Thursday, February 26, 2009

Two days left!

Ana is doing pretty well. She's been battling a cold / the flu since she got out of the hospital and is still having a lot of aches and pains associated with the nerves growing back and using muscles that she didn't use in 9 months. However, she's walking almost everywhere and actually bought a pair of real shoes for the first time in 10 months. OK, they're slipper clogs... but close enough.

Remember, only 2 days left to enter the raffle for the March 1 prize drawing!! Here's a link to the picture of the prize and the raffle rules. On March 1, I'll not only announce the winner of the February 1-28 raffle, but also announce the April 1 raffle prize. Remember, every $5 donated gets you 1 entry into the raffle for the month in which the donation was received.

Thanks to everyone who's shown so much love and support to Ana. Every bit makes a difference.

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A Note from Ana

A very special treat today... a note from Ms. Ana herself! :-)


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This note is for everyone that has sent their prayers, best wishes and donations. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and to let you know that I am doing very well. I started my physical therapy and also started walking without any help from any apparatus, just my little skinny legs. It is still quite painful but is a big leap from where I was a month ago. If there is anyone in this area of Florida that you know who has had a similar accident please, please take them to a burn center. Do not ask and do not hesitate, just do it, do not let anyone tell you different because your life as you know it changes after a burn.

So my dearest Angels, thank you so much for everything you have done for me and specially I want to thank Kathy, the daughter I never had (I have three beautiful sons). She is special and kind, the best person I have ever met in my life.

Hope to keep in touch as much as I can, as soon as I have my home computer fixed.

Thanks again,
Ana

Thursday, February 12, 2009

17 Days, Lovely Blog and Ana Update

Only 17 days left (including today) to enter the very first ever Angels for Ana raffle! The drawing will take place on March 1 and the winner will receive a home made quilt (see picture in post below this one). I know it's a tough time for everyone economically and there are so many worthy causes out there, so I'm doing my best to provide incentive for people to make a donation to help Ana with her medical expenses. Anyone who makes a donation (in any amount) will get their name listed on The Angel Roster on this site, along with a link to any (family friendly) URL you'd like. In addition, for every $5 you donate, you get one entry into the monthly raffle prize drawing. I've done my best to make this month's prize a great one... it was certainly made with love and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

I would also like to give a special thank you to my friend Julie (aka, The Surrendered Scribe) for all her help in sharing Ana's story and this site with her many, many friends and incredible cyber network. She also blessed us with this lovely "Lovely Blog" award. I certainly didn't start this site for fame or glory, but it's always nice to be noticed. Thank you, Julie!


Now, on to the Ana update. (I saved the best for last!) Ana continues to improve every day. The nasty cold / flu / whatever it was she had last week is finally gone and she's feeling pretty good. She's continuing with her physical therapy a few times a week and walking much more now. I believe her weekly appointment is tomorrow, and we're hoping and praying the bandages come off the right leg this week, too. They're certainly not "pretty" but I saw the burns when they were only a week or so old and the difference is absolutely amazing. I can't put into words how happy I am for her and the progress that she has (finally) made with the healing.

Your prayers and thoughts are very much appreciated. Please keep them coming! If you'd like to send a note to Ana, you can do so here.

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Prayers, Praise, Prize and Pictures

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all the prayers for Ana. I am thrilled to tell you that she has made more progress in the past 2 weeks than in the past 9 months and I believe in my heart that your prayers have played a huge role in that. From the children who pray for her in Sunday School (thank you, ERC!) to the people who pass her story along their prayer chains to those of you we've never even met... the power of prayer is amazing and Ana can feel your prayers and your kind thoughts.

Now for the praise!! On Friday, Ana returned to the burn unit for her weekly checkup. Her wounds have healed enough (again, in less than 2 weeks!) that for the first time since the accident last April, she is completely bandage free on her left leg. Completely bandage free!! On her right leg, she is bandaged only around her ankle and a few inches up her leg. If she continues on this path, she should be completely bandage free on her right leg after her next appointment. YAY!!!

To celebrate, my younger daughter (Jessica) and I went to visit Ana on Friday night. We brought her a cake and a fun balloon and had a "bandages off" party. Clearly my skills do not lie in the area of photography (as evidenced by the fuzzy, poorly lit picture here) but the smiles on their faces will give you an idea of the sheer joy of that moment.

