Oprah's Gratitude Journal

I started a gratitude journal after being diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. I am now cancer
free and my life has been transformed.  I can now say that I am truly happy.

Extraordinary People - The boy who sees without eyes

Never doubt the potential ability a human spirit has to find a way to overcome any and every obstacle in its path, no matter how challenging. Where faith, prayer, determination, patience, and persistence are present, the supernatural enters to help us become capable of truly moving mountains!

This is a documentary about a boy (Ben Underwood) who has taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world. Ben Underwood is blind, but has managed to do some truly extraordinary feats.

Sight is not in the eyes. We don't need eyes to see the greatest things in life! 

10 Students Who Overcame Massive Obstacles to Achieve Their Dream of an Education

Whenever your morale starts flagging — when you start to feel like the world is against you, the obstacles in your path are insurmountable, or the goals you have set for yourself are no more than pipe dreams — take a moment to reflect on those who have faced even more impossible odds just to achieve something that most of us take for granted: education. What follows is a series of profiles on ten students from all walks of life who have overcome extraordinary adversity of all kinds — and emerged with remarkable stories of courage, strength, and determination.

1. Khadijah Williams

By the time she turned 18, Khadijah Williams had attended twelve schools in as many years. She had lived in shelters, in parks and in motels, never in a permanent residence for more than a few months.  She had endured the leering of pimps and drug dealers, and the tauntings of students at a dozen schools who pegged her as “different.” But in 2009, at age 18, Khadijah had also been accepted at Harvard University. Homeless since early childhood, Khadijah struggled all her life to hide her circumstances from teachers and fellow students. At age 9 she placed in the 99th percentile on a state exam, and her teacher told her she was “gifted.” From that moment forward, Khadijah decided to do whatever it took to keep herself in that category. “I was so proud of being smart I never wanted people to say,”You got the easy way out because you’re homeless,” she told The LA Times. “I never saw it as an excuse.”[1]

By sophomore year of high school, she realized that she could not succeed in getting the education she dreamed of without getting help to go beyond what her current school could offer. She talked to teachers and counselors who helped her apply to summer community college classes, scholarships, and enrichment programs. And in 11^th grade, when she enrolled at Jefferson High School, she decided to complete the rest of her school career there — a decision that meant taking a bus each morning at 4 a.m. and not getting home until 11 p.m.

When it came time to apply for college, Khadijah finally told the whole story of her life, including how difficult it had been to keep up at school, in her application essay.  By focusing not on the hardships she endured, but rather on the lessons and skills she learned from them, she was accepted into Harvard.

Once Khadijah felt ready to tell her story, it won her notice not only from college admissions boards, but also from the news media, including Oprah, who profiled Khadijah on her show. Now a successful student at Harvard, Khadijah continues to use the lessons of her extraordinary life to help and inspire other students.

2. Aduei Riak

To meet Aduei Riak, now 25 and a student at The London School of Economics and Political Science,  you’d never guess the horrors she experienced as a young girl in Sudan. Poised and well-spoken, Aduei prefers to talk about her friends and family, her goals, and her bright vision of the future, rather than the years she spent in refugee camps and on the run from the political upheaval across Africa.“I’ve seen a lot of things that a person of my age should not have been exposed to,” Aduei told USA Today. “The (memories) tend to be very dark and gray. I don’t like talking about them, because for me talking about them is living them again.”[2]

At age 6, Aduei was separated from her family during a civil war in Ethiopia, and from then on she was on her own. She soon joined the thousands of orphans from similarly torn-apart families who walked over a thousand miles to find refuge. These children, often called The Lost Boys or Lost Children of Sudan, eventually found the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where Aduei remained from ages 8-16.In 2000 Aduei arrived in The United States as one of only 89 girls in a group of more than 4,000 orphans in a Lost Boys and Girls resettlement program. She joined a foster family in Belmont, Massachusetts, and began attending high school despite the fact that she spoke barely any English. She devoted herself to her studies, however, and mastered the language by spending hours watching television shows like Sesame Street. Her foster family also engaged a number of tutors to help Aduei catch up.

