Kind of a big deal

Well, long story short, Noah had the antigen for borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb) in his blood. He did not have the antibodies. Bb is a spirochete (a spiral shaped organism) that acts in a stealth manner and attacks the body at the cellular level. Bb morphs between a cystic phase where it is dormant and an active phase. Bb can remain dormant for years in your body, many times with the infected person not even knowing of its presence, until a flare up occurs, which can be aggravated by different things. Bb is the reason for Lyme's disease...it is what lives inside the infected tick, or other vector, that delivers the disease to the infected person. We sent my blood off while Noah was in the hospital...they found over 6 spirochetes in my blood...theoretically, my breast milk should have provided Noah with the antibodies to strengthen his sweet little body...but my body wasn't producing the antibodies because it obviously wasn't recognizing Bb as foreign. Does this make sense?

Well, doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer was great, but it also took a toll on my body and aggravated my Bb. And, I'm finally going to do something about it. It's taken me a while, obviously, to take this step. Seeing as how I don't have a lot of confidence in traditional Western medicine, I've chosen not to follow their Lyme's protocol which is 3 weeks of antibiotics, covered by insurance. That 'protocol' works only if you've just been infected, not in the case of chronic Lyme's disease. Chronic Lyme's patients usually need months, even up to a year, of hard core antibiotic treatments, and even then, relapses may occur. And besides, I tested 'negative' on the ELISA test, having only one antibody, therefore, according to their standards, a negative result...though my blood was sent to the guy's lab in CA who invented the ELISA test for the CDC, and that's where the spirochetes showed up in my blood. Interesting! I won't go off on many of my conspiracy theories...

Anyway, the reason I am sharing this here is because for over two years now I have done countless hours of research on this topic. Tomorrow is another part of the puzzle, and since many of you were here during the journey, I wanted to include you in this, as well. Tomorrow I will begin a homeopathic remedy for Bb. There are ten vials in all and I need to take one every three days. I am going to journal how I feel as it's possible that I may not feel amazing during this treatment. After one month, my doc will test me and see if I need to do another round. I am really excited and nervous at the same time. The part that will be the most difficult is the way I have to eat during the treatment. I have to avoid all things white, meaning; flour, sugar, processed carbs, white rice, and dairy. For the most part I eat this way, which means I'll be eating meat and veggies, which I like, but it's the chocolate that I don't know how I'll do without :)

For the record, one, I don't ever recall being bit by a tick, though it could have happened. Two, Noah never got bit by a tick, obviously...I've been bitten by countless mosquitoes, a few nasty spiders, biting flies, and hundreds of ants, but don't recall a tick bite. And three, Jason and Emily both test negative for Bb.

Depending on how or if this treatment works, which, by the way, a doc in CA and my doc here have had success with...well...

***10/13 a.m.: I already found a loophole! Ghirardelli natural unsweetened cocoa with 100% lactose free whey protein, stevia extract, ice, scoop unsweetened almond butter, original rice milk, and a Tbsp of Udo's 3/6/9 omega oil (and a banana if you aren't worried about glycemic index issues)...for anyone wanting chocolate and not able to eat the foods I mentioned above. I'm good at finding loopholes!

Emilyism

Em: Mom, what's an 'atom'?
Me: It's the building block of life. We'll need to look up the official definition when we get home, but it is a scientific term that describes the core of what everything else in life is made up of. Let's look it up when we get home because that would be something interesting to study when you track off...
Em: Because there's a song that goes: dun nuh nuh nuh, duh nuh nuh nuh, the Addam's Family...
Me: Oh. Right. Of course...that's the last name of a fictitious family that was a television show when mommy was little. They had the mom, Elvira, who I think was a witch, a cousin named IT with long hair to its toes, and a vampire dad or something. It was just goofy. Where did you learn of it?
Em: It was just a Halloween song we heard at school.

Have a good weekend!

I'm sorry.

