It must be getting towards Christmas Songs ...

The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York

The Royal Guardsmen-Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron

Celine Dion - O holy Night

Did you know the world is made from candy floss ..

The boys and I were talking on the way to school and they were asking about how things were made ..
Cam pipes up and says ... I know how the world was made ..
.. from Candy Floss ..
Oh this will be interesting I was thinking ..
On he went ..
God had some candy floss .. and he wriggled it through his fingers and it all floated down like those fairies (dandylions) ... and it made the world ... that's why it is so beautiful ..
Ahhh .. made a lump in my throat ..
.. and I said .. well that's a great idea about how it could have been made .. but I think he may have had to do a bit more than that ..
Heh heh ..

A call from Santa

On EBB someone posted a link where you can get Santa to give your children a call .. the kids were sooo excited ..

They then send you a link to the recorded call ..

I took photos during the phone call .. they don't look that excited do they ? Heh Heh ..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merry Christmas Michael Craig!
It was great to talk to you today. Here is your Christmas wish-list that I recorded during our chat.
Please click this link to play it:
Michael Craig's Wish-list
You might like to forward this talking email to your friends and family, so they can hear it too.
Remember, Michael Craig, Christmas is about being with the people you love. Presents are of course lots of fun, but it's family and friends that make Christmas really special!
Lots of love,

p.s. Rudolf says hi too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merry Christmas Cameron Craig!
It was great to talk to you today. Here is your Christmas wish-list that I recorded during our chat.
Please click this link to play it:
Cameron Craig's Wish-list
You might like to forward this talking email to your friends and family, so they can hear it too.
Remember, Cameron Craig, Christmas is about being with the people you love. Presents are of course lots of fun, but it's family and friends that make Christmas really special!
Lots of love,

p.s. Rudolf says hi too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   

Merry Christmas Abbie Craig!
It was great to talk to you today. Here is your Christmas wish-list that I recorded during our chat.
Please click this link to play it:
Abbie Craig's Wish-list
You might like to forward this talking email to your friends and family, so they can hear it too.
Remember, Abbie Craig, Christmas is about being with the people you love. Presents are of course lots of fun, but it's family and friends that make Christmas really special!
Lots of love,

p.s. Rudolf says hi too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might be an eighties child if ...

 

1. You had a crush on one of the New Kids on the Block members.
2. You wanted to be on StarSearch.
3. You ever uttered the word "Radical!"
4. You wore jelly shoes and jelly bracelets
5. You thought "Ghostbusters" was by far the coolest movie
6. You remember watching shows like "Punky Brewster" , "Webster", "You Can't Do That On Television" , "Wild&Crazy Kids" and "Double Dare"
7. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. Or even when he had those freaky eyes in "Thriller" at the end of the video.
8. You wore a banana clip in your hair or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
9. You rolled up the bottoms of your splatter painted jeans.
10. You wore loafers with everything, and you put the laces in those little rolls.
11. You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
12. You owned a doll with 'Xavier Roberts' signed on it's butt.
13. You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
14. You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
15. You can name half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
16. You can remember watching Full House and Saved by the Bell for endless hours!
17. You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
18. You yearned to be a member of The Babysitters Club, and tried to start a club of your own.
19. You sat on your back porch, playing with your "My Little Pony" , "Rainbow Brite" , and "Strawberry Shortcake" dolls
20. You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer."
21. You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
22. You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
23. You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool.
24. You know what "sike" and "not!" mean
25. You fell victim to 80's fashion : big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, big hoop earrings, and possibly the worst:you wore spandex pants.
26. You wanted to be a Goonie, or Elliot from E.T.
27. You owned an extensive collection of Cabbage Patch Kids and trolls.
28. You knew "The Artist" when he was humbly called "Prince."
29. You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played "Sam" to be.
30. You ever wore flourescent -neon if you will clothing....
31. You could breakdance, or wished you could.
32. You know who He-Man and She-Ra are.
33. You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system.
34. You know all the words to "Ice Ice Baby".
35. You remember MC hammer well.
36. You can still sing the rap to "Fresh Prince of Belair".
37. You own any cassettes.
38. You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
39. You remember and/or own any of the CareBear Glass collection from PizzaHut.
40. Pizza Hut was the coolest place to hang.
41. Poltergeist freaked you out.
42. You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an E.T. lunchbox.
43. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
44. You wanted to communicate with some being named Cinergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
45. You totally LOVED Barbie's cooler, punkier counterpart, "Jem" and her "Rockers"
46. You wanted to have an alien like Alf living in your house.
47. You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
48. You wore tights under shorts and felt stylish.
49. You layered your multi-colored slouch socks, and added suspenders to make your outfit complete.
50. You ever had a Swatch Watch.
51. You actually spent countless hours trying to perfect the care-bear stare.
52. You had a crush on one of the Coreys
53. You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
54. You had WonderWoman or Superman underwear.
55. You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
56. You believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power"
57. You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
58. Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away!!!!!!!!!!!!!
59. You ever owned or wanted any of the NKOTB action figures or dolls.
60. You remember when Deborah Gibson was "Debbie" Gibson.