Within just a couple of years Aduei had become a top student, and in 2003 she was accepted at Brandeis University, one of the most prestigious schools in The United States. Upon graduation in 2007, Aduei was presented with an award for integrating social activism and academic study, and was also named a Justice Louis Brandeis Scholar. Since graduating, Aduei has campaigned against genocide in Darfur, was a keynote speaker at the International Women’s Leadership Conference, and is starting a foundation to help girls in Sudan receive an education. [3] Aduei is also being featured in a documentary film that tells the story of the Lost Girls of Sudan, entitled Like River, A Girl.

3. Jeremy Sicile-Kira

Jeremy Sicile-Kira’s road to high school graduation was an exceptionally difficult one. Severely autistic and unable to speak, Jeremy nevertheless persevered through seven years at Torrey Pines High School, determined to earn his diploma.

Using a letter board to communicate, Jeremy took as many classes as he could in the mainstream education program in addition to special needs classes. He got extra time to complete his assignments, but Jeremy did all the same coursework as his classmates.

Jeremy’s autism affects his hearing, vision, and motor skills. He has never been able to speak, and it takes all his concentration to distinguish which sounds and sights to focus on. “If I don’t concentrate, the world seems surreal,” Jeremy explained.[4] Nevertheless, Jeremy was determined to get the most out of his education, and with encouragement from his parents and teachers, he realized that his autism did not mean he wasn’t as smart as his classmates.

Jeremy passed his California High School Exit Exam, finished high school with a 3.5 GPA, and was invited to speak at graduation. He delivered the speech through voice-assisted technology, which verbalized his written speech. In his speech,  Jeremy thanks his teachers and administrators and talks about the importance of education.

4. Sharhonda Perkins

It took Sharhonda Perkins a long time to come to fully appreciate the importance of education. For most of her academic career she didn’t care much about school one way or the other. But during her junior year of high school, five of her family members died in a fire that also destroyed all of her possessions.

That was when Sharhonda realized that she had to depend on herself, and that the only way to make something of her life was to get an education.The realization that she’d been taking her life for granted did not immediately lead to a 180 degree turnaround in her academic performance. For years she hadn’t taken her studies seriously, and she didn’t quite know how to go about turning over a new leaf. But at Danbury, Connecticut’s Alternative Center for Excellence, Sharhonda learned how to channel her pain from the loss of her family into a determination to succeed.

Sharhonda graduated in June of this year, speaking at graduation as the recipient of the Spirit of the Community Award. “This was a turning point. I saw life as more than a joke,” she told the audience. “It took great tragedies to reach this point, but I wouldn’t change anything.”

5. Avi Rosenblum

Avi Rosenblum is a gifted athlete, a star on his high school’s varsity football and baseball teams and an inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California. But his successes on the sports fields don’t make up for the difficulties his faced in other parts of his life, which Avi has worked doubly hard to overcome while maintaining the rigorous practice and workout schedules demanded by his pursuits in sports.

Avi is an African-American adopted by white Jewish parents. Abandoned at just 12-days-old to an adoption agency in Texas, Avi has struggled all his life against the multiple difficulties that come of being adopted into an interracial family. As a child, Avi tried desperately to connect with his birth mother, trying to uncover the mystery of where he had come from, what his family looked like, and, above all, why his mother had given him away. But he and his adoptive parents received no answer to any of their queries until 2008, when his birth mother contacted the adoption agency, attempting to get in touch with Avi. Avi has since learned more about his mother and his siblings, and has developed a relationship with his older brother, although he has chosen not to communicate with his birth mother.

In addition to these struggles in his personal life, Avi has also battled attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and language-based learning disabilities. He has had to work exceptionally hard to succeed in his classes, receiving special accommodations in order to help him get past his disability.

This Spirit of Achievement  video features Avi’s commitment to family, football, and education.

6. Tyree Johnson

In middle school, Tyree Johnson was floundering. He didn’t care about school or much else  since he had been sent into foster care after his drug-addicted mother could no longer care for Tyree or his sister. For two years they had floated from one foster home to another, and this lack of stability and motivation had fostered feelings of deep resentment and apathy in Tyree. But then a social worker suggested that Tyree apply to the  New Visions Foundation, a nonprofit organization geared toward helping students get to higher education.

