NHBPM - Crippie (Finally) Gets Back To Business!

Salutations!

It's been a long almost two weeks, but things are finally getting back to normal. We didn't sustain any damage during that lovely snow storm, we got our power & internet back, and the gas lines are starting to subside. All the pets are alive and well. The generator, blankets, fleece, and general fatness kept the pigs warm and toasty. I'm gonna be monitoring them for a few days to make sure no one is hiding a respiratory infection. Helen stayed cozy by dressing in her warmest attire, and Angel really didn't notice that anything was out of the ordinary. As challenging as the past two weeks have been, it's good to see rising up and helping out those in need. I dunno if it's a NY/NJ thing... but when something tries to knock us down we get up, help one another, and we rebuild.

I'll rebuild New Jersey when I wake up, okay Mommy?

Moving on, now that I FINALLY have teh interwebz, I can finally participate in National Health Blog Post Month. I'm 10 days behind... but whatever. I'll use the other prompts when I can't think of anything to write about. Anwayyyyyyyy, today's prompt is...

Should people post about their (or loved ones) health on Facebook? Why/why not?

The answer: sometimes. My general rule of thumb is, if it's something that other people will actually care about... post away. I usually only post about my health while I'm recovering from surgery. That's a time when people are worried and it's a good way to update a bunch of people at once. 

As for posting about a loved one, I'm fine with it as long as it something people need to know. I know someone who's young child had cancer, and they frequently updated their facebook with how he was doing. That's perfectly fine in my book, his illness was very serious, and I got to watch him kick cancer's ass via facebook! Also, if the person you are writing about is able to give consent, do make sure you have it before posting anything. My relatives ask for my permission before posting anything about me because they know it's my story to tell. 

That being said, there are times when people cross lines. Do I need to know every time someone has a headache? Nope. Should you make entire facebook albums devoted to a relative's stay in the hospital? I dunno about you... but I find them reeeeeaaaallllyyyyy creepy. Then there are  people who clearly flaunt their children's illnesses on facebook for attention. I don't know if they want pity or something, but I find that behavior revolting. Stop exploiting your damn kids for likes and get off the damn computer. I know people like that and they are BEYOND creepy and annoying. These people sound like crazy attention whores, and I don't care for them in the slightest. 

So yup, there ya go :)

Crippie's Tippie - There are alternatives to posting on facebook, if you want to keep people updated you can make a blog. www.caringbridge.org is a great site to check out. My grandma used to it blog about my grandpa's battle with cancer, you can check it out. 

BUDDIES!!!

Hi Everybody!

I hope all my readers are having a lovely week, and enjoying the awesome late summer/early fall weather. I haven't done anything special over the past two days but my recovery is progressing swimmingly. I am now able to practically walk unaided! Yup, you heard me right, I can walk a week and a day after hip surgery! I kinda need to hold on to wall or something sometimes, but still, I CAN WALK! The limp is hardly noticeable and it doesn't hurt at all. There is kinda a weird weak feeling in my hip, that's about it.

I cannot even begin to describe how blessed I am that my recovery is going the way it is. I've had my share of nightmarish recoveries. Up all night crying in pain, been there. Not being able to walk for year, done that. This recovery has been so freaking easy. My pain levels were a 3 AT THE WORST. I wasn't completely immobilized. I was able to sit down (I was slightly worried about that). It's been like a summer vacation with a little restricted mobility and staples in your butt!

I have to mention that this surgery has been completelyyyyyyyyy different than any other surgery I've had. Why? Because I've had so much support from my family and friends. I'm completely shocked at how many people wished me well on facebook, here, and in general. Friends told me to feel better (and sent sympathy cards). Some of my coworkers have even texted me get well wishes... how sweet is that! Even some of my relatives that had gotten "used to" my surgeries sent cards, many cards! I remember being 13 or 14, having a surgery and having so very people caring about me and how much that sucked. This is a complete 180 and it feels amazing!