If you can identify with at least half of his list then you, my friend, are a "Child of the 80's."

You might be a 90's kid if :

You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air"
You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey from "Blossom" and that "How Rude!" comes from Stephanie from "Full House"
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off"
You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
You danced to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, Females: had a new motto, Males: got a whole lot gay-ER. (so tell me what you want, what you really really want.)
HELLO....HOT WHEELS!!!!!  http://www.clutterme.com/cars
You remember the craze, then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books.
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not...
Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? Was both a game and a TV game show.
You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green Ranger were meant to be together.
You remember when super nintendos became popular.
You remember watching home alone 1, 2 , and 3........and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"
"I've fallen and I can't get up"
You remember boom boxes vs. Cd players
You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere
You watched the original Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtles
NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS WERE THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS
You made paper scrunchies to see who you'd end up marrying
You used to wear those stick on earrings, not only on your ears, but at the corners of your eyes.
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" ... Enough said
You thought Brain would finally take over the world
You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"
You remember when everyone went slinky crazy.

When we were younger:
Before the MySpace frenzy...
Before the Internet & text messaging...
Before Sidekicks & iPods...
Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX...
...Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When Caller ID was a new thing.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs.
When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off our walkmans.
Tag.
Get Over Here!!!! Means something to you.
Hide-n-Go Seek at dusk.
Red Light, Green Light.
Playing until your porch light came on.
Hopskotch.
Tree Houses.
Hula Hoops.
Captain Planet.
Running through the sprinklers.
That "Little Mermaid"
Crying when Mufasa died in the Lion King.
Happy Meals where you chose a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car.
Getting the privilege to sit in the front seat of the car.

Or what about:
Hey Arnold.
Rugrats.
Magic School Bus.
Aladdin. http://www.clutterme.com/aladdin
Pinky and the Brain
Blossom.
Beavis & Butt-Head
Wishbone.
MR RODGERS!!!!
Where everyone wanted to be in love after watching The Wonder Years. 
PEE-WEE!!!
Class field trips.
When Christmas was the most exciting time of year.
When $5 seemed like a million, & another dollar a miracle.

Go back to the time when:
Decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'.
Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in 'Monopoly.'
Being old referred to anyone over 20.
A chance to skate as a couple at the local roller rink was like winning the lottery.
When Ninja Turtles ruled the world.
When Aladdin was new, before the trilogy was complete.
Before we realized all this would eventually disappear

Who would have thought you'd miss the 90's so much!!!!!

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

by Wade Meredith on December 8th, 2006

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.
_________________

Girl with an apple

(This is a true story and you can find out more by Googling Herman Rosenblat. He was Bar Mitzvahed at age 75)

