December(ish) Awareness

While I'm calling this December Awareness, I'm painfully aware that I failed miserably to share some very worthy causes during the month of November, and in the mean time, December is almost over.

But the great thing about awareness and support is that they don't have to be restricted to a single month in order to help someone. So I'm breaking my own rules and still sharing some amazing stories and helpful links, as well as following up on October's causes.

..........................................

Before getting into that, though, I'd like to highlight a theme I've noticed when researching all of these different causes. It's easy to support a cure, a solution, or whatever heroic-seeming road will help banish the suffering. But it's much much harder (at least for me), to come face to face with a world that is already full of suffering, with people who are already affected by the tough stuff, and not shy away from it.

I talk about this to a degree in my last post, but going through this process is helping me actually "get" it--I'm finding so many people making a huge difference simply because they are willing to sit in the suffering and love others through it. It's something I appreciate, something I need to get much better at, and it's the reason I've linked to some of the specific organizations for each cause below--because they're the ones there with the families, at the bed sides, holding the hands of those suffering and showing up when so many others (like me) would tend to shy away. I hope to keep learning from them and pushing myself to be more like them.

October:
It's funny how opportunities tend to come up sometimes without even trying, like when I was able to pass along some valuable Selective Mutism information when we went to get our pictures taken for the church directory. It's not something I'd usually volunteer to strangers, but getting pictures taken is usually a huge trigger for kids with SM--for us specifically, the trigger is anyone other than a trusted family member taking a picture. (Which is why I've learned to take and edit our own family pictures the past few years). There's a clearly visible difference in pictures someone else takes, enough that I can count on someone making a comment about our child's expression. I have yet to figure out a good response other than saying "it's hard for some kids" or just being careful about which pictures I share. Anyway, going to get our pictures taken by a stranger in a professional studio setting meant I had to let them know what to expect, and how best to approach the situation. While screening prints afterwards, one who also works in special education at a school was very interested in the condition. She was astonished to find out that it had a name, and was convinced that it may be the missing key to understanding one of her students with speaking anxiety and many of the same symptoms. I truly hope she was able to help him.

I also had the chance to take dinner to a young mother going through chemo. It was almost embarrassing how little effort I put into finding a way to help; shortly after my last post on the subject, I got a rare email from the women's group at a church across town asking for help with a meal train, so I signed up for a date in November. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure she could've cared less about my lack of in-depth networking and planning (which would do nothing more than stoke my own ego anyway), and was probably just happy that she didn't have to cook with a tantruming two-year-old in addition to her exhaustion. It was extremely simple and hopefully something I can continue to do on a regular basis for her or others.

Another embarrassingly simple act was donating my hair for the first time after getting it chopped. The entire process was extremely easy. It's something I'd definitely do again, if I ever let it get that long again!

November:
There are so many causes in November that tug at my heart, so hopefully I can cover more in the future. Here are a few:

Diabetes Awareness:
There's been a significant focus lately in our country on Type II Diabetes and healthy choices, which is very important, but Type I is also a huge challenge that many people have to deal with. We personally know two families with very young children who have just been diagnosed within the past few years. It's a huge lifestyle adjustment and can be very traumatic for children especially, who are afraid and trying to understand the ins and outs of needles and pumps and sudden diet restrictions. Beyond that, it can also be a very scary time for families--especially in the beginning-- trying to figure out how to safely stabilize and monitor everything. One of these awesome families whose daughter has Type I Diabetes is extremely active in obtaining support and sharing information through their Facebook Page. In addition,  The Iacocca Foundation, does incredible research work to both find a cure and provide cutting-edge medical treatments for Type I Diabetes.


Caregiver Awareness: 
This is a truly important cause, and often thankless for those who pour the most into it, including those who have no choice in the matter. Caregivers come in so many forms--those caring for the elderly, those caring for children and adults of all ages who have mental or physical developmental delays, those caring for family and friends with physical injuries or mental illnesses. And then there's the whole new generation of those caring for veterans with physical and/or traumatic brain injuries; oftentimes, it can take years for individuals to even acknowledge the internal or "unseen" injuries. Many caregivers have little to no relief when it comes to the exhausting round-the-clock demands and needs of their loved ones. Some aren't even recognized as the caregivers they are; they are simply a wife or husband, mother or father, sibling, child or friend trying to get by themselves while helping their loved ones. Because it is so near and dear to my heart, I'd like to share both a link to support a respite care program for families of injured or deceased soldiers, called Wounded Warrior Family Support, as well as a local respite charity that supports all ages at little to no cost (no more than $8/hr.) Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything similar on the national level; most of these agencies operate at the state or local level due to the intricacies of insurance/healthcare mandates. But there are so many like this local charity who are taking action by providing much-needed day and even overnight respite care.