I am not sorry for exercising my First Amendment Right, but I want to apologize to anyone who might read this blog. This blog was started as a means to update on Noah's health, or lack thereof. Then, God showed me that we weren't the only people on earth to experience tragedy and loss, so it has been a means by which to encourage others on this difficult journey called life. It has been a place for us to communicate with family and friends by sharing pictures and stories, as well. But, my original intent, and the way I try to live my life day to day, was for this to be a place where God is glorified and where hard truth be wrestled with, out loud, because I know I am not the only one that wrestles with God.

I know, like everyone else in America, I have the right to speak my political opinions. But quite frankly, politics aren't the most important thing/topic in life...AT ALL. So, I am sorry for my former posts on politics, not for the opinions I hold or convictions for which I stand, but for wasting your time. By that I mean, political freedom of speech is inundating all of us at every turn and if you want to hear/see/read it, you have ample opportunity. We can all exercise our choice to find it elsewhere. Your time, and mine, is important. That's why I don't post everyday...not because if you do, your time isn't important, but because we all have lives to live and I don't want to post something just so I'm popular or have lots of readers. That's not important to me. You are important to me, not as a cyber person but as a real person with a real heart who is loved by a REAL GOD!

I want to be true to my heart and respectful of anyone who might read Noah's blog and write here about perspective, eternal things and my imperfect pursuit of knowing God in His grace. Yes, there will be days that I don't post because my heart is blank, I have writer's block, or I don't see a need to waste your time with cyberbabble. And, there may be days where I post about something that has nothing to do with anything spiritual or deep because I'm sharing with family and friends about an Em story or something funny that happened. But, in all, I want to be a good steward of this blog and of the time one might spend reading here, as well as the time God moves in my heart to write.

It's been on my heart to apologize for wasting your time, and God's. I am sorry.

I have cankles!

Thank you, everyone, for the opportunity to walk for a cure! I truly do have cankles (swollen ankles), but there are worse things, right? And, you know how your great grandma's feet have hundreds of broken capillaries...yeah, well, I'm not even a grandma, but apparently my feet didn't get the memo!

Our team was wonderful! Brittany, Catherine, and Dana kept me motivated throughout the streets of NYC. They literally had us walking all over the island of Manhattan, Lower West Side, Upper West Side, Harlem, Columbia University, all the way down to Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chelsea, East Village, NYU, over the Brooklyn Bridge, back over the Manhattan Bridge, Chinatown, up the East Side, past the UN, then over to Randall Island where the 26.2 mile marker was, and a hot dinner waiting. Unfortunately, since it's a walk, not a run, and not a race, they didn't block off any streets for us, so, we had to walk on side walks, dodge in and out of pedestrians, stop at intersections and crosswalks, and be in a constant stop and go pattern. None of us expected that, nor trained that way, so that took a toll on our parts, but we encouraged each other that, obviously, like anyone, we'd rather have strained body parts and stress fractures than go through chemotherapy or radiation...

I know posting after the fact is anti-climatic, but Internet access was nil. And then, I have only two pictures from day two of the walk because my camera went to electronics heaven at mile 4 of 13! Rude!

Below are some highlights from the walk. Thank you all, again, for the privilege of being able to walk for a cure in memory and honor of you and your loved ones. God opened our hearts and eyes to the lives of the people around us, knowing that each one of the 4500+ walking represented a story of courage, endurance, tragedy, hope and perseverance. As we walked I said to my team that one of my prayers was that for each one we walked for, the ripple effect of God's love would truly inspire others to share their stories for the glory of God.

This guy was out supporting his wife...there were several men who were actually walking all alone...the lump in my throat got tighter each time we'd approach one, just speculating their stories...
This guy's pins were for sale for $3.00 a piece. He kept showing up on different street corners over the two days, in different outfits, to encourage and cheer us on toward the goal.
Here we are braving an early morning NY cab. Even when no cars were around at 5:30 am, the cabbie zipped in and out of lanes and slammed on his brakes. Apparently driving in a straight line is boring? It was adventure at its best!
"For all the awesome people in blog world and beyond - Noah for Knockers: Saving them 2x2 Ade xoxox" That's what I wrote on the two story inflatable tower they had at the start of the day.
These towers travel to each city where Avon Walks take place.
At the crack of dawn...actually, before that...
Group stretch. I know...you are supposed to warm up before you stretch, but this was more about bonding, really. The woman in the hot pink sweatshirt and pink hood right there was walking alone...as a survivor.

