Month: November 2017

Madison has loved seeing Emily at her Grandview sessions. They both share a love for ballet and today Madison was able to try some ballet at Grandview as part of Emily’s project. She is designing a dance program for children living with CP to incorporate into their therapy sessions. Madison loved doing different ballet positions while squatting and moving in different ways related to her on going goals

They also did good work with her single point canes. Madison had a different Frozen sticker on the tops of her shoes and the tops of her canes. Emily gave her verbal cues of which Frozen character to move to help her with her walking patterns. Madison loved it and it worked so well!

The last few days have been chaotic… scattered… out of sorts. Possible colds coming our way, push back from Miss Madi on therapies & her home program, out of routine, long hours for Mommy…but then this gem is found in our inbox and all is right…Thanks Megan at Sparks Photography… more cuteness sneak peaks to come…and hopefully calmer, smoother days ahead.

The theme of this weekend was…take back the house!

Going back to work, keeping up with therapy, School, daycare etc etc etc has left our home in shambles. Aunt Emily came out for a visit for the weekend and helped get the house back in tip top shape and ready for Christmas decorating!

Everyone was also busy with swimming, Christmas photos, Axe throwing, shopping, stretching and getting sorted for the week. Thanks Aunt Emily!

Wow! Today is the 1,000th post! I started this blog as a way to heal and share. We were 4 months in to Madison’s diagnosis and I needed a way to share Madi’s journey with our family and friends to loop everyone in and help calm concerns. It was a way to reflect on the day and celebrate all of the small milestones and victories. 1,000 days of small celebrations! My healing journey also turned into a way to connect with others on similar journeys and share helpful information. I am truly proud of all that has been accomplished through this blog and thank all of you for reading, watching and cheering Madi on.

Today was a special session with Stephanie. Madi filmed all her 6-7 month post op videos for Dr Park. Stay tuned for today’s videos and comparison videos from before the surgery – she has made so much growth!

On Thursdays Madi plays hookie from school. She goes to March of Dimes to work on her walking and then to Windreach for riding with Max! She was very proud of herself for learning how to trot today.

Madi had a great physio session with Kate and Emily today at Grandview. They did lots of work on walking, stand ups from the floor and using her two different types of canes.

Madi loves her time with Nana on Tuesdays! After school, their first stop was to Neurochangers for some walking.

Then it was time for some dinner and then off to ballet! Madi is doing more and more in her class and loves all the music and time with her friends.

Madi was in the newspaper today helping to raise funds for The Variety Village Christmas Fund by sharing her story.

Madison did great work with Jo-Anne today. She is getting stronger and more confident each session. Her standing balance is really improving and her ability to hold her body in line and strong against different movement forces is impressive. She worked hard and was exhausted after…thanks Jo-Anne!

This week marks the launch of the Toronto Sun Christmas Fund for Variety Village.

38 YEARS…Over $1.3 million raised!

“Mike Strobel has always gone above and beyond to shine a light on Variety Village. The quirky Toronto Sun columnist, veteran writer, editor, author, and very good friend of the Village, Mike Strobel took over the reins of the 38 year old Toronto Sun Christmas Fund in 2008 after the passing of fund co-founder and sports journalist, George Gross. With Mike at the helm these past 9 years, he has helped raise the fund total to over $1.3 million. In addition to raising funds, Mike has highlighted some of the amazing things that happen at Variety Village by telling our stories in his columns throughout the year.

Mike continues to help make a difference in the lives of many people with disabilities, and he has been a true champion of Variety Village, our kids, our athletes, our staff and our mission.” (Variety Village Website)

Mike Strobel met up with Madi and Megan at the pool this morning after practice. They took some pictures together to help tell their stories at the Village and how much it means to both of them. Mike is helping to tell their story which is very similar to thousands of kids who access the Village each year. The hopes is that this campaign will help keep everything up and running at Variety Village for many many years to come. Keep your eyes open for the article in Tuesday’s paper. Thanks Mike for all that you do!

If you would like to donate, please do so here:

Link: VV Christmas Fund

Madi and her BFF Ben were gifted a night away to Great Wolf Lodge from Starlight Children’s Foundation. Starlight does an amazing job at giving experiences/fun opportunities so that kids like Madi can have a break from appointments, therapies etc to have some family fun and be a kid.

The kids tried different waterslides, hung out in the pool and went around the lazy river in tubes. They also played games in the arcade, wrote letters to Santa, had a pj party with cupcakes, gingerbread & candy canes, went to a special pizza lunch with other Starlight families and went bowling….all in 24 hours!!! Thanks Starlight!!