So, I decided to interview my auntie Gail on her Hashimoto! She’s very strong, happy and a joyful person to be around. I really enjoyed two years ago when my Dad took me to Lloydminster and we went out for ice cream with my Auntie Gail and my Grandma Sharon. It was really nice to see where my Dad and my Auntie Gail went to high school. We would go to Lloydminster for Christmas Eve the last two before COVID, so this past Christmas we didn’t get to go to Lloydminster. I love going back to see family and playing games with the whole family. I hope everything is back to normal this Christmas! I hope you learn something from this interview!

Kelsey: How did you find out you had Hashimoto? 

Gail: I had not been feeling well for a few years. I was always very tired, and it has always been very hard to lose any weight.  I had been to my family doctor, and she had checked my thyroid but she always said it was on the edge of the normal range so we should just watch it. Then in the summer of 2018 I thought I would try seeing a naturopath doctor. She sent me for a few different blood tests than my regular doctor had, and they came back positive for the Hashimoto’s disease antibodies.

Here is what I found out about Hashimoto:

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Also called Hashimoto’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease, a disorder in which the immune system turns against the body’s own tissues. In people with Hashimoto’s, the immune system attacks the thyroid. This can lead to hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid does not make enough hormones for the body’s needs. I have a link at the end of the interview for you to find out more information….

Kelsey: What were your symptoms and how are you feeling today?

Gail: I definitely had a few of the symptoms listed for Hashimoto’s. I had fatigue all the time and joint and muscle pain. Even just doing regular everyday stuff like cleaning the house and doing laundry would make me tired. One of the symptoms is a goiter that develops on your neck and I am very thankful I did not have that symptom. I take medication every day to help regulate the thyroid gland and I am feeling much better now. A few months ago, I had a check up and I had been feeling a sluggish so I had my thyroid checked again and it was back to being a little slow so my doctor had to adjust the dosage of my medication.

Kelsey: How did your family act when you found out what’s was happening?

Gail: I think they were very relieved that I finally had a diagnosis and that it was fully treatable with medication.

Kelsey: Did you have to change your diet or eating habits?

Gail: The naturopath also found out that I had a sensitivity to gluten as well as Hashimoto’s so I have totally changed my diet and eating habits. I do not eat anything with gluten and that has been quite tough for me as I loved bread.

Kelsey: What’s changed your lifestyle when you found out what’s was happening?

Gail: Because Hashimoto’s is classified as an autoimmune disease. I do have to make sure I get proper rest and eat well. They told me to limit my stress because too much stress will make the inflammation in my body worse.

Kelsey: What was your childhood like growing up? What were your hobbies when you were a Child?

Gail: I grew up in Lloydminster, which is where I live now. We lived very close to our school so we were able to walk to school every day and come home for lunch. Our school also has an outdoor swimming pool in the summer and an outdoor skating rink in the winter. I loved to skate, in the winter I would skate pretty much every day after school. I took figure skating lessons for a while as well. When I got older and went to high school, I was very lucky Michael drove me to school every day and dropped me off at my part time job until I got a driver’s license.

Kelsey: Where did you go after school?

Gail: I always came home after school. My mom worked and I always looked after my younger brother Patrick. Well and sometimes Michael. Ha ha ha.

Kelsey: What’s your job today?

Gail: I work at a company called Guardian Radiology, they do diagnostic imaging, which is x-rays and ultrasounds. I work in the finance department mostly doing payroll as there are over 100 employees in 12 different locations. I am also responsible for receivables as well.

Kelsey: Where did you meet my uncle Wayne? When did you have kids?

Gail: I met uncle Wayne when I was in Grade 10 we went to the same high school. Hard to believe I have known him since I was 15 years old. We started dating when I was about 19 years old and we got married in 1994 when I was 23 and he was 24. We had our first child, Eric Hans in 1995 and then Ian Andrew in 1999. Our boys have left home now and are living in Edmonton together.

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Kelsey: Where have you been in the world? Do you like to travel?

Gail: I love to see new places and I love to travel. I am not a great flier but once I get there, I am good. I have been to many places. I love the beach we have been to Mexico many times, and Bermuda, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Antiqua. We have been to New York a few times and Uncle Wayne loves Las Vegas. I have also went to Greece and Italy with Eric on a school trip which was lots of fun. But my biggest trip was to Egypt for 3 weeks with a friend of mine. It was a long and exhausting trip but so worth it. We saw so many museums, ruins, tombs, pyramids, rode donkeys and camels, and climbed Mount Sanai.

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Kelsey: What are your hobbies today?

Gail: I love to ride my bike in the summer and I love to read. I read every day. I also like to garden a bit. Wayne built some raised garden beds last year and I planted a few vegetables. I also am a member of the Kinette’s club.

Kelsey: Are you close to your friends from school or have they moved away?

Gail: I have a few friends that still live here from my school days. One is my friend Tammy, we have been friends since Grade 4 and she is my hairdresser as well.

