Support our growing community!

My Delaware blog is coming [slowly] along. I am doing my research and trying to use lots of visuals for learning purposes… not just to ooooh and ahhhh about how adorable my baby girl is. With that in mind, I wanted to help support our ever-growing community in British Columbia (and get you readers some new material)!

A mom reached out for me, and as this is a month of THANKS, I wanted to write that this year, outside of the most beautiful birth experience and the perfect daughter I now have, I am most thankful for the wonderful community that has supported, educated and backed me up since we learned Addie has achondroplasia. Without the LPA and multiple parent resource connections on Yahoo! and Facebook, I know that I would still be in the dark about a lot of things, and told by other parents that I am just paranoid. Having the love and understanding of other parents, learning about what other people have experienced, and their education about dwarfism- I can’t say enough good things. These people and their word of wisdom are priceless to me.

For this reason, I want to spread my joy and give some good ‘ole shout outs to help a new friend! Little People of British Columbia, or LPBC, is participating in a contest. Winning would be a great new beer creation for the masses AND some funding for their organization! Thank you to Tammy, for spear-heading this wonderful time for LPBC! Check out her blog Not Just Another Mom and read more about LPBC and Tammy’s son Declan. When describing the contest, she said it best:

We’re a small group with very limited resources, but a lot of heart. We have been shortlisted as a finalist with a very cool brewing company for their ‘2012 Benefit Brew’. The 10 finalist organizations are going head to head in an online vote, which will decide the winner. The winning organization will partner with Phillips Brewing to create their own custom beer and the entire proceeds from the sales of that beer will go to the winning group. Last year’s winning organization received over $10,000, which would be HUGE for us.

Custom beer AND helping an organization grow to fruition, educate others, and offer wonderful new resources about dwarfism? Sign me up!

Voting began yesterday, but you can start voting and SHARING this page and the link to vote today! Please remember to vote once a day until it ends, November 18th.  I will check back with Tammy at the end of the month and see how our community did. Please open a tab on your computer and leave it open so you remember to vote everyday. Pass it on to your friends on Facebook. Link it to your blog. Your help supporting, encouraging and voting for LPBC to achieve funding in this creative way means a lot to me.

I am thankful for you.

VOTE HERE!
FACEBOOK!

Is it the weekend, yet?

What a roller coaster week! If I never hear the word “no” again, it will be too soon.

I’ve spoken with numerous people, and by the blessings of the Universe, our case is in the Research Department of UnitedHealthcare. I’ve spent hours on the phone, mostly on hold… and when I’m not on hold, I’m spelling ” dysplasia” and “achondroplasia” and “Adelaide” for someone who doesn’t understand why she needs to see a specialist.  A woman actually scoffed at the idea that Addie needed to go “all the way to Delaware”. If that wasn’t insult enough, she asked me if I could get an appointment in Delaware, was I willing to travel. What kind of question is that? OF COURSE I’d be willing to travel- she’s my baby! I’d swim across the English Channel with her on my back, if need be.

So, this week was very frustrating, and I’ve wracked up minutes upon hours of cellphone use…

And I’ve made more connections and friendships  than we could ever hope for.

There has been a love and outpouring from a community, better known as the world, to help Dave and me with making sure that Addie can get the care she needs.  Word-of-mouth, Facebook, website shares and emails have helped us raise funding so that we can get Addie to NemoursAlfred I. duPont.  Knowing we will need to put down a deposit to even make an appointment and pay for a majority of the testing before we leave was making my stomach turn, but I took the advice of a few moms and posted a fundraising website.

And there was an outpouring.  Not just love from friends and family, but kindness from total strangers- people following Addie’s story and loving her without ever meeting her.

This beautiful baby cannot express her thanks, but we, the Martinka’s want you to know that we will forever remember everyone who helps us along the way.  We know that we will always need someone to talk to; ask questions or share a hug, but we are hoping to pay all the support we’ve gotten forward. We hope to make a difference for everyone out there who has no insurance, or insufficient insurance. We want people to be aware of dwarfism, and know that each of our children need to be cared for individually- and though they may need different care than other children, they have just as much right to it!

We will share the story of the first few months of her life with Addie over and over as she gets older. She will know the love that she has surrounding her- those who have never met her, those who have yet to and those who have kissed her little toes and smelled her sweet breath- thank you.

It’s a small blessing that the weekend means no one will answer the phones or give you an answer to any questions because the right person “isn’t in the office”, so here’s to the weekend. Here’s to community. Here’s to banding together for our beautiful Adelaide.