Today I had a UF foundation board of directors meeting and was given the opportunity to share the story about Tyler's Hope and dystonia. I am encourged whenever I find people that are not aware of dystonia. Awareness is huge in the fight to find a cure. With more awareness there is more researchers and doctors available for the fight as well as better diagnosis. There is so much to tell and share about the foundation but this diary wa sdesigned to tell the struggles and accomplishments of my children and our family. I hear from peopl all of the time when it is not updated.

Saint Michelle and I celebrated 17 years of marriage recently. I love my wife very much but I feel a sense of accomplishment or pride in being married for 17 years and dealing with some crazy things together during that time.

Tyler has a few very good friends that make his life easier. Tyler gets discouraged sometimes trying to find things that he can do wth his friends and to get him out of the house. Tyler's left arm i still one of his largest problems with it constantly pulling and standing straight up in the air. His speach is not good and hard to understand and I can tell that he gets frustrated when we cannot understand him. I imagine it is like having your son on the other side of a class wall where you cannot hear him but want to discuss things all of the time. Tyler currently has a 5.0 gpa on a 4.0 scale. He just received his letter of acceptance to the high school program of his choice and it made all of us very happy. He got into all of the programs he wanted to.

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Report cards came out and Tyler, Luke, and Samantha have straight As in school.

Tyler is recovering well from his surgery and appears to be infection free. Tomorrow he has the regional science fair at Santa Fe College. He is in the botany division. His dystonia is still bad with his left arm continuously pulling up into the air. The docs are trying hard to find a setting that can help this but have not found it yet. He is applying to different high schools next year and waiting for his acceptance letters.

Samantha is applying to middle schools and waiting for her letters. She now has a new ambition  of playing middle school volleyball. Anyone else I would have thought this would be impossible but with Samantha I believe she can do it. She has started to train with Merideth again and is excited about having the new goal. Her feet still trun some and her core isnt as strong as before but we are hoping to find her optimal programming also.

Luke is doing well in basketball and loves a new electric...

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Our household is very interesting right now. The kids continue to do well in school but we are attempting to get better results from Tyler and Samantha’s DBS surgeries by modifying their programming.

Tyler's left arm continues to be a problem and he has some facial dystonia with some pulling and some in his eyes. The very good sign is that Tyler seems to be putting on some weight. Through a combination of increased shakes and increased appetite which allows him to eat more during the daytime, he has had some weight gains. Unfortunately two days ago Tyler started having some cognitive issues at school with some loss of memory. When he came home we noticed that he had something that looked like an infection on top of his head and it was very sensitive. Michelle took Tyler into the hospital where the docs met them and agreed to get a CT scan done right away. The CT look good because there was no evidence of infection in the brain but there is an infection near the cap that holds the electrode onto the skull....

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We had an inspiring weekend. I have spent much of the day following up on Tyler's Hope things to make the moeny work for us and find this cure.

We spent most of the weekend planning for the Season of Hope Run and competing in it. It was one of the most fun events I have participated in. The atmosphere was electric with people in great moods. We started the race with a moment of silence for a good friend (Harold Monk) that suddenly passed away at a young age. There were over 340 runners including participants that had dystonia, parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. It was a great showing of support and inspiration. Three of the runners had DBS surgery and completed the 5k. One of those people was our 10 year old Samantha. Sammy had a goal to complete the 5k but as she pushed through her physical therapy she made he new goal to beat 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sammy finished the race in 1:09. Her determination was inspiring. Her brothers were very supportive and both ran to greet while so they could...

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Yesterday was a great day in our household. Luke turned 7 years old and had a wonderful birthday. The secret Pal struck again and continues to have an impact on my children's lives that will never be fully appreciated by everyone. Thank You secret pal.

Seven years old is a milestone in our house because of Samantha and Tyler both showing symptoms when they turned 7. I did not sleep much at all this week and I am sure it was because I am worried about Luke. Saint Michelle has been stressed also and we both pretend like that can’t be it. Luke was able to build a Lego boat all by himself yesterday which made me think his dexterity is good. Luke got basketball clothes for his birthday and starts basketball in a week or so.

Tyler started the day at clinic and was very excited to find out he gained another four lbs since he was last weighed. He also scored the highest score in school on his Spanish test (122) that he was worried about.

