Shower Transfer Bench

This is how I get in the shower!  Versa Transfer system
5 years ago I was in the Vacaville reporter, a local newspaper.  Every Christmas they do a spotlight called "The giving Tree"  They focus on different families, with different needs.  I was given this wonderful gift that really changed my life.
It makes it easier when you don't have a roll in shower.
It's truly wonderful to be able to get into the shower everyday!  I think people take it for granted! 

Last year I was the recipient of the giving tree once again when I got my new van!
Stay tuned for that story!

IHSS Advisory Committee Chair! This is what keeps me busy!

I'm the Chairwoman of the Advisory Committee for Solano Counties In Home Supportive Services and Public Authority.  We put out a newsletter 3 times a year and this year (2011) we added "Always Looking Up - Comments from the Advisory Committee Chair.  This is what I wrote:  I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday Season and are looking forward to a wonderful new year!  I wanted you all to know what the Advisory Committee has been up to in 2010 and tell you what some of ours plans are for 2011.  

First and Foremost, we have been actively involved both at the County and State level, trying to keep provider wages at the current rate.  Provider wages have so far been spared, but consumer hours were cut by 3.6% across the board.  IHSS provider wages are near and dear to my heart - currently I have 5  wonderful providers and it is important to me that all providers receive a living wage!

To advocate on behalf of a living wage for providers, we spoke in front of The Solano County Board of Supervisors, we recently met with Supervisors individually and we met with Assembly member Mariko Yamada in her office at the state Capitol.  We attended a Senate budget hearing when there were talks of cutting provider wage to minimum wage and attended Capitol Action Days in May.

Currently we are in the process of planning this years Spring Conference set for April 20th,   "Simple Lifestyle Changes to keep Moving Forward" and I hope you will all attend!  Keep your eyes open for further information!

Lastly I invite all consumers, providers and family members to attend our Advisory Committee meetings on the third Monday of every month, with a few exceptions.  We meet from 2 - 4 in Fairfield.  We are your voice so we would love to hear from you.

Remember to "Always Look Up" Keep smiling and God Bless!

-Donna Brown

Honesty!

I'm teaching a lesson in church tomorrow on "Honesty"!  What did I learn from preparing this lesson?  I realized that people have so much more respect for you when they know you are a "truth teller" and not a "liar"  Don't ever lie and then you will never be "caught in a lie".  "Honesty is the best policy" 

What a great lesson so much great material I can't wait to teach it to the girls!

What exactly is MS?

I often get asked that question.
MS is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS) The myelin sheath around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged.   Which leads to scarring in the brain and a broad spectrum of symptoms. 
Everyone with MS experiences different symptoms, depending where the scars are in the brain.  Usually people with  MS have fatigue, sometimes severe.  Most people who live with MS have difficulty in hot temperatures and sometimes have trouble getting warm.  Also muscle spasms seem to be common.   I'll tell you more about my life with MS and how MS affects me in future posts.

I love this song!

I was watching Ellen DeGeneres last week and Bruno Mars was on singing Just the way you are.  The song is so sweet.  I just love it!  I can listen over and over.  I had to download it as soon as I heard it!  To be completely honest I'd never even heard of him. 
I love  Ellen she makes me laugh and her attitude is amazing!  I wanna be on her show some day! 

Always Looking up?

I was being creative when I came up with my Blog title.  Anyone who knows me knows I use a wheelchair, a high tech wheelchair at that!  So therefore because of my positive attitude and the chair "Always looking up" fits me perfectly.  My friend Teri asked me yesterday "is your blog name because you use a wheelchair or because of your outlook on life?"  I said "both" so now I can write about it in my blog.  Thanks Teri!

Letters to Juliet

I watched Letters to Juliet this morning such a cute romantic story about destiny and love.  Of course I'm a sucker for a feel-good romance.  Italy is a beautiful setting for any movie and definitely doesn't let us down here again. 
Amanda Seyfried is the star, but Vanessa Redgrave is certainly a star here as well.   Definitely a chick-flick, but I'm a sucker for those too!  Very refreshing in this day and age to have a PG rated romatic love story.  You should absolutely see this movie, I highly recommend it!