August 1942. Piotrkow, Poland.
The sky was gloomy that morning as we waited anxiously. All the men, women and children of Piotrkow's Jewish ghetto had been herded into a square.
Word had gotten around that we were being moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which had run rampant through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family would be separated.
"Whatever you do," Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered to me, "don't tell them your age. Say you're sixteen.
"I was tall for a boy of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a worker.
An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones. He looked me up and down, and then asked my age.
"Sixteen," I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers and other healthy young men already stood.
My mother was motioned to the right with the other women, children, sick and elderly people.
I whispered to Isidore, "Why?"
He didn't answer.
I ran to Mama's side and said I wanted to stay with her.
"No, "she said sternly.
"Get away. Don't be a nuisance. Go with your brothers."
She had never spoken so harshly before. But I understood: She was protecting me She loved me so much that, just this once, she pretended not to. It was the last I ever saw of her.
My brothers and I were transported in a cattle car to Germany.
We arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp one night weeks later and were led into a crowded barrack. The next day, we were issued uniforms and identification numbers.
"Don't call me Herman anymore." I said to my brothers. "Call me 94983."
I was put to work in the camp's crematorium, loading the dead into a hand-cranked elevator.
I, too, felt dead. Hardened, I had become a number.
Soon, my brothers and I were sent to Schlieben, one of Buchenwald's sub-camps near Berlin.
One morning I thought I heard my mother's voice..
"Son," she said softly but clearly, I am going to send you an angel."
Then I woke up. Just a dream. A beautiful dream.
But in this place there could be no angels. There was only work. And hunger. And fear.
A couple of days later, I was walking around the camp, around the barracks, near the barbed-wire fence where the guards could not easily see. I was alone.
On the other side of the fence, I spotted someone: a little girl with light, almost luminous curls. She was half-hidden behind a birch tree.
I glanced around to make sure no one saw me. I called to her softly in German "Do you have something to eat?"
She didn't understand.
I inched closer to the fence and repeated the question in Polish. She stepped forward. I was thin and gaunt, with rags wrapped around my feet, but the girl looked unafraid. In her eyes, I saw life.
She pulled an apple from her woolen jacket and threw it over the fence.
I grabbed the fruit and, as I started to run away, I heard her say faintly, "I'll see you tomorrow."
I returned to the same spot by the fence at the same time every day. She was always there with something for me to eat - a hunk of bread or, better yet, an apple.
We didn't dare speak or linger.. To be caught would mean death for us both.
I didn't know anything about her, just a kind farm girl, except that she understood Polish. What was her name? Why was she risking her life for me?
Hope was in such short supply, and this girl on the other side of the fence gave me some, as nourishing in its way as the bread and apples.
Nearly seven months later, my brothers and I were crammed into a coal car and shipped to Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia.
"Don't return," I told the girl that day. "We're leaving.."
I turned toward the barracks and didn't look back, didn't even say good-bye to the little girl whose name I'd never learned, the girl with the apples.
We were in Theresienstadt for three months. The war was winding down and Allied forces were closing in, yet my fate seemed sealed.
On May 10, 1945, I was scheduled to die in the gas chamber at 10:00 AM.
In the quiet of dawn, I tried to prepare myself. So many times death seemed ready to claim me, but somehow I'd survived. Now, it was over.
I thought of my parents. At least, I thought, we will be reunited.
But at 8 A.M. there was a commotion. I heard shouts, and saw people running every which way through camp. I caught up with my brothers.
Russian troops had liberated the camp! The gates swung open. Everyone was running, so I did too. Amazingly, all of my brothers had survived;
I'm not sure how. But I knew that the girl with the apples had been the key to my survival.
In a place where evil seemed triumphant, one person's goodness had saved my life, had given me hope in a place where there was none.
My mother had promised to send me an angel, and the angel had come.
Eventually I made my way to England where I was sponsored by a Jewish charity, put up in a hostel with other boys who had survived the Holocaust and trained in electronics. Then I came to America, where my brother Sam had already moved I served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, and returned to New York City after two years.
By August 1957 I'd opened my own electronics repair shop.. I was starting to settle in.
One day, my friend Sid who I knew from England called me.
"I've got a date. She's got a Polish friend. Let's double date."
A blind date? Nah, that wasn't for me.
But Sid kept pestering me, and a few days later we headed up to the Bronx to pick up his date and her friend Roma.
I had to admit, for a blind date this wasn't so bad. Roma was a nurse at a Bronx hospital. She was kind and smart. Beautiful, too, with swirling brown curls and green, almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with life.
The four of us drove out to Coney Island. Roma was easy to talk to, easy to be with.
Turned out she was wary of blind dates too!
We were both just doing our friends a favor. We took a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the salty Atlantic breeze, and then had dinner by the shore. I couldn't remember having a better time.
We piled back into Sid's car, Roma and I sharing the backseat.
As European Jews who had survived the war, we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us. She broached the subject, "Where were you," she asked softly, "during the war?"
"The camps," I said. The terrible memories still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to forget. But you can never forget.
She nodded. "My family was hiding on a farm in Germany, not far from Berlin," she told me. "My father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers."
I imagined how she must have suffered too, fear, a constant companion. And yet here we were both survivors, in a new world.
"There was a camp next to the farm." Roma continued. "I saw a boy there and I would throw him apples every day."
What an amazing coincidence that she had helped some other boy. "What did he look like? I asked.
"He was tall, skinny, and hungry. I must have seen him every day for six months."
My heart was racing. I couldn't believe it.
This couldn't be.
"Did he tell you one day not to come back because he was leaving Schlieben?"
Roma looked at me in amazement. "Yes!"
"That was me!"
I was ready to burst with joy and awe, flooded with emotions. I couldn't believe it! My angel.
"I'm not letting you go." I said to Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I proposed to her. I didn't want to wait.
"You're crazy!" she said. But she invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the following week.
There was so much I looked forward to learning about Roma, but the most important things I always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness. For many months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the fence and given me hope. Now that I'd found her again, I could never let her go.
That day, she said yes. And I kept my word. After nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, I have never let her go.

Herman Rosenblat of Miami Beach, Florida

Almost Normal - by Dina Coopersmith

I stumbled across this article on the WWW .. and thought mmmm ..

