Been awhile, I know. Life has taken some pretty wild turns for our family. But we keep on going. Updates? Sure. Nolan has thrived in his school. He has made HUGE strides with his Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is playing baseball now, and a year ago, we would have never thought it was possible. He has friends, he plays and he has not had any meltdowns or episodes since he started in Kingsley Elementary. They are incredible teachers and staff. He still has his struggles, but he's a strong little man!
Erin has had some medical issues. She had surgery last year for sinus and breathing issues. She had an infected gland in her neck previously, and poor drainage. She came through it like a real trooper. She unfortunately has the same allergy issues I have, so the poor girl suffers horribly from pollen and dust. She is doing GREAT in school as well. They both are A students!
Tina has been back to school full time for awhile. She has just made the Dean's List for the third time in a row. By next Spring she will have her degree. I am so proud of her. All of this while having to move twice, and another stay in the hospital for me.
My health has been up and down. Right now I have been fighting some cysts that have formed on my chest wall. I have been through these before, and had them removed, but these are kind of scary. I have had them checked, and been prescribed medication to help reduce the infection and swelling, but this time it hasn't worked. I also have just recovered from muscle damage in my lower back that sent me to the hospital because I was hardly able to walk. Took me out of commission for 3 weeks.
We moved into a new home after our other one became unlivable. Between the meth lab behind our lot, to the police cars arresting a neighbor for making 100+ fake phone calls to 911, and cars driving through our front yard at all time of the day or night, we had enough. My children couldn't even play outside because we feared for their safety.
Without going in to greater detail, we have basically started over. After filing for bankruptcy, we find ourselves struggling to keep our heads above water. Our rent is $700 a month, and more than half of what I get for disability, and gas, food and utilities take everything else. We drive the kids to school 40+ miles a day to keep them in Kingsley because we don't want to have Nolan regress. When we brought up the idea of him going to school closer to home, the resulting meltdown was epic.
I find myself selling stuff at the end of the month just to feed everyone. We have started a GoFundMe campaign with the hopes of a new start. If we reach our goal, we can get into a new home that we can call OURS. No more renting. And our payment will be HALF of what we pay for rent right now.
Tina has already sent out over a dozen applications trying to find a job for the summer, and hopefully something happens. But if you could, please check out our campaign. The link is below. Even just sharing would be awesome.
gofund.me/u9svx3b7y
Just look for the big smiling face of Nolan. You can't miss it!
Well, it's 4:29 in the morning, and the children will be up soon for school. I better get some sleep. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Have a great day!
-Mark