Tyree entered the foundation’s Center for Educational Opportunity, a program specifically for foster children, and before long he was back on track to an education and a bright future. Thanks to a scholarship from the Center for Educational Opportunity, Tyree began attending the New Roads School, and there he has thrived. It’s a two-hour commute each way, but Tyree knows that it’s worth the extra time and effort for an education in an environment where he feels at home.

The transition into the strict, private school atmosphere wasn’t easy, but through the encouragement and opportunities he’s received at the school, Tyree has come to view the experience as “challenging and magical.”[5] He has also discovered a passion for fashion, and intends to start his own designer label one day. Tyree’s academic performance has so improved that the director of the Center encouraged him to apply for the $10,000 Beat the Odds Scholarship, which he won in December of 2009. As of 2009 Tyree had already been accepted into a number of colleges and was profiled as one of ABC Local’s “Cool Kids.”

7. Jeanine Horowitz

Of course, it’s not only teen-aged high schoolers who overcome tremendous adversity to achieve their dream of education. Jeanine Horowitz was 37 when she received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, the culmination of years of work and struggle.

A single mother, Jeanine supported herself and her daughter for years with temp jobs. When the economy tanked, Jeanine lost her home, and she and her daughter were forced to live out of her car while she fought her way out of poverty. In her spare moments, Jeanine dedicated to herself to her passion for writing, and in 2001 she published her first book. This achievement allowed her to return to college to complete her Bachelor’s in Education and Religion. But the need to continue working to support herself and her daughter made it a long, hard road to graduation. Finally, in 2007, with the help of her academic mentor, she earned her degree.

Upon graduation, Jeanine was profiled in a Fox News report, which helped to launch the book tour for her latest novel.

8. Michael Coady

In March of 2008, Michael Coady was in a snowboarding accident that left him with a broken neck and a severe spinal cord injury. At just 17, Michael was a quadriplegic. For the first two months after his injury, he could only move his shoulders; the rest of his body simply wouldn’t respond to his commands.

Determined to overcome his injury, Michael spent six months at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre in Halifax, where he has improved to the point of having some ability to move all four limbs. He will probably have impaired movement in all of his limbs for the rest of his life, but Michael maintains his goal of one day regaining the full use of his legs. In June of 2008, he took his first steps  since the accident.

In the meantime he has remained dedicated to his education. He has been saving for college since the age of 10, and has every intention of earning his degree. “He is still planning to take business at St. Mary’s University and is busy filling out scholarships,” said his mother.[6]Michael’s determination and good humor in the face of adversity shine through in his high school graduation address, which can be watched below:

9. Pamela Miller

There are few emotional blows more difficult for a child to overcome than the death of a parent, and when that death is a suicide, the effect can be even more devastating. But Pamela Miller, whose father committed suicide when she was a child, drew from the experience the drive to achieve her dreams and ambitions.

“I honestly feel that no one should have to endure what my family and I have gone through…” she wrote to Ziff Law Firm. “… However, as horrible as some of my life’s experiences have been, I try to extract some good out of them.”[7]

This attitude helped Pamela to rise to the top 15 percent of her class; to become a member of the varsity track and cheerleading teams; to join the Key Club, the National Honor Society and History Club; and to become the Secretary of Concert Choir and a Youth Rotary Scholar. And in May of 2009, Pamela was the recipient of the Ziff Law Overcoming Adversity Scholarship.

10. Marjorie Elliott

Lastly,  there are those who are so dedicated to their dream of education that they keep at it despite the struggles of a lifetime. In July of 2010, at age 75, Marjorie Elliot of Orange County became one of the oldest people ever to receive a high school diploma.

Marjorie was pulled out of school at age 14 to help support her family. She always intended to go back and finish one day, but there was never enough money for her to stop working. In 1964 she and her husband divorced, and Marjorie was left to raise her three daughters on the income of a high-school dropout.

“I pulled the cart all by myself for all those years with my three girls,”  Marjorie told The Orange County Register. “It was very difficult when they were little, because I was not intelligent enough to even help them with their homework.”[8] She put all of her resources into getting tutors for her girls, determined that they would get the education she’d never had.

