Scrapbooking 4 a Cause: October 2007

Call me crazy, but have you all ever tried googling yourself? I was just trying to clean up my online profile, if possible, disassociate valerie and ebay for professional purposes and surprisingly I found someone actually blogged about me! That is so cool and it really made my day. I meet so many lovely people everyday and to know that someone took note of what I told her, I am really really touched...it looks as if my whole cause and reason for Scrap-n-Crop actually truly works! Thank you shoeaholic, you made my day! Here's the link for those who are keen - http://shoeaholicsdiary.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html

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Tuesday, January 31, 2006

An Inspiration of Life
Lately, i started doing some crafts and handiwork again to get in touch with my creative side. I haven't been doing such crafts since i discovered the wonders of computers. Partly, i haven't found the time and also source that i use to have before i discovered internet. Yes, i think the internet has robbed most of my youth and time, and it still is.I would buy books and magazines to get myself all excited and inspired to work on some projects and recently, i made 2 simple frames for 2 dear friends with our picture in it. It was really simple and yet i struggled a little at my creative call! But i am glad i started it anyway and i am taking another step at establishing more little projects again.I went online this afternoon and started looking around at ebay.au. I came about some nice ribbons for scrapbooking and to my awed, i found 2 sellers that are based in Malaysia! I've always wanted to buy stuff from ebay, but the payment and prosedures are simply too complicated for me not to mention the conversion rate and shipping fees blah blah...So i contacted the sellers for further inquiries and i ended up "meeting" one seller by the name of Valerie Gan. She responded to my email the promptest and we ended up exchanging a few friendly emails. She mentioned she has a 2 1/2 yr old brain damaged son by the name of Bryant in her Ebay Store and she established this store to help support her child and also families with similar problems like her. So i typed her name at google to see if i can find anything about her and this is what i found at http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0607.asp
I am neither a midwife nor a medical student. My son was born with a severe brain injury. I would like to know what is the acceptable time frame between crowning and full spontaneous delivery.My baby was born in May 2003. Since birth he has not been able to cry, suck, or swallow. We now tube feed him; he tends to vomit each time we try to feed him. In his first two weeks of life, his eyes remained shut and his body movements were hypotonic. Though he is now able to move a bit more, at times the movements are spastic, and he tends to arch his neck when agitated. His pupils are not equal, and he does not appear to be able to focus. We now discover that he is also unable to see and hear.Bryant is my first child. The latent phase took two hours, and the active phase was approximately six hours. After the latent phase there was a change of nurses at the hospital, and we were at times left unattended. It was two hours from the time I was fully dilated (according to a nurse that came in to check) before the doctor came to deliver the baby.During the second stage I was told by yet another nurse to push the baby until the crown showed while we awaited the doctor's arrival. The baby was born with an Apgar of 5 and was not breathing. He had to be resuscitated and was subsequently sent to the NICU. Resuscitation was also delayed. Fetal monitoring showed merely 2 (Type 2 dips) during the wholeprocess. I was tested for some metabolic diseases, and all results were negative. Both my husband and I have no family history of illnesses and we lead healthy lifestyles (no smoking or drinking). Bryant's ECG test (done about three weeks of life) showed little bursts of activity. Although not confirmed, the diagnosis we feel is pointing toward infant asphyxia (HIE). Bryant sees a neuro specialist right now and visits the physiotheraphist once a month.— Valerie Gan,MalaysiaMy heart broke when i read about her child and what she and her family had to go through. She then mentioned in her email to me that she does scrapbooking for her son to document his precious life and though it can sometimes be very depressing, she said that Bryant hasn't got very long to live and that is why scrapbooking helps her to cope and express herself. Suddenly, my world grew a little bigger today after meeting Valerie. Knowing briefly about what she does and had to go through in life makes me feel that i am not living mine as i should. It is amazing how we are all brought together by common interests in the love for art. I am very convinced that art is a great way for many people to express themselves and every piece of craft always have a story to tell or a piece of emotion attached to it. Valerie's story inspired me more than any magazines and books,I learnt a lesson in life today that the true inspiration comes from within and around us. I pray that Valerie will find peace and strength each day to be the great mother she is for Bryant. I also pray that God to take away Bryant's pain and suffering.
So Shoe Me 31.1.06 0 pair of Shoes