They said it was the second largest attended Conference. I was thrilled to meet Mary Pierce. For those of you that are not affected by Alpha1....Mary Pierce is one of those more widely recognized folks in the Alpha1 community. Last I knew she heads the Team Alpha1 program and is a alphanet coordinator. Team Alpha1 is a program put together to encourage alpha's to participate in athletic events to raise awareness and/or pledge money for the alpha1 foundation. She mentioned something about me becoming a mentor but, to tell you the truth I'm intimidated by it. I just kinda do my thing and try to encourage/educate others with/about alpha1. She gave me an a team alpha1 t-shirt that has info on the back which I can where in my walks. She wasn't sure if she a had a bike jersey that was in my size but, we were both hoping she did so, I could wear it instead of my Rosie The Riveter jersey!
I attended the Lung Healthy Home breakout session. I look at my home so totally different than I did before I went. I can honestly say none of my family(or me) is really enthuisiastic about the farmhouse I rent...the 40 acres I wanted to put off buying till I had over 50% of what I needed to buy it and build a house on is no longer an acceptable benchmark. I am so intent on living in a handicap friendly lung healthy home I'm willing to stick my neck out and try to buy that chunk of land next summer. I've eyed that quietly on the market 40 acre parcel for 3 years now. If it still there next August 1 and I can buy it...I WILL HAVE a healthy handicap friendly home!!!
Somehow I also have to get money together to go back to college to get my bachelors degree. I need to get off the floor of the window & door factory I work at!! Better yet, I need to get out of there to a better paying job in a lung healthier enviorment!!
I talked to Judy Golding about my shakyness(is that a word???) and she told me to lock my hands together across my chest and pull them away from each other as hard as I could till my fingers hurt and afterwards my hands shouldn't shake for at least 30 seconds to a minute...long enough to calmly insert a needle in a vein!
I also had to laugh....my sister Johanna spent a good 5-10 mintues argueing w/ Karis(a pharmaceutical rep who sat with us the night of the awards dinner) over the fact that she WAS NOT Stubborn...she was DETERMINED! Ha! WE are ALL both at any given time!
I was encouraged today when I received my infusion. My nurse(thank you God for not making me play musical nurses!!!) commented that my hands weren't shaking like they did last week and that maybe by the time she & her husband take their vacation by theirselves/for theirselves I will be independent. WooHoo!!
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