He cooks for me every night!
 I realize that I haven't written a blog in awhile, but I think it's a good thing as I have been making the most of our Ottawa Summer. We have been blessed with trips away and spending time with friends and family. Unfortunately, Dad had to have emergency back surgery, so Dayne & Kate took me to visit him & Mom in Montreal. Glad to say he is home recovering, nothing will slow down my Dad, and Mom spoiled us as usual. We had an amazing time at Shawn & Brittany's cottage in Quebec, you guys are incredible hosts! It was great to show Dayne & Kate a typical Canadian summer vacation and Dayne was in true form building a South African fire so hot that Travis's meat thermometer spontaneously combusted! Games, smores, great food, sunshine and lovely company. With help from everyone, I was able to sauna and swim in the lake. Being in the woods is my favourite place to be. We had an awesome time with a visit from Travis McGarry, my Travis's best man. We went to the Ottawa International Busker Festival, ate Ethiopian food, played games and spent quality time reconnecting. We have the best of friends! Good news as I had another ALS clinic visit (once every three months), my breathing scores are still almost perfect and those who know me can tell that I still have no problem talking! My body is not faring so well as it seems that everything I do, I do with difficulty, and my knee seems to keep "clicking" out of place, until I hear a loud crack, it is so uncomfortable. I am making an effort to take out my power chair for a walk, although I still hate the fact that I need to use it, I am trying to get used to it. Kate has been helping by offering me treats if I take the chair out!! We had an incredible visit from Wendy & Mike last night and had too much fun of course. As Travis works so much, it is sometimes difficult to get time off, so the last few times I was able to visit Bowmanville he wasn't able to make it, so they decided to come to him! I have the best family and it was so great that they could come and spend time with Kate & Dayne before they head off to SA. Though the Ottawa ALS walk has come and gone, I am still able to be an advocate for the ALS community. I lectured at an education session on Medical Ethics provided for Chinese medical students from Shanghai at the University of Ottawa. I will also be speaking to the Ottawa Neurology Department at the Civic Hospital to students on the impact of getting an ALS diagnosis. I have also been featured in an article in Macleans Magazine. If you are interested, click on the button below. Feel free to check out some photos of our summer adventures on the Gallery page of the blog. TTFN  Buddy helping me with my favourite hobby; puzzling! |
AuthorCarol Jean Skinner (née Sharman) Archives
August 2018
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