In 2008 Marjorie was laid off from her job. Her daughters had all grown up and graduated, and Marjorie decided the time had come to finally achieve her goal of getting her diploma. It was enormously difficult for her, as she had to struggle to keep up with the other students to learn things they already knew, such as how to use the computers. But Marjorie persevered, and ultimately graduated with a 4.0 gpa.

Immediately after graduating, Marjorie decided to go on to college. “I think I can do it,” she said. “I won’t say I can’t, because I know I can, and I know I will.”

http://www.degreescout.com/business-degrees/10-students-who-overcame-massive-obstacles-to-achieve-their-dream-of-an-education

16 Wildly Successful People Who Overcame Huge Obstacles To Get There

You've heard it before: "If at first you don't succeed, try again." Sometimes you may feel like that's just a saying, but it is absolutely not. The 16 incredible stories below show how even horrible tragedies and setbacks can help fuel a drive for success.

From Oprah Winfrey's scarred childhood to Bill Gates failed business ventures, these people have been through the grinder, and came out even better than before. Their stories stress one of the most important lessons of all: Never ever give up. Scroll through the list for some serious inspiration.

Bill Gates' first business failed.

Yes, the richest person in the whole world couldn't make any money at first. Gates' first company, Traf-O-Data (a device which could read traffic tapes and process the data), failed miserably. When Gates and his partner, Paul Allen, tried to sell it, the product wouldn't even work. Gates and Allen didn't let that stop them from trying again though. Here's how Allen explained how the failure helped them: "Even though Traf-O-Data wasn’t a roaring success, it was seminal in preparing us to make Microsoft’s first product a couple of years later."

Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four years old.

Einstein didn't have the best childhood. In fact, many people thought he was just a dud. He never spoke for the first three years of his life, and throughout elementary school, many of his teachers thought he was lazy and wouldn't make anything of himself. He always received good marks, but his head was in the clouds, conjuring up abstract questions people couldn't understand. But he kept thinking and, well, he eventually developed the theory of relativity, which many of us still can't wrap our heads around.

Jim Carrey used to be homeless.

Carrey revealed to James Lipton on "Inside the Actor's Studio" that when he was 15, he had to drop out of school to support his family. His father was an unemployed musician and as the family went from "lower middle class to poor," they eventually had to start living in a van. Carrey didn't let this stop him from achieving his dream of becoming a comedian: He went from having his dad drive him to comedy clubs in Toronto to starring in mega-blockbusters and being known as one of the best comedic actors of an era.

Bethany Hamilton had her arm bitten off by a shark.

Hamilton started surfing when she was just a child. At age 13, an almost-deadly shark attack resulted in her losing her left arm. She was back on her surfboard one month later, and two years after that, she won first place in the Explorer Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championships. Talk about determination.

Benjamin Franklin dropped out of school at age ten.

Franklin's parents could only afford to keep him in school until his tenth birthday. That didn't stop the great man from pursuing his education. He taught himself through voracious reading, and eventually went on to invent the lightning rod and bifocals. Oh, and he became one of America's Founding Fathers.

Richard Branson has dyslexia.

Branson was a pretty bad student -- he didn't get good marks and he did poorly on standardised tests. Instead of giving up, he used the power of his personality to drive him to success. Today, Branson, known for developing Virgin Records and many of its more technologically advanced spinoffs, is the fourth richest person in the UK.

Stephen King's first novel was rejected 30 times.

If it weren't for King's wife, "Carrie" may not have ever existed. After being consistently rejected by publishing houses, King gave up and threw his first book in the trash. His wife, Tabitha, retrieved the manuscript and urged King to finish it. Now, King's books have sold over 350 million copies and have been made into countless major motion pictures.

Oprah Winfrey gave birth at age 14 and lost her child.

She is one of the most successful and richest people in the world today, but Winfrey didn't always have it so easy. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wis. and was repeatedly molested by her cousin, uncle and a family friend. She eventually ran away from home, and at age 14 gave birth to a baby boy who shortly died after.

But Winfrey's tragic past didn't stop her from becoming the force she is today. She excelled as an honors student in high school, and won an oratory contest which secured her a full scholarship to college. Now the entrepreneur and personality has the admiration of millions and a net worth of $2.9 billion.

Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times before creating the lightbulb. 

