Soldier on with pride for ANZAC Day

Nearly all my life [33years] I have proudly worn a poppy on ANZAC Day.  My granddad and his father were soldiers.  When I was younger I wanted to be a solider in the New Zealand Army.  I used to think I’d get better and be physically able by the time I’d be an adult…. Then I realised a cure wasn’t about to happen anytime soon so the dream crashed.  But my respect for the NZ Army hasn’t waivered nor has my appreciation for the sacrifices made by soldiers in the past and today. 

I see a lot of effort and time to promote Valentines  Day, Halloween and Guy Fawkes.  Makes me wonder where  is the patriotic loyalty to decorate your shops, towns, workplaces, schools to promote and support  ANZAC Day??  Isn’t a day to celebrate our soldiers’ who stood up against evil to protect and honour our country  more important???  Children often are taught of traditional  symbols, such as a fluffy bunny for Easter, a fat guy in a red suit named Santa for  Christmas, a cupid for Valentines, a carved pumpkin for Halloween.  I believe learning the significant  history of  a poppy for ANZAC Day is being lost in this generation.  We must educate future generations and give them this sense of pride as well as paying respect ourselves’.

 April 25th was named ANZAC Day in 1916 to commemorate the landing of New Zealand and Australian   troops in Gallipoli one year earlier.  Since 1920 this day has served as a national public day for New Zealand to honour ALL men and women who laid their lives down - either whom were lucky enough to return home after their honourable duty or those whom paid the ultimate price while serving our country.

We lost 2721 lives in World War 1 and 11,928 in WW2.  We have since lost other soldiers while doing there part in rebuilding lives and creating stability in countries needing help.

    These soldiers did not go to war-torn lands for fame and fortune nor did they go for the glory of being ambushed and shot at.  Instead they went to war-torn lands to rebuild lives and give protection and hope to the innocent babies, children, men and woman who had their homes, workplaces, schools and futures threatened and destroyed by evil. They fought  to keep the  threat of foreign invasion off our shores.

 SOLDIER ON & HELP SAVE THE DAY… It deeply upsets me to see ANZAC Day being forgotten so please help change that and acknowledge April 25th.  Most towns have parade ceremonies [which are public & free].  The RSA sell official poppy badges [gold coin  donation .]
Make your own traditions too - wear  red, hang red balloons, light a candle for our departed heroes… celebrate ANZAC Day.
 By  law shops  are not supposed to open till midday but to be honest I think some shop-owners are to greedy and disrespectful to acknowledge this.  - Don't   buy from  them ... I saw a local bakery open once  and went in and told them off!

Sometimes dreams crash but you can salvage and recreate that ambition - like my dream of becoming a soldier. I couldn't serve in the army BUT I can still fight for good ... so in a sense I am a soldier ...    REMEMBER; FRIDAY APRIL 25 ... Lest We Forget xoxo

Introducing ME [part2]

Candy my Cabbage Patch Kid
I tattooed her not long after.
  Children and marker pens do not mix.

*Read part 1 first - it's below this. Thanks.*

I find it very upsetting when I think back to how cruel some kids were.  A few solid friends stuck by me through primary and intermediate but to most, Friedreichs Ataxia made me ‘different’ and ‘unfamiliar’.  Kids would say spiteful things and tease.  I’d cry, get very upset, and quite often took refuge in the principal’s office.

I went home from primary school most days in tears.  Unfortunately, that reaction was what some of those nasty kids wanted and they’d call me names like ‘shaky’ or ‘handicap’ and tease me more.  When I overheard some children at school talking about things they had overheard from their parents, ‘Melinda won’t be able to move’ and ‘Melinda is going to die’, I told them they were silly and ran away and cried.  I knew there was some truth in what they were saying but not to what extent they were telling the truth.  I didn’t want to admit they could be accurate.  Finding out about my diagnosis so I could fully comprehend it was a must.

1st runner up Miss Hawkes' Bay
 & Miss Personality -
MELINDA BENNETT

To defeat the enemy, first you must know the enemy.  I read the books dad had been given thoroughly.   My fears were confirmed but even so I felt relieved: I understood what was happening to me – there’s no certain timeframe or certainty what will happen or when or how bad for FA.  . 