Kelsey: What’s your favourite memory growing of your Mom, and your Dad?

Gail: My favourite memory when we were young, we went on a summer holiday to BC. We had a camper and we drove. We stopped at the Flintstone park and we drove go karts. It was a really fun trip.

Kelsey: How many siblings do you have?

Gail: I have 2 siblings. I have an older brother Michael and a younger brother Patrick so I am a middle child and the only girl. 

For more information check out this link:

https://www.webmd.com/women/hashimotos-thyroiditis-symptoms-causes-treatments

Thank you Auntie Gail for doing the interview and providing the website. I really enjoyed learning about your life. I hope some people learned something from your interview. Maybe they have Hashimoto Disease too!

Around my birthday, my Mom changes my feeding tube. I lean my wheelchair back and I make my dad hold my hand because changing the feeding tube is kinda uncomfortable and I don’t enjoy it very much! Good thing it’s only two times a year or unless it falls out.

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My birthday was June 7. In the morning I got up to balloons, they were red, a happy birthday balloon, and a flower purple balloon! In the early afternoon I got to open some of my birthday presents from my roommates! I got hair dye, pictures in pictures frames and some smelly bulbs for my butterfly night light, some bath bombs and lights and you make words with the letters.

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I went to my parent’s house for my birthday supper and homemade ice cream cake. Joel, Ashley and I did face masks! My Mom’s friends surprised me and dropped by and sang happy birthday and gave me Red flowers! Joel and Ashley got me the Twilight books! My Mom and Dad got me some new bed sheets and a bigger weighted blanket for my bed, and some red shorts! My Auntie Gail got me a K necklace for my birthday! It was a good day!

We painted bird houses and we gave them to our secret senior! I finished my colouring book in four days. It had 30 colour by number and 30 colouring pages!

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For Father’s Day Rose Club did a paint pottery activity. I made a whale and a Dad sign for my Dad for Father’s Day! For Father’s Day the whole family put up our swimming pool in the backyard, we played bocce ball with Dad while Mom took Coco for a walk, and we had two games of Yahtzee! My Mom finally finished my birthday present, she made me summer moccasins with sunflowers, which I love.

My friend Kirsten had a baby boy named Alex and we got to FaceTime with her and meet her baby! She used to work at the Kandu Camp that I used to go to and now she’s moved to Edmonton, got married and had a baby in December!

My friend Emily from high school came to visit me with her baby girl Brielle, we visited for 1 ½ hours. I bought her baby girl some t- shirts and a yellow dress which Emily loved!

Rose Club had a scavenger hunt and we had pages of pictures that we had to find. We saw a bull and a baby cow! We had to find a golf cart and I got to sit in one (my very 1st time sitting in a golf chart!) We also went to the park with the spaceship! We went to the spray park, and we needed to get a group picture of our house, but I can’t really put other people in my blog, so it’s just got a picture of myself at the new spray park. We are super excited about everything reopening on the 1st!

Mom and I enjoying the pool!

I have learned a lot about my brother Joel’s experience with allergies and having asthma! I didn’t realize how bad it was when he found out. I am his younger sister and didn’t understand what was happening.  We had some cats growing up and it wasn’t that bad. I think it was worse with dogs and horses. I can’t imagine how much his eyes swelled up! That’s scary!  We had some excellent experiences with the family and going on holidays! Joel was only with us when we went to Disney world and Disneyland! He was going to school in Edmonton when we went on more holidays! He’s my big brother who has been there for me. He’s great at changing my feeding tube every December and June if he’s around! I love him so much!  I hope you find his interview educational and interesting.

Kelsey: How did your allergic reactions start to pets?

Joel: They first started when I was about 5 years old. We were at my parents’ friend’s house and they had a dog. I am told I had a runny nose and had trouble breathing.

Kelsey: What are your allergies and your symptoms?

Joel: I am allergic to dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, hay, dust, mold, birch trees, grass, and the most severe, chores 😉. My symptoms range depending on the allergen, but my main symptoms are runny nose, itchy/watery eyes, and difficulty breathing (I get very wheezy and need to use an inhaler).

Kelsey: Do you take medications for your allergies?

Joel: I take Claritin mostly because it is non drowsy. I also have a salbutamol inhaler for my breathing. About 4 years ago I started getting allergy shots for my allergies. I have found my symptoms have become milder since I started them, but they are still present.

Kelsey: How did your family react with your allergies and asthma?

Joel: The most memorable reaction was when I went horseback riding as a kid. My eyes started to swell up, so my mom had to take me home. On the drive my eyes swelled completely shut and we were a bit freaked out and she took me to emerg. Luckily, I haven’t had my eyes swell shut since!

Kelsey: How has your allergic reaction been to Coco, has the shot been helping?

Joel: I have fairly mild symptoms to our little dog Coco. She is hypoallergenic, which helps, but I still have some trouble breathing at times and often take allergy meds. The shots seem to have helped a bit as I used to get quite sick around hypoallergenic dogs. We also have an air purifier which helps my breathing.