Although the exact number of tries has been debated, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 attempts, it's safe to say Edison tried and failed a whole lot before he successfully created his beacon of light. His response to his repeated failures? “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

Kris Carr turned her cancer into a business of hope and healing.

In 2003, Karr was a 32-year-old New Yorker just enjoying life. But then, a regular checkup at her doctor's office resulted in a diagnosis of a rare and incurable Stage IV cancer called cancer called epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, existing in her liver and lungs.

Instead of succumbing to the disease, Carr decided to challenge her diagnosis head on. She attacked her cancer with a brand new nutritional lifestyle, and turned her experience into a series of successful self-help books and documentaries. Eventually, she launched her own wellness website, which is followed by over 40,000 people. Today, Karr is celebrating a decade of "thriving with cancer," and is now revered as one of the most prominent experts on healthy living.

Jay-Z couldn't get signed to any record labels.

No one can stop Jay-Z. He came from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood and had big dreams to make it big as a rapper. Unfortunately, the rest of the world didn't agree with him at first. Not one record label would sign him. Yet that didn't stop him from creating his own music powerhouse. His label would eventually turn into the insanely lucrative Roc-A-Fella Records. Here's proof Jay-Z is on top: Forbes has estimated his net worth at $500 million, and TIME ranked him at one of their 2013 Most Influential People In The World. And he's married to Beyoncé.

Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.

Van Gogh is considered one of the greatest artists of all time, yet the poor guy only sold one painting the entire time he was alive: "The Red Vineyard at Arles (The Vigne Rouge)," which is now in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. Even though he made no money, he still painted over 900 works of art. Though his persistence went unnoticed when he was alive, Van Gogh proves you don't need external validation to be proud of the work you create.

Franklin Roosevelt became partially paralyzed at 39.

After vacationing in Canada, Roosevelt developed polio, which eventually left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. Even though he couldn't walk, he went on to lead the country as one of the most respected and memorable presidents in history.

Simon Cowell had a failed record company.

By his late twenties, Cowell had made a million dollars and lost a million dollars. Cowell told The Daily Mail in 2012, "‘I’ve had many failures. The biggest were at times when I believed my own hype. I’d had smaller failures, signing bands that didn’t work, but my record company going bust, that was the first big one." Even after such a momentous loss, Cowell picked himself up and became one of the biggest forces in reality television, serving as a judge for "Pop Idol," "The X Factor," "Britain's Got Talent" and "American Idol." Forbes has estimated his net worth at $95 million.

Charlize Theron witnessed her mother kill her father.

When Theron was 15, she witnessed her mother shoot her alcoholic father in an act of self-defense. Instead of letting the trauma immobilize her ambition, Theron channelled her energy into making a name for herself. She would eventually become one of the most respected and talented actresses, becoming the first South African actress to win an Academy Award.

Steven Spielberg was rejected from USC, twice.

You read that right. One of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, the man who brought us "Shindler's List," "Jaws," "E.T." and "Jurassic Park" couldn't get into the film school of his choice. Maybe, just sometimes, education can be a little overrated. In the end, Spielberg would get the last laugh, when USC awarded him an honorary degree in 1994. Two years later, he became a trustee of the university.

Correction: A previous version miscounted the number of people in this list. There are 16.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/successful-people-obstacles_n_3964459.html

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES WITH FAITH AND HUMOUR

I decided to write this blog because if one person gains inspiration from reading it then my efforts will have been worthwhile.  According to data published by Cancer Research UK on their web site, 49,936 women and 349 men in the UK were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2011.  Despite these figures, I never thought it would happen to me.  Here is my story with a little humour thrown in.

It was late August 2012 with the encouragement of my friend, I went to my GP after having discovered a lump on my right breast.  I had discovered the lump which was the size of a 2 penny piece about two months earlier but I had been so caught up in my day to day life; juggling motherhood with a busy and demanding job, dealing with the break up of my relationship with my son’s father and trying to come to terms with the fact that I was now a single parent. In the February of the same year I had left my job to set up my recruitment business working from home.  I felt overwhelmed and under tremendous stress, so I pushed the lump to the back of my mind and hoped it would go away. 

My GP made an appointment for me to see a Consultant at the local hospital. After a mammogram (not as entertaining as the video) and a series of tests. He diagnosed invasive breast cancer of the right breast.  He informed me that I should have a mastectomy as soon as possible.   The news came as a bombshell.

