Turmeric all round please for a healthy spinal cord…….Re-posted as dropped off blog!

A recent study showed that a diet rich in turmeric aided spinal cord health. In a bid to do the right thing I have upped the turmeric in Emily’s tea, coffee and all things consumed! I jest for those that don’t know me, we only put milk in our English breakfast tea.

The study, published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine states “scientists at UCLA have discovered that a diet supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and turmeric may help maintain neurological functioning and repair damaged nerve cells. DHA is one of the omega-3 fatty acids, which has been shown to help repair cell membrane damage and reduce inflammation. Curcumin, commonly known as turmeric, is a powerful antioxidant that repairs damage to cells from free radicals and also acts as an anti-inflammatory.”

There are many savory turmeric recipes – here is one for a cake!

Orange Turmeric Gluten Free Cake Recipe, I have adapted the original recipe by  Lizzie Moult, http://www.strayedtable.com

Ingredients
250gm butter
250gm sugar
4 eggs
150gm Greek yogurt
20gm finely grated fresh or ground turmeric
200gm almond meal
150gm polenta
1 tsp bicarb soda
2 oranges – zested and juiced

Icing:

½ cup of thick Greek yogurt
½ cup icing sugar
Orange zest to garnish

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 180’c. Line a 20cm round baking tin with baking paper and grease with butter and coat with polenta.

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar till pale.

Add one egg at a time mixing until combined.

Add the almond meal, polenta, bicarb soda and turmeric stir to combine.

Add the yogurt then add the juice and zest from the oranges, stir to combine.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Turn out the cake after five minutes of cooling. Allow the cake to completely cool about an hour before icing the cake. To make the icing combine the yogurt and icing sugar and spread over the top of the cake. Using an additional oranges zest to garnish the top of the cake.

Yum!

Vote but what for……voting closes Thursday 29th May at midday (Australian time)

Everyone is passionate about something as shown on Wednesday while Emily had her photograph taken for her entry to the Canon Shine competition. There was a political march objecting to University fee reforms. There was heartfelt chanting, banner waving and balloons. The police escorted the protesters on their way, off campus towards Parliament to demonstrate their freedom of speech.

The University continued with its expressive week as the Student Representative Council (SRC) held democratic elections. The council is the student’s supreme decision-making body. Polling was on May 25th but Wednesday saw the pedestrian boulevard, that runs the length of the city campus, full of excited, exuberant students canvassing for their candidates.

I was interested in the campus activity as it made me reflect on campaigning for causes, freedom of speech, demonstrations and the wide spectrum of opinions and views we all gather as our baggage and carry around with us daily. Obviously I have blogged, messaged and emailed family and friends this week to ask for support in Emily’s bid to raise awareness of ability and success post spinal cord injury (SCI). Our campaign slogan being – trade stigma for shine! The Canon shine competition takes the top 50 photographs and then the judged winner receives a national campaign and documentary on their cause.

In the Canon Shine Gallery there are many worthy causes and it appears to me that they are all in need of publicity but lets focus on Emily’s message; spinal cord injury affects someone new everyday, it is life changing and life long. Society tries to be inclusive but there is still an enormous stigma towards disability and wheelchairs users.

The hope is to shine a light on spinal cord injury, it affects millions worldwide, 12,000 people in Australia and my eldest daughter. To win a national campaign and to be involved in a documentary which would help initiate attitude change towards a more inclusive society would be meaningful to many.

As I have witnessed this week on campus many causes are worthy but this is our cause so please take time today to vote.

Go to Canon.com.au and join up with your email, after a verification message into your inbox close that Canon page. Re- enter Canon Shine Gallery and as a member now you can sign in and vote. Emily’s images are found by searching the Leaderboard – one shows her at University and one image shows her triumphant upon the steps at Sydney Opera House. Help Emily trade stigma for shine, furthering a positive message post spinal cord injury.

 

 

Thank you

 

Trade stigma for shine! Emily’s campaign to shine a light on SCI ability and success.

Beastie and I had to take a morning walk as “I’m busy campaigning for votes”  is no excuse to a dog!

We set off for the park with ball thrower, door key, $5 for coffee and the wind in our hair. Oh, the joy of smells for a dog. I had been invited to join friends for coffee so after 20 mins of ball escapades I negotiated us up the embankment towards the local shops and cafes. As we approached the main street we passed a long line of outside tables all full of Sunday brunchers enjoying their food. Several of the tables had their dogs at their feet quietly sitting, waiting for scraps. I had Beastie on a tight lead so she didn’t disturb the diners with her big, interested in what your eating, nose.

