Unsung Hero

I found this post in my drafts folder! It was started last year -- things must have gotten busy and I forgot to finish and post it! So here it is...

These are a couple of heroes we have encountered at our BI support meetings. Charlie and Peggy...
Charlie is a BI survivor and  Peggy, his wife, is (in her words) the Surviving Caregiver.
This wonderful couple seems to have taken a shine to our Sam and he to them. They are our extended family now.
Charlie was driving a truck that was hit by a train and survived.  Charlie is one of the main reasons that Sam goes to the meetings, I think because  for one, Charlie is in the same boat as Sam. They are both miraculous survivors of accidents that typically people dont make such amazing recoveries with. They both are walking miracles and are living with the reality of "well-you-look-fine-what-do-you-mean-you-have-a-brain-injury" mentality of the public. Reason number two is that Charlie can make Sam smile no matter what his day has been like.

Peggy is SO amazing too! She has been through so much with not only Charlie and his recovery but with all that life throws at you! (she was also a careigver to multiple people, like me!) I so enjoy geting texts and FB links from Peggy -- she always manages to make me smile too, no matter what my day is like. She is a busy lady looking after her hubby, mother in law, cooking, gardening .... life. We try to get together with them at times other than just at BI meetings and there IS a dream for Peggy and I (and another BI caregiver friend) to get away for a weekend 'just us girls' ... but so far we are all too busy to get away! LOL

Both Peggy and Charlie are big advocators for Brain Injury Awareness, volunteering with P.A.R.T.Y programs in the area, helping with the BI walk that our group held in June, getting bracelets out to people, WEARING  bracelets!!! I honestly dont know where I would be the last few years without Peggy and Charlie in our lives to be friends to talk with about Sam and where we are in life! So I just wanted to take some time and some blogging space inthe universe to hold these two amazing people up and let the world see some amazing Survivors and Caregivers who make a BIG difference in lives!!

Thank you Peggy and Charlie!! We love you and you are our heroes!!! 

xoxo

Can I get a WHOOP! WHOOP!?

I had a bit of a shock last week as I was looking thru my Brain Injury Advocate email acct and found a about a dozen or more emails from people who emailed me back in June about wanting bracelets! My heart stopped and I felt a bit sick ... people had emailed me and I had not seen them!! Luckily, I still had bracelets left (not many), so I prayed... and prayed... then I started addressing envelopes, signing letters and filling out some window cards for their envelopes. Then I started playing with the number of bracelets in accordance to the requests... then I started replying to emails and moving them to my "inbox". I was able to get out bracelets to every one of those emails. Sadly not all were the numbers they were requesting but I did get them out! Now after lunch I will put them in the mail and they will be off to their new homes!

So let me state this for the record...

ALL 1500 TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS BRACELETS ARE OUT IN THE WORLD!!! (can I get a whoop! whoop!?)  I am so thrilled to have been able to not only send bracelets to a new country this year (Thank you Russia!)

I have had many beautiful emails sent to me of survivor stories and caregiver stories. I will try to sit this winter and reply to as many as I can on a more personal level. My heart would soar when I would see a number beside my email inbox and see that someone was sharing their corner of their experience with brain injury with me. Some stories brought me to tears and some made me smile but ALL warmed my heart! THANK YOU to everyone who emailed and asked for bracelets, picked them up in the public venues in our town, donated time, money or other things for me to be able to do what I have done for the third year in a row! I am truely blessed to have such wonderful people in my life personal and via the internet! I wish I could hug you all for helping me in spreading this awareness -- because lets face it without you guys sharing, emailing and talking about it... it never would have happened so give yourselves a big pat on the back!!! WAY TO GO!!! 

I am excited to see what next year will bring and I am already working on the campaign, my letter and what I will be using to help spread awareness!! So please stay tuned!!

OH NO!! Emails from June just found on my acct!!
 ACK I HAVE to get bracelets to these people!

envelopes, envelopes and more envelopes all filled with BI Awareness bracelets!

Getting things ready to go to town to the post office!!

My bracelet and awareness basket it now empty... how will I spend my time!?