[From Aish.com, the most popular Judaism website. Please be sure to read this related article, from a father's perspective: Raising Yehuda.]

When I was growing up, I considered "being normal" the biggest compliment. Moving to Israel at a young age and switching schools every year or two implanted in me a basic yearning just to fit in and be like everyone else.

When I became a young adult, "normalcy" was the overriding, most important quality in a person. I associated a lot of things with "being normal" - being emotionally healthy, balanced, relatively confident, down-to-earth, religious but not fanatical, spiritual but not flaky. In short, someone more or less like me - preferably more.

At some point "being normal" became synonymous with being successful and having a relatively trouble-free life. Being a failure or burdened with problems would mean I was pitiful, the very worst possible thing to be.

People frequently confirmed to me that I was, in fact, "extremely normal." As a teacher of young women, I would become my students' friend and confidante since I was "so normal." I never ended up being the butt of any "Purim spiel" jokes; the students couldn't find much to make fun of - no radical quirks or weirdness - which worked just fine for me.

I got married to a super-normal guy at the normal age of 22 - not too young, not too old - and had my first baby - a girl -- two years later; not too soon, not too late.

I think that was the last very normal event in my life.

Things began to take a turn for the "unusual" a couple of years later. Suffice it to say that having children wasn't coming as easily for me as it did for everyone else. After a few miscarriages, punctuated by long breaks where I didn't conceive, we somehow, thank God, managed to have three terrific kids spaced about four years apart, and I was ready to get back to the business of being a "normal" family.

This wasn't as easy at it sounds. We live in Jerusalem, in a densely populated, religious neighborhood. By densely populated I mean mostly by children. The average number of kids per family seems to be a dozen. Okay, maybe not a dozen, but seven or eight, and the moms who have only two or three are not much older than 20, and all three kids are under the age of two and a half.

So I wasn't quite as normal as I had always hoped to be. I compensated by idealizing the particular life-style I had as a result of not always needing to be at home with kids. I had an enjoyable part-time teaching job that kept me intellectually and spiritually stimulated. I took parenting courses to try and become the best mother I could be, and convinced myself and others that I wouldn't enjoy dealing with babies day after day, year after year. I told myself that quality was so much more important than quantity (and my kids were, after all, the brightest and most beautiful in the neighborhood!).

So I was certainly not to be pitied. God forbid anyone should consider me a "nebach," pathetic. Oh, no. Everything was exactly how I wanted it to be. I still had it all together and was super-normal. Everyone said so.

When I became pregnant with my fourth child and everything seemed to be going well, I finally began to breathe more easily. Things were going to be just fine now. I'll be a "normal" mommy with baby in tow, a stroller with which to walk my daily fast-paced jaunt to town, and with which I could now frequent the playground with my other children as well. And four kids is pretty normal, isn't it?

Then my baby boy was born. And he had Down syndrome.

Out went the visions of carefree afternoons in the park, chatting and exchanging witty anecdotes about our children with the other young mothers. In came the horrifying thoughts of the neighbors' pity, my parents' sadness for my sake, my friends and relatives feeling bad for me, and the label "nebach" in big, bold letters.

Almost secondary to all these thoughts were the real concerns and worries about raising a child with special needs -- the time and effort this would entail and how much of a change I would need to make in my life.

At my son's bris, all I could think was, "Act normal and happy like nothing's wrong. Smile, go through the motions, and don't let anyone have reason to feel bad for you."

As some of my neighbors were leaving, one said, "You know, you truly are amazing." All the others nodded in agreement as I cringed inside. Didn't they know that's exactly what I didn't want to be? "I just want to be normal!" I wanted to scream.

Now, eight months later, this remains my greatest challenge. Yes, I am totally in love with my adorable little boy and I find caring for him as stimulating and fulfilling as for any of my other kids, if not more so. Each sign of progress is met with cries of excitement and celebration, and at times I even feel exhilarated. But I still haven't let go of the normalcy dream. To a certain extent, I still haven't accepted the fact that my Yehuda Meir and, by proxy, my family and I, will never be "normal."

Sometimes I avoid mentioning it to people who know I had a baby but don't know about the Down syndrome. I figure they can find out from someone else and I can avoid having to deal with their reaction. That fleeting shadow of horror that crosses their faces before it's replaced by a half-smile of pity and concern, or a piece of well-meaning advice or consolation, like, "I heard they can be concert pianists -- they're very musical," or "God only gives challenges to great people who can handle them."

I find it difficult associating myself with other parents of kids with disabilities. What in the world am I, queen of normalcy, doing in a room full of people like this? It can't be that I belong here, can it? I will occasionally find a long-discarded, quickly-jotted phone number of someone to call "when you're ready to talk" scrunched up at the bottom of our messy kitchen drawer. Who was I kidding? I wasn't about to join a support group or anything so obviously pathetic!

