We are so excited about an upcoming event for Bryson that's about to get underway! A Mane Event Stallion Auction will be held on Nov. 11-23 and all proceeds will go toward a very expensive piece of medical equipment Bryson needs to build the muscles in his legs so he can have the muscular support needed for weight-bearing and walking. There are some AMAZING stallions up for auction and we are floored by the response we have gotten from the stallion owners who have so generously donated them. The GigerMd is a therapy bicycle that combines mild estim for muscle-building and it costs a whopping $26,000! Yikes! Things like stem cell treatments, alternative therapies, therapy equipment, and things of that nature are not covered by insurance, but are so needed for Bryson's ability to walk in the future. The 3rd Annual Barrels 4 Bryson event was a huge success and we raised enough money for the $16,000 stem cell treatment he needs and we are so very thankful for everyone who donated and everyone who participated and made that event possible. God has blessed Bryson so much with these fundraisers so he can continue to get the things he needs to make his quality of life better and they help him to achieve his dream of walking one day. We serve an awesome God, don't we? We would like to thank Dr. Wes Williams for his continued support in the Barrels 4 Bryson event and we want to extend a huge thank you to Erin Kemp, Crystal Nichols, my mom, Kathy Russell, and my niece, Kenzi Pogue for putting this new annual event together for Bryson. We would also like to thank Arron Watson, a very talented song-writer and Texas country artist, for taking notice of this event and generously donating a signed guitar for this auction. Also, for the people who have donated other items for people to bid on. We love you guys! It blows us away at the amount of support everyone has shown, and continues to show, Bryson. He WILL WALK and we thank everyone who has been a part of his journey. We would never be able to afford these things for him without the generous donations of everyone involved in these events. God bless all of you and thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts! May God richly bless each of you!

We have been busy, busy, busy this year! Bryson has made progress by leaps and bounds and he actually starts pre-k on Monday. My goodness, where has the time gone? Our lil guy is growing and getting so big and has been crawling like a champ these days, and I don't mean army crawling like he used to, I mean crawling on all fours, and he stays on his knees most of the time. This is such progress! He has gotten so much stronger and his balance is improving more and more and his core and lower back are getting stronger as well. He cognitive skills are through the roof! He is so very smart! He continues to walk great in his RGO braces and uses the walker like a pro. The 3rd Annual Barrels 4 Bryson event is just around the corner in September and we are praying for a super turnout so we can purchase a much needed piece of exercise equipment for the house. He needs an exercise bike called the RT-300 that uses e-stim (electric muscle stimulators) for his legs to gain some muscle mass. All the weight bearing in the world and all the stem cells in the world won't do any good if he doesn't have the muscles in his legs and hips to support his weight, so he needs this therapy equipment desperately. Of course, nothing is covered by any insurance and it's quite costly. $26,000 to be exact! Yikes! Please be in agreement with us in asking the Lord to supply our financial needs this year. God has blessed us so much and we know he hears our prayers and we thank Him and glorify Him always! Bryson's bladder seems to be gaining capacity way more with this stem cell treatment and he sometimes even poops all on his own, without having to do the enema. Yay for pee and poop! Oh, the things that excite and impress a mom of a kid with spina bifida! We are so excited to see what God has in store for Bryson throughout his life. We know for a fact God has healed Bryson and continues to show us His healing more and more every day, as He is placing those stem cells right where they need to be in his body for healing and growing nerves. Bryson can totally lift his left leg all the way in the air and he continues to move his toes and feet. He even pulled his right leg so hard when getting a diaper change that he pulled it right out of my hand! He has so many little twitches and movements that he didn't have before and it's so exciting to see these changes. We are about to start hippo therapy (horseback riding) in the fall and after the barrel race, he is going to be getting a new type of therapy called the Anat Baniel Method, which the therapist manually manipulates the muscles to try to re-route signals to the brain to make the legs move. This is gonna be an exciting year with more exciting things to come! The ABM, along with the therapy bike should make significant improvements for Bryson and we can't wait to witness what God has planned for our little trooper! Bryson never ceases to amaze us with his growth and improvement throughout his short life. He is definitely a mover and a shaker and has big plans. God has used Bryson, our family, and our experiences to help and improve the lives of others and we couldn't be happier that He chose us in this way. We are so very proud of this brave little boy and we are so glad God chose us to be his parents. Bryson has truly made us better people and has changed our lives for the better in every way. I promise I won't take so long to report Bryson's progress next time! Maybe I can get a few things done now that the little toot will be in school 3hrs a day! Lol! Until next time, always remember.......All things can be done through Christ who strengthens us! God bless you and love you!

