Vision Walk 2009 at City Park

Vision Walk 2009 at City Park

It was a great day for the vision walk around City Park! It was cool day prefect for our 3 mile walk around City Park. I put together a team and we called it Patch Land Adventures, of course.
Preston and I were captains of our walk team. We were able to raise some money for our 1st Vision walk. We had friends and neighbors that joined us for the walk.
We meet up with our team mates and registered, said hi to others and started our walk. We did our 3 mile walk around the park and it was so nice to see the water it was very peaceful, and to see all the teams and guide dogs as well.
When I got back from the walk I had to help Garcia’s set up tables, they were such a great support to us as they were for my event the “Blind Taste of the Rockies”.
Preston and his friend Chase were enjoying the clown, games, cotton candy and popcorn and there was a live band on the stage.
Preston was very proud of how much money we were able to raise for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. I think it’s great to have Preston involved the way I do with this non-profit and seeing me volunteer giving back to the community.
I understand this non-profit doesn’t directly deal with Preston’s eye disease but I just had to be a part of it! I feel that it is all about low vision and some day everyone will be able to see the way most of us do we have to do our part to make a change hopefully in the near future.

Tour at Hammonds Candy Factory

Tour at Hammonds Candy Factory

Preston had a friend stay the night and we decided that we would go in the morning to the Hammonds candy factory and go on a tour. We went to another one of his friend’s house and picked him his brother and mother up and went to the Factory. It was a nice day we took a couple of pictures and went inside to get our name in for the tour.
We had to watch a short film about the factory when it started ECT. This is the second time that Preston and I have been to the factory. It was in a new location and the tour was a lot shorter. It was really neat seeing how hard it is to make the ribbon candy what a process it has to go through, and it takes 5 years to become a master candy maker, amazing! After the tour we got to pick out a free candy cane. Of course you can’t walk out without buying candy. We picked up our little baskets and started to fill our baskets. Ouch it adds up fast! We paid and got out of there. What a great time it was the boys really enjoyed it.
We decide to go get lunch than the boys could play for awhile before going home. It was a great day but I told Preston that he had to wear his patch for the rest of the day. We make compromises sometimes.

Day Trip to Millers Farm

Day Trip to Millers Farm

Preston and I went to Millers farm it was about an hour drive north, during his off track time. We always try to plan some fun outings with other class mate friends and their moms. We all arrived there about the same time, we made sure to have our sunscreen on and water bottles and snacks. We were planning to have lunch there as well. We went and paid than the boys wanted to get in the go-carts and race before going on our little adventure. We jumped into a back of a trailer to drive a bunch of us around to different parts of the farm. It was really a neat experience to go around and pick our own produce. It is hard work! Preston and the boys had a new appreciation to produce. It was really a hot day and we drank lots of water and had some snacks while going out in the different fields.
One of the moms that we were there with had a friend of hers that came along and her three children. I noticed that one of her sons had glasses on and I inquired about his vision. She had told me that he also has Amblyopia and a little bit of their journey with it. I told her about Preston and my books. What a small world! I like to hear other peoples journey with Amblyopia and the different steps that they are taking to get there Childs vision as strong as possible.
I was sitting next to this lady and her husband and their two children wonderful family. She had over heard my conversation about the kids and Amblyopia. Her son also has low vision issues so we were able to talk about it. She really has gone through so much with her son. I hope to be able to share their story with you in the near future. We exchanged contact information and looking forward to connecting with her and family. I really feel that sometimes people are brought together for a reason.

Shopping at Costco

Shopping at Costco’s

A Couple of weeks ago Preston Yorkk and I went to Costcos to look at lap tops since my desk top had crashed. I had asked Preston to please put on his eye patch before we left the house. He doesn’t like to wear it out in public because sometimes kids make fun of him or will say hurtful things to him. I know it’s because kids and some adults are not use to seeing people walking around with an eye patch on, even though I am starting to see it now more often when I am out and about. I have found myself trying to educate some of those people, of the reason why he wears the patch.
Preston will usually ask me if he can take his eye patch off and after we are done shopping than he will put it back on in the vehicle. I do at times say yes to him.
He didn’t ask this time before going in to Costco’s I was really proud of him and I just acted like I didn’t notice that he had it on.
We were looking at the laptops when I noticed a young boy in a shopping cart that we had met at a friend of mines sons’ birthday party. He is adopted from I believe Cambodia and he has had several surgeries on his lip, he had a severe cliff lip that was surgically fixed to the best they could do, so when he speaks it’s a little difficult to understand him.
At the party the boys all got along great! They all played for hours and Preston did not wear his eye patch at the party so the boy was unaware that Preston wore one. The little boy said to Preston at Costco’s why you look so weird! Are you trying to be a pirate laughing at him? His parents were a little bit embarrassed and Preston just looked at him and didn’t say anything just moved closer to my leg. I explained to him why Preston had to wear it, than his father said to him that wasn’t very nice do you like it when people say to you that you sound funny and they don’t understand you? The child just looked at him and said no I don’t, father said will than don’t do it to him.
I thought that the father was very gracious to say what he did; I think it is a great lesson, and I try and express to Preston the same to be nice to others even though you do not understand their situation.