I grasp at any compliment such as: "He's so cute, you can't even tell he has Downs" or "He's doing everything a regular kid his age does," to confirm to myself once again that hey, we are the most normal people in this abnormal group.

I am forced to live with the realization that to be "normal" is something entirely different from my original misconception.

Just about all the people I've encountered through the shared reality of having a child with disabilities have been extremely impressive. Typically they are caring, driven, intelligent and emotionally balanced, going to heroic lengths to do what's best for their children. Adjectives like "weak" or "pathetic" don't even enter the picture.

I realize that to be truly "normal" is to be confident enough with yourself and the situation you have been given by the Almighty that you are able to ask for help and advice if you need it, and to openly admit that you may not have it all together all the time. And that it's arrogant to think otherwise... maybe even a little pathetic.

As our sages state in Ethics of the Fathers, "One who runs after honor, honor flees from him. One who flees from honor, honor runs after him."

If a year ago someone would have looked into the future and told me that I was going to become a mother of a child with Downs, I would have laughed it off as impossible. "The Almighty knows that I could not handle that!"

Well, I guess God, in His infinite wisdom and humor, has greater expectations of me than I of myself. He is not going to let me run away from one of the primary issues I need to work on.

I still hate it when I sense people's pity, and to be honest it's hard to see that changing any time soon. But as I integrate the reality of my particular abnormal situation, perhaps someday I will acquire the necessary humility to be truly "normal."

Braveheart battler Nathan Garcia thrown a lifeline

Article from:

Fingers crossed for Monique and Nathan ... argghhh!!!!!

By Grant McArthur

November 26, 2008 12:01am

BRAVEHEART battler Nathan Garcia has been thrown a lifeline.

The French inventor of a spinal support rod that could enable Nathan to have a life-saving heart operation has offered to immediately fly him to Paris for the implant.

On Monday the Herald Sun revealed Royal Children's Hospital safety procedures had delayed surgery to implant the rod in Melbourne.

Nathan's mum, Monique Garcia, was now speaking to respiratory doctors in Melbourne to find out if Nathan, 6, could survive the journey.

The founder of Phenix Medical, Arnaud Soubeiran, met the Royal Children's director of cardiac surgery, Dr Christian Brizard, in Paris on Monday to again discuss Nathan's condition.

He has told Ms Garcia he would arrange surgery at Paris's St Vincent de Paul Hospital, where more than 40 rods have been implanted in other patients, if Nathan is well enough to travel.

"I will provide you with all the support I can," he wrote to Ms Garcia.

"This of course includes offering a dedicated Phenix M device to Nathan and offering you to stay in my flat in Paris if this option works.

"But there is no doubt that time is playing against us and that we must make quickly the right decision because we won't have a second chance."

The Pascoe Vale boy was born with only half a heart and scoliosis, a condition that has deformed his spine and made him too ill to survive the complex open-heart surgery needed to prevent his fragile heart stopping.

Ms Garcia has criticised the RCH's new technologies committee for not allowing the rod to be implanted in Nathan's back because it is not approved in Australia.

While the chances of the rod improving Nathan's condition enough for him to undergo the heart surgery were unknown, Ms Garcia said he would die without it so she was hoping to accept the French offer.

"They have opened up a position for Nathan, and have offered to house me and take care of us," she said.

"I feel this is something that could really happen for Nathan, and could get him into the treatment that he needs much quicker, so it is a chance we have to take.

"It is a risk to fly, but we cannot afford to wait and I have to do everything to protect my son."

But RCH chief of surgery Leo Donnan said Nathan was in a stable condition with no immediate danger. The hospital was acting in his best interests by fully evaluating the new device.

"The technology committee has looked at the rod . . . and there are still a few questions that need to be completed before we can say it is safe," he said.

"We have a child that has a very precarious condition that could potentially be life-threatening by intervening with surgery.

"We are going to make sure everything we do is 100 per cent safe to maximise the chance of this child having a good outcome. It is not about bureaucracy . . . it is purely about giving this child the best chance of surviving."

Royal Children's Hospital red tape denies dying boy Nathan Garcia a chance

By Grant McArthur  

This is a friends son in Australia .. who has the same heart condition as Cameron ...

- Herald Sun

November 24, 2008 02:52am

Killer bureaucracy ... Nathan Garcia, pictured with friend Miranda Lindsay, has been denied access to a new medical development that could save his life.

• Dying boy, 6, has half a heart
• Needs back surgery so heart can improve
• Hospital says it must evaluate procedure first

A SIX-year-old boy with only half a heart is dying as red tape prevents Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital surgeons giving him an operation and a chance to save his life.
As well as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Nathan Garcia suffers from scoliosis - a condition that has deformed his spine and now places so much pressure on his arteries and lungs he is unable to undergo life-saving surgery to re-rout his half a heart before it stops beating.

