Making It Accessible - Week of May 19th

"Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone's potential." ~Debra Ruh

As we live in Cameron's world, we realize the difference in accessible options. We've encountered places advertised as barrier-free, but entering certain areas won't work for a 450 lb power wheelchair like Cam's.

Jane had to fly out early Tuesday morning for an overnight business trip. Her layover in Detroit led to a very cool discovery.  The Detroit Metro Airport now uses automated wheelchair service in their Delta wing.  Cam's mom did a double-take as the "robot power wheelchair" went past her. When she asked an airport employee about the self-propelled "robots" they explained that it's a new program they're using and it's been very successful thus far.

On Friday, Cameron had the day off of school for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  For lunch, Jane and her son hosted Ms. Jill and Ms. Sandy from the Renew Mobility board to discuss a summer celebration they're planning to thank the staff and volunteers.  

Cam looks up to Jill because she uses a power wheelchair, works at Aquinas College and drives her own adaptive van.  He was able to see it close up when she got ready to leave.  Cameron had never seen a van without a driver's seat to accommodate a wheelchair.

Saturday was a long awaited reveal for our family.  Thanks to Oma, a new completely accessible boardwalk was nearing completion at the cottage!  The old walkway to the cottage was over 55 years old and needed replacing. 

Cam's grandma made it possible for a walkway without steps or stairs to be built and connected directly to the cottage. We are so grateful for Oma! Cameron had never been able to drive his power wheelchair into the lakeshore home.  Being dependent on someone else versus using your own independence makes a world of difference.

With the longer weekend, we stayed over two nights. It was unreal watching Cam relax in his own chair.  

We played with our little cousins since it was too cool to be on the beach.  An outdoor cookout in the lake breeze felt like the first taste of summer.

As an added bonus, Cam can have our new cart attached to his chair so he can help with the transportation of items to and from the cottage.

We were the recipients of two gorgeous sunsets, lazy breakfasts, and delightful relaxation.  Here's hoping there are multiple repeats this summer. 

Camology Quotes:

With time to himself over the weekend, Cam took advantage of some down time by watching a few shows on his tablet. At one point, Jane had to ask him a question multiple times and was laughing, saying he must be in a different world, to which her son commented: 

"In my defense, I was paying attention to my iPad!"

Guy Time - Week of May 12th

"Sons are the anchors of a father's life." ~Sophocles

Cameron has become more accustomed to his parents being gone at different times throughout the year. Before Jane headed out on a scheduled mini vacation, she and Chris were happy to attend an evening event at Cam's school.

The Unified Basketball awards were on the docket for Wednesday after dinner.  The coaches called each player to the front of the room to talk about their accomplishments and growth throughout the season.  Each participant was presented with a Unified Sports Special Olympic medal, a certificate and a souvenir husky in honor of the FHN mascot.

Jane was off to the airport very early Thursday to fly to North Carolina to visit her dearest longtime friend, Leslie and her husband, Wes.  Back in Grand Rapids, Thursday turned into an eventful evening.  A tornado watch turned into a warning and there was quite the lightning show outside.  Jane didn't even know about the weather until the next morning when she was in North Carolina. 

Cam's mom was also scoping out the N.C. area in preparation for our family trip in August.  Leslie's daughter, Ali, will be married at the Biltmore Country Club and we will all attend.  

For the first time ever, Cam and his parents will be able to stay in a home instead of reserving a hotel room at their destination.  Leslie, Wes and Jane figured out the best way for Cameron to enter their home so we're all set for accommodations.  Two new kittens joined their family just a couple of days prior to Jane's arrival.  Cam can't wait to see them.

Saturday morning, the air was chilly for the WMML baseball game.  Cam and best bud, Brody, played at 11:30am.  Their elementary school teacher, Ms. Barbara, was there cheering them on.  She hasn't missed a season since the boys started playing.

Sunday afternoon, Chris drove Cam to a high school graduation open house for one of Cam's classmates. 