Ain't it something how a little gesture like a card makes a difference? Now imagine what a slightly bigger gesture could do. Ya see the main reason I am hosting my Scentsy Fundraiser is to help kids who are about to walk in my shoes. The MHE Coalition does so many things for people with my disorder, one thing they do is send "Care Packages" to kids having surgery and their siblings. These packages are filled with toys, candy, all kinds of goodies. What a fantastic way to show a kid that's going through a hard time that there are people out there who do care for them, and that everything will get better.

Now, Scentsy makes a product called "Scentsy Buddies" which are stuffed animals filled with a selected scent. These guys are soft, cuddly, adorable, and soothing. They would make for a terrific addition to the care packages. I would absolutely love to buy a bunch of Scentsy Buddies and send them to kids all across the country who are recovering from surgeries. Do you want to help? You can donate a Scentsy Buddy too! How? Just contact me at crippies_corner@yahoo.com or kthayer.scentrep@gmail.com for information. You can even choose which animal and scent you want to send, or you can just leave it up to Crippie!

There's a super amazing special going on now that if you buy one Buddy YOU GET ONE FREE! We can double the amount of children we help for nothing! C'mon comrades WE CAN DO THIS!

Crippie's Tippie - If you know someone that's going through a tough time, let 'em know that you care. It means a helluva lot.

Special "Special Needs" Dolls

Yo!

I hope all of my readers are having a lovely Sunday. Crippie's Sunday went very well... mainly because I got to review a crippled doll!


Sew Able Doll Review from Special McSpecial on Vimeo.

Crippie still in awe that there are companies out there that actually include disabled children. Granted, most of these are small "Mom & Pop" companies but I can live with that.

HERE is a link to Sew Dolling's website :D

Crippie's Tippie - Support this company! They are absolutely brilliant!

Crippie Rolls Down Memory Lane

Hey Y'all!

I'm soooooooooooo sorry that I've been MIA for the past few days. When I jinx myself and get sick I realllllllllllllyyyyyyyy jinx myself and sick. Yeahhh, Crippie has a massive head cold. On the bright side, it inadvertently gave me an idea for a blog post. Yay for massive head colds!
Crippie was trying to distract herself from the whole "my nose sounds like a trumpet" thing by browsing Pinterest and I came across a dandy little image. It's Becky, Barbie's cripple friend!

Crippie was so excited when she this Becky doll. Why? Well, Becky was manufactured in 1998, when Crippie was 10 years old. Crippie totally had this Becky doll, and I have very fond memories of having a cripple barbie. At that point in my life I didn't know anyone with a disability, so at times it was hard to cope with the fact that I was "different". Having a toy with a totally kick ass red wheelchair with holographic wheels helped me feel that I was not alone and that is was ok to be disabled. Alas, the Mattel company stopped producing Becky dolls a year or so after their release after people complained that Becky could not fit into any of Barbie's dollhouses. While I can understand how people would be pissed that their doll couldn't be used with a lot of Barbie's accessories, at that age I was just happy she existed. I would love to see the Mattel company just make a wheelchair that could be used for any Barbie. That way any girl could make any Barbie be more like them.

Becky was not my only crippled doll. Crippie also has a crippled American Girl Doll. Around the time that Becky was released (me thinks a year or two before but I'm not sure) The American Girl company made a wheelchair for their dolls. Naturally Crippie had (still has) an American Girl doll in a wheelchair. I absolutely loved how she had a totally kick ass blue wheelchair. There are two really awesome details about the American Girl wheelchair... 1) it was rather well made, mine is still intact as the picture shows, 2) THEY STILL MAKE 'EM. An updated version of my doll's wheelchair can be obtained HERE. As far as toy companies go... I've found that they are one of the more "cripple friendly" companies. Their current "girl of the year" doll has a learning disability and befriends a girl in a wheelchair.
At that age, my dolls were sorta like my friends, and to have friends that were going through the same things I was  definitely helped me cope with my illness. I do wish more toy companies were "cripple friendly". They really are rare and few in between. The only other "cripple friendly" toy company I can think of off the top of my head is the "Monster High" series, especially their zombie character who walks slower and occasionally will lose a limb. What about you guys? Do you know of any toys designed for disabled children?