Royal Children's orthopaedic surgeons had planned to place a new type of metal rod in Nathan's back to ease his scoliosis, improve his heart and lung function, and hopefully make him healthy enough to undergo the heart surgery.

However, the hospital's New Technologies Committee has refused permission for the operation. It says processes have not yet allowed it to evaluate and approve the French-designed Phenix Rod for safe use, and instead Nathan has been placed in palliative care.

Nathan's distraught mother, Monique Garcia, said her son would be dead or too crippled for the operation before the red tape cleared, and was appealing for the decision to be reversed for a one-off operation.

"They say it might be OK to use in a few months, but I'm terrified he'll be dead in two months," Ms Garcia said.

"Normally I would accept the process of approval, and it is warranted, but it doesn't have a place in this situation - he is going to die anyway.

"We have a surgeon who is wanting and trying to save his patient's life, but on the other side we have red tape, and I don't think anything should get in between a doctor and the welfare of their patient. He will die if he does not have this operation - and soon."

Nathan has been supported in hospital by best friend Miranda Lindsay, who regularly visits him.

Royal Children's orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ian Torode and director of cardiac surgery Dr Christian Brizard met the Phenix Rod's inventor, Arnaud Soubeiran, in Paris last month to discuss Nathan's case.

Royal Children's spokeswoman Julie Webber said the committee was examining the use of the Phenix Rod and a decision about its suitability as a treatment for Nathan would be made in his best interests.

"The decision will be made around what is in the best interests of the child," she said.

Your Say

If the operation goes ahead and the child dies will the parets sue? The medical board are scared of this happening. Sad reality of life.

Posted by: Glenn of Melbourne 4:11pm today
Comment 29 of 29

"In the Best Interest of the Child" well I think that should be left up to the parents to make that dissection, not a board room who would be looking at another case number. I am an Australian and have been living outside of Australia for the past 11 years in China. Very sad to say but this is another perfect example of what I always ask, who is living in a communist country? Monique please stay srong never give up and people of Melbourne Victoria, get behind this young boys dream of living.

Posted by: Glenn Baldock 4:05pm today
Comment 28 of 29

Are there any other surgeons out there who'd like to have a go, slicing and dicing this terminally ill boy? Now is the perfect oppertunity to try any crazy new procedures you've got. Lets face it - the parents are desparate and will accept anything that you recommend, and the public don't mind if you use sick children for scientific experiments. Hell - they demand it! You'll get paid whether your idea works or not. What could go wrong?!? (Well, maybe the kid will die - but who cares - he was going to die anyway. If you fluke it, and help the kid, you will be more famous and richer! There is no risk! Surely this dying kid wouldn't mind using his last few breaths to inflate your wallet.) RIGHT EVERYONE?

Posted by: frightened of medical experiments 4:02pm today
Comment 27 of 29

If it was the parent refusing to have this operation, they would be criminally charged. If this poor little boy dies because he is denied this treatment, they should charge the people who denied this surgery to him. It seems like it is way to easy for them to hide behind their clipboards and take no responsibility for the devastation they are causing this poor family! Good Luck Nathan, hope you win mate!

Posted by: Michelle of null 3:46pm today
Comment 26 of 29

I agree with Samantha, comment 10. The point of this process is to promote patient safety not to differ operations. That is the point of government, accountability, leadership and process. If everyone came to the hospital with a print out from the net of some half baked procedure, you would have increased deaths, blown out waiting lists as well as more people suing the doctors because "they are in a position of trust to inform the patient of the right direction for their situation". It is sad that he may die and without any help he certainly would anyway, but hopefully he will survive and get a quality procedure done and then live a happy life. Stories like this, while depressing, may bring some attention to the fact that hospitals are also understaffed and underbudgeted and this could bring some positive results. But I wouldn't hold my breath on it.

Posted by: Paully of Brissy 3:43pm today
Comment 25 of 29

This beautiful child should be given the option of living. Red tape does not belong in this situation.

Posted by: Dion of Perth, WA 3:26pm today
Comment 24 of 29

Guy of Adelaide (comment 8), you are right to a certain extent about the people who get to put processes in place. My husband is a Senior Principal Civil Engineer working for Main Roads. He is faced every day with frustrating processes that hinder him from doing his job. Processes put into place by, as you say, clerical staff and high placed admin staff that do not have the required degree in Civil Engineering to come up with such processes. The Public Sector has highly qualified staff with years of experience whose every move is also met with red tape so please dont tar the whole system with the 'get rid of them' brush. They have to come up with these process to keep lay people of the general public happy when they want answers regarding road safety etc from the equally lay Politicians who have to say what the voters like to hear (not to mention in Brisbane the Public Sector bashing Courier Mail) All one big Political, Public Liability fearing farce really.

