Thankful Tuesday

I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends. To Elly, Jahna, Stacey, Debi, Lisa, Athena, Darci, Tracy, Deanna, Jessica, Lindy, and anyone else that I can't remember right now; Thank you so much for the Brown Palace package. What a thoughtful, extravagant gift. Yes, I cried when I opened it. We are so touched by your generosity and friendship. We love u all.



I am so Thankful today for the wonderful nurse who put Keegan's IV in on the first try. He didn't even cry. Such a relief to me today, as this is not been an easy task in the past.



I am so thankful to hear good news about Keegan's friend Selen. She also has TM and is doing well, crawling, standing and beginning to take steps while holding onto furniture.



I am also thankful, and grateful for christs birth. Merry Christmas everyone!

Not on CNN

I watched CNN for 2 1/2 hours yesterday and did not see Keegan or the Ronald McDonald story, nor did I find it on the CCN website.
Sorry I don't know what happened. I am planning to call the Ronald McDonald House today for an update. If someone did happen to see the story please let me know. Thanks

REVISED Update: Keegan to be on CNN this Sunday, 12/21 @ 2:00 mt, 4 eastern!

I got a call yesterday from Marianne, the director of the Ronald McDonald House. She got an email from the CNN team, and the story is airing this Sunday, 12/21 at 2:00 and will run on a loop all day. She quoted the email saying "Keegan has stolen the hearts of everyone at CNN"
Tune in to see my little movie star.

KKI

Keegan getting ready for the trip to KKI 2 weeks ago.

We have just returned home from 2 weeks in Baltimore at the Kennedy Kreager Institute.
Keegan had PT/OT every morning from 8:15 - 11:15. This was a lot for him to get used to at first. But he was a trooper. He really clicked with our therapists, Judith, Nicole, and Kristen; and so did we. They worked Keegan out everyday teaching Drew and I as they went. We learned how to use our e-stim machine (Electrical stimulation) on Keegan's legs, back, abs, and butt. We will be using the e-stim machine daily on Keegan now that we are home. While we use the stim we try to get Keegan to also use the focus muscle group in an activity such as standing, kneeling, reaching, or on all fours in a crawl position. This is only as easy as your ability to keep him interested in toys. It's a good thing its almost Christmas. Keegan was a very good student and was eager to please his therapists, most of the time.

Also while at KKI Keegan exercised daily on a treadmill. With a lot of help. They helped Keegan simulate walking with the help of a harness called a Light-gait. We are hoping to get this set up at home in Jan. It takes 2 - 3 people to hold Keegan's hips and to move each leg on the treadmill. He loves to watch his wiggles and listen to music during his workout.

PLAYTIME AT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

What's next for Keegan?

Lots and lots of therapy. We will be doing his therapy ourselves, as well as having professional PT several times a week. Busy busy busy. We are planning to take Keegan back to KKI in April for 2 weeks and will hopefully continue to follow up with KKI every 4 mos or so in 2009. The PT/OT we received at KKI is very specialized for spinal cord rehab and is very different from the traditional PT approach. KKI believes in exercising the affected limbs to promote health and regeneration of function. Keegan is at the prime age and timeframe for developement and healing of his illness. We still pray each day that his leg function will grow stronger and stronger.

THANKS

Thank you to all our new friends at KKI. Judith, Nicole and Kristen, you guys are awesome, we love you guys! Thanks for all your hard work with Keegan during the last 2 weeks. We can't wait to come back and see you again in April. Thanks Dr Janet & Dr Miller for all your help with Keegan! Thanks Gates family for making our stay and time at KKI so enjoyable. We loved getting to know all of you. Thanks for sharing your story and solutions with us. Simon is a wonderful little guy and we are praying for him too.

Happy Holidays,

The Stipe's

Ronald McDonald House

We have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Batlimore MD for a little over a week now. What an amazing place. First of all, it's very nice. It was remodeled this year. It has 2 huge modern kitchens w/ fridge and counter space for each room. (there are 37 or something) What really has made it amazing to me are the people that we have met. Each night a different volunteer group from the community comes in to prepare a large dinner for all the families. What a blessing! Then a second group usually hosts a game/play night for the kids. I really had no idea. Keegan has been an instant hit. So far he entertained a high school girls La Cross team, and a group of Medical Students, and the story editor of CNN. YES, For real. CNN is airing a story on the house the Sunday before Christmas. Look for Keegan! CNN filmed Keegan playing for a long time. The director here thinks he will be a big part of the footage. The editor actually sent a pic of Keegan to his girlfriend bc he thought he was so cute.

We have met some truly extroidinary families during our stay. Even though every one has a unique story and circumstance I think the parents here share a rare bond. We joked about it the other night that here everyone already understands the medical jargon and most of the time have actually already heard of your rare condition. During our stay so far, we have met and come to care about so many families. Formerly conjoined twin girls from VA, Erin and Jade and their sister Taylor have a truly amazing story. Check out their blog on my favorite blog's under The Buckles. One of the girls suffered a spinal injury as a result of the twin's seperation surgery as babies. Now 4, she has been attending the Kennedy Kreager program for therapy for years. What an amazing family. We also met a young family from Trinidad (in the carribean, not in CO) who on Tuesday the Dad will be donating a third of his liver to his 11 month old daughter. Apparently his liver will generate a new organ for her. WOW. This is their first time in the U.S. And there are so many more that are just as touching......... We are praying for all of them. Please keep them and us in your prayers.