It's been so long since I've posted and figured it was about time to stop my busy life for about 5 mins to give an update! Shame on me for not taking time until now! Let's see..... Bryson is still continues to make progress after his stem cell treatment last year and he is walking so great in his RGO braces, using his walker. He's really become quite the pro at it actually! He still has the vesicostomy in place, but we have been noticing that his bladder capacity seems to be increasing, which is great news. He is crawling on all fours these days and is getting so much stronger and is able to do just about anything. He has a wheelchair now for his main means of getting around, but he tells us that when he gets bigger and is grown up that he will not need his wheelchair because he will be able to stand and walk on his own! We love his positive outlook! He tells his legs, "In the name of Jesus, move legs!" He is commanding that mountain to move just like the bible tells us to! We are very excited to announce that we will be taking Bryson back to Nova Cells Institute in Mexico on April 9th for his second stem cell treatment. We can't wait to see what results this second round of stem cells brings for him. We will most likely take him to an intensive physical therapy program in another state about 4 to 6 months after the treatment this time. The planning is already in full-swing for the 3rd Annual Barrels for Bryson event and it will be held in September of this year. This one will be even bigger and better than the last one! God has blessed us so much in the past year and we see bright things ahead for our future! We give Him thanks, praise, honor and glory for ALL these blessings and for ALL future blessings! Our faith in God's healing for Bryson is still as strong as ever and we know God has many great things planned for our sweet baby boy. Bryson is growing up to be a mighty man of God and we know that God will see to it that he prospers in everything he does in life. Reports of more progress to come after the treatment in April, so stay tuned!!!!!

Rural TV Feature on Bryson and Donation Information!

Well, the night we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! My little man got his 5 minutes of fame on Rural TV (RFDTV) which is a farm and ranch channel on Dish Network. They featured his recent barrel race event (Barrels 4 Bryson) on the last five minutes of the show. This event was held to raise money for Bryson's next sem cell treatment and will be an annual event. They put the segment together very quickly, so there was no interview and not a lot of information was given about Bryson, but they did show pictures of him and they showed a couple of runs from the race. I wish they had told Bryson's story, but they did at least give the web address to this blog spot, so maybe a few people will read his story and find out a little more about this special little boy we all love and adore! I want to thank Dr. Wes Williams, Merck, Adequan and Platinum Performance for sponsoring this event! We raised a ton of money for Bryson's next stem cell treatment and we appreciate it so much. We can't wait to get back to Nova Cells Institute in Mexico to get his second treatment because he is doing so well from the first one. Bryson has made HUGE improvements since he had stem cell treatment! His balance is better, his core strength is better, his appetite and eating habits are better and he's gained weight and grown a mile, he is moving toes, feet and legs now, his bladder and bowel issues are getting better and he is not having to take so many medications, he is crawling on his hands and knees, and he is walking with braces and a walker now! These are all things that are truly amazing and we thank God first and foremost for His healing and placing those stem cells where they need to be and we thank Nova Cells for providing those cells to our little guy so he can have his dream of walking become a reality. Bryson will go back to Mexico in February or March of next year for his second treatment. I will be looking for an intensive physical therapy program for him to get enrolled in before we go back for the second treatment. These programs are so very expensive, so our fundraising days aren't over yet! A two week to four week program costs anywhere from $7,000 to $13,000. Yikes! We also need a very expensive ($26,500) piece of therapy equipment for our home that we are still trying to raise money for. We are just having faith and knowing that God will provide! If anyone wants to donate to Bryson's fund, I have information on how you can donate right here to the right side of this blog. Anyone can donate by making a check payable to Warrior Families Beating Spina Bifida Foundation for Bryson Chailer. This foundation is a non-profit foundation that was founded by myself and another mom and every donation is tax deductible. Our foundation will be helping others with spina bifida by granting money for alternative therapies and therapy programs, equipment, stem cell treatment, etc. Check out our website at www.warriorfamiliesbeatingspinabifida.org. If anyone would like to sponsor an event for Bryson or for the foundation, you can contact me at 903-268-2998 or you can email me at karaunderwood@msn.com God is doing a might work in Bryson and this little boy is such a testimony! He is such a joy and he truly touches the lives and hearts of everyone he meets. I am so proud of him and I am so blessed to be his mom. He has come so far in his battle with spina bifida! I want to say thank you to God and to every single person who has ever donated to his fund in any way. You all have made a profound difference in the life of a little boy of wants to walk so badly. We still have a long road ahead of us, so please keep spreading the word so we can keep the donations coming in! We will forever live by the word of God that says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" BRYSON WILL WALK!!!!!!!!

Progress Report and Event Coming Soon!