Kelsey: How long have you had Coco?

Joel: We got her in November 2020.

Kelsey: What sports did you play?

Joel: Although I am allergic to grass, I didn’t have a problem playing sports outside. Sometimes in the spring I would need allergy medication or my inhaler, but it wasn’t too bad. The main sports I played as a kid were soccer, hockey, and football.

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Kelsey: What did you want to do when you grew up?

Joel: As a kid, I apparently told my mom I wanted to be a “lady doctor”. When I got older and learned what a “lady doctor” actually meant, I quickly changed my mind.

Kelsey: What are your hobbies?

Joel: I like to play sports but since Covid I have started getting more into woodworking. Ashley and I have started selling different types of shelves online and I also built us a coffee nook. In the summer I like to play golf, go camping, and go for hikes. This summer we hope to go camping in Tofino.

Kelsey: Where have you travelled?

Joel: When my sister was 16 she got to make a wish with the Children’s make a wish foundation. She wished for her family to go on a vacation to Disneyland! I’ve also been to Disneyworld, Guam, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, and a number of a countries in Europe during a school trip in high school.

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Kelsey: Do you remember when you graduated high school, how was that?

Joel: I enjoyed high school and remember having a good time celebrating graduation with my friends and family at the Knights of Columbus hall. We had a little party there with the friends and family of Josh, Taylor, Eric, and myself!

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Kelsey: Are you still close with your friends from high school?

Joel: Most of them! I still see your future husband Josh quite often.

Kelsey: How’s living in Edmonton?

Joel: Living in Edmonton is okay but it is a bit too big for my liking. I would like to live in a smaller city, but it is hard to find two OT jobs for both me and Ashley in a small place!

Kelsey: How is your job? Do you like being an OT?

Joel: I am currently an OT at a long term care facility, which I enjoy! It was quite challenging back in December as we had a Covid outbreak and a lot of the residents got very sick. Things are starting to get back to normal now that all the residents and workers there are vaccinated!

Kelsey: Where did you meet Ashley?

Joel: I met Ashley when I was in the OT program at UofA, she was in my class.

Kelsey: What’s her job?

Joel: Ashley is an OT at Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton. She works with young kids aged 3-7

I made a happy anniversary card for my friend Nicole and her husband Kevin’s wedding anniversary on May 19.

For Mother’s Day weekend. We made signs with Rose Club on Zoom!  For Mother’s Day I helped with Mom’s garden and gave her the sign, Happy Mother’s Day!

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I changed out my clothes and everything is summer and spring clothes. 

I love going on walks and going to the outdoor workout gym by the park! 

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It’s been a super-duper stressful week as my Mom has been in hospital in Camrose. She needed knee surgery replacement on Monday.

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My special friend Teresa had her birthday last week on Wednesday and I mailed her a birthday card. This is probably my favourite picture of Teresa and myself.

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We watched the high school musicals on Disney + and I love the High school musical 2 which is in the summertime.

We had another school presentation today; everyone was at their houses, so they had little boxes of people on the computer screen!  It went very well! Thank you to the Mrs. Calhoon’s OLMP Grade 5 class for having me.

So, for my roommate Craig’s birthday we played block buster charades! Happy birthday Craig! I gave him a subway gift card for his birthday! We had take out for supper and his Mom made black forest cake! 

We had bingo spring with rose club! We all got a bingo! We got to get bingo prizes!

My hair was purple around Easter and it’s slowly getting back to normal colour!

Saturday night we watched the perfect date! What a good movie!

Saturday afternoon… we went walking around the house in my walker. It’s felt so good to walk after a week of being sick! We played Yahtzee and I got Yahtzee! I was spring cleaning my markers and threw out some! Emma did my fingernails red and blue!

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On Saturday night we had birthday bash with rose club! I had some more chocolate cheesecake!

Sunday afternoon of cooking. Making rhubarb crisp and making meat balls with potatoes and green beans!  We got some meals from Good Food and you get everything precut and everything else is inside the bags! All you need to do is make your meals and cook!  Super duper easy and so much fun with good taste!  This was huge help while my mom is recovering from her knee replacement! 

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Replanting sunflowers

My cousin Eric’s stomach problems with dairy.  I was curious about my cousin Eric’s journey about his stomach problems with dairy, so I decided to do an interview with him!

Kelsey: What were your symptoms?

Eric: My symptoms are usually nothing but can include stomach pains and gas but if I have way too much dairy I will throw up.

Kelsey: How do you make your symptoms better?

Eric: To make the symptoms better I find time, water and lactase pills do wonders.

Kelsey: What is your diagnosis?

Eric: I am lactose intolerant, which means my body lacks the enzymes required to break down lactose. What this really means is that I cannot digest parts of dairy products.

Kelsey:  Do people see you differently with your dairy problems?

Eric: I don’t believe anyone sees me differently. Many of my friends also are lactose intolerant so we often share jokes about our shared intolerance.

Kelsey: How did your friends and family act when you told them?