And quickly following that stop, father and son were on their way to find Jane at the airport before 5pm. She was so happy to have the curbside pickup from her family.  While Jane was away, the Alexa photos that popped up were from Wes and Leslie's last visit to Michigan.  Cam is now in full planning mode for our August trek.  As he has reminded his parents multiple times..."It's never too early to plan!"

Camology Quotes:

There are times when it's difficult for Cam to make a choice and other times, it's pretty easy.  The yearbooks were being passed out at school and we did not pre-order one.  When asked about it, our 11th grader responded:  

"It's ok. I'm not that interested in getting one this year."

Part of the Future - Week of May 5th

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever." ~Alfred Tennyson 

There is a ceremony that takes place every year at Cam's high school.  The seniors "pass a light" to the juniors, signifying their transition.  Cameron was anticipating the event and even a little nervous. Everything went well and Cam was excited that he was able to do his part.

Our weekend was jam-packed! Saturday morning, Chris and son headed to the barbershop for haircuts. Cam chose the sporty Marine-style cut like his dad.

Upon arrival back at home, we had an early lunch to be ready for our drive to the ballpark for Cam's baseball game at 12:30p.  

The weather forecast couldn't have been better.  The Cam Fans were out in full force... and they were all kept as a surprise for our WMML player.

Aunt Betsy and Uncle Jon brought Oma from Grand Haven and Aunt Joyce and Uncle Joe drove from the cottage.

Cam's grade school teacher Ms. Kathy and her husband, Kevin as well as Cam's current teacher, Mrs. Capozzoli all joined in the fun and Brody jumped in the group picture.

Longtime friend, April, plays on the adult league now. One of our newest friends is Grace whose mom is a part of the Lori's Voice organization, where Chris is on the board of directors.

The sun was hotter than we all anticipated and by the time we left, we realized we should have applied sunscreen.

That afternoon, we relaxed at home and had a visit from Auntie Jo.  She brought treats for everyone to thank Chris for some home improvement help. She gave us a crate including chocolate and books for Cam, beer for Chris, tulips for Jane and fresh strawberries and dipping chocolate for the entire fam.  We had a great visit and before we knew it, the time had come to get ready for our evening outing.

Our family was invited to Mangiamo Italiano Elevato restaurant for a fancy dinner with Cam's classmate, Maddison.
Maddison is a senior and more recently, Brody's girlfriend.  We were honored to be a part of Maddie's celebration with her family at such an elegant restaurant.  The pasta dishes were incredible and we all had after dinner treats.  Cam ordered chocolate mousse and Jane chose the affogato, an Italian coffee-based dessert made by pouring hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla bean gelato with a separate shot of Irish cream. The word "affogato" translates to "drowned" in Italian, reflecting the method of preparing the dessert.  We all had such a great time!

Sunday morning, Cam wished Jane a Happy Mother's Day!  Chris surprised Jane by waking up early and making a run to the grocery store for breakfast supplies.  We left our home a little after 10am to pick up Cam's grandma.  After a stop in Muskegon at Panera Bread, we were on our way to the cottage to relax and see family.  We had such a great time in afternoon breeze filled with sunshine.  Cam gave two of his old baseball jerseys to his younger cousins and they immediately put them on.

We left in the late afternoon, chatting about the awesome day.  That got us to thinking about the origin of Mother's Day in the U.S.  This is what we found:

• Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration on May 10, 1908, in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia. 
• She was inspired by her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who had cared for wounded soldiers during the Civil War and organized Mothers’ Day Work Clubs to promote public health. 
• Anna wanted a day for people to personally thank and honor their mothers — not a commercial event. National Recognition: In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation establishing Mother’s Day as a national holiday, to be celebrated on the second Sunday in May. 
• Commercialization: Ironically, Anna Jarvis later became deeply opposed to how commercial Mother’s Day had become, even organizing boycotts against florists and card companies. She felt the day had lost its original heartfelt purpose and believed that handwritten letters were more meaningful than store-bought gifts.
  

Cam surprised Jane by bringing home some writings they had done at school about their moms in a 'fill in the blank' fashion.  Cam's responses are underlined below.