Posted by: corinne of Brisbane 3:12pm today
Comment 23 of 29

I simply cannot believe this! There is an option available that may give young Nathan a chance at life ... and he should be given it. How dare they condemn him to death.

Posted by: another heart mum of Newcastle 2:51pm today
Comment 22 of 29

the human life has no value anymore. god help us all

Posted by: marlene bortoli of central coast 2:46pm today
Comment 21 of 29

Just put the damn rod in already! ... jebus...

Posted by: David W of Brisbane 2:33pm today
Comment 20 of 29

There is some amzaing medical technology out there, not all of it is beneficial to every, or even any patient. Just because the French has approved it does not mean it will guarantee the boy a positive outcome. The medical board will respond in time I'm sure.

Posted by: Mr M of bne 1:15pm today
Comment 19 of 29

If the headline read, "Surgeons testing experimental surgery on terminally ill children" then how would you all feel? The New Technologies Committee is here to ensure the humane treatment of people so we don't treat them like lab rats, regardless of the parent's desires. Neither party can say for sure he'll be dead in two months and the doctors seem to be more informed in this case, "Royal Children's orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ian Torode and director of cardiac surgery Dr Christian Brizard met the Phenix Rod's inventor, Arnaud Soubeiran, in Paris last month to discuss Nathan's case."

Posted by: Nick 1:12pm today
Comment 18 of 29

God bless this little boy and his family and friends. If Nathan's doctors and surgeon are supporting this procedure and the family want it, then the hospital needs to back down and butt out. At times such as this decisions need to be made quickly. It is NOT in the best interests of the child to delay. Red tape has its place, but the time to act is NOW. May sanity prevail. Best wishes Nathan ... you are a little trooper. I am praying for you.

Posted by: Elizabeth of Queensland 1:10pm today
Comment 17 of 29

This is the unfortunate impact of the amount of medical litigation in our society. No-one will take a chance, the hospital must go through an exhaustive review and evaluation process because if things go wrong they would be looking at a multi million dollar law suit. This is the health system the public has demanded through their own actions. It's a shame some of the innocent victims will be children.

Posted by: Shane 12:54pm today
Comment 16 of 29

This is the sort of typical luddite, blinkered thinking that Keeps Australia in the technological dark ages. ""The decision will be made around what is in the best interests of the child," she said" Julie Webber, if this was your child you'd just about move heaven and earth to get anything done to help it. Best interests of the child my eye... Moreso the least letigious course of action of the hospital to avoid any damages claim. If the child is doomed without this procedure, then with the procedure, is hardly likely to make anything worse,.. god australia you make me sick. Land of the introverted and home of the technophobe.

Posted by: Steve K of Perth/Hong Kong 12:38pm today
Comment 15 of 29

This boy has nothing to lose, and so much to gain if this procedure is successful. The hospital should stop worrying about the 'wotif' it doesn't work, and start thinking abouth the 'wotif' it does work.

Posted by: V of Darwin 12:34pm today
Comment 14 of 29

Totally agree Samantha (comment 10). Even if the parents agree to sign away all their rights to litigation if anything should go wrong there are still countless ways to get around this and sue the hospital anyway. The hospital system has some serious shortcomings but in this sort of scenario they're stuffed either way.

Posted by: Damien 12:32pm today
Comment 13 of 29

If it was a family member of the committee, I am convinced that it would be rushed through. If there is a small chance this little boy may survive this surgery to endure a life-saving operation, shouldn't it be allowed? Shouldn't he at least be given a chance. The alternative is obviously much worse and cruel all-round. If its that risky and the hospital are concerned about litigation, couldn't the parents sign some kind of waiver, just so that their son has a chance at life?? So much for our educated idiots running the world; most have lost sight of the simple things!

Posted by: MumB 12:14pm today
Comment 12 of 29

I bet if it was their child it would be a different story, any mother/father would give life to save the life of their child, my heart goes out to the family and I give my strength to the little boy, keep fighting buddy.

Posted by: Karen of Adelaide 11:57am today
Comment 11 of 29

If the operation is proven overseas and the doctors in charge of the patient are convinced it is in the best interests of the patient, then cut the red tape and let this happen. However, don't let it become a precedent for any future desperate attemtps to prolong life without going through proper assessment procedures.