Eric: My family and friends are okay with my lactose intolerance as they understand the nature it.

Kelsey: Can you have dairy?

Eric: I can have some dairy though I usually avoid things like milkshakes and drinks with steamed milk.

Kelsey: How do you plan your diet?

Eric: When planning my diet around this I try to have dairy in moderation though I do not always succeed mostly because of my love of dairy even though it can upset my stomach.

Kelsey: What’s your hobbies?

Eric: My hobbies include riding my bicycle and hiking.

Kelsey: What’s your favourite memory growing up?

Eric: My favourite memory growing up would have to be sledding down the drive at my grandparents’ farm.

Kelsey: What makes you feel better?

Eric: Nothing makes me feel better than a warm cup of tea and a good action movie.

Kelsey: What tips do you have?

Eric: Some tips I would have for people with the same symptoms would be to take it easy and do what you think is best because not everyone has the same severity of symptoms.

Kelsey: How’s school?

Eric: School is going well; it is now all online, so I get to work at my own schedule which is nice.

Kelsey: What’s your favourite Christmas present?

Eric: My favourite Christmas present growing up would be the books I have received over the years, plenty of which I have read multiple times.

Kelsey: What are you excited about this year?

Eric: I am excited for the new year I hope we can finally have a somewhat return to the way things were before. My goal for this next year is to start my career and hopefully get a full-time teaching job for next fall.

Kelsey:  What’s your favourite memory?

Eric: My favourite memory growing up with Ian must be all the rough housing we used to do when we were younger. I would say we got along well enough then, but we have become much closer over the last few years.

Here is a website I found on lactose intolerance if you want to check it out!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lactose-intolerance-101#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2

I asked my Auntie Gail to explain how she figured out how my cousin had an allergy to milk?

When Eric was almost 1 years old, I gave him some milk in a snippy cup and his whole face ballooned up and we had to take him to the emergency room. Then our doctor sent him to a pediatrician in Edmonton and they said he was allergic to milk and eggs. They told us to look for alternatives to milk like goats’ milk or soy milk. This was 25 years ago, and our grocery stores did not offer any alternatives. Today you can find all sorts of lactose free, almond and soy but back then it was hard to find.

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It was very difficult at first, but we had to learn to read labels and he loved peanut butter toast which was good because he could not have cereal. It has always been hard to get him to try new foods but as he has gotten older, he will now try anything. He does eat a bit of dairy now but only in small amounts and his reaction to it is not as severe as it once was.

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Thank you Eric and Auntie Gale for helping with this interview. I hope you learned something from this interview.

I am always looking for new educational topics so please contact me if you would like me to interview you. I send you a list of questions and you send me back your answers and some pictures. It is that easy!

The last weekend in March we celebrated my brother Joel and Ashley’s birthdays! They brought the puppy to show us. We bought them a wine maker set for their birthdays! We ordered Skyway Chinese food and we had mini Easter eggs cheesecake for dessert.  This year I went home back and forth to the house for Easter. We had egg decorating on Saturday afternoon. We had wrapped up Easter eggs for a game! We rolled dice and used the oven mitts on our hands! We unwrap the ball of goodies until someone else got double numbers on the dice.

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On Easter Sunday, my staff Kelsey and I dyed my hair purple.

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My Mom and I enjoyed Sunday afternoon colouring pictures of Easter eggs and bunnies. We watched Heartland. On Monday afternoon Mom and I made meat casserole with the leftover turkey and ham with some potatoes and carrots. I got a French pedicure. Even though I got to see my brother Joel, I had to isolate in my room for five days! It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

My school presentations job has started up again, due to COVID and the rules of the health system in Alberta, and Canada, we made a video of the presentation and taped myself talking to the kids! After the kids watch the video Cherilyn and I meet the class to do our activity and the class gets to ask me questions. What a blessing for us! It is so much fun and I appreciate the teachers still getting me to come share my message.

How did I keep busy in my room you may ask? In the morning I got fed in my bed with my head up, have tea at my desk in my bedroom. I can still get a shower in the morning! I am doing a lot of word searches! Our staff had dressed up in white gowns and blue shields and masked! I think it’s a learning experience for the whole world.  I got to FaceTime with old staff Nancy from New Brunswick that moved back home two years ago. 

The second weekend in April was the Rose Club radio on Saturday night but with the isolation of being in my room for a week I couldn’t go and listen to it. Instead, I just stayed inside my bedroom and did word searches!

On the Sunday afternoon we watched the puppy for Joel and Ashley! Coco is her name! Yes, even though the puppy is a supposed to be not allergic, I had a reaction to the puppy. That evening I was sneezing, and my eyes got red, and they were bothering me!  We thought it was just when a dog gives you kisses, and I get rashes on my body and I guess it’s more than that! We also had a zoom call with our Edmonton friend Janet who got married to David on July 19, 2019.  They had a slide show of Janet’s & David’s life we watched and we had a great visit with them!

