Another poem by me :)

The Elements

Earth is hard,

Cracked and dried in the air

You are standing on top of it,

No matter where!

Water is smooth, 

It falls from the sky

It takes many different forms...

But no one knows why!

Air is all around us, 

It's always right here

The wind brings the sounds

Through space, to your ears!

Fire is bright,

With different colored flames

It provides you with light,

And helps to give you sight!

So the earth makes up our bodies, 

We drink water that falls from the sky

Our lungs breathe the air

While fire gives us the spark of life!

A VERY Special Week

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I last posted, so I decided to come back on tonight... And this post is ESPECIALLY special!!! You see, this week is Mitochondrial Myopathy Awareness Week...

I think most of you on my blog know what Mitochondrial Myopathy is  -- but just in case, let me explain! Mitochondrial Myopathy (aka Mito) is a genetic disorder that keeps your mitochondria in your cells from working properly. The mitochondria, sometimes called the "powerhouses" of your cells, are in charge of creating ATP, which is basically energy. When they stop working, you just don't get as much energy as your body needs.

Mito isn't super common... but not super rare, either. While the odds of you ever being diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy are only about 4000 to 1, there are almost 10 friends that I can think of that have Mito. So, the odds of you (or someone in your family) being diagnosed aren't impossible, even if they aren't probable.

It's nice to think you probably won't ever be diagnosed with Mito.... but once you enter that world, it's impossible to leave. When you know for certain that you are a person who has Mito in them, everything changes. Everything you do, or say; anyone you meet -- it will never be the same. Ever. And when you think about it... do you have Mito, or is it the Mito that has you? It can be so hard to tell sometimes. It's like, your life doesn't belong to you anymore. You aren't who you used to be. And there's no going back.

The bad news? Well, there's no cure! So far, no one has been able to come up with a treatment that permanently gets rid of Mito. The good news? Every year, we raise more money, and tell more people -- and we know that it is all going towards finding a cure. After all, anything is possible! So my mom, and my dad, and my sister, and my brother, and all of my 13+ cousins, and my aunts, and my uncles, and grandparents..... We all go and find someone we know (sometimes, even someone we don't know!) and tell them about Mitochondrial Myopathy. More people are becoming aware, and meanwhile there are still scientists and doctors working together, to try to help me, help you, help us... By finding a cure.


P.S. Tomorrow, I'm doing a whole presentation on Mito for my Social Studies class. Everyone in class has to come up with something on the news, or something they think is news-worthy, and present it to the whole class. And the topic I picked was Mitochondrial Myopathy Awareness Week! VERY nervous. Feel free to open the attachment and read through my presentation, and tell me what you think! :) Well, if I can get the thing to attach, anyways!!!

The Lights

Hey everyone,
So, the other day, I was trying to write a poem.... I thought up as many rhyming words, but none of them seemed to really fit my mood. But then yesterday, inspiration hit!!! This is what I got:

The Lights

When my head is filled with the rolling thunder,

Sometimes I cannot help but wonder:

Is everyone's life full of pain?

Full of this lightning, and all of this rain?

Is having your head filled with the storm

Truly everyone else's norm?

But then I think of what is mine, 

And the sun comes out and starts to shine.

The things I love, they are real and true!

My old life changes to something new.

I want to be a guiding light,

I will stand out from others, and shine so bright!

Friends, follow me -- I can show you what's true;

I will help you decide what you can do!

You may choose to be another helpful light,

One that is hopeful and one that is bright.

I can help you wipe away the rain,

And lose all the lightning and all of the pain.

So follow me, we will know what to do:

We will find out ourselves what is real, what is true!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this... and I would love it if you shared it with some of your friends! If each of us read this to just one other person, and they shared it with one of their friends... Think of how many people would get this special message. 

Wow.... Can't Believe This is Happening!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, guys... I am so excited, I can hardly stand myself! But I'm not going to just tell you why -- you have to try and guess! Post your guesses in the Comments, and THEN scroll down and read the rest of the post.

Are you sure you guessed already?

Don't keep scrolling if you haven't posted your guess yet!

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and write it: I AM GOING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!! I have not been to school since the 2nd grade -- that was 6 years ago! So, I'm guessing that you want to know how this all came to happen? Well, it all started last year, in the 7th grade....

When I was in 7th grade, I went to Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC). It was a pretty cool school -- most of the work was online, but you got to go to school and see your friends for two half school-days a week. However, I was stuck in the hospital a lot, and if I missed just one of the half-days... there went half my week of school and friends! I kept feeling like, what's the point in going to this school if I never really get to see my friends? Because, I had started GOC so that I could be around more kids... and I only really got a tiny taste of what it was like, because I kept getting sick and missing school.

At the end of the school year, I told my mom that I did not want to go back to GOC again. It wasn't because I didn't like it there -- it was just that I wanted something more. You know? So, my mom emailed and called GOC and the school that I wanted to go to, which is Lanier Middle School, and they finally got a meeting scheduled! (It was a really last-minute meeting... we went in yesterday, and school starts this coming Wednesday!) 

So, yesterday my mom, dad, nurse (Ms. Kristi), and I walked (or in my case, rolled!) into GOC, where the meeting was going to take place. There were maybe... 10 other people in the room. Some people I did not recognize, others I had met but didn't really know, and then there were a couple people who I knew really well from GOC. I was so, so nervous! Whenever someone asked a question, everyone in the room would turn to look at me, and I would feel my face turning red.... and I felt kind of dumb, for being embarrassed and/or not being able to answer the question.