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted any news! Sorry about that! Seems like all I do is run the roads with Bryson these days, taking him to appointment after appointment. Bryson continues to show progress from the stem cell treatment he had almost 3 mos ago. He is actually getting on his hands and knees now, in a crawling position, and is crawling a few steps at a time. He used to only be able to army crawl, pulling himself with his arms, with his little legs dragging behind him. I was standing there in total shock and disbelief when he was doing it! Very exciting to see! He is still going poop with no medications whatsoever and he is going like clockwork every night at 6pm when I sit him on the potty. This is great news for a kid with spina bifida, because the bladder and bowel has such issues due to damaged nerves. He still doesn't feel the "urge" to go, but he goes and it's a giant step forward! We're still not sure about what effects the stem cell treatment is having on his bladder because he still has the vesicostomy in place, but I am confident that when he has a urodynamics test done in August, to test the bladder function, it will show great results and we can have the vesicostomy reversed. Bryson is continuing the get stronger and has more endurance while walking in his RGO braces, with his walker and he is also gaining muscle mass and is growing taller. A big barrel race event is coming up on July 20th and will be the 2nd barrel race event to raise money for Bryson's next stem cell treatment. It's gonna be phenomenal! My parents' vet, Dr. Wes Williams, is putting it on and it is going to be top-notch, to say the least. It's going to be a 3 day event, with wonderful prizes, such as hand-crafted saddles, buckles, IPads, and $15,000 in cash money! Way bigger than the one we had last year! Even more amazing is, the tv show RFDTV is going to do a 15 min segment that will be televised on a show called Horse Talk. RFDTV is a farm and ranch show on cable and has about 3-4 million viewers! As soon as I find out the air date, I will let everyone know so they can watch it because and Bryson and I will be interviewed! God is working in a big way in this little boy and in our family right now. I am continually praising Him for all His blessings and favor that are being poured out over us and Bryson. I posted Bryson's progress after stem cell treatment on a spina bifida facebook page and I am getting an overwhelming amount of moms wanting information on stem cell treatment and I am honored to be able to help those moms by telling them of our experience with stem cell treatment and by helping their children get the help they need to give them better quality of life through stem cells. Nova Cell Institute, and the treatment they do, has been such a blessing in our life and I am so happy to share everything with these moms! I truly feel God is using Bryson in a big way to help others. Thank you Jesus for your healing!

Still Improving Every Day!

Bryson continues to improve every day since he had his first stem cell treatment! The doctors that did the procedure are just amazed at how quickly we started seeing results. The acupuncturist told me at his appointment on Friday that there was so much more going on than before! She usually does acupuncture on him with a probe that has these wet q-tips on the end of it that uses electrical currents, but this time she used traditional Chinese acupuncture with the needles. She said she felt so many things she had never felt before and that his legs and feet jumped and responded in ways they had not before his stem cell treatment. After a couple of minutes with the needles in, he actually started sweating and got a little flushed and he got a really strange look on his face and hid his eyes and almost started to cry. She took the needles out and said it was because for the first time he was having a bit of sensory overload, which means he was feeling things he had never felt before and was not able to express what he was feeling. She said sometimes it feels like you are about to faint and children his age can't express what that feels like so he teared up. Bryson's balance continues to get better and better. He doesn't prop with his hands as much when he is sitting and he uses both hands out front for way longer than he used to and can even put his arms over his head and not immediately fall. He is getting on his knees and holding that position for much longer now than he did before. Before he would get on his knees and within a couple of seconds his legs would collapse under him. He can now sit on his knees for quite some time and while he's on them he swings his hips back and forth. We thank God on a daily basis for Bryson's healing and for putting those stem cells right where they need to be and we thank Him for the day that our little boy walks for the first time!!!!!

More Progress from God and Stem Cells!

Great news!!!! My mom and I were at a store in Emory called Alco with Bryson the other day, (she was getting him a toy, and yes, he is spoiled rotten like that, but that's neither here nor there) and we both noticed while he was in the shopping cart that he was extending his left leg a the knee! We both looked at one another and just giggled and I pushed his little leg back down and he straightened it out again, and again, and again! Well, Bryson had therapy today and his therapist confirmed that he definitely has firing of his quad and hamstring in his left leg and that he was moving it by using those muscles! Woohoo! Praise God! Also, she said he has some firing in his right hip as well! Woot,woot and praise God again! God is putting those stem cells right where they need to be and He's doing it quicker than we ever imagined! So, now Bryson has movement in his foot and toes on the left foot, slight movement in his right foot and toes, firing in his left quad and hamstring, and firing in his right hip! Glory be to the most awesome, amazing, powerful God I serve! At this rate, Bryson will not only be walking, but running in the next couple of months! Stay tuned for more to come.........

We have some progress!!!!

It's been one week since Bryson had his stem cell treatment and he is still doing great! His energy level is still through the roof and he was a little character in church yesterday. He wanted candy the whole service! He is still sleeping really good and has one heck of an appetite! A new change, that even Bryson noticed, happened a couple of days ago. Let me start by saying, he has always had tons of movement in his left foot and toes. He was watching cartoons and was holding his right foot and said, "Mommy, look my toes are wiggling on this foot now!" and he pointed to his right foot! I looked down and he was absolutely right, his toes on his right foot were wiggling! Woohoo, we have some progress! Praise the Lord and thank you Jesus for your continued healing in my little boy! Bryson goes to physical therapy for the first time today since he got his stem cell treatment and I can't wait to see if she notices any other changes in him! Stay tuned...........

A detailed report of Bryson's 1st stem cell treatment!

