girls were upstairs coloring and playing in the "tent" Sophia's dad, David, had made for them. Eli had to get in on the fun too. He LOVED scooting under the tent going after the girls.

We took all of Hannah's legs so they could see what Eli's legs would most likely look like. I tried to share the pros/cons of the different legs. Our main goal was to help them feel better about the decision they were making for Eli. I personally know how big a decision it is to make such a seemingly drastic decision for your child. We know now that the choice for surgery was most assuredly the best choice we could have made for Hannah.

Please keep this family in your prayers. Eli is facing thumb surgery - making one of his four fingers a thumb - on August 12. Eli has a history of having complications with each surgery, so please pray with me that this surgery will be the easiest one yet. Also, please keep dad - David - in your prayers as well. He is dealing with a slipped disc in his back, and this is causing him a lot of pain.

You can go read more about Eli's story here: http://prayforeli.blogspot.com/

Oklahoman

AMAZING WEEKEND!!

WOW!! That's about the best way I know to express the events of the past few days. Every time we are privileged to be able to spend time with other kids and adults like Hannah, we are just blown away. We were able to make the trip to Edmond to participate in the 10th annual Endeavor Games hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma.

There were over 300 athletes representing 30 states and various continents. Participants ranged from age 4 to in their 60's, and had varying challenges - including but not limited to - amputations, blindness, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and most touching, our wounded soldiers. Events ranged from track and field, to archery, volleyball, swimming and others.

This was an awesome opportunity to catch-up with old friends and make new ones. Hannah participated in several clinics and one event. The clinics offered her a glimpse into what she CAN do. She got to try out a hand cycle, which was way too big, but she can't wait until she gets one her size. I also think we may just have an upcoming sitting volleyball star on our hands. She also brought home the SILVER MEDAL for the 60 meters in her classification. Several classifications run at the same time, and she was a little disappointed that she didn't win her heat, but when she found out that she had won silver, she got excited. Now she has her sights on the gold in the 100 next year. She has assured us though that she doesn't want to do the 400 because "that is way too long".

Considering Hannah's condition of being born without both tibia is a 1 in 3,000,000 occurrence, there just happened to be five there (ranging in age from five to ten) this weekend, of which Hannah was the youngest. She was really excited to have a female friend to help her with the boys.

I'm going to close with a few pics of this weekend. We did have a blast!!

Quick Update

This is just a quick update on what's going on with Hannah. Tomorrow, Friday, May 29, Hannah will be on "facebook Friday" on Six in the Morning (around 7:40). I posted a note on their fan page, along with a picture of Hannah, and I got a message saying they wanted to use my post and her picture.

This weekend Hannah will be on the Children's Miracle Network Telethon on OKC channel KOCO during the 1:00 -2:00 hour. She will be doing a "welcome", then we will be interviewed during the hour telling Hannah's story.

Hannah is also going to be interviewed on Channel 2's mid-day program on June 15. That is Tulsa KJRH. That will be the day after the Endeavor Games, and hopefully we will have some video of her participating to show in the air. Later that week, we are hoping to be able to go down to the Dallas area and spend a couple days with Cody McCasland. Cody is one of Hannah's friends we met last year at CAF. Cody was recently featured on Dateline NBC. The links to that interview can be found here: www.teamcody.com Go to the page that says "Cody Sightings", and all the links are there.

Please keep us in your prayers over the next couple of weeks. It's going to be pure chaos. This weekend OKC, (we were just there yesterday), next weekend to Louisiana, then the next week is the Endeavor Games. Oh, and don't forget birthdays for my three girls - Dawn the 30th, Hannah the 2nd, and Alexis the 7th. Please pray for our traveling safety - and sanity.

More pictures and updates later.

Fund Raising

Hello friends! The bracelets are in, and are available for a $5 donation. Not only will you be helping Hannah raise money to go to the Endeavor Games and SDTC, you will also be supporting both Children's Miracle Network and Challenged Athletes Foundation. There are still plans for a Hannah Can t-shirt. More on that when the details are final.




We are in the process of trying to get Hannah's story out there, and raise both awareness and support. If anyone has connections to any of the television stations or newspapers, please feel free to tell them about Hannah.

The next few weeks are going to be fun, exciting, and tiring. The kids are finishing up their last week of school. On Sunday, May 30, Hannah will be on the Children's Miracle Network Telethon in Oklahoma City. June 6 - 7 we will be in Louisiana, going to a new building dedication at the church John, Mark, and ACM helped with an addition. On June 11 - 14 is the Endeavor Games at UCO in Edmond. Then on July 18, Hannah will be the featured Miracle Child at the CMN Dancing for a Miracle. And of course, a little further away, is the trip to California in October.

More immediately, I am trying to put together a list of the costs of trips and equipment Hannah will be needing. As you may or may not know, the costs for her prosthetics are covered by her insurance. What is not covered, is the cost of getting to doctor appointments, hand cycle, etc.



Thank you for your support. Check back often for updates!!

Bracelets!!

Looks like Hannah's bracelets shipped today!! Can't wait to get them in. I am working on creating a pay pal link where you can order on-line. I will also post a picture of the bracelets when they come in.

The t-shirts are still in process. I have someone working on the art work, and we are trying to come to a final consensus on what the shirt should actually say. When we get the final mock-up, it will be posted too, so you can start your pre-orders.

In the meanwhile, hope you enjoy the two slide shows I have put together of Hannah.

God Bless!

The Beginning

This blog is being created as a journaling/fundraising point for Hannah Joy. Hannah is a challenged athlete in the making. We are using this to raise money to help cover the costs of events and equipment that she needs.

Thanks for your support.