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We also sent out Easter cards for the other teams and my family for celebrating Easter wishes and good thoughts!

In the middle of March we got a new washer in the laundry room because the old washer was making a lot more noises and it was loud! I can’t really turn it on because I’m too short in my wheelchair and the buttons are too high up! I can still get my clothes in and the soap!

We went walking to the skate park today. It was busy!

Have you guys ever heard about Katie Joy from Without a Crystal ball on YouTube? She’s a girl who does research on the TLC shows and families! I like watching her show on YouTube while I am doing word searches!

We are watching Our Daughters with Danielle and her family! They have 6 kids and only daughters! The oldest is about 10 and is named Blakley and they had five children at the same time which is quintuplets. Her husband Adam has a blog and they live in Texas!  The young kids are Hazel, Parker, Lulu, Ava and Riley! The kids just graduated from kindergarten and going into grade one in the fall. Can you imagine if you only had girls and no boys?  Poor Dad!   I’m watching Sister Wives too!

Sister Wives are in around the city of Arizona and they hope to build four houses! They also have lots of kids and some kids are married and have their own kids and families! I can’t imagine what it’s really like being on television and the world knows your life!

I have been to Arizona with my parents and youngest brother Luke. We went there for spring break when I was in grade ten!

My favourite part of spring and summer months are going outside and going on long walks around the lake with my roommates and my staff!            

Outside on the deck

FaceTime with Auntie Gail from Lloydminster!

In March and February we watched the Twilight movies on Netflix. In April we watched the Hunger Games on Netflix as well. I think my taste in movies are changing into action movies and love stories! My favourite actor in the movies were probably Bella and Edward in Twilight and in the Hunger Games I liked Petra and Peter! What are you watching in 2021?

Theresa, my staff Kelsey and myself planted flowers and thyme, sunflowers, oregano, basil and parsley.   We got flowers that butterflies like!   My mom always plants flowers and has an amazing garden in the backyard! I love flowers and gardens too! My love of planting flowers comes from my Mom, my Auntie, my Grandma on Mom’s side! I can’t wait for them to grow!

When my world turned upside down and I can’t go to see my family?!  It’s hard because my love language is quality time with family and friends. Hello to FaceTime! 

Mom and I made Facetimed and made dough for buns! While I was at my house doing word searches books! I got to watch mom shape the buns! If I was able to go home, then I would be able to put the flour, eggs, yeast, salt and oil into the mixer. Also, I would like to put the dough into balls!

My mom was watching Coco again! Isn’t she cute?

Second pan done! You can see different in those two different pictures and two different pans! One is more golden brown than the other one! Mom said they were good! I’ll have to take her word for it.

Some flowers are growing already!

Being sick and being stuck in our rooms, there isn’t that much to do.

Kinda hard to do stuff like with Rose club because every one of my roommates and myself had to stay in our bedrooms. My staff Kelsey brought her iPad so I could get updated with Sister Wives! I even got to watch Counting On with the Duggar family. I was wanting and waiting to see Jinger has another baby girl! I need this app on my iPad!

What’s a week of not feeling good, resting in my bed it’s just the flu I don’t have COVID.  On Wednesday I had my 1st PJ day! It’s weird that I haven’t seen my roommates since Saturday!  I guess I will have to FaceTime Mom and Dad on Sunday because I can’t really go home for two weeks! 

Trying to get some rest in my bed!

This is a day where I’m in pain and laying in bed with my massage bed on.

I did a fun picture.

This is an example for you to see what I do when I’m not feeling well.  I was playing with the camera and effects to make myself a blue dog. I also did a butterfly picture.

My Mom and I have made some very good memories growing up. Mom and I have been to Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber and Keith Urban. My Dad and Mom took me to Dean Brody and Dallas Smith. Amazing experiences.

My Mom helped me do my school presentation in Red Deer at the Self Advocacy Conference on my birthday a few years back.

I look forward to what the next year brings for the whole family. Over the years, we had made some amazing memories and I love my Mom, she’s a amazing woman who I have looked up to, she’s very happy and nice person for my brothers and I to be around, I love her so much!

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My Mom had an issue with her heart called Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC). I interviewed her to help you understand what that means.

Kelsey: What’s was the 1st sign of skipping beats in your heart and how did you feel?

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): It was a very strange feeling – it felt like there was a butterfly in my shirt, and then I felt like I was going to faint. 

Kelsey: What did you do?

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I went to see my doctor, and he told me that I probably just had a panic attack.  He was wrong. 

Kelsey: How did you find out what was wrong? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I went to give blood at the blood donor clinic.  The nurse took my blood pressure and checked my heart rate, and she told me that I had an irregular heartbeat.

Kelsey: Then what happened? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): My doctor did a bunch of tests.  She told me to take magnesium and to stay away from caffeine.  I lived with it for many years before I had surgery. 

Kelsey: Explain what was going on with your heart. 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): My heart was skipping beats, sometimes several in a row.  This made me very tired.  If I went grocery shopping, I’d need a rest before I could find the energy to put them away. 