We are all back home and nice and settled in now and things have been going great! Bryson did so fantastic the entire trip. It was his first airplane ride and he was super excited. We had screaming kids and babies all around us go the San Diego and my little man was a perfect angel the whole 4 hour flight. He was equally as good on the way home too. I feel so very blessed right now! I mean, who am I? I'm nobody, but my son got to get his first stem cell treatment, and that's not something that just happens every day. God has blessed us so much that I don't even know where to begin to thank Him. Like I said, I'm just a nobody, but I'm so glad God thinks I'm a somebody! So, this is how it all went down...... Day one- We flew into San Diego, CA. We arrived at the hotel that evening and contacted our patient rep, Grace Pena, and she gave me the low-down on what to expect, what time she would arrive to pick us up, etc. We decided to order in and just relax that night. We had Chinese food delivered to our room and the pictures on the menu looked so yummy, but the actual food was the absolute worst Chinese food I've ever put in my mouth! Couldn't even eat it, and you all know by looking at me that I can eat just about anything! Lol! We were so messed up by the time change that we ended up going to bed at 8:30 that night, but it was 10:30 Texas time, so we didn't care! Day two- We go out for breakfast and Bryson has his last meal early that morning. They didn't want him eating much because of the sedation. Bryson had pancakes and we should've had pancakes too, because what Nana and I had sucked! At this point, I'm beginning to think the food in San Diego is just the crappiest food I've ever eaten! Grace and Abel pick us up at our hotel at around 11:30, after a long 3 hr drive they had to make from L.A. This is just a little foreshadowing of what great people they are. We all pile in the Expedition and make our journey into the border of Tijuana, Mexico. By the way, Tijuana is not what you would expect at all. It is very nice and very clean and is very Americanized! We get all checked into the hospital and get to a room, where Dr. Selva, the lead hematologist and president of hematology of all of Mexico comes in to tel us how the whole procedure is going to go down. Very nice, caring man! The nurses, who speak rather good English, come in and tell me Bryson has to take this medicine that will make him calm so he won't feel the IV stick when they get into the operating room. Well, being the little tootie that he is, Bryson refused to take it, so I forced a little bit in his mouth and he immediately started gagging and said he was no taking it! I put a little on my finger to taste how bad it was and OMGosh, it was like putting kerosine in your mouth! I told the nurses he was not going to take it and they said he had to so the nurse grabbed him from me and sat down on a chair and tilted him back and made him take that medicine and he didn't even cry or try to push he away or anything, he just took it like a big boy! He wanted me to hold him and he started crying and proceeded to throw up all over me! That was the only small meltdown he had the whole day. He was so big and brave! After about 30 minutes they say they are ready for him, so I got to carry him to the operating room door, where a nurse took him from there. Bryson just reached out and went right to her. Not even 30 minutes goes by and they are telling me he is back in the room and is asking for his mommy. Nana and I went in and he said, "Mommy, I went to that nice lady, but when I got in that room I was crying for you just a little!" Then he said, "You came back for me just like you said you would!" I told him of course I came back for him! They gave blood from one umbilical cord in the operating room, by injection into his lower lumbar spine and then they injected the blood from one more cord through an IV back in the room after about an hour of observation to see if he was going to throw up or have any reactions. We then proceeded to wait for another four hrs before we could make our trek back across the border back into San Diego. Bryson got to eat some food and drink some water. Nana and I ate the best Mexican food! Grace and Abel were checking in on us periodically throughout the course of the day, then we all got in the car to go back to the hotel. It took us 2 hrs of waiting in line to get back across the border! UGH! Bryson was wound for sound the whole time we were in line! The stem cells definitely had given him a ton of energy! He was all over his Nana and was pinching, pulling, slapping, biting, and talking up a blue streak for over an hour. He finally just stopped and passed out in my arms! It was like 0-60 in 2 seconds and then 60-0 in another 2 seconds! After Grace and Abel dropped us off at the hotel, those poor guys had a 3 hr drive back to L.A. We, on the other hand, crashed the minute we got in the room! Day three- We got up early and had breakfast, where this time we all ordered pancakes! Lol! Bryson was excited to be going home was excited about getting to fly again. We all board the plane and get settled in for our long flight home and Bryson, once again, was the best boy all the way home. PawPaw Phil was waiting for us at the airport when we got there and we all were glad to be on our way home where we could sleep in our own beds and be with our families. So, that's how our three fast and furious days went! I must say, it was the best experience! Grace and Abel and all the doctors and nurses were so caring and made us feel comfortable the whole time. There was not one time where I felt nervous or anxious or reluctant while we were there getting Bryson's treatment. Bryson was the calmest I've ever seen him! God lead us the whole way and we are so blessed! I want to thank, first and foremost, my gracious, Heavenly Father for answering our prayers, and second I want to thank each and every person who donated to Bryson so this trip could be made possible! All of you played a part in making a difference in my son's life and I am so grateful and so thankful! Abel told us Bryson needed to come back in about 8 mos and would need three treatments, so there will definitely be more fundraising in our future. We've already noticed some small changes in Bryson, such as more energy, more restful sleep, increased appetite and some potty issues seem to be better! More substantial changes will take a little time and we were told to not be discouraged if it takes about 2 mos to notice any major changes. So, God bless and stay tuned..............