Samantha spent some time preparing in PT for the Season of Hope race on December 10th and had a really good work out.

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Two days before Thanksgiving and there is a lot to be thankful for. For me, family is the top thing followed closely by great friends. I miss my father and my mother but I feel very strong because of the love and strength they gave me while I was growing up. You already know about Saint Michelle and my fantastic kids. My friends I cannot be more grateful for with their compassion for Tyler's Hope and how they make our lives fun.

Now for the update on the kids so that people with dystonia can understand the fluctuation of emotions and daily battles that are fought.

Tyler continues to do very well with his studies and last week he earned 1st place again in the science fair in the botany division with over 350 kids competing and 90 in botany. Tyler will go to the regionals to compete. He will be fitted for a brace/splint for his left wrist and arm soon. He is trying everything he can to get some improvements on his left side. He has had a lot of pulling on his left eye and face lately and it is frustrating...

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Tyler's birthday was two days ago. It is a reminder of the urgency needed in raising money to fund the research. One tear older is one year more that we could have cured him and others. Last night he had five boys sleep over for a party. I am typing this at 5:30 am and they are still not in bed. It sounds as if they have a demolition ball upstairs. Tyler's dystonia has shown up in the left side of his face some. I believe it is the newer programmings but his eye involuntarily closes and he grimaces from time to time. We will try and coorect this.

Samantha had a few days there where her foot was turning in more causing her to fall when she has been trying to walk a lot more. She had a good time and got lots of candy on Halloween.

Luke has started praticing his basketball again. He was a ninja, captain america, and a cowboy this week for Halloween. He broke it down on the dance floor for everyone to see at the Halloween party. Luke loves to dance. Luke turns seven years old on December 1st. This day...

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We were able to take all three kids with us this past weekend to Boston and Newport RI. 

As a reminder for those who do not have handicapped children or are newly diagnosed, airports and airplanes are not the easiest things to navigate with Dystonia. As always Saint Michelle called ahead and got some wheelchairs reserved for the airports and that helps. You cannot use the escalators or stairs with wheelchairs. Our layover in Atlanta was 35 minutes and we had to travel between terminals so waiting on the elevators is frustrating. We did make our connecting flight though. Both Tyler and Samantha have adjusted to the posturing that dystonia makes them take so they were able to comfortably fly to our destination. The last trip we were on, sitting still in the seats was an issue because of all of the dystonic movements. Because of the extra luggage, and walker (we left one of the wheelchairs at home) we needed to rent an SUV to carry everyone around. Samantha started with a head cold and came home with what is now bronchitis.

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Tyler's Hope is proud to be a part of the 2011 Gators Give Program.

Pleadge on line and learn more about the 2011 UFCC Campaign at www.ufcc.ufl.edu

The UFCC is the only official charitable giving drive for UF employees. Contributing to the UFCC is voluntary and can be done through cash, check, direct bill, or payroll deduction.

Both Tyler and Samantha were selected for international travel thorugh there schools. Tyler was also selected this week for a leadership program that would focus on Medicine and Science, Politics, and leadership. These programs are held over the summer at Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, UCLA and Stanford.

Samantha has plans to walk the 5k with her brother Tyler in the Season of Hope race on December 10th, 2011. Samantha successfully completed the Heart walk 5k last weekend and we are all very proud of her accomplishment and will power.

A quick update and a good story.

Tyler's left foot is looser and is causing him to fall when he walks. The docs say it is a good sign to have that foot loosen up but Tyler has to work on building the muscles. He fell down the steps coming down the stairs this morning.

Samantha's foot has truned a little so she will need to try and tweak her settings so that it straightens out some more again. Her and Tyler go to therapy every week with Tyler going to both phyiscal and occupational therapy.

Luke is reading much better now and is adding using three digit numbers. Samantha works him hard asking math questions all of the time.

The good story: I am going to copy it at my office.

Gray/Robinson Attorneys at Law in Orlando sent a letter describing a unique way to raise money for Tyler's Hope.

Our firm supports"Casual Day for a Cause" on each payday friday. Each employee who wishes to participate contributes a minimum of $5 for the opportunity to dress professionally casual. The...

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