Kelsey: Why did you finally have surgery? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): One day I felt really bad.  I went to the walk-in clinic and ended up in ICU.   My heart was skipping 8 beats in a row. 

Kelsey: What kind of surgery did you have? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): It was ablation surgery.  I was awake during the procedure.  3 wires were put into an artery in my groin, and they went up into my heart.  I was given drugs to speed up my heart, which caused my heart to go into the bad rhythm.  They then cauterize the parts of my heart that were causing the problem.  I think they cauterized 7 different spots.  It was quite an uncomfortable procedure, but it was very successful.  I felt way better immediately after. 

Kelsey: Why did it take so long before you had surgery?

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I guess the doctor didn’t think it was serious enough. 

Kelsey: Why did they finally operate? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I guess it got serious enough.

This is a picture of the four holes where they put the wires in.

Kelsey: If a friend was going through the same thing do you have tips for feeling better? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): Stay away from caffeine and tell your doctor how you’re feeling. 

Kelsey: Where did you grow up? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I grew up on a farm in southern Saskatchewan. 

Kelsey: How many siblings do you have? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I have two older brothers and one older sister.

Kelsey: What was your childhood like? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I spent a lot of time outside.  We had cows, horses, dogs and cats.  I loved the outdoors.  I spent many hours outside playing with the dogs and cats.  

Kelsey: What were your jobs on the farm? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I helped plant the garden, I picked many buckets of raspberries, strawberries, and peas, and fed the dogs and cats.  In the house I dusted and vacuumed, and baked.  When I got older, I helped my brother move irrigation pipe and build fence. 

Kelsey: Where did you meet my Dad? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): We met in Moose Jaw, where we were both going to tech school. 

Kelsey: What did you take in school? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I took computer aided drafting. 

Kelsey: Can you tell me about your kids? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): I have two boys and a girl, who are all grown up.

Kelsey: How long have you lived in Camrose? 

Sheila (Kelsey’s Mom): It will be 23 years in August.

Here is some more information on PVC that I found on the internet.

https://www.umcvc.org/conditions-treatments/premature-ventricular-contractions-pvcs-and-premature

I have learned to be safe with coffee and stay healthy, no caffeine in your drinks! I hope you learned something today about your heart and your health reading this blog. I sure did!

Thanks to my wonderful Mom, and friend for this interview and this information.

So, my mom and I made carrot and oatmeal muffins.

This school year we are doing zoom calls for the grade 5 students. So, we recorded myself reading over my school presentation! 

My friend Teresa loves her cat, so I gave her a cat mug for Valentine’s Day!

It was also Theresa my roommate and friend’s birthday on February 15. I bought her some hair dye for her birthday gift. We had a zoom call birthday bash with Rose Club.

I have been enjoying more colouring books and I was colouring flowers.

Going on a walk in the house.

We got a new fish and we named him Blue. Our other fish went to fish heaven RIP Red.

Every month I get a massage from Amy. I feel so much more comfortable after my massage.

Becca and I went on a winter walk around the lake the last weekend of February! My new wheelchair is so much better for the snow!

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We made puffed wheat squares on FaceTime with Joel and Ashley.

Getting a pedicure with red, silver stars and golden sparkle! While watching Ice Age in the background!

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We played bingo with rose club on zoom. Before Bingo we brainstormed ideas and voted for ideas for what we should do in April. We had ideas like; colouring Easter eggs and maybe dressing up for the birthday bash! We had two different bingo games. Both games were St. Patrick’s Day themed and the month of March. I got a black out on the word one and the other one had pictures of St. Patrick’s Day images and green pictures.

We listened to some St. Patrick’s Day Irish songs on Rose Club radio.

We’re watching the Twilight movies on Netflix….

My Mom and I planted cilantro, thyme, basil, parsley, bunching onions & cucumber. We also made Rice Krispie squares.

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Whenever I’m feeling stressed or uncomfortable in my wheelchair. I like to watch movies that I haven’t seen in a long period of time. I watched Devil Wears Prada it is so funny.

We were busy this week. We were watching movies that we saw a long time ago! We watched Pitch Perfect 1 & 2 and Hairspray on Netflix!

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Our staff Mary had her birthday on Wednesday, so in the morning we made a birthday video and, in the evening, we FaceTimed with her for her birthday.

This year I am doing my school presentations virtually. Cherilyn turned my presentation into a video where we both talk along with my PowerPoint Presentation. The kids are going to watch the video and then we are going to meet them virtually after to do an activity and chat with them.  I am super excited. We had a practice one with Cherilyn, Janet and me.

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a few days early this year. The Saturday afternoon weekend before St. Patrick’s Day! We played St. Patrick’s Day games with our friends from Rose Club. We played 20 questions about St. Patrick’s Day, we played name that tune with Irish songs, we tried to find the Leprechaun in the picture on the computer. We also had to find St. Patrick’s Day items in our house. We had a tour of Ireland on YouTube. We had a crossword puzzle about St. Patrick’s Day! What a great afternoon of games with our friends from Rose Club!! I like to say Rebecca had amazing ideas to fill the afternoon of games! Thank you, Rebecca!