I hadn’t anticipated what happened next. As we passed each table in sequence the seated hounds told Beastie  “Back off buddy, my family, my tit-bits.” In the process of having this conversation the table and chair tethered dogs all tugged towards us. The result was a wave of chaos as each family with a dog had its table moved from under them and several chairs were swiveled with the pets effort so that the diner sat facing the road rather than their breakfast. As we turned the corner Beastie looked at me with the  “I did nothing” eyes.

Back at home and back on the campaign …..Beastie has a message “Don’t do nothing!” Vote

Shine a light on what matters. Trade stigma for shine. VOTE now for Emily’s campaign !

Please VOTE for Emily’s photographs now – competition voting ends midday on Thursday 29th May 2014. The photographs with the most votes win through to the judged round so please share and gets family and friends to VOTE. The judged round wins the opportunity for a National campaign and a documentary to further our cause; Emily is able and successful everyday – trade stigma for shine!

To vote  – Join Canon.com.au here

When you get your verification email then go to VOTE here

Search Sharron M for Emily’s two photographs or search Inspiration.

University Shot : an example is shown here, not the competition shot.

 

Trade stigma for shine!
“I study at University, volunteer at Taronga Zoo, take buses, trains, airplanes. I embrace social inclusion, I seek relationships, friendships, opportunities and my independence. I enjoy life”, Emily James.

 

 

Opera House Shot  – success at the top of the stairs: an example is shown here, not the competition shot.

 

 

Trade stigma for shine!
“See a wheelchair and wonder why? See me! My life has to be lived with resilience, strength, courage and grace. I don’t see the steps, I see the challenge, the opportunity to overcome, conquer and succeed”, Emily James.

 

 

Vote for both Emily’s images today – now!

Thank you

 

Shine a light on what matters – trade stigma for shine – VOTE now for Emily !

Emily has entered a competition, with a wonderful photographer, please VOTE for their shots now – competition voting ends midday on Thursday 29th May 2014. The photographs with the most votes win through to the judged round so please share and gets family and friends to VOTE. The judged round wins the opportunity for a National campaign and a documentary to further our cause; Emily is able and successful everyday – trade stigma for shine!

To vote  – Join Canon.com.au here

When you get your verification email then go to VOTE here

Search Sharron M for Emily’s two photographs or search Inspiration.

University Shot :

Trade stigma for shine!
“I study at University, volunteer at Taronga Zoo, take buses, trains, airplanes. I embrace social inclusion, I seek relationships, friendships, opportunities and my independence. I enjoy life”, Emily James.

Opera House Shot  – success at the top of the stairs:

Trade stigma for shine!
“See a wheelchair and wonder why? See me! My life has to be lived with resilience, strength, courage and grace. I don’t see the steps, I see the challenge, the opportunity to overcome, conquer and succeed”, Emily James.

Vote for both Emily’s images today – now!

Thank you – Emily and Rachel XX

Photo shoot for a cause. Trade stigma for shine!

A photographer friend and Emily wanted to make a difference with an image, to show disability differently, to shine a positive light on Emily’s ability and success. They aimed to expose Emily as she is  – an inspirational young woman coping everyday with immobility, tackling the challenges posed by her body with intelligence, courage and grace.

We spent Wednesday on the photo shoot to produce the picture that would ‘speak’. I would like to write about the bustling hair and makeup, the camera assistant and the director but it was Emily, Martha, the photographer and me. I stepped in to do makeup as I had some lippy in my pocket, I stepped in to an assistant’s role as I carried the backpack for a bit and I stepped in to direct a shot or two – well I would wouldn’t I.

Emily has managed to accept her circumstances with an inner peace and resilience beyond her years, she is living her new life with enthusiasm, displaying her love of life, food, travel and friendships anchored by her sense of humor. The concept of capturing a positive image is ambitious. Interpretation is open so the image has to have instant meaning to show without question the intended meaning. How does anyone capture Emily, her experience of traumatic spinal cord injury, her resilience, her determination, her intelligent approach to her new daily challenges and ultimately her success.

Watch this space as I’ll post details of her shining images as soon as they develop…..

 

 

Quick, easy muffins for everyday yum…..

I love cooking when I have time so today with a spare few moments I was happy amongst my pots and pans. I had some ripe bananas asking to be muffins. I have adapted this delicious muffin recipe from Nigella Express as so quick, easy and yummy!

Banana Muffin Ingredients

3 ripe bananas

125 mls vegetable oil

2 eggs

250 g self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon extra baking powder

80 g caster sugar

2 handfuls of pecan nuts chopped roughly

Method

Pour oil into a bowl, add eggs – beat

Put flour, sugar, baking powder,  into a bowl and mix in the egg and oil mixture. Add mashed bananas, add chopped pecan nuts. Mix.

