Heart Attacks

Master Corbs Great Grandma had a minor heart attack a couple of days ago and is currently recouperating in the hospital.   After Master Corbs weekly hydrotherapy session today we called to see her but didnt stay because she was having a sleep when we called. 

On the way home Master Corb and I were having a discussion on heart attacks.  Here is part of our conversation....
Corb: "Do they just happen or can you have one when someone gives you a fright?"
 Me: " No Corb you can't have one from getting a fright, people have them when their heart isnt working right"
Corb: "So why do people say don't do that or you'll give me a heart attack"
Me: "Its just a saying"
Corb: "Well thats stupid then".......

Yes I suppose it is!!!!!

24kms in 4 days

24kms is how far I walked last week Monday -  Thursday (we didnt have to walk on Friday morning).  This would be the most I have walked in 4 days since I was much much younger!
I don't have a vehicle in the mornings because my van is up in Dunedin getting a hoist fitted - yeah.  But it means I am without a vehicle in the mornings for 2-3 weeks.  This means in the morning I walk just over 1km with Master Corb in the buggy to take him to catch the school bus.  We then go to school on the bus, then after I have him in school I walk 5kms home. The silver lining is that I should technically be fitter, healthier and have a smaller butt!!! And thank God the weather has been kind.

So here goes for another week of over exertion!!!

Orthopaedic Followup Time

Today we went to yet another Orthopaedic followup clinic.  This time the Orthopaedic Surgeon has decided that he would like to lengthen Master Corbs hamstrings.  And once again the very arrogant and obnoxious Orthopaedic surgeon was very unimpressed with me when I told him that because there is far more involved than just the shortness of his hamstrings, I did not believe that lengthening his hamstrings would help Corbin to walk independantly and therefore I will not consider hamstring lengthening at this stage.  I was promptly informed not to "indoctrinate" myself!!!  OMG what next??? A-hole!!!

Youth Saloons

Master Jay and Miss Livee both race Youth Saloons at the Riverside Speedway in Invercargill.  There are 15 kids between the age of 12-16 years that race in this grade in Invercargill (Miss Livee is the youngest this season) and their cars have to be 1600cc or less.
We travelled to Dunedin yesterday for the Otago Youth Saloons champs.  Master Jay got 2nd overall which is awesome and the best he could have done because the boy who won it has a faster car and there is only so much that skill can do.
Miss Livee got a trophy for "Driver of the Night" - I think it was for the safest driver, keeping her driving lines etc.
With a lot of help from Uncle Barry, Master Jay got into Youth Saloons 2 years ago at the age of 13.  It doesnt sound like a sport you would want your children to be participating in but it is just the perfect sport for a teenage boy that has hemiplegia. 
Jay has gathered quite a collection of trophies over the 2 and 1/2 seasons he has been racing and it has been a huge morale booster for a young man that has struggled to keep up in any sport all his life.
 Aside from that, the other huge advantages are that he is now pretty much a self taught mechanic (mostly via google and some from soaking up any info he can from actual mechanics) to the extent that with the help of another 15 year old friend they have replaced 3 vehicle motors in 2 different cars by themselves.  Which is so impressive at the age of 15.  He does all the repairs and maintenance on the 2 race cars with very little assistance from anyone which also makes it a reasonably inexpensive sport for us - bonus.  And another huge bonus is I wont have to go grey(er) teaching my kids how to drive a car because they already know!!

 

I am so proud of my boy and his mechanical abilities.

If is so easy to keep this teenager occupied and busy - just give him a car to tinker with and hes happy!!!

Deep Cove - Fiordland

Last week I had the priviledge of going to Deep Cove with Miss Livees class.  It has been a couple of years since I have been there (well more than a couple - the only time I have been was when I was 12 myself!!) and I guess as a 12 year old you don't really appreciate the beauty that is essentially at our back door.
We had fantastic weather which isn't the best to showcase the amazing waterfalls but it was just brilliant tramping/walking conditions.
I just have to share a couple of photos:

 The view at the top of the Wilmot Pass looking down into Deep Cove.

This was a absolutely beautiful, otherworld like, waterhole that most of us got in.  You cant see it in the photo but there is a waterfall behind the big rock going into the waterhole.  Miss Livee is the head in the water way over the back by the rock - she was the biggest water baby there!!! And yes the water was freezing - I only lasted about 2 minutes!!!

The tramp to Stella Falls

 

Another water hole at the bottom of Stella Falls that most of the kids got in.... there was a common theme - lets get wet..........

 

Some of the kids out fishing.

 

What a fantastic place.



Athletics Day

Wow its been a while since I have written a post - where does time go?

Last week Corbins school was involved in the Southern Zone Athletics day. Corbin obviously wasnt that involved - well not in a physical way anyway, but he was the self appointed athletics photographer.  By lunch time that had lost its novelty so he decided he would rather hang out with his friends!!!