The Visit to Dr. D's

The Visit to Dr. D’s

Preston was a little nervous to go to his eye doctor appointment today, because we did didn’t use the eye drops (Atropine drops). I had to assure him that it was mom’s and dad’s decision not to use them, and that the Dr. would not be disappointed with him concerning the drops.
While we were waiting for the Dr. to come in the room we took some pictures of the eye picture chart that he use to use, because when he was younger he didn’t know all his letters yet, so he would have to try and figure out what the pictures were. We wanted to send them to our illustrator; we also took some pictures of the Dr. With Preston during his eye visit to show people what the children go through during their visits.
Preston’s left eye didn’t get any better but it also didn’t get any worse. The good thing was that his eye didn’t continue to wander out! I was very happy to hear that! We did see a little bit of an increase in his good eye. I will take any good news!!
The Dr. tried to explain to Preston our goal from day one was to get his weak eye strong enough to be able to drive if anything where ever to happen to his good eye. I don’t like putting that out there! So we will continue to patch. I also still need to get those drops into his right eye! Because of Preston’s age it is getting really close to taking another look at the eye surgery. We will revisit that when we go back to see his Dr. in three months. I am very proud of Preston he has the determination to get his eye better.

No Atropine drops yet

No Atropine drops yet

I have to confess that I have not yet put the Atropine drops in Prestons eye. I am still having a tuff time with it. I know that the Dr. says that he needs to use the drops for 6 wks to see if it makes a difference with his eye wandering out (Extropia) he use to be Estropia.
So now it would be for a different reason than when he used it before. That’s why I didn’t understand it at first when she asked me to start the drops again and knew that I was not a fan of it. Dr. D took time out of her day to explain why he needed to use the drops again. She sent me the explanation through email, as I posted on an earlier post.
Preston is going to be off track soon for 3 wks I think I will start it than that way if he is really struggling it will not affect his school work and I can just take him off the drops.

Heidi's Concerns

Heidi’s Concerns

Preston has a program that started yesterday at his school called “Let the Training begin”.
Yesterday Preston ran 2 miles I was really proud of him! He said mom can we do it again tomorrow? I know I will be able to run 3 to 4miles. I said yes we can go again, I told him I would walk the course. I can’t run it because of my knees.
Today Preston and I went and picked up a neighbor boy named Evan he is such a cutie! He is one of Preston’s best buddies even though he is 2 yrs younger they get along great!
Off they went running and I walked it like I had promised Preston! There was a young little girl that was trying really hard to run and she said she was getting tired. I had already walked a mile and said to her would you like me to hold your hand and we can finish it together? She said yes! This little girl also has Amblyopia.
Her mother joined us on our last lap and shared some concerns with me. She said that her daughter was doing better but now after some time the Dr. Felt that she needs to start patching again for about 2 hrs a day. The little girl said no! I don’t want to patch again. The Dr. said will you can also put Atropine drops in her good eye. She knew that Preston had to do that for a year and it did not show any improvement for us! The Dr. Wants Preston to use Atropine drops now for a different reason and I explained it to her about Preston’s eye wandering out now. Heidi she and her husband have a concern .They feel that by using the Atropine drops in their daughter’s good eye there could be some repercussions from the usage of the drops.
I told here that I will send her some information that my doctor gave me since I have the same concerns.
I had to tell her that it was also a huge concern to me and my husband as well. I told her that if her daughter would be willing to patch for 2 hrs a day that’s what I would!
She said you know Carmen I think that is what we will do since she is pretty good about patching!
We will start patching twice a day and see if that will make her eye stronger.
She was so glad to share her concerns with me since she knows that we are both going through the same concerns with our child.