HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today is January 1, 2016. It is a day like any other day. The sun shines through my bedroom window, my birds twitter and flit with excitement and I sit at my desk collecting my thoughts, wondering what I will write about today. The truth is that today is unlike every other day of the year. It is the first day of January, the month that haunts me every year for the past eleven years. That is when…

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MAKING CHANGE FOR CHILDREN

Making Change For Children We are now actively looking for families with a chronically ill child who would like to participate in a survey about how the healthcare system is doing in caring for your child and for you.  We intend to make some changes in hospital policies and legislation to improve the broken system so that it will be easier for the child and the parents.  

If you are interested, please email me at [email protected].  No information that is given will be shared.

We are also looking for families, healthcare providers, and anyone interested in our goals to help children with chronic illnesses and their families to become involved in our nonprofit organization.  Again, please email at [email protected].

Thank you for your support!

Patty Alcala

CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND PETS

CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND PETS

I read this article this morning and it brought back so many memories!  At first blush, they were thoughts of anger for the people that would treat my sweet Alex with such contempt.  He kept his pain, sadness and weaknesses all rolled in a ball inside himself.  He wanted to be ‘normal’ to the outside world.  For that he was rewarded with comments like, “You don’t look sick to me!”  “What is your…

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AS ABBY WAITS

I came across this article this morning and wanted to hug this young lady and tell her that everything would be alright.  The fact is there isn’t anything that anyone can promise her.  She continues to wait for her diagnosis while she is suffering daily with her unbearable symptoms.  Read her story:  https://globalgenes.org/raredaily/teens-pain-and-unexpected-swelling-stumps-doctors/

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Patient Can Be A Loaded Word This is a must read!

IT ISN'T WHAT IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE!

IT ISN’T WHAT IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE!

I am a huge fan of Dr. Pamela Wible!  She is telling the world what no one wants you to know, that there is a huge problem with our healthcare system!  If you have followed my blog for any time at all, you already know that.  But, Dr. Wible is opening up the hidden secrets that healthcare providers don’t talk about.  The bullying, sleep deprivation, and never-ending demands.  There is more.  As a…

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THERE IS NO 'I' IN TEAM

THERE IS NO ‘I’ IN TEAM

I read this article this morning that truly struck me.  The author, Anet, wrote about being a patient and a self-advocate at the same time.  All of the feelings that I felt during those years of trying to save my son’s life came rushing back.  In fact, I feel the heat in my face and the pain in my heart as if it was happening today.   Unlike Anet I did have medical licenses and titles, but that…

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STRAWBERRIES' FIRST ANNIVERSARY

STRAWBERRIES’ FIRST ANNIVERSARY

I can hardly believe it!  It is my one year anniversary with my Strawberries Forever blog!  I started this blog after the first one:  I Am Not Sick Boy, became too difficult to handle.  I started that one to honor my son, Alex. I thought that I would be writing a book about his life and our experiences trudging through the antiquated medical system to find him the answers to his many chronic…

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Scientists say children who demonstrate certain traits turn out more successful in life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX

  Today, July 6th, is an incredibly important day in my family’s life.  This is Alex’ birthday.  Today he would have been 38 years old.  Many of you that follow my other blog, http://iamnotsickboy.com, have heard so much about his illnesses, his struggles, and our fight for children’s rights within the healthcare system.  Today, I want to remember him as I see him in my mind’s eye, free of scars,…

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OUR FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY

  I was just a little thing many years ago when I realized that this life is full of lumps and bumps, twists and turns, screaming in horror and screaming in pain.  It had been written in stone, or could have been in words as a curse, that with all of my white blonde curls, round red cheeks, Cupi-doll lips singing giggles all day, chubby arms aching for hugs, and a heart filled with sweetness,…

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TO IMMUNIZE OR NOT TO IMMUNIZE

TO IMMUNIZE OR NOT TO IMMUNIZE

I feel so out of the loop.  I suppose when the Disneyland disaster with the children acquiring measles was going on, my mind just didn’t grasp what was happening.  Don’t get me wrong.  I understood that there has been an ‘anti-vaccine’ mentality in large groups of concerned parents here in the United States.  But I never truly thought it through deeply enough to realize that these children were…

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...and sometimes a smile is all that we need #1000speak #Compassion - Guest Post

…and sometimes a smile is all that we need #1000speak #Compassion – Guest Post

Maybe you could be a mom’s angel today.

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We're All Afraid

We’re All Afraid

We’re All Afraid.

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THE LIEBSTER AWARD

    I am so excited!  I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by a blogger whom I truly admire.  His name is Simon Lenthen at:  https://simonlenthen.wordpress.com.  I am so honored to be within the many amazing individuals who have received this award before me.  I could never thank Simon enough for thinking of me for this recognition. I apologize to Simon for being so late on finishing my…

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I came across this video that I want to share with all of you.  It is about a rare disease and how difficult it is to find funding for research on the disease, find medications that could help these children, much less figure out to care for these sweet children, that is if, and when, they finally get diagnosed.  I have mentioned before that it takes an average of eight years for a child to be…

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