Even tho I now could argue back the facts of why I had slurred speech or why my body shook, the ridicule and bullying remained.   I still hear the taunts , one boy in particular  still haunts me years later.  He’d call me names and mimic my shaking body to his friends, who like their cowardly leader would laugh.  But instead  of walking away I’d run my mouth which would sadly  give him more ammunition to  fire at me.  I now realise I could & should have ignored him, or spoke to an older person - never would of I admitted it then but older people are sometimes wiser!
      Luckily by high school my peers and I were much more mature and understanding.

My attitude has remained the same basically I believe there’s 2 choices in life - (1) give up or (2) NEVER give up.  I am scared of what’s ahead but I live for today.  No one knows where their journey will take them, what paths they will go down or when the journey will end.  I hope I wake up tomorrow and a cure for FA is found.  Miracles DO happen everyday so having faith in that gives me strength and power.  No matter what happens in my life I will face it and fight those challenges when they crop up.  Everyday is a bonus for which  I am so very grateful to have.  Tomorrow is a gift so please enjoy it for yourself and for your loved ones  NEVER GIVE UP!. 

 xoxo



Marshall Mathers aka Eminem

Introducing ME [pt1]

     I had  to take down a few earlier posts as I had entered a competition for my autobiography to be published.  One of the terms and conditions was the writing wasn't published elsewhere.  To play by the rules I took down those posts, which were abstracts from my book.  My submission wasn't successful, which sucks because I want to share my story and hopefully motivate others to enjoy life and never give up.  ... I don't need to be published in a book to share my stories life experiences so I hope someone reads my blogs and get something out of them - whether it be a giggle, a piece of advice, a feeling they're not alone or to never give up!  So here we go...


Me in my standing hoist which I use to exercise 3x weekly.
... working on my guns here - 1kg weight!!!
 

It was  1980 when I, Melinda  Bennett, entered the world, a happy healthy baby girl. In those early years life seemed uncomplicated and straightforward.  I was just a ‘regular’ kid from a middleclass family and dreams were just pictures of the reality waiting for me.  

In 1990 my world forever changed.  My mum and her new partner had a darling little girl. And my dad got me my BFF, a gorgeous black spoodle puppy named Bo-Bo.  But with the good times also comes the not-so-good times.  Mum and my sister moved to Australia.  And something was seriously wrong with my health too.

I was very shaky and uncoordinated,  my speech was slurred,  I often spent days in bed, even to tired to chew, swallow or move.  Mum had noticed from an earlier age that something wasn’t right with my coordination so she had taken me to a few doctors telling them her observations.  They all said I was ‘just a clumsy kid’ and I would ‘grow out of it’.  Then dads friend  -an ex-nurse told dad specific tests to be done,  Dad told my GP what he needed done. Straight away, he made appropriate referrals to the corresponding specialist doctors.

Within a week I was scheduled to undergo a CT scan.  The nurse operating the machine told me what was going to happen.  I just had to lie perfectly still as the bed moved through a hole which would take pictures of the inside of my body.  I started having flashbacks of an old movie I saw, where a young girl around similar age to me went through a similar machine and later died.  I totally freaked out thinking it would happen to me.  Dad and the nurse tried to console me; dad even lay on the bed to prove it was safe.  Half an hour later a deal was made that if I went through the machine we’d have McDonalds for dinner.

Of the resulting tests, the most horrific one involved electricity.  It was to test my nerve reaction.  I lay on the bed and I remember a gag being placed in my mouth.  ‘This is so you don’t bite your tongue.’  Pads were applied to points on my legs and arms; wires ran from each pad to a machine that sat on a nearby table.  The look of it scared me and I tried to raise my hand to release the gag and call the test off.  I tried in vain to sit up but restraints on my wrists and ankles held me down.Electric shocks bolted through me, and the voltage slowly increased until the pain became so unbearable I tried to scream out.  Dad saw tears flowing down my face and told the technicians to ‘stop it right now.’  The machine was shut off and I was released, shaking and crying so hysterically that a nurse had to help me dress.  All I wanted to do was be in my own safe bedroom.  Dad had to carry me to the car afterward and Bo-Bo, my loyal dog cuddled me as we drove home.