Pop mixture into muffin tin with muffin cases. Bake for 20 mins at 200C

 Yum!

 

My life is not a box of chocolates more a selection of root vegetables – it’s what I do with them that counts

I am not Forrest Gump and my mother never told me “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Although I do follow the fictitious Mrs Gump’s advise: “You have to do the best with what God gave you.”

My life is not a box of chocolates; I seem to have been given a selection of root vegetables and rather like a Masterchef challenge my success is all about what I do with them. Given my basic ingredients what will I make – coleslaw or an Asian salad? Resilience is about not giving up when you don’t see dinner – it’s all about going to find a recipe and enjoying the meal created!

I have always had, valid or invalid, faith in myself that I would be able to cope with life’s twists and turns. I am downright practical coupled with being physically strong but it’s the mental strain that takes a toll when addressing disability in the family. So it is mental resilience that needs nurturing to ensure my ability to cope. Over the last two years I have overcome issues not because I am the ultimate successor but because I have adjusted my aspirations, adjusted goals, tweaked and worked a route around problems. It is the ability to morph and change that saves the day. The ability to modify at a moments notice, to alter plans or arrangements and on occasions let there be free-flowing order; being able to release control if there can be no control. Go with the flow!

A tangent example of my point is Masterchef as it gripped us this week on TV with the competition contestants selected by taste test , then the limited time cooking under pressure test with surprise ingredients. The amateur competitors were challenged by professional chefs to recreate their restaurant signature dishes which all involve intricate cooking or baking techniques. I feel there is a loose parallel interpretation between Masterchef and coping with a life trauma. I have been challenged to manage under stress, I have to deal with new situations daily with new drugs or care demands. I grapple with doctors, rehabilitation, funding and access. I could align myself to a successful chef, we both manage what we are given and hopefully enjoy the process. Yes, enjoy the proceedings as if you don’t relax into the journey, loosen up, unwind while travelling the course of the day, week, month; life can be overwhelming.

I hold on to my resilient attitude in all I do, I’m not the best at anything but I hope I bring a lively bounce to all my daily interactions and activities. I was resilient prior to Emily’s accident and now draw on this trait as I aspire to be a role model for all my children. From day one I hoped things would be better and life has surpassed my expectations. Am I easily pleased or realistic?  Does my resilience lie in my acceptance of life’s deal to me and my ability to see root vegetables as coleslaw? I work hard to enjoy what I got dealt, that’s resilience.

 

I need a drama alert sticker on the back of my car………….

Emily has increased her physiotherapy sessions. We now attend for three hours of fun packed exercise and stretching. Afterwards we return to the car for a late picnic lunch whilst diving home. Today we were enjoying cheese and pickle rolls listening to FM radio tunes. I passed Emily her Jazz apple and remarked how delicious and crunchy they tasted. I chatted amicably to myself before realizing that, rather like Sleeping Beauty, Emily had inhaled an apple shard and was silently choking to death.

Our outreach physiotherapist had recently taught me the assisted cough maneuver, her instructions were clear but unfortunately we hadn’t practiced them in a vehicle traveling over speed bumps while each individual was safely strapped into their car seat facing front. It was at this point I placed my foot heavily on the brake and started walloping Emily across her back.

I asked the rather pale, gasping for air, Emily if she could have alerted me earlier to her demise. “Could you make more noise, wave a hand but never choke quietly.”  After our emergency stop and several hard thumps, Emily started laughing. When she caught her breath she couldn’t stop chuckling at the thought that I would have driven home completely unaware of her predicament, singing, car dancing and happily chatting to the radio.

Postal delivery vans and council refuse trucks have informative notices for the car behind alerting drivers of their frequent braking. I would like a sticker on the back of my car to alert anyone not three full car lengths away that I may brake heavily and frequently during CPR or the Heimlich maneuver. My sticker would alert other road users that In the case of an emergency the passenger will be dramatic, causing the driver to be erratic.The choking rescue viewed from a car behind probably looked much the same as my usual car dancing routine. An alternative approach would be if my car rego reflected my driving ability at times of drama – 

 

Waiting room reading – my sleuth report…..

Today found Emily and I in a hospital waiting room, being a blogger and bored I decided to address the obvious; public area magazines. I undertook a swift impromptu investigation and can now initiate important timely debate.

I shouldn’t be surprised that the reading choices were National Geographic, Wheels and Time magazine, most volumes published pre 2000. I skulked around the display and concluded that MotorSport, Time magazine and National Geographic were the only publications that weren’t stolen so hence the heap of well-thumbed volumes on the rack. As I explained my initial findings to Emily she looked up excitedly “Oh – I like National Geographic, pass one to me!” Rolling my eyes as I thought she’d be more engaged in my sleuth report, I fetched the requested magazine and realised I was as intrigued as any person with no knowledge of anything auto can be and opened my copy of Wheels with a degree of quashed enthusiasm. “Ohhh, red car!”