The Time Has Come!!!!

I can't believe it! The day we've been waiting for, praying so hard for, and raising so much money for is FINALLY here! This is really happening! We leave bright and early tomorrow morning to catch a plane to San Diego, then the next day Bryson gets his first stem cell treatment! I am a bundle of emotions. I am super excited, super nervous, and super anxious. I know God will be there with us every step of the way. My family and I have been so blessed to be able to do this for Bryson. Getting something as major as stem cell treatment is not something that happens for everyone on a daily basis, you know what I mean? We are so very grateful to everyone who contributed to Bryson's fund so this trip could be made possible for him. My next posts will be filled with great progress reports and will be filled with all the great things Bryson is doing and all the obstacles he is overcoming and I can't wait! Glory be to God for His favor and blessings he has poured out over me, my family and Bryson. I give HIM 100% of the credit for making all this happen and I will give HIM 100% credit for all the things that are to come with Bryson after stem cells. We've still got a long way to go, and a lot more hard work to do, and more money to raise for future treatments and therapies, but the first step of my little man's journey is beginning at 10am tomorrow morning! I will post all about our trip and our experience first thing when we get back in town, so stay tuned!!!!

Such Progress!!!

Bryson has had a lot going on in the past couple months, so thought I would catch you up! He had a wonderful Christmas and a super 3rd birthday just a month after that. He continues to feel great every day and I am so thankful for that, considering he felt so bad for so long. He has recently started acupuncture sessions. I think it's really helping his bladder and bowel. He also started having rolfing sessions. Rolfing is wear the connective tissue and muscle is manipulated around the bone by a certified rolfer. This is helping with his short and tight heel cords and hips cords, due to only being able to sit instead of stand and bear weight. It's kind of like a really deep tissue massage on steroids and it really stretches those tight cords out. It seems to be helping a lot. Bryson continues to walk every week in physical therapy. He is still in a harness,but he is making great strides...literally! In February, we will have an appointment with the ortho about fitting him for his RGO braces and he will get to start walking with just a walker, without the harnessing! So excited for that to happen! We are getting some last minute things done before we go to Mexico for his stem cell treatments. All we lack is getting our passports renewed, then we can book a date and start making hotel and flight arrangements. I'm thinking we should be ready to go by early March. I absolutely cannot wait until I can start reporting his progress after he gets the stem cell treatment!

On a personal note, my family has been praying a looking for a new church home and I think we finally found it! We have gone to a couple of services at The Way Bible Church in Sulphur Springs and it has really made an impact on us. We plan on attending and getting involved with this church and possibly becoming an official member if things continue to go this good. God has really spoken to me in those two services and it's such a great feeling. Our family has been praying together, I have been reading my bible, and we are trying to teach Bryson all we can about Jesus! It's been an awesome renewing of the mind and spirit!

The Year of New Beginnings!

Wow, 2011 is gone! Another year just flew by! We received many blessings in the year 2011, but I can tell you that this new year, 2012, is gonna be quite awesome! The good Lord willing, Bryson will be getting stem cell treatments in March. It will be the beginning of many great things to come for him. I learned so much last year and I have grown by leaps and bounds spiritually. I know from personal experience that God answers prayers and blesses those who follow Him. I still have much to learn and I am very eager to know more about an amazing God I serve and His son Jesus Christ. I hope this will be the year that my family finds a permanent church home that we so desperately want and need in our lives. We are still fundraising for Bryson, so if you know of anyone who would like to donate, please tell them about this blog and the chip in button where donations can be made securely through paypal. We have enough to get his first treatment, but still need funds for his home therapy equipment and for a physical therapy program after his treatment. Then, we will need to raise enough money for a second treatment. God has provided for our needs so far and I have faith the rest will come.

My little man turns 3 yrs old on January 21st! I can't believe it! Next thing you know I'm gonna wake up and he will be turning 21! I can't even think about it! I am savoring every single minute I have with him while he's little and I am soaking in every sweet, cute moment, every funny thing he said, every amazing thing he did and accomplished. Bryson truly is the most amazing gift and blessing God has ever given me. This child made me the person I am today. I was lost, trying to find my way, when God gave him to me. Because of Bryson, I have grown spiritually by leaps and bounds. He gave me a new spirit and a new heart for God that I had been longing for, for quite some time. Everyone in my family used to joke and say I would never have kids! Heck, I didn't even like them most of the time! I thought I would make a terrible mother because I was so selfish. I'm so glad God knew differently and had faith in me. God knew that this sweet little boy would bring back the fire and passion in my life. God knew that Bryson would make me seek Him. God knew that I would leave the life I was living behind and put all my efforts into this beautiful child, who would teach me so much about life and God that I never knew. My faith in God is the strongest it's ever been because of Bryson and I am thankful for that every single day.

2012, bring it on!!!! I'm ready to get this thing started!!!!