We couldn’t find Pitch Perfect 3 on Netflix, but we watched Isn’t It Romantic and it was really good and a funny movie to watch on a Saturday night with face masks.

The cucumber grew so much that we had to repot it. We also made banana bread with chocolate chips. Here’s the banana bread that we made! I like banana bread with butter on top… it’s the best!

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On Sunday nights I watch shows with my parents. We are on season three of Parenthood and we are watching season fourteen of Heartland! I am really enjoying these shows with my parents. I even got to meet some of the actors in Heartland a few years ago when they came to the CRE in Camrose. I met Amber Marshall and Shawn Johnson. (the granddaughter and the grandpa from Heartland)

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You will notice when I go home to visit my parents, we all have to wear masks. I can’t wait for COVID to be over.

On St. Patrick’s Day, we painted our fingernails green.

Rebecca from Rose Club gave me a St. Patrick’s Day hair band for a prize from the St. Patrick’s day games on Saturday.

We made lime green Jell-O and homemade coconut flan for dessert for St. Patrick’s day! CAFCL is having a contest, and this is what me made. This is famous in Nicki’s country! It was really good.

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We watched Leap Year.

This is an example of a good colouring picture of flowers in my colouring books.

I hope everyone has a good spring!

I looked up to my dad! He taught me so much more than I thought I would learn from him. I have so many memories with my dad, going camping, travelling and learning how to make a songs! He’s a super hero and good guy for me and my brothers!

I interviewed by Dad and he explained his clubfoot to me and I want share that with all of you!

Kelsey: How did your parents find out what was going on with your foot?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): When I was born, it was obvious that my foot was bent inward, and they call that Clubfoot.  By the way, my nephew, Eric, also had Clubfoot but it was both feet and he had a different surgery where they broke his tibia bones.

Kelsey: Why do you have a foot smaller than the other foot?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):I had too many casts during my childhood and when your foot is in a cast it can’t grow.

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Kelsey: How many casts/surgeries did you have on your foot?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): I had 15 casts total.  I had one surgery when I was 5 and I fractured a bone in my foot when I was a teenager.  Most of the casts were from when I was a baby until I was 5.  We also tried orthopaedic shoes and I had a bar between my feet when I was in bed.  When I had the surgery, the doctor cut 11 ‘V’s out of my bones.  I bled through that cast, so they gave me a new one.  That was cast #14.  Cast #15 was from jumping down some stairs as a teenager.

Kelsey: What’s it’s like to find two different sized shoes?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):   It sucks.  My right foot is size 5.5 by length but wider.  My left foot is size 9.5.  Men’s shoes don’t go smaller than 7 and boy’s shoes usually don’t match.  Lately, I try to find a Ladies shoe that doesn’t look too girly and I buy a 7 and an 11.   I always have to buy 2 sizes and throw away the brand-new shoes that I don’t need.

Kelsey: Did your classmates or friends know that something was different about your feet?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): They didn’t notice.

Kelsey: What was your childhood like?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):  I had trouble buying skates, so I didn’t learn to skate until I was 10.  I played soccer and started guitar when I was 10.

Kelsey: Does your foot hurt now?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): Sometimes.  The doctor thinks it’s Arthritis in the area where I fractured it.

Kelsey: What was school like growing up?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):  We moved a lot so I changed schools many times in the middle of a school year, but it was ok.

Kelsey: How many siblings do you have in your family?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):  I have a brother, a sister and a half-brother.

Kelsey: What kind of school did you take after high school?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):  Electronics Engineering Technology at a tech school in Moose Jaw that was called SIAST.

Kelsey: What are your hobbies?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad):  Guitar playing, guitar amp building, electronics design, and a little woodworking.

Kelsey: How did you get into music?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): I saw my Uncle Ron and my Uncle Kevin play guitar and then I really wanted to do it too. 

Kelsey: What kinds and how many bands were you in?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): 2 Country bands, 1 Blues band, 1 Christian Rock band, 1 Acoustic band, and one that was more Classic Rock.

Kelsey: What’s your job?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): Currently, I am a Maintenance Manager at EVRAZ.

Kelsey: How many years have you worked at EVRAZ?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): Almost 23.

Kelsey: Do you like to travel?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): No. 

Kelsey: Where did you go in the world?

Mike (Kelsey’s Dad): My wife dragged me to Mexico, Florida, Hawaii, Arizona, California and more.  I didn’t love it, but I did enjoy going to Nashville.

Here is some information I found about Clubfoot on the internet. Please check it out.

WHAT IS CLUBFOOT?

Clubfoot is an abnormal inward curving of the foot. One of the most common nonmajor birth defects, clubfoot affects a child’s foot and ankle, twisting the heel and toes inward. The clubfoot, calf, and leg are smaller and shorter than normal. Clubfoot is not painful, the deformity is correctable, and your baby is probably otherwise normal.