All About My Mom

• My mom is 55 years old
• My mom's job is Sales.
• My mom's favorite color is pink and favorite food is fish.
• My mom cooks the best pasta and my mom always says "I'm nice."
• My mom loves to relax by sitting on the couch and my mom always laughs when I'm funny.
• My mom and I really like to hang out together.
• If I could tell my mom one thing it would be "she's nice."
• I love my mom because "she's kind."
• Makes my dinner.
• Outgoing
• The best mom ever!
• Hot food (makes the best)
• Encouraging
• Respectful

Jane was pretty impressed by her son's responses!  However, it was a bit unfortunate that Cam guessed her exact age.😜 

Camology Quotes:

Our family received an official invite for an August wedding in North Carolina. Jane was reading the invite to Cameron which indicated no kids. Cam questioned whether he was invited for sure and his mom told him that he is considered an older teenager, so he's definitely invited. He then told Jane:

"You're a young senior, Mom!"

Play Ball! - Week of Apr. 28th

"Equality is giving everyone a shoe. Inclusion is making sure it fits." ~Author unknown

The mission of the West Michigan Miracle League: To give every child, regardless of ability, the opportunity to play baseball and be part of a team, in an environment where “Every child deserves the chance to play ball.” 

The Spring season opener for the WMML was scheduled for Saturday. Cam has chosen to continue to play with his friends for 5 Saturdays.  He is a part of the St. Louis Cardinals team with Brody, Daniel, Mackenzie and many other friends. 

The first game was held May 3rd and the morning got off to a chilly start.  They players and fans, though, displayed warm smiles all around.  Onji, pictured next to Cam, always yells his name from across the field when she sees him.  A few players from another youth team came over to watch the WMML players and cheered each of them on as they went up to bat. What a cool display of awesome sportsmanship! The remaining game times are:

• May 10 @ 12:30PM
• May 17 @ 11:30AM
• May 31 @ 10:30AM
• June 7 @ 10:30AM 

After warming up at home and grabbing lunch, our fam was headed downtown.  

The second annual Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Neuromuscular Game-A-Thon was taking place and Cameron was invited. Community individuals as well as patients from the pediatric neuromuscular clinic and their families gathered together to play video and board games while socializing over a shared experience.  Cam was happy to see some of his power soccer friends there too!

Over the weekend, Cam and his dad worked on Jane's work laptop.  While she was on a business trip this week, her laptop keyboard stopped working.  The father/son duo removed the surface of the computer completely.  Although the keyboard couldn't be fixed, the onscreen keyboard was operational allowing Jane to (very slowly) access some critical information.  Luckily, her new company laptop arrived over the weekend.

Cam, of course, couldn't wait to assist with setup to ensure everything was working, especially the keyboard!

Camology Quotes:

Cam and his parents had fun seeing WMML parents and players.  One of Cam's teammates is a friend from preschool, Mackenzie.  On the drive home, Jane was commenting how cool it was that Mackenzie's sisters help her a lot. Cam wasn't quite following the gist of what Jane was saying...

"What does that mean? You didn't give me any context, Mom."

The Impactful Conversation - Week of Apr. 21st

"No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue." ~Jay Asher

Kind people surround us.  During a strange power outage in our former neighborhood on the next street, our close friends reached out.  They stayed overnight and we shared dinner together.  A beautiful bouquet of flowers was dropped off from them and two weeks later, the remaining arrangement still looks lovely.  Thanks to Ms. Patti and Mr. Steve!

Perspective is defined as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; your point of view. Cam learned a lesson in perspective this week. 

When he arrived home from school one day, he was adamant that one of classroom aides had berated him for his power chair not functioning correctly.  He was upset and expressed his feelings. Jane reached out to his teacher via email explaining the situation.  The teacher shared the email with the aide and when Cam arrived the next morning, they had an open discussion. Upon entrance home after the school day, he was so happy to report all about it.  Cam and his mom talked about how misunderstandings happen sometimes because of the lack of open communication.  And, how good it feels to have things resolved and move forward!

Jane picked up Oma on Wednesday and Chris headed to Detroit on Thursday to begin his extended weekend fishing trip on the river with some friends.  The warmer weather provided a nice afternoon for strolling.  Cam and his grandma made energy bites to fulfill the snack zone for the next few days.