Since Bryson's Surgery and Foundation News!

Been a busy little bee since Bryson's surgery! He feels so fantastic and I am exhausted. I will never complain about having to catheterize my child ever again. The vesicostomy causes Bryson to tinkle constantly all day and night and I have been on double diaper duty and my diaper costs have more than doubled since the surgery. It's doing the job, though, of keeping the infections away and he feels so good it's almost scary! I just thought he was a ball of energy before. Well, let me tell ya, he is more than a handful now! It's good, but tiring all at the same time. I think we have finally hit the terrible two's now and the throwing of fits has come into play. Bryson can be quite the bossy, moody, down right mean, then hilarious child all in a matter of minutes! He's still good more than not, though, and is still the sweetest, most loveable little guy on the planet. We all have our moments, I guess...even a two yr old. He's growing and getting so big too. I don't know what I'm gonna do when I can't hold him anymore. On January 21st he will be 3 yrs old and I can't even believe it. Where does the time go? All he can talk about right now is Santa and how he's gonna get lots and lots of toys for Christmas! It's hilarious because he has this huge Santa that he talks to every day and he says, "Santa, are you coming? Are you gonna bring me lots of toys?" He even pretends to call Santa on the phone! Christmas will be a blast this year because he's older and understands how it works now. I tell him that even though Santa brings toys for Christmas, that Christmas is really about the day Jesus was born and it's when we celebrate Jesus' birthday and that's really what Christmas is about and what it means. He doesn't quite understand that part yet, but he will because I will keep telling him.

The Warrior Families Beating Spina Bifida Foundation is almost up and running and I couldn't be more proud or excited! All the paperwork is done and ready to be mailed in and now all we have to do is wait for the approval to come back and we will be considered a non-profit organization and can start our campaign to help everyone who has a spina bifida related need. I have prayed for so long or God to show me His plan and purpose for me and this is it. Having a child born with spina bifida has taught me so much and has made me think so far outside of myself and has brought me so much closer to God. I was a very selfish person and lived by the ways of the world before Bryson and I am so thankful that I am living my life for God and my son now. This whole experience has truly changed me for the better.

So, lots of exciting things are in my future and I am happy and honored to be a part of something that is going to be so huge. I have the chance to help beat this thing called spina bifida and for that I am grateful and oh so thankful!

So Thankful Today!

Bryson has been feeling so good since he had surgery. That was one sick little boy for a very long time. He is a total wild man now, and I just thought I could barely keep up with him before. Well, let me tell ya something...I didn't know he could be any more active, but he definitely is and I am thanking God for his health and wellness and for his energy. He is singing all the time and squealing and laughing and rolling and scooting all over the place. He is also sleeping much better and eating like a champ. Don't get me wrong, he can still have a terrible two tantrum like the rest of them, but all in all he is one happy little camper!

He's been going on and on about Santa Clause because he knows Christmas is coming soon and I think he might actually sit in Santa's lap this year without crying and get his picture made! Keep your fingers crossed! We've been telling him that Santa is watching him and if he's not being good Santa will take some of his toys back and it actually seems to be working a little. Notice I said a little! Lol! Christmas should be really fun for Bryson this year since he's a little older.

Bryson has been doing great in therapy and his therapist told me that he is ready to start walking in RGO's , which are braces that start at the waist and go all the way down to the ankles. RGO stands for Reciprocated Gaited Orthodics. That means when one leg moves to take a step, the braces make the other leg immediately follow. I will be calling his ortho this week to see about having RGO's fitted and made for Bryson so we can get him walking in them in his physical therapy sessions. I'm very excited and so proud of him! He is so motivated and wants to be upright and mobile. Lord help me when that happens! He will be into everything and will be everywhere! I better start taking energy supplements now so I can be prepared for the exhaustion! Lol!

The spina bifida foundation is well on it's way and you can check out the website that is still under construction at www.warriorfamiliesbeatingspinabifida.org. We are just about ready to file for non-profit status and once that happens, we will be up and running. I am really proud of this organization and I can't wait to start helping other families with spina bifida needs. We have a Facebook page, too, that is packed with useful information on all spina bifida related issues. You can check that out on Facebook at Warrior Families Beating Spina Bifida. We are a Christian based group of moms who are driven by our Heavenly Father and we plan on helping people across the nation.

That's all for now! I can't wait until I can start blogging about Bryson's progress after the stem cell treatments! God bless and have a great week! Happy Monday everybody and always remember Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That verse is what gets me through my day every day!

Bryson's Surgery!

