“…someone in your community has taken the time to draw attention to your efforts during 2012 and wants to make sure you are recognized. You have been nominated for the Advocating for Another Award in this year's WEGO Health Activist Awards!...”
Personally, I would bet a dollar that everyone who has a screen name received a similar
notice.
I always
worry that such hoopla about who is best could deter that new caregiver or person
in need from sitting down and sharing. In my opinion the blogosphere is not
about ‘mavens’, self-appointed experts, ‘gurus’, or ‘gated
communities’ but about people sharing their stories openly which in turn can be
searched by others.
Admittedly I am just
an old dude and I remember that near magical moment when someone like me, a Multiple Sclerosis spouse caregiver, appeared
in a note in something called a Prodigy newsgroup bulletin board back in the
primal goo of the genesis of something called the Internet. … OMG! I was not alone. It was empowering and neither of us cared who was 'better'.
However let me also say - more power
to the youngens with WEGO. Creating jobs for themselves in this economy is worth
praise in itself! … And don’t get me
wrong, if their contest can connect a participating health blogger with a
winning swag bag of free meds from Big Pharma and some cash – shout it loud! I will even give you an Amen! Incentives of travel to conferences, etc - well that's appealing to the young, beautiful and healthier but may not work for long term caregivers nor those with severe physical or cognitive challenges.
So for
me, at least in the moment, I will take the Shermanesque dodge here and say “I
will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected” J
I am
just an old dude tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can. Pushing Patti's wheelchair after 23 years of spouse caregiving apparently just was not
enough … so this year we tossed in my own lung cancer odyssey.
.jpg "pushing wheelchair with Christmas Tree lights")
Activism? Isn't that just another word for the wheelchair tread marks and footprints we leave
behind.
Patrick Leer
BLOGS:
Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/
My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/
multiple sclerosis
caregiving
care giving
Well put, Patrick. Just keep on pushing… you must be doing it right!
ReplyDeletelove the festive lights you and Patti are wearing, Patrick! I have to agree about the award; I think you've been doing 23 years of activism already in your caregiving of Patti!
ReplyDeletebetty
Thank you ladies! Lacking alphabet soup after my name about the only thing I can do is keep on pushing :) That's fine with me as I have rarely met any alphabet soup people that knew how to push a wheelchair or change a Depend anyway.
ReplyDeleteYou give capitulations of your times with Patti. Sometimes you give the darker, more textured version, sometimes the lighter. You connect us(at times) to your emotional underpinnings. Oh, and, I just thought of about 20 other things you do here. Yeah, you do deserve an award ;-). ~Mary
ReplyDeleteCông ty chúng tôi chuyên cung cấp các sản phẩm do go trang tri noi that trong nhà như mau noi that phong khach dep, mau noi that nha bep dep, mau noi that phong ngu dep và mau noi that van phong dep với giá cả phải chăng và chất lượng đảm bảo. Ngoài ra để hoàn thiện hơn cho vẻ đẹp của ngôi nhà mình bạn cũng có thể tìm đến sat my thuat, san pham gia cong sat, gia cong inox để trang trí cho ngôi nhà thêm sang trọng và ấn tượng. Còn nếu quý khách có nhu cầu về su kien quang cao thì dòng sản phẩm logo, bang hieu ,poster, gian hang hoi cho, cong chao su kien..cung sẽ sẵn sàng đáp ứng nhu cầu của quý khách bất cứ lúc nào
ReplyDeleteYou are such a wonderful husband! You take much care about your sick wife. You deserve living in paradise. I hope you will be all right after treatment.
ReplyDelete