The weekend included a Grandma-Mom-Son outing to a family favorite, Olive Garden.  Cam played on the tablet at the restaurant since it's so similar to his iPad.  Our meals were most delicious and Cam saw a classmate who works as a hostess there.

Chris sent us a fun pic from the Detroit River holding a delicious walleye.  The guys all catch their limit daily, have the fish cleaned and then split the entire bounty at the end of the trip.

Sunday was the best weather day of Oma's stay so we headed over to our local botanical gardens in the early afternoon. 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park spans 158 total acres, with approximately 60 acres developed as outdoor gardens, natural areas, and the sculpture park.  One of our favorite sculptures is the DaVinci Horse. Here are some fun facts:

• Leonardo da Vinci designed a giant horse statue in 1482 to honor the Duke of Milan’s father. 
• It was intended to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, made of bronze. Though he completed detailed sketches and a full-scale clay model, it was never cast in bronze due to wars and political turmoil. 
• The project was revived in the 1970s by Charles C. Dent, a U.S. pilot and art collector. 
•  After his death, Nina Akamu, an accomplished sculptor, reworked the design based on Leonardo’s original plans. 
• The final statue was cast in bronze in 1999. 
• 🐴 The Meijer Gardens Horse The American Horse at Frederik Meijer Gardens is one of only two castings of the final sculpture (the other is in Milan, Italy). 
• It stands 24 feet tall (about 7.3 meters). 
• Commissioned and donated by philanthropist Fred Meijer, who was deeply inspired by da Vinci and public art. 
• Installed at the Gardens in 1999 and serves as a centerpiece for visitors. 
• It’s located in an open plaza area with space to walk all around it. 
• Made from bronze, weighing about 15 tons. 
• Visitors often take photos standing beneath it to capture its massive scale.

We also saw our close friends, Anna and Spencer with their daughter, Lucie.  It was such a special day made even better!  

Shortly after leaving the Gardens, we made our way to Liam's house to celebrate his 17th birthday.  He and Cam have known each other since preschool!  Chris actually arrived back in GR early, so he joined us there. Jane returned Oma to her home and they both commented on all of the flowers suddenly in bloom.  The weekend came to an end much too quickly, but we all packed quite a bit in 😀

Camology Quotes:

Cam likes to know what meals are being planned in advance.  However, he does not pretend to know what his parents will do as noted in his response to Jane: 

"I only worry about myself when it comes to choosing food, Mom."

Powering Through - Week of Apr. 14th

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." ~Theodore Roosevelt

People often say it's better to be busy than bored. However, when things stack up, it can definitely feel overwhelming.  Waking up extra early again on Monday was tough for Cam and his parents.  That evening, Jane had a board meeting and Chris took his son to swimming/physical therapy.  

Tuesday at school, Cameron endured a full day of testing, then an in-home wheelchair repair appointment followed by an hour of tutoring.

The whirlwind week continued on Wednesday for Cam with an outing to see our minor league baseball team, the Whitecaps. That evening, after an early dinner, Jane and her son figured out how to use the ceiling track/lift to transfer Cam from his power wheelchair to the power soccer chair.  Then, we were off to power soccer practice at the YMCA.

Back at school on Thursday, Cam finished his testing and then had a evening with Jane while Chris was at a work meeting.  Friday evening, we had a quick family din so Cam and his dad could make it to their scheduled haircuts.

Saturday, Jane went to pick up Oma and they were back in Grand Rapids by lunchtime.  Cam's grandma had pre-ordered a fruit basket for our family to enjoy for Easter.  That evening we watched a comedy on Amazon Prime called "You're Cordially Invited" and all of us laughed out loud multiple times.

Easter Sunday morning, the sun shone brightly as we made our way to church. We were surrounded by such friendly people and the live band playing brought the music to life.  The pastor provided at fun surprise at the end of the service indicating that they were giving away 1,500 boxes of Girl Scout cookies upon exiting the church.

After a light lunch, we drove over to Cascade Park to take a stroll.  The sidewalk path along the perimeter of the park is exactly one mile in length.  The blue sky clouded over but that did not deter our group.