Crippie's Tippie For Toy Companies - MAKE TOYS FOR CRIPPLES

OMG WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!?!

Hi Guys!

The last couple of days have been very busy. While the great job hunt rages on, the great freelance hunt is going rather well *KNOCKS ON MANY PIECES OF WOOD* so I'm pretty confident that sooner or later I will find a job.

In the meantime the question of that day comes of a bunch of small children whom I was working with today "Why are you walking with a cane?" The question of how do I explain my disability to strangers is actually pretty easy to answer.

First off, I really don't mind when strangers ask what is wrong with me. While it's not exactly their business to know I figure I might as well educate people when given the opportunity. But I have developed a system for answering this question, so without further adieu I give you... HOW CRIPPIE ANSWERS THE "Y U A CRIPPLE" QUESTION

1) If a child asks- Kids don't need to know why I use a cane nor will they understand. I just say "I hurt my leg" if the child is reallllllyyyyy young I say "I have a bad boo-boo on my leg"

2) If a wise-ass child/teenager asks- These people are being rude, I reply with a snarky comment like "Shark attack" or "I'm just too damn awesome to walk" occasionally I will say "Dick Cheney shot me"

3) If someone I sorta know asks me- They know me well enough to get a real reason, I say I have a genetic disorder

4) When a friend asks me- There's no reason for me to hide information from them, thus they get the whole shabang

5) When some elderly person who I have never seen before comes up to me in the grocery store and asks what's wrong with me (which has happened a little too frequently)- They are generally curious to see if I am more crippled than they are, I say "I have a bad hip" and then if all goes well said elderly person and I will discuss how much having arthritis sucks.

So that is the basic breakdown of what I say to whom, but basically if you are nice to me when you are asking, you will get a nice answer. If you are being a dick I will troll you right back!

I've been volunteering at a theatre camp for the past month (hence where the kids came from), in honor of the ending of the summer theatre camp I've made a playlist of my favorite broadway showtunes! I put the one's with swears first so if you don't want to listen to swears skip the first 5 songs... enjoy!


Crippie's Tippie- Don't be mad a cripples who tell you crazy stories of how they became cripples, it's just our ways of messing with normals

Pelswick Eggert: Best Cripple EVER

Greetings,

I was reminiscing about childhood cartoons a few days ago and I remembered my ALL TIME favorite cartoon ever, "Pelswick". "Pelswick" was a show on Nickelodeon created by John Callahan centering around a boy named Pelswick Eggert. Pelswick was a smart mouthed boy with a P.C single father, insane grandmother, and a fairy god-father. Pelswick was also a paraplegic or as he called it "permanently seated". I absolutely adored the show while it was running 10 years ago and I still love it now. Why? Because the show centered around a boy who's disability was secondary to the rest of his personality and story. He stood up to bullies (normally I don't like TV shows where the characters are wise-asses, but I make an exception here). The show dealt with political correctness and how to treat disabled people. The best part, it was a children's cartoon. It taught kids that children with disabilities are normal, that you don't have to act weird around the cripple (and they actually said the word "cripple" in the show YAY CENSORSHIP). The entire series of Pelswick can be obtained on amazon.com.

Crippie's Tippie- Expose children early on to various differences, they will be more accepting overall.

Designer Wheelchair? Count Me In!!!

Whuzzup (I figured I'd spice up my greeting)

So while I was at the SPD portfolio event Monday I obtained some free magazines. One of said magazines was "Metropolis" magazine. While skimming through it I found a most interesting article about a Norwegian company Krabat. Krabat makes designer wheelchairs, not just any designer wheelchairs though... they make them specifically for children! I had to use a wheelchair as I child and I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was to see this. This wheelchairs not only look freakin' awesome, but they promote activity and health (they improve your posture, which can suffer with a normal wheelchair). Check out the article here.
Take a look at this thing and try to tell me it's not awesome!

It is so important for kids with disabilities to feel good about themselves. I'll go into detail later about what I'm doing with this cause, but for now... THIS WHEELCHAIR ROCKS MY WORLD!!!

Crippie's Tippie of the Day- Necessary doesn't have to mean ugly