Hospice/Palliative Care Awareness: 
Tying in with caregiving, hospice care is one of the most difficult, necessary, heart wrenching (yet potentially beautiful) types of care that exists. I personally am not good at all when dealing with hospitals and nursing homes, and some of my biggest regrets with my own relatives in their last hours was not being able to get over myself and letting my discomfort get the best of me in their presence. So I truly appreciate (though that's not even close to a strong enough word) what these caregivers do, and I am so grateful for the ones I've known personally who treat each soul with the love and dignity they deserve on this side of heaven, even as their bodies wither away. My family became so close to the amazing hospice caretaker who helped my grandmother years ago that she literally became a part of our family and continues to be, to the point where it seems strange to be reminded that she's not related to us by blood. The emotional and physical suffering surrounding death is overwhelming, especially the agony of waiting. But the bond that can result from sharing a united love for someone, especially when love's about all there is left--that can be incredible.

The online community has been burning
#candlesforCourtney in vigil and in prayer
for her family. It's incredible to see how
many people she has brought together
without asingle word.

One story that's extremely close to my heart right now in the caregiving/hospice world is that of beautiful Miss Courtney, whose family has cared for her unique needs as her body has been ravaged for seizures for over 22 years now. (They are also a USNA family, but I don't hold that against them, and I'm even happy for Courtney that she was here to see one more Navy win!). As I type this, she is in her final hours, but she and her incredible family have touched so many. I'm so honored to share their incredible story that her mother, Mary, tells over at Passionate Perseverance --just be aware that you might get as completely lost in it and as invested I have. I think it's impossible not to be touched by this sweet girl.


December:

HIV/Aids Awareness:
This is one of the longest-running awareness campaigns out there, but for so many years, because of fear and stigma surrounding the disease, many victims have not been treated with the love and care and dignity they deserve. Thankfully, Aids Awareness Day (which falls on the 1st of December every year), has begun to garner a lot more attention in recent years. There are also many different "red" campaigns that have sprung up in the retail world. Though some of them are starting to mirror the issues of October's "pinkwashing," there are still hundreds of fantastic organizations out there on the front lines, working with communities and ensuring that those who are already suffering have access to treatment and are not left alone in their suffering. Caritas is one such organization that has been working in and among the most remote regions since 1987 to fight against the epidemic and treat all victims with dignity.

.........................................................

Other Awareness...

While there aren't many other official causes listed for December, probably because of all the festivities and distractions that the holidays bring, I feel compelled for that reason to reflect on some of the other issues that I'm often too self-absorbed to remember.

Religious Freedom:
As my family closes out Advent in anticipation of Christmas, planning what time we'll go to mass and visit with family and open gifts, it's easy to forget that it's not a given. But across the ocean, there are thousands who are at this very moment dying for their beliefs in this luxury we call Christianity. A few weeks ago, a Chaldean Priest and his family were at our church selling beautiful hand-carved wooden sculptures. They visit every year, but it was sobering to hear that this year, the proceeds would be going to help support Christians from their homeland who were trying to escape, to simply stay alive. The sad reality is that the atrocities we hear about today have devastated people of all faiths at some point throughout history; the fact that we can exist in this country and openly call ourselves Christian or Jewish or Muslim or whatever we want, that we can walk into our places of worship unafraid--that is a dear, dear freedom that we are beyond privileged to have. Mercury One is an organization that is currently helping persecuted Christians or those of any faith in need in the Middle East as the turmoil continues.

Creature Comforts:
And lastly, as I try to remember that my religious freedom is a gift this holiday, so should I try to remember that all of our creature comforts are too. Food, water, and shelter are not a given for many in this world, and even in our own city. When our water heater died and flooded the basement last week, it was an eye-opener to realize how much I depend on hot water--and water in general, for the few hours it was shut off. We had to shower at the gym, we had limited use of the bathrooms, I realized how obsessively I wash my hands throughout the day, and I was grateful for the bottled water that we happened to have in the garage. Meanwhile, we had other drinks in the fridge, we still had plenty to eat, and we were in a warm house. I'm ashamed to admit that it's been a very long time since I've tried to imagine what it would be like to have none of those things. The cold of Colorado is wholly unforgiving in the winter. There are large populations of people throughout the world who walk a few miles or more every day for their water, with no guarantee that it will be clean, never mind hot. Water.org is doing great things for such communities throughout the world without easy access to water, as is Habitat for Humanity, who builds homes for people in our own local communities as well as internationally.

.........................................................

And with that, I hope the rest of your December is filled with love and blessings! Thank you to those of you who have so wonderfully shared your near-and-dear causes or ideas for support and awareness--please continue to do so!