I have attended clinics that captivate me while I wait with their offerings of OK, Cosmopolitan, Home and Garden. I was lulled into a superior waiting room experience as I mused what the celebrities are redecorating, eating and wearing. I flipped nonchalantly through pages of outdoor furniture that wouldn’t fit in my yard yet I still lingered and contemplated colours and cushions. In fact I found being ushered into the doctor slightly annoying as I hadn’t finished the article about Hugh Jackman.

But back to today, still in the waiting room, Emily had volumes of National Geographic to read, many editions featuring healthy glaciers in snowy, cold fjords prior to global warming! I enjoyed the Women’s magazine minus the recipe pages that had gone home with an earlier reader. I am delighted to report that in this frozen time zone much of my living room decor is in fashion. I retrospectively learnt about world events and Formula One motor sport. I have now been in this time warp long enough that I question anything printed recently, it’s probably old news freshened up for its second lap. Then it thwacked me like a rolled up newspaper – this is a waiting room ploy as I was so happy to see the doctor that I greeted her like a long-lost relative, such was my relief at being released from the holding pen circa 2000. Clever very clever!

Brave with a capital B.

Emily is enormously brave everyday. As her carer I feel a tiny winy bit brave facilitating and advocating for her, addressing situations that are completely new and unimagined only two years ago. No one can be prepared for wheelchair use or everyday caring but resilience can be found.

I felt brave when I booked Emily on our first international flight to Singapore. Imagine how brave Emily had to be as the crew took her wheelchair to the hold – would we see it at our destination all in one piece?

I felt brave when I confronted the QVB parking manager as I didn’t understand the disability concessions used on the site. My naivety was obvious, it under-lied a bravery as I felt compelled to argue for clearer signage.

I feel brave every time I assist Emily to venues, arriving to unknown access, geographical slopes, ramps and steep curb cuts. Imagine her bravery when she’s alone.

I feel brave blogging my experiences,  trying to communicate honestly to carers and wheelchair users around the world. I expose my vulnerable underbelly of frustrations and fears because I want to suggest to others that we are all challenged and struggling but that it is surmountable, frustrations and fears can be overcome. I’d rather try than not. I support the ‘can do’ attitude on my Facebook page @Everydaycaring. I feel brave trying to engage in the social media Twitter #Everydaycaring . I expose my vulnerability to help others, to show that we are all compromised and all have to exude bravery everyday.

A tale of everyday bravery occurred when we set off on the ferry for Circular Quay to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Our outing was wonderfully successful as we enjoyed a scrummy lunch overlooking the Opera House and chatted amicably about art and original thought.

Our journey homeward should have been straightforward; our ferry was leaving wharf 2 at 3.30. It was precisely 3.30 so to avoid waiting for the next boat I broke into a trot behind Emily’s wheelchair. I maneuvered Emily through the ticket barrier at speed and as the crew secured the gang plank we descended from the quay to the floating pontoon.  I hadn’t registered the gradient so we quickly built up momentum. I wasn’t scared of the speedy descent but I was frightened that the small front wheels could hit a raised ridge which would pivot the chair and catapult Emily into the ground.

It all happened so fast, we were on the down-slope before I could assess the situation, no chance of stopping or readjusting our speed. At the bottom I slowly composed myself although flustered. I had undoubtedly  risked a spill, not just a spill from the chair – a spill at speed. As I sedately pushed Emily onto the ferry, one member of the crew rolled his eyes at me, shaking his head. I fully grinned at him, quite puce from the effort of averting disaster while trying to retain an aloof gait of a drama survived.

The boat reversed off the wharf and as we passed the Opera House I looked at Emily. We started that nervous giggling that follows near calamity, whatever did we look like as we accelerated, out of control, down that ramp towards all the waiting human skittles in their orderly queue. No one actually ran away shouting “Save yourselves” but the whites of their eyes told the truth of their alarm.

The ferry man waved us off at our stop and as the boat went to pick up others passengers around the bay we started the steep ascent up the pontoon ramp to land. These pontoons have held their positions from 1899, were wheelchairs widely used or considered at that time?  I’m aware of the tidal influence which adjusts the gradient so maybe at other times the slopes are gentler?

Whatever my feelings as a carer I reckon Emily deserves a medal for holding her composure during an ear popping, hair-raisingly rapid ramp decent without a murmur of abuse towards me. True trust in her carer? Or a display of new found bravery in her new found wheelchair world.  No-one can imagine addressing life in a wheelchair  – it’s brave with a capital B!