Updates

I am embarrassed by how long it's been since I provided an update on this blog. I started it with the absolute best of intentions and unfortunately, life gets in the way of blogging sometimes.

We did receive some donations in April and I want to send an enormous THANK YOU to those who made a donation. All of the April donors have actually asked to remain anonymous and to NOT be put into the raffle drawing for May 1 so that others could have a chance to win the prize. So... that leaves us with no "eligible" entries for April and thus, no May 1 winner.

So.... for the drawing on June 1, the winner will have their choice between 2 prizes, the one that was supposed to be for April 1 (since the winner that month asked for something else, which I gladly made and sent to her) and the one that was supposed to be for May 1 (since there were no "eligible" entries during the month of April. The two prizes are (click to view):

Pastel colors flannel baby quilt

~or~

Go Green reusable shopping tote

Here is some more detail on how to enter the next raffle drawing.

Now for the good part, the Ana update!

Ana is currently spending a month visiting her extended family in Guatemala. She's been there for about 2 weeks and will be away for another 2 weeks. I have not spoken to her since she's been away, but I did get to visit with her a few times right before she left. She's doing pretty well, she'd been going to the gym and working out every day. She was still in pain, which is so awful 13 months after the initial accident. However, she was walking better and starting to get her confidence back and had even practiced driving a few times (slowly, in parking lots!).

I miss her a lot and I'm looking forward to her coming back home, but I hope she's having a great time with her brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews that she hasn't seen in many years. I'm sure that "family time" will do her a world of good overall.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. They make the biggest difference!

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

March 1 winner and April 1 prize

March 1, the day for our very first ever Angels for Ana raffle prize drawing!! During the month of February, we had generous donations from all across the country and I wish I had the time to make a quilt for each and every person who donated. The kind thoughts and generosity mean so much to Ana, I can't put into words how touched she is by everyone's support.

The winner of today's raffle (chosen randomly from all the donations received from Feb 1 - Feb 28) is a person who wished to remain anonymous when he made his donation, so I'll announce him here only as "Anonymous in New Jersey." I already sent him a note to tell him he won and the quilt will be in the mail tomorrow.

Our next raffle drawing period begins today, with the next winner to be selected on April 1 from all the donations / raffle entries from March 1 - 31. The next prize is a light-weight flannel baby quilt, which measures approximately 28" wide by 35" long. It's done in pastel blue, yellow, green and purple with a yellow backing and green binding.

Thanks once again to everyone who became an Angel for Ana in February! Please keep the comments and emails coming, it always makes Ana's day to read them.

And speaking, of course, of Ana... She stopped by for a few minutes last night. Her legs are looking so much better, I'm still amazed at all the progress she's made in just the past month. She won't be running a marathon anytime soon, but it's good to see her walking a little more confidently and leaving the house without "hiding" her legs so much. For the first time since the accident, she was strong enough to pick up my 2-year-old while she (Ana) was standing. That's a really big step, her knowing that she's physically strong enough to do that. And she smiles now, and laughs. A really happy, infectious laugh that I haven't heard in a very long time and didn't realize how much I missed. Life is good and only getting better.

With thanks and appreciation,
Kat

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