Last but not least, I have finally completed the raffle prize for the first ever "Angels for Ana" prize drawing, which will take place on March 1. For every $5 you donate (all of which goes directly to Ana to help cover medical-related expenses), you will receive one entry into the drawing for this quilt, which was home made by yours truly.
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I call this the "Cheery Cuddle Quilt." It's a light-weight quilt (cotton batting) made from cheerful green, yellow, purple and blue fabrics. It measures approximately 47" wide x 58" long. The back is light blue. You can donate / enter the raffle by clicking on the "Click here to donate" daisy button on the top right of this site. If you prefer to send a check, email me at AngelsForAna@gmail.com and I'll send you the mailing address. For more information on the raffle or donations, use the links on the right side of this site under the heading "About Angels for Ana."
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Again, thank you to everyone who has prayed, donated, shared Ana's story or passed along your kind words in a comment or an email. Though a great deal of progress has been made, there's still more work to do. Please keep the prayers coming!

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ana Update: February 5

First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has posted a comment, sent an encouraging email or made a donation to help Ana with her medical expenses. The response to this site has been wonderful and I know that Ana is touched and amazed by your kind words and generosity. This weekend I'll be visiting with Ana and will deliver print-outs of all the comments and emails, along with a check for the donations made so far. Remember, every $5 you donate earns you 1 entry into the monthly raffle prize drawing. The first drawing will take place on March 1 and the prize will be a hand made quilt that I hope to have finished by the end of the weekend. (You can see a picture of the work in progress here.) There is no limit on the number of entries per month (i.e., $50 buys you 10 tickets) and no donation amount is insignificant.

For those of you may be visiting this site for the first time, you can use the links on the right side of the page to navigate around the site and learn more about Angels for Ana.

Now, on to the Ana Update...

Ana was released from the hospital on Monday night (Feb 2nd). I think it was on Sunday that they took her off the IV antibiotics and pain medication, switching to pills every few hours instead. It's very good news that the staph infection was doing "better enough" to get her off the IV, but she had a few rough days (nausea, chills, headaches) from going "cold turkey" off the IV pain meds. Though she was happy to be going home (after 7 nights in the hospital when she only expected to be going there for a "second opinion" appointment) but at the same time, probably a bit nervous to be away from the doctors and nurses and treatment that she'd been receiving.

Now that her temporary insurance has expired, everything from here on out (including the 7 nights she just spent in the hospital) will get billed fully to her. She has prescriptions for cleaning supplies (she has to clean her wounds twice/day at home) and medication (antibiotics and pain medication). She needs to continue physical therapy (at the original treatment facility) and go back to the burn unit (where she just spent the 7 nights) for weekly checkups. I know she's worried about the cost but we're trying to get her to focus on the fact that she's making progress in the right direction and that's the most important thing. Also, the physical therapist from the new facility told her no more walker or wheelchair at home or for short distances... she needs to move on her own 2 feet. For the first time in almost 10 months, she's walking up and down stairs (instead of going up and down on her tush) and that alone is a huge morale boost. Amen for baby steps!

Of course, by Tuesday night she was down for the count with a bad case of the flu... body aches, chills, head congestion, sinus pressure, the works. Not what she needs on top of everything else. If anyone has an extra break, could you throw it Ana's way? She's really trying to catch one!

Again, thank you to everyone who has commented, emailed or donated. There's still plenty of time left to enter the first raffle prize drawing!

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

Monday, February 2, 2009

Welcome to "Angels for Ana"

Welcome to Angels for Ana and thank you for stopping by. This is a new site aimed at bringing hope and help to a dear friend of mine, Ana, who received very severe 2nd and 3rd degree burns on both legs and feet back in April 2008. Her road to recovery has been slow and painful, typically following a "one step forward, two steps back" pattern.

Please take a look around the site, you can use the links on the right side of the page to navigate around easily. You can learn more about Ana, the purpose of this site, how Ana is doing and how you can provide hope, help and encourage to Ana by becoming one of her angels.

If you have questions, comments, similar experiences or helpful resources, please sign her guestbook or leave a comment or send me an email at AngelsForAna@gmail.com. Every little bit of encouragement goes a long way to helping her down the path to recovery.

Blessings,
Kat