May is Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month!

May is  here and brings with it Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month! With Adam's first birthday coming up soon as well it seems like an appropriate time for me to reflect on our experience this last year, how far Adam has come and how I can contribute to raise awareness about pediatric stroke this month.

There are limited resources for families of children diagnosed with stroke or hemiplegia, but one that Dave and I have found very helpful has been CHASA: Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association. Their website www.chasa.org has provided us with information, resources and support that would otherwise have been difficult to find. The organization offers services to pediatric stroke survivors and their families through grant programs, sholarships, research opportunities and support communities. In the month of May they use the phrase "Streak for Pediatric Stroke" to encourage families to commit to doing something through out the month to honor our tough little kiddos and to raise awareness about their diagnosis. Its an individual commitment - anything from trying to do one task a day using only one hand, wearing purple clothes/hair/bracelets/etc, doing something everyday that is challenging, or sharing information about stroke with others...you get the idea.

Dave and I have given some thought to how we would like to participate and am excited at some of the ideas we have come up with to help raise awareness about pedatric stroke this month!

*My Streak - Running/strength training everyday in May! Running has been an important part of my life and something that I have struggled to make time for since having Adam. When I thought about what I wanted to do this month I considered what I ask Adam to do everyday - things that are challenging, frustrating and not necessarily what he feels like doing at that particular moment, all with the hope that these will be a small steps towards reaching his full potential in life. For me, running is literally taking those first small steps towards being the mom I want to be for him. I know that I'm the best version of myself when I have balance in my life and running has been a huge part of that. Since I'm pretty sure running 31 consecutive days would lead to injury,  I'm throwing in strengthening, something I need but is not my favorite thing to do. I don't look forward to the challenge of fitting it into our daily schedule, which will no doubt include early mornings and miles behind the double jogger, but I am excited about choosing to do something that will bring a positive change to our lives even after May is over.

*Bracelets - We ordered purple bracelets scheduled for delivery next week with Adam's name and the awareness ribbon. We will be handing them out to our family, friends and co-workers along with a fact sheet about pediatric stroke. Our hope is that people will wear them as a way to not only recognize Adam and all the other pediatric stroke survivors, but to help spark conversation about stroke and share information about the diagnosis.

*Bulletin board at work - In my clinic we have a bulletin board that we use to share information with families and patients in the clinic. This month I'll be using it to post information about pediatric stroke. As part of the board I'll be posting a picture of some of our pediatric stroke survivors, supplied by their parents, as well as a few words about each child. This may also lead to sharing our story at the main hospital as well, but those details have yet to be worked out.

*Purple! - Audrey and I will be sporting purple all month! Nails, clothes, hair ribbons...we're looking forward to getting creative :)

I'll be excited to share updates this month,  in the mean time here's what my little guy has been up to lately:

Most parents would see this and start thinking about childproofing, I was so excited to see him trying to reach it with his right hand!
 ... And then I started thinking about childproofing :)

Loves his push toy!
Walking all over the house with it now. 

Cruising along

Everything is a push toy these days,  the slide,  stools,  boxes of diapers... 

Oh and apparently we have a climber!
He's managed the slide,  picnic table, stairs every time I look away,
 and even onto a toy stroller... This could get interesting :)