Ally's Wild Stampede

Hey everyone I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event that benefits an amazing non-profit organization called Ride To Walk!  Ride To Walk (RTW) is a therapeutic horseback riding program for children and young adults with neurological disabilities.  My daughter Sofia is a rider in the program.  We were very happy when her physical therapist, the founder of RTW, let us know that she felt Sofia was ready to participate in the program.  Her first ride was the day before her 5th birthday...and what an amazing gift that was for our entire family.  Sofia really enjoys being on the horse each week.  Watching her up there is just amazing!  Sofia is so limited to the things she can do so to see her riding a horse, smiling and laughing is something truly special! 

This is Sofia and her physical therapist, Kris, riding at the program.  I think her smile says it all.  This program is something that not only we enjoy watching her do...but she LOVES it!

Ally's Wild Stampede is going to be on Saturday, July 21, 2012 out at the RTW Ranch in Lincoln, CA.  We have a great event including a 5k course with obstacles to traverse including a MUD pit!  Now don't worry if mud isn't your thing or you will be walking with a stroller or young children you can bypass the obstacles and still have a great time!  We are getting an expo together with various vendors for you to visit after you complete the course.  BBQ lunch will be served to each participant (included in registration fee) and there will also be music and a beer garden this year...you won't want to miss it!  We will also have some fun activities for the little ones too!  We are encouraging everyone to start teams to collect donations as well.  There will be lots of prizes awarded so make sure you get in the running for that!  If you want more information you can get all the information you need at 

www.ridetowalk.org/ally

There is a donation form that you can download from the above link to keep track easily!

If you would like to register here's the link

http://www.eventbrite.com/org/2239933541

Registration fee is $40 until Friday, July 13, 2012...same day registration is $45...registration fee is TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!

There are many ways to get involved, if you are interested please let me know

For those of you who don't know Sofia's story here it is...

My pregnancy and labor were totally normal...or so we thought.  At 5 weeks of age Sofia had an episode where she went limp and lethargic.  We called 911 and when they arrived Sofia had come to, but was still not 100% so we decided to take her to the emergency room to have her checked out.  The doctors told us that she was fine, that what had happened was perfectly normal for a baby and that we were basically over-reactive new parents.  Being that we were new parents we took their advice and went home.  For the next few days we were going into the pediatrician for follow ups and has several phone conversations because her health had seemed to get worse.  She began to projectile vomit after feedings and was not her usual happy self.  After 4 or 5 days I told myself we would be taking her into the pediatrician that Monday because something just wasn't right.  Unfortunately we didn't make it through the weekend...exactly one week after the first episode Sofia had another episode of lethargy and limpness...only this time it was much more severe.  Once 911 was called she was whisked away to the hospital, we were unable to ride with her.  Once we arrived to the ER it was like watching an episode of ER or Grey's Anatomy in real life.  She was having her onesie cut of, she had been resuscitated and was being intubated to help her breath.  The doctor noticed that her fontanel 'was tense and bulging'.  She was then rushed off to get a CT scan.  The scan showed that she had three separate brain bleeds...one that was dated back to pre-birth/birth trauma, one that was about a week old and one from that day.  That was the beginning to a very long hospital stay for us all.  She was transferred to the  PICU at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.  After about a week she was strong enough to be taken off of the ventilator which was AMAZING!  Sofia was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) before she turned one year old.  She has had more surgeries than I can count on both hands in her short five years of life.  She has a shunt to treat her hydrocephalus (too much fluid on the brain), she has a GJ tube for feedings (she doesn't take anything by mouth), she is unable to walk, talk or move her legs independently. 

Sofia has taught me about love that I had no idea existed.  She is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever known and I know that she was given to us for a reason!  As much as our day to day life is not easy I wouldn't have it any other way.  We also have a three year old, Madison, and to see the way they interact is truly special.  I cannot wait to see how their relationship continues to develop over the years.  Sofia has taught our family so much without ever saying a word.  Sofia enjoys spending time with her family, being outside and music.  

One of my favorite stories to share about Sofia is that when she was first hospitalized her (now former) neurologist came into her room and told us all of the things she would never do...I know he listed of many things but the one thing that stuck with me was that he said she would probably never smile.  Now as strange as it might sound to hear, having him say she might not walk or talk really didn't effect me.  It was the fact that he said she wouldn't smile...you mean to tell me that our child will never feel joy and be able to express it through smiling?  Well, as you will see in these pictures that doctor was wrong!
It took about a year but she does in fact smile...not only does she smile she will full out laugh at times!  Many of the families that have specials needs children will say 'what do "they" know' because they have all heard different things from the doctors that their children weren't supposed to do...and they were also wrong.  Never say never, right?