I was paralysed by fear, not so much for myself but for my son. I couldn’t bear the thought that I might not see him grow up. His father and grandparents lived overseas and didn’t have much contact with him. I was also worried how I would pay my mortgage and meet my other financial commitments given I did not have a job. Fortunately, I had a spare bedroom which I advertised for a lodger on the Internet. I applied to various charities including MacMillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care for help and my sister was very generous in giving me money on a regular basis.

I decided that the only thing I could do was to leave it to God. After being given the news, I went straight to the hospital chapel where I broke down sobbing.  I prayed that  God would give me the strength and courage to overcome the biggest challenge of my life and heal me of breast cancer.  I told myself I was very lucky that I had been diagnosed after having undergone IVF treatment which resulted in the birth of my son two years previously. Had I been diagnosed before the IVF treatment, and being almost 50 years of age,  I would not have had my son.  All I kept thinking is 'God is Good' and if I have faith and stay positive everything will be alright.  

I sought a second opinion from another Consultant, his diagnosis was exactly the same as the first Consultant’s.  He felt it was important to have the breast removed as soon as possible followed by chemotherapy. I was still struggling to come to terms with the thought of losing my breast. I wanted yet another opinion so through the tenacity and determination of a friend,  we went to see a Consultant in Rome whose treatment for cancer was rather alternative and unconventional. I decided that the treatment he was offering wasn’t for me.  We returned to London resigned that I would go ahead with the mastectomy,  but before I could have the operation which was scheduled for September, there was something I felt I had to do.

Shrine Of Our Lady Of Fatima

Years ago, I had visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. Whilst there I made a promise to Our Lady that if she blessed me with a child I would bring that child to Her Shrine.  So, that is exactly what I did, accompanied by two friends, my son and I went to Fatima.  When we returned, I was mentally prepared to have my surgery.

The operation was a success. I felt totally relieved, and confident that God was  blessing me with strength and courage and as a result I would be fine. My family and friends were amazing! They all rallied round and supported and encouraged me. We tried very hard to minimise the impact all of this was having on my son.  It would appear that he was aware that something was going on because when  I came home after my operation he said to me, ‘mummy breast gone’! I couldn’t believe my ears.

After the mastectomy, I underwent chemotherapy.  Thanks to the skill of the surgeon and his team  they managed to remove the breast and some of the infected lymph nodes.  I was due to have 5 rounds of chemotherapy but after the first round I received a call from the hospital informing me of my low white blood count. I was advised to avoid crowded places for fear that I might catch an infection as my ability to fight any infection was greatly reduced as a result of the chemotherapy.  I thought to myself, if my immune system was so badly affected after just one round of chemotherapy, how would I cope with 4 more rounds? With that question going through my mind,  I decided not to continue with the chemotherapy but to focus on alternative treatments and therapies.  

It is true what they say, 'every cloud has a silver lining' because sixteen months after the mastectomy, a right breast reconstruction and left breast augmentation (lift),  I now have the breasts of a 21 year old, compliment of the NHS. 

I feel 21 again!

The surgeon and her team did a marvellous job.  I am now healthy, in fact I have not felt this good in years! I have start a new business and I am looking forward to meeting my soulmate and seeing my son grow into a fine young man.

Maybe he has a little to learn

My son and I have both benefited and have been greatly enriched from this experience.  We have had people from all over the world staying with us, all of whom have contributed something to our lives. As a result my son is growning into a very tolerant, respectful, happy and confident boy.    

My Soulmate?

When I was diagnosed, I prayed to God that He would heal me so that I could resume my life.  Well, God has done much much more than that.  He has healed me and blessed me with a new life.  One where I spend more time  with my family and friends and helping others.  In helping me overcome this challenge He has made me realise that the really important things in life are not the things money can buy.

 It has been an amazing journey. I am very grateful for the experience and I Thank God that He has brought me through it.  I had the support of some  amazing and wonderful people; from my friends and family who were always there for me to the guests who stayed at my home, whose support went beyond the financial, to the hospital staff, through to the volunteers who visited me in my home and helped me with my son.  I bless you all and thank you for your love and support!!