Mile 7 was significant to me because Noah lived for 7 months.
One "Riesen" to walk: for a cure.
Elmo was at Madison Square Garden.
We walked too quickly past this building for me to see a name, but maybe one of you can tell me what it was...it was down by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge.
My family and my boy at my back, pushing me onward over the Manhattan Bridge.
North of Chinatown you can find this colorful crew playing bike polo while shouting obscenities. It was quite the exciting spot to stop for a stretch. In Chinatown, one woman stopped to stretch and got whacked with a broom by an old woman.
The UN, where, well, pretty important conversations take place, you know!?

Some fraternity boys who came out to cheer us on!
Gracious enough to pose with this old lady! (To think...18 years ago, which is half my life, I was as young as these guys!)
My older sister, Ashley, walked the last 6 miles with us on the first day. Go Ashes!
We made it to the Wellness Village on Randall Island around 5:30 pm for dinner. That's right, folks...we left Pier 84 at around 7:45 am and proceeded to walk for over 10 hours. In training, Dana and I walked at 4 to 4.3 mph, stopping each hour to eat and stretch. We also didn't have to stop for street lights or weave in and out of people. As we were finishing up the last mile my sister played "Pride" on her phone for us as we weren't allowed to have headphones on during the walk! I can't even tell you how much music made a difference! It was a long day, but we did it as a team and we hope we made you all proud!

On Sunday morning it was raining but by the time we got on the course it had stopped. We booked it on Sunday and finished almost 3 hours before the closing ceremony. I have to admit that around mile 4 on Sunday my right foot was bothering me, but I thought if I just walked through the pain, it would help it stretch out and warm up...well, Sunday was the reason for my broken blood vessels, swollen ankles, and possible stress fracture. Again, not as bad as having to endure a disease without a cure...

I have stories of talking to strangers and sharing God's love over the course of the weekend, but will share at another time. As far as processing goes, I am still praying about all I feel God showed me on this trip. For now though, I just wanted you to know how grateful I am to God and thankful I am for your support in this endeavor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Team "Noah for Knockers" is off!

Well, my sister and I leave in a few hours for NYC. Am I done packing? Why would I be? I'm one of the world's worst packing procrastinators...I'm basically done, I guess, but I think I must function best under pressure. Maybe that's why life at the hospital with my sweetest guy wasn't impossible for me...I just kicked into gear and did it. Are you like that? I mentally plan ahead, heck, I even packed in my head for this trip about a week ago, but, apparently when push comes to shove, clothes in my head do not equal clothes in my suitcase. The night before I left for college my freshman year...I packed. My mom called me yesterday to see if I was all packed, since she had talked to Dana, my sister the day before and she was packed...Jason will receive some sort of extra credit for being married to me on this earth, not because I am special but because HE IS!

I've been thanking him for his support in this endeavor. Never when I signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer did I realize the amount of time and energy that would go into preparations. I am really excited that this upcoming weekend is the culmination of months of training and fundraising. He rocks as my husband, best friend, and as Em's daddy! I told him yesterday that when I get home from this memorable weekend, I look forward to being a wife and mom again, (and friend, as I've been a sucky one on all levels), as I know I have not been the best...not that I'm expecting to suddenly be the best, either, since that was never a title for me prior to this, but you know what I mean.

On the business side of things: We may go to the TODAY show on Rockefeller Plaza and hold up a big sign that says, "Noah for Knockers: Saving them 2 x 2" on either Thursday or Friday morning, so if you are bored, you can look for us. Also, I am excited to be able to share Noah's story with a group of women on Thursday night, so if you think of it, please say a little prayer for me...that God would share and that He would be glorified through others lives being encouraged.

I'm taking my computer and camera, so hope to update on Saturday and Sunday after our walks.

The big cat and my little mouse are going to play while I'm away...they are going to see the gold medal gymnast Olympians flip and twirl and do amazing feats of strength! It's a surprise, so don't tell EM! She is going to freak out! I wish I could be here to see her face! I'm really going to miss them!

Thanks for your prayers for our team!