Friday, August 10, 2012

ENJOYING THE OLYMPICS

4th to 10th August 2012

How splendiferous are the Olympics?

I have immensely enjoyed watching the many different types of Sports that have been televised, seeing magnificent achievements and felt empathy for those experiencing moments of heartbreak after years of preparation.  Some of my favourite momentous accomplishments of our Australian Team have been our Sailing Gold Medal, Sally Pearson's incredible 100 metre hurdle run, the whole rowing teams success, our diving silver medal, the triathletes and just our athletes getting out there, showing determination and doing the best they can.  Seeing Usain Bolt win the 100m and then the 200m to give him the double again was also amazing, he is a great athlete. 

We should all not just in sport but in our everyday lives seek to do our best, to be a truly amazing person in every way possible, to help and encourage others, to show empathy, to have courage and determination, to  not be afraid to choose a path that may not always be easy but will see us facing challenges and growing as a person. If we have dreams and goals we should not just talk about them but take the action to achieve them.

I have found a new goal for myself and have added it to my special list, there is an AWD Championship in Canberra in November and I am determined that I will qualify and be able to compete in it.  Having the championship in Canberra also means that finally I will have my face to face classification done, this could mean that my classification could change, at present I have a provisional T/F 36. 

My books have almost sold out now with only ten copies available, what a magnificent response I have received, I am just so honoured and humbled that so many people have purchased it and are helping me to make a difference.  The proceeds raised from the sales of the book are all going to The Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation Brain Tumour Fund for their research program to try to find a cure for this horrendous disease.

Not only have people purchased the book, it has also inspired them to raise funds for the Fund doing other activities.  A humungous thank you to Julian, one of my Dad's workers who is competing in the City to Surf Race this weekend and raising money for the fund, also to the incredible Monique who has organised a fund raising fun afternoon for children, Kaye who was a driving force for fundraising by the fantastic Fernwood at Woden and the generous Gowrie Pharmacy. One day because of the kindness of these people's hearts no children will have to suffer like I have. 

Throughout last week and this week I have experienced an increase in my pain levels, so the medical team have increased my doses of pain medication which have relieved my pain a little.  Having pain can make you feel really ill and so fatigued it makes it difficult to do anything. 

I had my weekly physiotherapy appointment this week, Kaitlyn worked on my hip, spine and neck then at the end I had those wonderful heat packs on my back.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone invented clothing that had when you turned a switch on it heated?  That would help so many people with pain and whose bones suffer in the cold. 

Yesterday I had an ultrasound on my bladder, I have been experiencing some problems and they were investigating to see why that may be happening.  Last week I had to have a urine sample test done, and it was all clear, so my problems are not from an infection.  Sometimes when you have tumours on your spine, they press on nerves and then that effects some of your body functions. 

School is very exciting, in English we are working on Romeo and Juliet, we have been watching the Baz Lurhman version and taking notes, we have noticed many intertextual parts in it, like lines from other Shakespeare plays and even in the graffiti on the fences.  In Maths we are continuing our work on linear equations and in Sports Science, I am now working on an online Beginner Officiating Course through the Australian Sports Commission.  The only thing I am finding with school is that I am becoming fatigued so easily, perhaps it is the higher doses of the pain medication.

I had a visit from Tom my Occupational Therapist this week, we are looking at things to make me more comfortable at school and at home.  He is so helpful and makes a real difference, I am so lucky that I have people like him and Kaitlyn looking after me. 

This week we had something very special happen, Nalani went for her driving test and she passed, so she is now on her 'P's' we had a special dinner to celebrate this wonderful achievement. She said that it was really strange driving by herself the first time but after that she found it was fantastic, she really loves driving and I think she is a careful and good driver.

We have had some really lovely weather in Canberra, however yesterday that all changed, the day was repugnant, the winds were glacial and there were even snow falls reported in parts of Canberra.  It was a reminder that it is still Winter and even though there are some buds appearing on trees there is more cold weather to come before we can enjoy Spring.

In Footy Tipping Pop has caught up and overtaken Nana, she is now in last position and now Pop is just three behind me, I had better watch out for him!  My Tigers had a massive win against the Eels on Monday night and hopefully they will be able to repeat that against Dragons this week.

'If you follow your heart and are true to yourself then you can never go wrong'






3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Dainere

Just caught up on all your news. You still continue to soldier on, I'm so proud of you & inspired by you.

Freezing cold here in Sydney. We have been enjoying staying indoors watching the Olympics. Swimmming is my favourite but I must admit, my son has had me watching all sports events. The athletes are exceptional & yes, all their efforts & hard work is for their big performance on one day! Amazing really.

Well done to Nalani on getting her P's. I'm sure it will be a help to your parents having another driver in the family. My 12 year old niece loves having her two big sisters to chauffeur her around. My son can get his L's next January, a little scary I think!!

How's your Dad's injuries & your Mun's knee healing? Say hello to them please from me, I am hoping they are on the mend.

I tipped Tigers too last week & again this week. My husband & Ben follow Dragons & Luke follows Tigers. I have a Tigers heart as I grew up supporting Tigers & have therefore tipped them this evening. However, it's always more pleasant in our household when Dragons win as Matthew & Ben are sooo passionate regarding footy.

I pray you have some pain relief at some stage, I know school work- load must be extremely hard. I'm forever trying to help my students, they are snowed under with assignments currently but if I can help them in some small way, I know how much they appreciate it.

Take care, be kind to yourself, love always Fran xoxo

Anonymous said...

Hi Dainere,

Your words are always a highlight of each week.

You lift the spirits of those who know you - near and far.

Kind regards,

Michael

Anonymous said...

HI Dear Dainere, oh yes the olympics 100% splendiferous Dainere, they have been awesome, enjoyed them so much , just watching the sportsmanship , is great , Meryl and i can not wait to see the closing ceremony , and what it secrets are .

oh yes , you are right , when i was in the scouts , when i lived in Britain as a boy , our promise was , "" i promise to my duty to God and the Queen , to help other people at all times and obey the scout law .

Those values hold strong to this day Dainere , and you are one of those kind people who know all about that , as you strive to help others day in day out . Well done .

Good luck at the championships in Novembere we are sure you will do well.

Well done with the books , our friend is looking forward to her copy , as we tell her what a champion you ARE .

OH That horrible pain , you mention clothing with a switch on , well Dainere , there are now electric hot water bottles( like the heat packs used by the physio ) . , we would be happy to get you one if you want , just let me know in the usual way.

SO sorry to hear your having bladder problms , as if you haven't got enough .

Remeber to just listen to your body Dainere , if you need to rest , thats fine , i think by doing what it wants you to do , you will end up being able to do more in the long run . BUT we are sure you are listening to it .take care .

Many congratulations to Nalani for passing her test , thats great , and she will be able to help mum now with driving jobs .

Hope mum and dad are feeling much better now .

Lots of Love , hugs and kisses to you .

love
stuart and meryl
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