Posted by: Allan of Gold Coats 11:56am today
Comment 10 of 29

Doctors/hospitals are damned if they do and damned if they don't. On the one hand it may be unsafe to proceed with an operation that is not yet deemed safe and that they have no experience with and on the other the parents are saying that her child cannot wait 2 months while this procedure is evaluated. In this age of litigation - if this hospital went ahead with this unevaluated procedure and the child died the parents and their lawyers would be suing for millions for wrongful death. I am sure the hospital is doing what they can to keep this child alive and in as little pain as possible. He is lucky compared to millions of children in other countries who would not even have the chance of this type of care let alone the prospect of being 'saved'. Hospitals & doctors just cannot win or keep everyone happy... I am sure that they are doing this in the best interests of this child and at the moment and that his life is less at risk right now than if they proceed without more investigation of the risk. The way that the media portrays every article in the most negative and controversial light is getting very tedious.

Posted by: Samantha 11:56am today
Comment 9 of 29

What Julie Webber really means is "who is going to pay for this"?????? How about the media focus on her and the committee!!! and not just the committee...get the names of everyone on it and print them so we all know who is really responsible for what happens to Nathan. good luck mate!

Posted by: Robert of Brisbane 11:13am today
Comment 8 of 29

The saddest thing is the people who created the process are clerical staff who got promoted by means of brown nosing and backstabbing, have no real skill or clinical experiences but are just plain bureaucrats. We need to get rid of the state governments, they are useless and are a waste of money.

Posted by: guy of Adelaide 11:11am today
Comment 7 of 29

What a load of bollocks. Its in the child's best interest to ensure a life lived as long as possible which this rod will extend! Placing him in palliative care is a definete death sentence and is in no shape or form "in the child's best interest". As stated, the committee is just wants the child to die a painful death in palliative care, outside of their responsibilities, than risk anything negative happening with the rod. If they choose not to go through with it, I am going to forgo my annual $10k donation to the hospital. I donate my money to save children, not to let them die because of red tape. That is a principle I cannot forgive

Posted by: Paul 11:06am today
Comment 6 of 29

Surely if the parents are aware of the potential complications and agree for the procedure (however groundbreaking in Australia it is) to go ahead, the red tape should be cut. However I suppose this is what comes from having to pander to so many money grabbing, public liability squawking ignoramuses. All the payouts that have occured add another metre to the red tape. Great hey?

Posted by: Corinne of Brisbane 11:06am today
Comment 5 of 29

We need to petition to get action.

Posted by: Nicole of melbourne 10:32am today
Comment 4 of 29

Seems like an easy one to me. When is it ever in a patients best interests to die? The only flaw I could see is if the rod caused untold amounts of pain but thats only speculation. If the rod wont cause some other kind of debilitation in its own right I say go for it!

Posted by: da of Sydney 9:19am today
Comment 3 of 29

This is appalling. A childs life hangs in the balance. Stuff this red tape and get on with it. I pray he makes it and is allowed to have the operation. If it was one of their kids would the situation be different ????

Posted by: Nat 9:14am today
Comment 2 of 29

What a buggered up system

Posted by: Nathan of Hobart 9:11am today
Comment 1 of 29

Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser ...

A bit of background ..

E and K came up with an idea a few months back after H was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma to have a fundraiser for H's family ..

After a bit of pondering  they thought of how they could help the family out and then and after a discussion with B (H's mum) thought about all of the kids in the district who have had to go to Starship Hospital and came up with the idea instead to fundraise and for all the funds to go to Ronald McDonald House as in the past 6 yrs .. we have had at least 7 of our kids in the district at Starship for various medical conditions or emergencies ... and of course Cam was one of them .. and all of our families have had to stay there during their time in Auckland ..

Entry was by donation ..

So there was some music

.. some speeches .. (from J and K)

... a visit from Santa and a helper ..

 

and a Mystery Items Auction with a number of donated items .. (where most went for a min. of $120) ...

The next thing was a kind of FunRazor but with a Puke twist .. done with a shearing hand-piece by S.

About 15 people elected to have their heads shaved for the cause.

This was one of the organisers - K . .she raised $400

Next up was an especially cool sponsored shave....

W has had this beard for something like 15 yrs ..

His daughter was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma a couple of months back

.. and is still in the midst of treatment ..

.. and his one condition was that she was the one to do the job ..

... so she is the one shaving his head and beard off ..

The district raised $1,000 just for him alone to do this ...

Many of the others above also raised funds or were sponsored ..

Starting the beard ..

 

Before (not entirely keen ..lol) ..  After ..

Amazing what can happen after an idea over a few bevies one weekend .. is put in to fruition

.. and a rural district bands together to get it done huh ..

Will update at a later time the $$$ raised ...

Update: At the moment the total funds raised .. excl refreshment sales are over $5,000

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Progress Shots ...

  

84 kg ... now 72 kg

          

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