Late one afternoon, Dad got a call from the doctor.  He told dad I had a rare neurological disease called Friedreichs Ataxia.  Dad hadn’t heard of it and the doctor admitted the same and that he had looked in a textbook so he had some information to share.  He said life expectancy was limited to early teenage years, which he concluded were between 13 and 16 years of age.   A form of Muscular Dystrophy, Friedreich’s Ataxia is a relatively rare inherited disease of the nervous system characterized by gradual loss of coordination, which leads to tremors, an unsteady gait and slurred speech.  To casual observers, a person with Friedreich’s Ataxia may seem intoxicated.  Heart complications are common but vary in severity.

When he finished reading he turned to dad and said, ‘I am sorry Steve but there is no cure for FA.  It is a degenerative disease, so it will only get worse before… .’  His voice trailed off but dad knew in his mind the finishing unspoken words: ‘before she dies.’

My adult cousin wrote to a magazine and asked anyone with information about Friedreich’s Ataxia to respond.   She received a few news articles and letters  which she gave to Dad.  He felt sad and hopeless as he read of the cramps I would experience as my muscles deteriorated and the complications that could arise from my thick and floppy heart.  However, he also noted people were leading longer lives.   The disease could not be treated as a whole entity, but some resulting pathologies such as diabetes, cardiomyopathy and scoliosis, could often be monitored and treated with medications, and physiotherapy.  Life expectancy could now be extended to 35-55years.  He realised the hard fact that no matter how much he chose to deny it, his baby girl had Friedreich’s Ataxia.

My views from the video store to Twilight...

Last night I went to the video store -side note: why the heck do they still call them "video stores" when it's all DVD and Blu-ray nowadays - hello, it's not 1980s  anymore!  I wanted Fast and the Furious 5 but it wasn't in - a guy whom was behind the counter said to me "if you're online I'll write an URL down so you can download the movie".

  "No thanks", I said.
 "Don't worry it's safe and free", he said.

 "Yeah, it's also very much theft and quite illegal", I shot back.

 "The studios and stars still make big money", he replied.
  "So you're saying it's okay to steal off people who work hard for their money?  That's a real f**ked up attitude", I kinda was really annoyed by this kids lack of morals, "Can I speak to your manager or supervisor please?"
  The boy went got his supervisor and I told him.  The supervisor apologised and took the guy into his office.  Like the ad before a recorded movie suggests, stealing a car is wrong so stealing a movie is wrong.  Same goes for music - if you are a fan or supporter of a song or artist,  don't steal from them.  I'm not a tattle-tale but I do have morals and for a shop assistant to suggest an illegal activity was very inappropriate so hence my need for arguing my opinion and telling the supervisor.  People need to quit being hypocritical over things like downloading music or movies, it's theft ... you wouldn't steal a car or steal money off a movie star or artist so why is it right to take their movie or song. 

  Still in the store my friend suggest we rent the Twilight dvds and have a, in her words "a perve-fest" at Edward [ Robert Pattison ].  We get those out and leave. We see a few friends in the carpark and we start talking, Michelle and Cali were going on about how they'd let Edward park his shoes under their bed.  Well I had to chime in to  the conversation about the fictional character with "ya know Edward is a vampire so he no blood circulating therefore he couldn't get an erection."  Everyone laughed but I could see them thinking, 'DANG !  Melinda just destroyed that fantasy.' 
  We watched "Twilight" then "New Moon"  and although I had seen both once before I surprised myself by enjoying it - the scenery is breathtaking and the actors' play the characters so well - they bring the characters to life.  For a moment I wished I was in Bella [ Kirsten Stewart ] and had to choose between Edward the vampire or Jacob the werewolf [ Taylor Lautner ] - even though I KNOW it's only a story, it's nice to imagine & play pretend like I did when I was 9 and played dolls.  - Tonight I'll watch "Eclipse". 
  And I can see where Michelle and Cali are coming from!  Nothing wrong with dreaming, especially when you see the talent ;) ...

Edward - Robert Pattison

Jacob - Taylor Lautner

Everyday I play The Glad Game - come on & join in!