As you all know, Bryson has suffered UTI after UTI and has been sick for months now. Well, his catheter finally quit working properly a few weeks ago and it was just not going in and things were getting worse and worse with his infections. I took him to his urologist and the best solution to this problem with a surgery called a vesicostomy. This is where a tiny hole is placed in the lower abdomen and goes to the bladder, where another hole is made, and that's called a stoma. This stoma acts as a drain for the bladder and his urine drains continually straight into his diaper. This is going to give Bryson's little bladder a much needed rest and is going to let some damage that was done by the catheter time to heal as well. Since the catheter was not going in properly, it was forming false passages and was putting dents and holes in the outside wall of his bladder and was causing damage. This damage will heal with the vesicostomy and the high pressures in his bladder will also go down and his infections will stop. This is only temporary and the vesicostomy will me closed in about 6 months or so. After that, another surgery will take place. A ureter re-implantation will be done to lengthen his ureter tubes to his urine won'e reflux into his kidneys anymore, which has been a huge issue for some time now and was contributing to the frequent UTI's as well. Bryson's bladder wall is very thick and muscly instead of thin and flexible and his ureter tubes going to his kidneys are too short, causing massive reflux. Reflux is where the urine flows backwards into the kidneys instead of forward to the bladder. The high pressure being put on his bladder by the thick walls and also his major constipation issues, causes the reflux and the tubes being so short makes it a short trip! So, all of these issues are going to be resolved with these surgeries.

Now that you know all the medical mumbo jumbo, let's talk about some fun stuff! Well, it started out not so fun! When Bryson woke up from surgery he was a force to be reckoned with. He was yanking on wires and iv tubes and wanted all of that crap off and out of him! The tube they had put down his throat really irritated his throat and his cough made him sound like a seal! The doctors and nurses were great, though, and they took everything out of him right away and even though it was really late, they let us take Bryson home. He slept the whole way and actually ate pancakes at 9pm when we got home! He woke up this morning and was so happy and was playing like normal and ate like a champ. He is totally fine today and is being a typical rambunctious little boy again! I am having to watch his every move because he is wanting to stand on his head and he is rolling and crawling everywhere! Little tootie! He is napping right now and this is the only reason I am able to post on his blog!

Anywho, God is great and has shown me that we have to go through trials and tribulations in order to put our total trust in Him and to get to the good stuff that He has planned for us. I am trusting and having complete faith in the fact that God is preparing us for only good things and that He guided Dr. Strand the whole way through Bryson's surgery and Bryson is going to feel so much better now.

Birdies for Bryson! A Complete Success!

I haven't been posting on here as often as I would like because I have been so busy lately with fundraising, but just though I would give everyone an update on what's been going on.

A high school friend and I put together a golf benefit called Birdies for Bryson, as you all know, and this event turned out so great and we had so much fun! I got to see classmates I haven't seen in over 20yrs and it just amazed me at the show of support from them even though it's been so long. It was such a beautiful day for golfing and the golf course and club were just gorgeous. I mean, this even went off without a hitch! Everything ran so smoothly and everyone had an awesome time! God was with us on this day for sure because He laid it heavy on people to donate and donate they did! We raised a gross total of over $7,000 and after the course was paid and expenses were taken out, Bryson profited $5,000! Woohoo! Praise God!

Another great thing happened during all of the planning for this event and that was getting to know my best friend from high school all over again. We reconnected and bonded so much during this time. We just kinda picked right back up where we left off over 20yrs ago. It was so cool! Lisa Barclay came up with the idea of having a golf tournament and it was a great one. She worked her butt off putting it together and it turned out to be an enormous success.

Wow, what a blessing! I got my best friend back in my life and Bryson got an amazing amount of money for his stem cell fund! I have truly never been so blessed in all my life! God is doing amazing things in Bryson and in my life and I am so very thankful for it all. I glorify God every day for the things He's doing for me and my family and for Bryson.

Thank you Heavenly Father and Thank you Jesus for your blood so that I could be forgiven and can receive all the blessings from your Father and so Bryson can have healing.

One amazing little boy!

I just had to share something Bryson has been doing for a couple of weeks now that I just can't get over! I walked in the bedroom one night and he was standing on his head! I mean, a full-blown headstand! I was stunned and I laughed so hard because I though to myself, "how in the world is he doing that"! I tried to get it on video and he, of course, wouldn't do it on command. I started leaving the camera in the room and every time he would do it, I would try to catch it, with little or no success. Well, I finally got a good one today! I can't get it to load on here for some reason, but I posted it on Facebook, so go check it out! It never ceases to amaze me how God is at work in my son's life and mine too! He is healing this little guy more and more every day and I am one thankful and grateful momma!

Birdies for Bryson and more exciting news!

The Birdies for Bryson golf tournament is about to be underway! This event was in trouble and was almost about to be cancelled due to lack of interest and not enough players, but once again, God has come through with answered prayers! My friend Lisa, who is pretty much heading this whole thing up, and I went out yesterday for 6 hrs and hustled up players and big sponsors and looks like the tournament is gonna be saved and will end up being a huge success! God has truly shown me so much favor during all of this and I am so grateful!

Ok, now for the more exciting news part....