Approximately 1 in every 1,000 newborns has clubfoot. Of those, 1 in 3 have both feet affected and 2 out of 3 are boys. Clubfoot is twice as likely if the baby’s parents or their other children also have it. Less severe infant foot problems also are common and sometimes mislabeled as clubfoot.

Treatment

Treatment begins right away to correct the alignment of the foot. The goal is to make your newborn’s clubfoot (or feet) functional, painless, and stable by the time he or she is ready to walk.

Non-surgical Treatment

Your foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon will start treatment by gently stretching your child’s clubfoot toward the correct position. They put on a cast to hold it in place. One week later, they take off the cast and stretch your baby’s foot a little more, always working the foot toward the correct position. They then apply a new cast. One week later you will return to the surgeon and they will do the same thing again. This process, called serial casting, slowly moves the bones in the clubfoot into proper alignment. Your surgeon uses X-rays to check the progress. Casting generally repeats for 6-12 weeks and may take up to four months. (Note: Anytime your baby wears a cast, watch for changes in skin color or temperature that may indicate problems with circulation.)

In about half of cases, the child’s clubfoot straightens with casting. If it does, he or she will be fitted with special shoes or braces to keep the foot straight. These holding devices usually are needed until your child has been walking for a year or more. Muscles often try to return to the clubfoot position. This is common when your child is 2-3 years old but may continue up to age 7. 

Surgical Treatment

Sometimes stretching, casting, and bracing are not enough to correct your baby’s clubfoot and surgery is needed to adjust the tendons, ligaments, and joints in the foot and ankle. This usually is done when your child is 6-12 months old. Surgery corrects all of your baby’s clubfoot deformities at the same time. After surgery, another cast holds the clubfoot together while it heals. Since it’s still possible for the muscles in your child’s foot to try to return to the clubfoot position, special shoes or braces likely will be used for a year or more after surgery.

With treatment, your child should have a nearly normal foot. He or she can usually run and play without pain and can wear normal shoes. The corrected clubfoot will not be perfect, however. You should expect it to stay 1 to 1 1/2 sizes smaller and somewhat less mobile than the normal foot. The calf muscles in your child’s clubfoot leg also will be smaller.

FAQs

What happens if I do not treat my child’s clubfoot? 
If your child’s clubfoot is not treated, he or she could have difficulty walking and functioning normally.

Thank you to my Dad for this interview and helping educate all of you!

We had a game day with our roommates. We played the game trouble. In the early evening we watched Frozen two and then after supper we had Rose Club zoom radio at home. It was different music and then at the end we sang happy birthday to everyone in December. So, it reminds me of birthday bash but only at home. It was a fun thing to do. I appreciate Rose Club making fun activities that we can still do at home.

I got a colour by number for Christmas from Joel and Ashley. It took me only about two weeks to finish the colouring book.

After colouring books, we watched Freaky Friday on Disney plus. Rolling around on the mat while watching YouTube videos. We painted my fingernails; I like bright colours! We did a face mask and watched a Cinderella story.

We played name that tune with our friends from Rose Club in the evening. It’s nice to see our friends from Rose Club once again on Zoom.

Baking chocolate peanut butter M&M cookies, and colouring princesses! Inside of the book they had two pages of stickers to decorate the pictures. What a great Sunday afternoon with my Mom and Dad!

Spring cleaning before getting ready for my new bed!

We got a new fish named Red Fin!

Poured spices into jars and making a homemade lemon cake!

This morning I got my new bed. It can massage my body, put my head up, feet up and has lights under the bed.

Playing Yahtzee with Emma and Theresa. We had a movie day! Tyler got Disney + so we watched Frozen one and then watched the 1st Cars movie.

I really enjoyed the second Frozen movie better than the first Frozen movie because I felt it was good for all ages to watch. I thought the first one was kinda too childish for my age group. Then we watched Cars, and it was a really good movie as well.

I even got a phone call from Centra Cam today, it’s very nice to catch up with your co- workers in this strange place in the word right now! I can’t imagine what life would be like without phones or not being able to FaceTime call your family and friends in the times like this! I would have gone nuts for the 1st five months of COVID because I couldn’t go home every Sunday afternoon.

We saw the lights on Main Street and ice statues of a shoe, and dog and a horse! We also watched Last Song.

Learning how to make homemade bagels with Ashley and Joel! You fry your dough in olive oil and butter into a pan on the stovetop. I watched Joel and Ashley on Facetime and they walked me through it. It was lots of fun. The looked pretty good and they said they tasted good.

We watched A Star is Born it was also really good, you should watch it if you haven’t. Making energy bites, playing games and nails with Mom!

For Christmas, I got some bath salts, and some bath bombs from my auntie Gail! It’s smells really nice!

Making valentines cards! We made cards for the teams for love and happiness on Valentine’s Day!

Making buns and cinnamon buns!

I hope you have a good Valentine’s Day.

Love Kelsey