When I was 8 my Aunty Carole gifted me a book that quickly became my favorite story - it was called Pollyanna, written bu Elanor H. Porter.  To those who dont know it here's the short version; a little orphan girl named Pollyanna goes to live with her very wealthy aunt in a small town full  of uptight and crakny people. Overtime Pollyanna teaches people The Glad Game - a simple game taught to her by her father to be thankful and appreciate what you have.  So everyone become happier and nicer, and the towns a much happier place to live.  - Other stuff happens too but that's the jist of it.  Disney released it on film in 1960 featuring Hayley Mills.

  So I started to play The Glad Game by finding stuff to be glad about.  When I was bout 10 my muscles cramped nearly every night I'd be reduced to tears by the pain I'd play The Glad Game and be glad my sisters legs didn't hurt ... and I'd be glad my daddy was there to rub cream on to make the pain ease off ... and I was glad I'd have toast with vegemite & honey mixed for breakfast tomorrow.  Thinking about the   things I had to be glad about  made me forget about the pain.  I still play The Glad Game.  It's important to acknowledge the good things in life - Pollyanna taught me that!

Me and my Aunty aka WOB

Last Christmas I decided to buy Aunt Carole the 1960s movie Pollyanna on dvd.  I got a copy and on Christmas Day we exchanged our similar sized gifts.  After 22yrs of     her buying me the book,  we had bought each other POLLYANNA!  Great minds DO think alike .... I am so very glad she is my Aunt and we know POLLYANNA

    

Gods love is the key to everything.

I'm not a bible-basher nor do I  go to church every Sunday but I love and have faith in God.  I think going to church makes you as much of a Christian as sitting in a garage would  make you a car!  ...I'm not saying church is full of hypocrites because most people go for the right reason - because they love God.  Faith is having total love, trust and respect for the One who blesses us with each day.

[here's an abstract from an earlier post by me:]
I have come to find mental source strength in thinking of my disability as a gift, not a curse.  Sure it makes life hard at times but this is my life.  ‘If God is real then why do you have Friedreichs Ataxia?’ I’ve been asked many times.  I love discussing this question and sharing what I know and trust. 

God did not give me this condition to trial or test me.  God is not a cruel or selfish.  God is the one who gives me the source of strength, comfort and motivation to keep moving forward. 

Religion is a very personal matter of opinion.  Love God, be thankful for all He has gave us and show compassion and love for others is the base of faith in my opinion.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND [I do not kno who wrote this poem to credit it.]

Marshall Mathers aka Eminem is my inspiration & motivation

I've liked music and words by Eminem for a long time.  His lyrics always have the same effect on me,   they'd often make me smile or laugh AND they alway made me think.  Sometimes I just have to give    him credit for saying what others may think but they don't have the balls to say it.  Othertimes I giggle and think how many feathers he  is going to ruffle with his rhymes.  Like he says "It'd feel so empty without me".   I spose that makes the man a genius. And no matter what critics do or say he stands up and fights back for what he believes in.  Sure he's made mistakes, yet he doesn't hide them away and pretend to be perfect - he owns up to them like a responsible person should.  At first I knew Eminem as a sort of character but over the last few years I've became a huge fan of Marshall Mathers too.  I don't mean I know or have met him personally,  I mean it's like Eminem's reaching out more and is stronger  and the real person is shining thru - Marshall Mathers.  I often speak of the  extreme importance for everyone to find people who inspire and motivate them.  To me Marshall   Mathers is one of the most, if not the most, inspiring and motivating persons' to grace this earth.  He has gone from rags to riches,  he's seen good times and bad ... he has  overcame much diversity to come out on top and be a loving father, a  very successful bussiness man and a much  adored international performer.  I know I get down sometimes by my disability but turning on an Eminem cd or reading an interview with him inspires me to keep going, like he has to get where he is today.  That inturn motivates me to not give up.

This  link has the lyrics to   "I'm Not Afraid" and video clips for the song http://www.directlyrics.com/eminem-not-afraid-lyrics.html   Directlyrics is officially licensed to display lyrics by all the major publishers through Gracenote. This guarantees accurate lyrics and pays the artists for their work.