It is that time to create new resolutions. Some of mine are the same and some are different but I did write them down. For Tyler's Hope we have big goals for 2011 and it should all start the third week of this month with our first board meeting of the year and a wine tasting event.
We had the good fortune of being able to take the kids to Buenos Aires, Argentina over the Holidays courtesy of Michelle's parents. This was a trip that I am not sure we will ever be able to do another one like it but it was a blessing to be able to expose the kids to a different culture and language. Each of them were able to pick up on some spanish, learning many new words.
The trip was very difficult for us and expensive relative to typical families that do not have handicaped children to deal with. The first area of difficulty started with the equipment needed to be able to take the trip. We had a wheelchair for Samantha (large) and an electric chair for Tyler but neither of these will work well when taking an airplane. We were able to borrow one chair from a friend of ours locally that runs the Center for Independent Living(A great organization that helps handicapped people become independent by finding jobs and filling other needs). We drove to Miami so of course we needed to have a car with enough room for two wheelchairs, three kids, and all of our luggage for many days in Argentina. The Ford Expedition was packed and we headed to Miami excited. Oh yeah, Luke was sick and had been throwing up for eight hours. Samantha has a hard time getting comfortable in the best of setting so it is very hard to be comfortable in a car seat for five+ hours.
When we went to the airport it was made a little easier by getting the special needs access but try lugging all the luggage while pushing two chairs and watching a six year old crazy boy. Kids are cruel and a lot of them just stared at us because of the wheelchairs. Luke rode most of the time with Tyler in his chair with him. Next was the airplane itself for a 10 hour flight. Samantha was very uncomfortable but had a good time anyways. You cannot take your wheelchairs onto the plane so we would transfer Samantha to a chair that would get between the seats of the plane. Tyler would walk once we got to the plane. The chairs would ship through.
Once in Buenos Aires the streets and crosswalks were not built for wheelchairs. Many of the walkways and roads were cobblestone and difficult to get around. The stores and cafes were packed with tables and chairs and did not have room to move the chairs around but most of the people were extremely helpful and caring. Samantha and Tyler got very sick for a couple of days and we susspect it was from whatever Luke caught.
We had a great Christmas and lots of fun in Argentina. The experiences with the family and in a foreign country were priceless and I would not change it for almost anything(except a cure).
The trip allowed us to become refocused on the important things and we are very motivated to make Tyler's Hope achieve the goals we set out to do. We will find treatments and cures for everyone that deals with these issues because of the horrible disorder called dystonia.