What do you care about? "Carelets" for a cause..

This post is very near and dear to my heart because it hits very close to home.  Almost 2 years ago, my husband's younger brother, Gary found out that he had Ulcerative Colitis (UC).  The symptoms leading to the diagnosis were very scary and an experience that no one should ever have to experience.  It was scary because the unknown is scary.  As time went by, Gary slowly learned more about UC and became more aware and educated about what it is he is now living with.  I'm sure it's something that a lot of people are currently living with or is battling today. I myself have never heard of UC before so it was also something very new to me. My husband and I had to research and educate ourselves about it because it's now apart of our lives as well.

As you can see below in Gary's story, he talks about his journey and what he's been going through thus far. His Facebook page (IC4UC) talks more about his story and the things he's doing to bring awareness to UC. I have to say that he a lot stronger today and slowly gaining his weight back. Gary has always been the most kindhearted, thoughtful and loving person I know. Having UC hasn't changed him because although he was scared, it has given him a new sense of confidence, a new way of life and a voice to step up and fight for something that no one would have been prepared for. Having UC doesn't characterize who he is, it just gives him a platform to educate and bring awareness to everyone living in fear or the unknown "scary" as I used to call it. Don't be scared, join Gary and his team as we walk, fundraise and share the love of Gary and many other's stories on living with Chrohns and Colitis.

Join Gary and his team (Team Care) as we help raise funds for Chrohns and Colitis. There's a few different things you can do to help out.  You can donate to his fundraiser, join us Take Steps and Be Heard For Crohns and Colitis walk on Oct 13th or help purchase some carelets that he and his wife worked so hard on to help raise money.  Please visit his page on Facebook for more information.

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Gary's Story:

A year and 7 months ago when suddenly I couldn't leave my bathroom, I found out I have Ulcerative Colitis (UC). I remember feeling like I hit a brick wall when my doctor diagnosed me with this Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that I knew nothing about. I was angry and confused; I had so many questions. What is UC, what did I do wrong to lead to this, how will I deal with the constant bathroom runs and the pain?

After countless visits to different doctors and specialists along with enduring multiple tests and going on my own to do research and volunteering to participate in national conference calls and local researches, I can say that things have finally started turning around for me. For one, I'm definitely much more aware of this disease now, hence allowing me to be much more positive. I'm also finally not on heavy medication, my bowel movements have decreased from 10 times a day to 3-4 times, and my severe cramps and night sweats are also gone.

I anticipate that I will have my occasional not so good days, but for now I am celebrating progress in my health. On October 13th, I will be walking in the Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis Walk at Fresno's Woodward Park and it would mean a lot if you could join me that day or find other ways to participate and support me. Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis is the nation’s largest event dedicated to raising funds to find cures for digestive diseases like UC. I'm 1 of the 1.4 million patients across the country that suffer from this disease and Crohn's, so it's very important to me that we care and take action today. It's my personal goal to raise as much money as I can for this worthy cause and I know with your help, I can do that.

I will begin to post unto my page the different ways you can get involve and support me.

Thank you in advance for jumping on my "CARE" band wagon and making a difference! Together we will continue funding important research and raise awareness of diseases that affect millions of people.

IC4UC! -- (I CARE 4 ULCERATIVE COLITIS)!

Gary

** A word from Gary and Susan regarding "Carelets" 

We are kicking off our Carelets Sales to benefit CCFA starting tonight! To place your order, please email us at info@carelets.org. Indicate the Carelet Item# that you would like to order along with the quantity and your wrist size. For those who are ordering Carelets with Chains, please include an additional measurement of the width of your palm (measure from index to pinky!) Please include shipping address. Payment will then be processed through Pay Pal. Shipping is included! 
Here we go!!! We officially welcome you all to our Circle of Care!

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* What do you care about?

I care about self acceptance. I struggled with loving and accepting who I was my entire life.  Only recently did I finally accept myself for who I am. I can now honestly say that I love myself and I do not wish to change anything about the person I've become.

Join me and Team Care bring awareness and raise funds to help with Chrohns and Colities. Don't forget to purchase your carelets!

What do you care about? Care, Wear and Share what you care about!

Thank you! 

For more information on Crohns and Colitis go to their website. 

Lead me...

I've been so tied up with work so it's delayed my blog entries.  I've been keeping busy at church, my home and everyday work.  I've been reading a lot and I thought I'd share what I've been diving myself into these days.  I'll admit, I'm not really a reader but once I find something I like, I get really into it.  Lately I've been thinking a lot about life and the people around me on a daily basis.  The most important person to me (besides my son) is my husband and I know that no marriage or relationship is perfect but my gosh, I'd like to try.  We fight like normal people do but we also know how much we love each other.  For this and this alone, I always try to make the best out of my days with him.  I wake up thinking what can I do today to make his life better? What can I do today to tell him how much I love him or how much I appreciate him? I don't always do a good enough job but I wake up every morning trying over and over again.  I have to say that I am more in love with my husband today then I've ever been in my life.  We've struggled through a lot in our lives and through everything, we've been so strong with our love and respect for one another.  I have to give a lot of credit to God, the one person whom we respect and love the most.  He is first in our lives so loving one another is so much easier.  I am not here to tell anyone how to love or how to be in your own marriages.  I am simply here to "type" out loud about the things I've been doing for the past few months and the way I'm feeling today.  I am the person I am today because of him and I can only be the person I want to be because of his support and continued love.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life and I can only hope that I am also that woman to him.

Currently I am reading the book "Love and Respect" by Dr. Emerson, and so far, it's making so much sense. It talks about a love that some couples don't even know exists.  It has proven to save marriages. Yes, save marriages! I don't believe you have to be married to read it.  I think it's a great book in general on life and how magical it can be when we open our hearts to love. It also tells us that love alone doesn't work. The book goes into details about the wonders of love and how to use it in the form it was meant for.

"Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband".....Ephesians 5:33 - How? This is where it gets good. Whether you are a believer or not, this is a great book for everyone because it talks about the human soul, the love in our hearts and ultimately sharing that love for our loved ones, specifically our spouses.

My husband and I are currently not going through any major issues, but why do we have to right? I think "Preventive Maintenance" in life is always needed (sooner the better if you ask me). Learning how to love yourself and then how to love your spouse is always the best tool for life.  You become a better person for yourself, your loved ones and ultimately for your kids.  I want to be a strong and positive example to my son as a mom and also as someone he can look up to when he's ready to meet that special person in his life. I can only hope that I set that example for him so he can learn to respect and love the way his father and I do.

We have become very active at our local church and are so fortunate for all the available resources they offer us. We will be starting a class called, "The Art of Marriage" soon with each other and then I will continue by myself with the women's fellowship for "After God's Heart" on how I can be a better person after God's heart.  Please pray for me, for us and I can't wait to share what I learn through my process of becoming who he wants me to be.

I'm so in love with this song and if you listen to the lyrics, it tells a story that all us women would like in our men... To lead us with strong hands and stand up when we can't... don't leave us, hungry for love chasing dreams....

Lead Me by Santus Real

To my love: You are the best thing that God has given me.  Thank you for loving him and loving me, because only through him, we can have the best life together. I vow to make you fall in love with me everyday of our lives together. I love you more then words!

More Fall Trends and Styles

More Fall Trends and Styles by sheng-moua featuring vintage earrings