Izzy Can Do ANYTHING!

I made this little video of Izzy a few weeks ago and posted it to Facebook. I had such an amazing response to it, that I decided to upload it to YouTube and share it with you all as well. Personally, Izzy inspires me every single day of my life. When I think something is to hard, or when I'm feeling sorry for myself, or when I think I have been dealt a "bad hand" I am reminded of just how much I have and how much I am blessed. Izzy has much less then many of us do physically, but he certainly doesn't lack when it comes to ability, talent, patience, determination or personality. :-) My hope is that when you watch this video you are inspired, encouraged and that maybe you will have a different perspective on people with "disabilities". They truly are remarkable people with amazing talents and way more drive and tenacity then most of us "normal" people.

(PS...before hitting play, you may want to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the background music, if it is automatically playing.)

WE DID IT!!!

AMAZED! BLOWN AWAY! THANKFUL! BLESSED! Those are just a few of the ways I have felt over these past few days as so many amazing people joined with us and supported our family and more specifically, a need we had for our precious little boy. In just 2 1/2 short days we raised over $3000.00...which was our goal! We actually raised $3231.52 to be exact! Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough - but it's really all I have. So, THANK YOU each and everyone of you who prayed for us, encouraged us, shared our story, and who also gave financially. YOU ARE A BLESSING! I can't wait to call Shriner's tomorrow and give them the great news and get our chair ordered!!!

Matching Donor!!!

Are you ready for some amazing news?!?! WE HAVE AN ANONYMOUS MATCHING DONOR FOR SATURDAY THE 19TH! UNTIL MIDNIGHT, ALL DONATIONS WILL BE DOUBLED, UP TO $500!!! I'm still in shock myself, and feeling so very thankful and grateful! How amazing would it be to reach our goal on day 3!

The TiLite Twist

I have been absolutely blown away at the love and support of SO many people yesterday and today. In just 24 hours we have nearly reached 1/2 of our goal! We are at $1215.00!!! THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, regardless of how! Everything matters...every prayer, word of encouragement, and every single dollar!

I thought that I would tell you a little bit more about the wheelchair we are raising money for. Here it is (In the color that Izzy picked!) This is the TiLite Twist!

We picked this chair for many different reasons...but the bottom line is that it's perfect for Izzy! Without getting into all the details that will completely bore you, basically we need a specific chair that has many different adjustment options to meet his limb difference needs, is light and easy to push, has wheels that come up high enough for his little arm to reach, has break extensions so he can reach them, and much more! Shriner's has one of these chairs as a demo that we used for a few hours while we were there and Izzy totally loved it! He could get in and out on his own, turn and steer easily, and well...he actually cried when we told him he couldn't take it home :-( But when I told him yesterday about the fund raiser and the fact that we would be getting it soon, the look on his face was priceless!

(Here are the facts from the website)

PLAY. GIGGLE. GROW.
INTRODUCING THE TiLITE TWIST.

INNOVATION.

· 1" Aluminum frame design makes for easy installation of seating components unlike other chairs that use larger diameter tubing.

· Tru-Fit System:
- Reduces the number of holes in the frame, improving durability.
- Allows for easy adjustment and reduces set-up time.
- Tru-Fit caster arm on Twist has built-in adjustment to change Front Seat Height without changing casters or forks.

· Flip-Back Footrest allows for easy and safe transfers.

· Speedloader Adjustable Front Caster Housing (patent pending) quickly and accurately adjusts fork angle in 1˚ increments.

· Compact Wheel Locks allow for easy and safe use with smaller hands.

· Adjustable Camber Mount incorporates TiLite's Tru-Fit System with up to 3.5" of Rear Seat Height adjustment.

· DASH kid sized high performance rear wheels.

· TiShaft back release bar makes folding and unfolding the backrest easy from any angle.

http://www.tilite.com/wchairs_twist.php

Trusting God for a Wheelchair

I posted this status on my Facebook account yesterday :

Wheelchair update for Izzy: We had an appointment at Shriner's today and got some discouraging news. We have been told Izzy is literally on the worst insurance in all of Oregon (He is on disability insurance and we don't have private insurance) and they have refused to agree on terms on a contract for providing wheelchairs for any of their clients. So we will receive absolutely no funding for hi...s chair. The one we need to get for him costs around $4000.00! I was told if I bought it with no insurance coverage I may be able to get the cost down closer to $3000.00 however that is a chunk of money we don't have sitting around. If you could please be in prayer for us regarding this situation we would be VERY grateful!

...and I was overwhelmed with the response I got from family and friends who wanted to donate. I didn't ask people to donate, they just offered and have already put checks in the mail. Wow! But you know what? I shouldn't be surprised. Do you remember this post where the same things happened when we needed to purchase a gait trainer for Izzy? It was outstanding how many people reached out and blessed our family beyond words! We raised $2000 in just 5 short days! People from all over the world (literally!) gave. Some we knew and many we didn't. It was a beautiful experience for our whole family (and I'm pretty sure for those who gave as well).

So here we are, once again humbling ourselves, realizing that asking for help isn't such a bad thing (even though it can be hard) and receiving donations to purchase a wheelchair for our precious boy. Please do not feel obligated to give. But if you feel led, there is a button on the right side of my blog, close to the top, that will direct you to PayPal where you can safely and securely make a donation of your choosing. I will have a "Donation Thermometer" and will update it regularly as donations come in and I will keep you posted with how things are going.

Izzy thanks you in advance for selfless act of love and kindness!

(The rest of us do too!!!)