OUR FAMILY TREE - Transverse Myelitis Awareness

My Wonderful Niece Riding her Hand Bike and sticking her tongue out! Gotta Love that Face!

In April 2010 My beautiful niece became very ill and was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis (TM). TM is a neurologic syndrome caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. TM is uncommon but not rare. Conservative estimates of incidence per year vary from 1 to 5 per million population.The term myelitis is a nonspecific term for inflammation of the spinal cord; transverse refers to involvement across one level of the spinal cord. It occurs in both adults and children.

 For Mackenzie, within hours of pulling her little brother around the yard in a wagon, this active 7 year old girl was fighting for her life. TM symptoms develop rapidly over several hours to several weeks. Approximately 45% of patients worsen maximally within 24 hours.The spinal cord carries motor nerve fibers to the limbs and trunk and sensory fibers from the body back to the brain. Inflammation within the spinal cord interrupts these pathways and causes the common presenting symptoms of TM which include limb weakness, sensory disturbance, bowel and bladder dysfunction, back pain and radicular pain (pain in the distribution of a single spinal nerve).

Almost all patients will develop leg weakness of varying degrees of severity. The arms are involved in a minority of cases and this is dependent upon the level of spinal cord involvement. Sensation is diminished below the level of spinal cord involvement in the majority of patients. 
Transverse Myelitis may occur in isolation or in the setting of another illness. When it occurs without apparent underlying cause, it is referred to as idiopathic. Idiopathic transverse myelitis is assumed to be a result of abnormal activation of the immune system against the spinal cord.

My Darling Niece and Beautiful Sister at the celebration of Mackenzie's 1st Birthday after Diagnosis of TM.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of every day and birthday since then.

As you can imagine, this child has a very special place in my heart and family. I have watched my dearest friend, my sister, work so very hard to care for her only daughter, while being a loving wife, devoted mother to her sons, and a Child of the King! As busy as Casey is, she still finds time to plan fundraising events for Mackenzie. There has been a  Movin' for Mackenzie Fun Run, complete with pony rides for the kids. Movin' 4 Mackenzie community wide yard sale. There are Movin' 4 Mackenzie Cookbooks, T-shirts, and plans for future events. All proceeds from these events help to pay for the therapy equipment and medical supplies needed for the daily care of this little princess.

As a member of The indiExhibit, I have met another family dealing with the daily effects of TM. Robert and Betty Thomson, owners of Natures-Free-Spirit  Have been dealing with TM, for more than 4 years now, when Robert was suddenly struck by paralysis from the waist down. A year later, Robert lost complete use of his entire right side during a second attack.

In thier own words from their website, here is a brief description of their art:
                                Robert and I have been doing Lapidary Arts for over 30 years.
                                We specialize in; Gem Trees, One of a Kind Jewellery PewterDesigns,                 
                                Pendulums, Sun-catchers, Book Ends and Table Knife Holders and teaching the
                                use of Lapidary Arts and the use of machines
                               
"We create one piece at a time with love.
That makes each piece special in it's own way"

Family Tree

Mother & Child Tree

If you are interested in purchasing one of these awesome trees, custom made from the gems you select, please visit Natures-Free-Spirit,They also have items dedicated to Transverse Myelitis and with the sale of each item they donate a portion of those sales to TM Research Also, please visit their SCI (Spianl Cord Injury) Page and help them raise money to support Spinal Cord Injury . If you would like to learn more about Life with TM, visit Robert's (Co-Owner of Natures-Free-Spirit) Blog:My Life Changed Overnight

Life Before TM



Life With TM

Notice how bright and beautiful her smile is. This is a true picture of God's Grace!

If you would like to help my neice, Aunt Wednesdays is donating 5.00 of every TM Awareness Bracelet sold to Movin' for Mackenzie: Buy Bracelet Here!

Buy Transverse Myelitis Awareness Bracelet Here

For more info on Transeverse Myelitis please visit: The Mayo Clinic and The Transverse Myelitis Association,

If you are looking for the latest advancements in Treatment and Therapy, please visit:The Kennedy Krieger Institute and John Hopkins Institute

Wishes for 2011

1. A cure for Transverse Myelitis/Spinal Cord injuries!
      Please, Dear God! Our little Mackenzie is amazing, you have blessed her in many ways through her illness, Help us all to encourage her, we know you are God and that you still perform miracles!


2. For Tabby to have a good year at school... Go EAGLES!!!!


3. That peace is abundant in my Casey's Life!


4. Steve wins the http://bigeast.org/Sports/MensBasketball/myBIGEASTvolvo.aspx because he truly is the Biggest Fan of the Big East! Go Cards!!!! Go there and VOTE TODAY for Steve/Louisville.


5. For Cordelah, Dominic, Randy, Mackenzie, Koby and Kyler to continue to grow and thrive in 2011! You are all my smiles!


6. I hope and pray that people fall in love with http://www.auntwednesdays.etsy.com/ and frequently shop there for all of their Newborn and preemie clothing needs! Especially Great Gifts for Baby Showers!!!


7. Monkey..... lol


8. Always my prayer, that my family be healthy, strong, dependable and reliant on God's mercy and grace for everything!


9. That Dani and Shawn's new arrival makes a healthy appearance in July!


Thank you to everybody who made this year a better one for my family, Thank you for your continued prayer and support! We Love You!