Chris brought his discs for frisbee golf to test out his throwing skills.  Cam led the way for the duration of our exercise.  We passed quite a few other folks with the same idea. 

Upon our return home, we settled in for a movie.  We watched the third installment in the Paddington films titled "Paddington in Peru" since we've enjoyed the other ones.  It was a good flick.  Our Easter dinner was a bit unconventional with our main dish of grilled flank steak.  We all agreed that it's a nice change to choose something other than ham or turkey, our typical choices.  

Oma's delicious fruit basket items were part of our dessert, and of course, the unexpected free Girl Scout cookies!

Camology Quotes:

Whenever we have a challenge that involves something with Cam, he will typically indicate he has faith in his parents. Such was the case Wednesday evening when Jane and her son had to navigate a transfer into his power soccer chair without Chris present due to a pre-scheduled meeting he had.  The power soccer chair weighs over 300 lbs and doesn't really have a "slow" driving mode, so Jane was helping her son drive it through the house. Right before the garage, the entryway presented a bit of an issue when Jane drove the side into part of the wall.  Cam immediately saw a bit of damage and commented..."Mom, you're not going to blame that on me, are you?"

Staycation - Week of Apr. 7th

"The eye never forgets what the heart has seen." ~ African Proverb (Mufasa movie)

Although visiting other places is enjoyable, staying home over spring break has its benefits as well.  Even the deer chose to remain and make a daily appearance.

Cam and his parents watched the newer Disney movie, "Mufasa: The Lion King" together.  The CGI (computer generated imagery) is impressive and the adult humor included was greatly appreciated.

Ms. Amanda hung out with Cam and they kept busy baking brownies and banana bread, playing board games, and watching a few shows.

Cameron was invited to spend time with his buddy, Liam at his home. Jane dropped him off late morning.  The fellow staycationers chatted about school and friends.  The boys also watched the first episode of "All Access PD: Grand Rapids" streaming on Max, since they are both avid police fans.  

Liam's home is completely accessible and truly, the only friend's house that Cam can visit and easily drive around in.  After lunch, Liam's mom even drove Cam back and dropped him off in their accessible van.  What a bonus for us all!

On Friday, Jane and her son had plans with Oma.  Upon arriving in Grand Haven, Cam and his mom picked up an early lunch at Panera Bread.  Cam's grandma is always excited for our visit and we were fortunate to have a sunny day.  After our midday meal, we strolled around the complex and stopped to chat with many of Oma's friends along the way.

We made our way back to Grand Rapids in the mid-afternoon.  Cam's parents were headed out on a date night, while Amanda and Cam watched the movie 'Twisters.'

Our family was up early on Saturday to drive over to Grand Valley State University in Allendale.  It was the 30th Annual Wheel Run for Everyone 5K to benefit Renew Mobility, where Jane is a member of the Board of Directors.  The 5K participants walk, roll, jog or wheel their way through the course around the campus. The Doctorate in Physical Therapy students at GVSU (for the past 30 years) have been raising money to support our vital mission to enhance independence through access to mobility equipment.  We were excited to see so many friends there- Mr. Patrick (Cam's current PT), Dr. Lisa (GV Professor), Liam's family and Rebecca with her daughter, Gracie. It felt so good to be outside all morning in the brisk fresh air, supporting one our favorite non-profits.

Sunday was a true day of rest, sprinkled with a couple of projects.  Jane and Cam made their way to Costco in the afternoon, which is always an adventure on the weekend.  We were actually "checked out" while waiting in line when a roaming cashier inputted everything into a tablet.  All items remained in our cart, we presented our card, and off we went.  Cam and his mom loved being a part of the new technology.💻

Back at home, Chris worked on the converting the snow plow back to the lawn mower...yes, we are convinced that any further accumulation will be in form of rain only!

Camology Quotes:

Cam is definitely on a joke roll these days.  On Friday, we had an exterminator scheduled since we had noticed more bugs than we normally do with the weather changes.

"I have more ants (aka aunts) in my family then I thought I did!...Get it??"