As you know, I have been in contact with several other moms who have taken their children to China and Mexico for stem cell treatments and they are all having such wonderful results. Well, one of the other moms and myself have something pretty cool in the works right now! We started a Facebook page that has all kinds of helpful and useful information for anyone who has spina bifida or parents of children with spina bifida and is seeking treatments or therapies or just whatever. Well, we decided to take it one step further because there are so many of us out there trying to raise funds for these treatments and we are in the process of putting an actual Spina Bifida Foundation together! Yay! We want to help anyone who needs funds for treatments, equipment, therapy, etc., but can't afford it! Yep, I'm gonna be the co-founder of an actual non-profit organization! I am so excited and God is working in us and through us and in so many ways and we are going to give back so everyone has a chance to get to do the things we are doing for our kids.

We all work so hard on these fundraisers and in order for big corporations to donate large amounts, we need a 501(c)(3), which is basically what you need to become a non-profit organization, so we decided to go for it so we won't keep missing out on the large donors, and why not help others in the process!

I want to thank God for answered prayers, for the fantastic moms He put in my life, for all the friends and family that have so generously donated and helped put on fundraisers, and for His guidance throughout this journey! We've got a long way to go, but with God for us, who can be against us? I am witnessing on a daily basis what it means to "ask and you shall receive" and I lift it all up to God for His grace and favor and I give Him all the glory!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!!!!!

Feeling Kina Down :(

As you all have probably noticed, I can't get on here as much as I would like because I just don't have enough time, but I try to let everyone know what's going on in Bryson's life as quickly as I can find a minute to do so. I try to send out emails and post stuff on Facebook fairly often concerning donations and events because they reach a mass amount of people very quickly.

It has come to my attention that this offends some people. I have been told that some people don't want to be lumped into the mass email or Facebook category and would prefer a personal phone call asking for a donation or for help. I would never intentionally offend or upset anyone and the only reason I send out emails, etc., is because of the time limits I have these days. I think people who don't have special-needs children realize how much time it takes to care for them. All my time is dedicated to Bryson because he literally can't do things for himself. I am his only means of anything. He is constantly sick with UTI's and having to go to the doctor and he always has some sort of issue to be taken care of medically. He is in 2 types of therapy that take up two days a week of our time and I have to work at the store and try to run that business full-time as well. I am also a wife who has responsibilities. I pretty much do everything in my household except take the trash to the curb and the lawn work, which pretty much hasn't had to be done for like the last 3 mos now because of the drought! I do have a cleaning lady come in twice a month to help with the cleaning and Monty does the laundry on Sundays and takes the trash to the curb. Most importantly, he earns the living so I can be home full-time with Bryson! Everything else is my job! I am the one who gives Bryson his meds 3 times a day, I am the one who does his catheter every 3 hrs, I am the one who changes all his diapers, I am the one who puts him in and out of his wheel stander and takes him out to play and entertains him all day, I am the one who takes him to therapy and all his doctors' appointments, I am the one who prepares his meals and feeds him, I am the one who takes him to work with me every day, I am the one who does all the grocery shopping, I am the one who does all the cooking, serving and cleaning up of all the meals, I am the one who collects all the garbage on a daily basis and puts it in the cans, I am the one who puts all the dishes in the dishwasher and puts them away, I am the one who takes Bryson outside to play in the sandbox or to jump on the trampoline, I am the one who gives him all his baths, I am the one who does all the research and finds new ways to help Bryson and is getting the trip to China planned! I could go on, but I think you get the picture! So, I am very sorry to those of you who think including you in a mass email or asking for things on Facebook is offensive, but I don't have time to call each and every person to personally ask for a donation. Plus the fact that it's very hard for me to ask for things like this anyway! It's kind of degrading to have to call each and every person and beg for money for my son!

When I made the public announcement on Facebook, my friends actually started calling me or texting or emailing me to see what they could do, so that's another reason why I chose to keep that line of communication going. It took so much for me to swallow my pride and make that announcement because not many people knew about Bryson having spina bifida and like I said, I really don't like having to beg people for help or for money! So many people have stepped up and have helped by making donations and I appreciate it more than you will ever imagine. The barrel race was so much work and it turned out so great and the golf tournament coming up is going to be great too and I so appreciate all the hard work that was involved. The cuts for the cure that was done in Oklahoma and the upcoming Zumbathon and other things Channing's friends are doing is phenomenal and I thank them from the bottom of my heart! None of those people have ever talked to me personally on the phone and they did all that! Then I have people saying that they haven't donated to Bryson yet because they feel I should have contacted them personally and they feel hurt that I have included them in the emails instead of contacting them. Believe me, hearing this hurts me more as much as it hurt them because those of you who know me, know that I would never do anything intentionally to disrespect or hurt anyone's feeling ever!

I am doing the best that I can, with the time I am allowed, and I just want everyone to keep in mind that I am a mother who is trying to do whatever it takes to get her son the help he needs so he can have a better quality of life. I would walk though fire, take a bullet, or go to the other side of the world for this little boy! I sincerely apologize for not contacting each and every person directly, but please try to understand it from my perspective and be a little tolerant of my mistakes, because I'm human and I am far from perfect!

Thanks for listening to me today. I just thought I needed to say some things. I feel better now!