But finally, the most important part of the meeting was over, and Ms. Kristi and I slipped out. We were almost POSITIVE that I was going to Lanier!!! I started texting like crazy, telling everyone the news. And when I called my grandma, (I call her MomMom) we stayed on the phone and talked for at least half an hour. Then, my parents walked out of the meeting and over to us. My mom handed me a stack of papers and said, "Congratulations -- you are officially a public schooler!" When we got out to the parking lot and I got out of my wheelchair.... I screamed, as loud and high-pitched as I could! And then I called my other grandma and grandpa, (Nana and Opa) and told them the news... and when I said, "I'm going to public school!" my Nana screamed even louder and higher than I had! I could barely hear Opa cheering in the background, haha. 

So, I am officially a public schooler, an 8th grader.... and a TOTALLY EXCITED TEENAGE GIRL!!!!!!!!! Haha. I told my dad last night that I thought I was 'mildly in shock', and he just laughed at me. But it really is true! I still can't believe this is happening to me. 

One last thing before I log off -- yeah, I am so excited.... but a little nervous, too! I mean, it has been 6 years since I last went to school. And, when I did go, it was in 2nd grade, not middle school! I don't really know how much homework I'm going to have, if my teachers will like me, or if I'll fit in with the other kids. But even if I get a ton of homework, my teachers don't like me, and I don't immediately make a bunch of new friends, I think I'm gonna enjoy this school year!!!

Dare to Dash this Saturday! Come out and join us! 

CeeLo

Our dog, CeeLo, is driving us all crazy! : ) Yeah, he's just a puppy, but he's the strangest puppy I have ever seen!

CeeLo is not exactly what you would call a good-looking dog..... Some people call him funny-looking, some say he's ugly, and my dad likes to say that he is "unique looking." But underneath that, he is the cutest, most adorable puppy you have ever seen!

CeeLo likes to give us lots of kisses.....and when I say lots, I mean LOTS of kisses! He is also very cuddly, and likes to lay in your lap and be petted on. It's really cute and sweet, of course, but every once in a while it can get a little, well, annoying. I mean, you try doing school, checking your email, and working while there is a dog in your lap that refuses to move! (The dog refuses to move, not your lap!)

And when our little puppy isn't be petted on, held, or is asleep, then he's out to destroy everything in the house! This, however, I must blame on the Chihuahua species in general. Did you know that almost all Chihuahuas are "fixers"? They will take some object, chew and tear it up, and then bring it to you, acting all proud of what they did! And CeeLo especially loves to "fix" his toys.......usually the toys that are filled with stuffing! We usually walk into a room to find the floor covered with fluff and bits of cloth that used to be toys.

I'm guessing that after you read this, you will vow not to ever buy or adopt a Chihuahua! But don't worry.... not all of them are like this! : ) CeeLo is "special", as my dad would say......and when he says it, I can never tell if that's a good thing, or a bad one!

My Name

In Language Arts, I had to go research the origin and meaning of my name, and then write a paragraph about it. I didn't know names could have meanings like this, did you? Read it and tell me what you think! Maybe even do some of your own research, and post a comment about what your name means.

My name is Mattie Jeanne Lorenzen. It means hope, courage, strength in battle. My name means God is Gracious, and tells that He cares. My name reminds me of music, dancing, songs, and joy. I used to wish for another name, one that was prettier.... Crystal, Jasmine, Hope.... sometimes I wished that I had my sister's name, Alyssa, thinking it was much nicer than my own. But now that I know what it means, and why my parents gave it to me, I love it, and never want another name. Instead of wanting to be named Hope, my name now gives me hope. And faith. And joy, and so many other things. 

Last Tuesday

Last Tuesday, I got up early so that I could go to school. Since it was Tuesday, not Thursday, the classes we went to were Language Arts, CIA (Counseling, Intervention, and Advisement), and Math. (On Thursdays, we go to Social Studies, CIA, and Science.)

After we left the school, we went to see my orthopedic doctor, Dr. Bruce. He said that my broken finger is healing pretty well, but that one of the broken bones was rotating. We'll have to watch it to make sure it doesn't rotate any further. I also got an X-ray of my neck, to check my spinal fusion and the stability of my cervical spine.

On the way home from the doctor's office, a lady's car crashed into the back of ours. The crash shattered the whole back windshield, and broke the wheelchair lift that was on the back of the car. When she hit us, we were all thrown forwards, and then jerked back. When my head was yanked back, I hit my BAHA really hard on the seat. My mom called 911, and we rode in an ambulance to the hospital. They took some X-rays of my neck, and then said I was okay, but I would be sore for a while. 

On Friday, we went to the ENT for my BAHA, because I had hit it really hard on the seat and it hurt really bad when you touched it. We saw Dr. Sip, because my regular ENT, Dr. Herrmann, wasn't working that day. My abutment is in my temporal bone, and the doctor thought that when I hit my BAHA, I broke some of the bone around the abutment. If the bone doesn't heal and start feeling better in 4 or 5 weeks, then I'll probably need surgery to fix it. Now I can't wear the BAHA on the abutment, so I have to wear it on a headband. I wish I didn't have to, because hard headbands give me headaches, and the soft one they gave me keeps slipping off!