I recently visited Great Wolf Lodge with one of my friends, Julie. It was Julie's first time, and my third. We stayed overnight in a very cozy Kid’s Kabin, with our own TV and cute critters painted on the walls In the water park, there were tons of totally awesome water slides for us to ride. I wore my old glasses, because my new glasses could get ruined from the chlorine in the water. I didn’t want to use my prescription swim goggles, because there isn't really any swimming involved. I would look weird and out of place wearing them. Contact lenses might have worked, but I don't have any. Going without correction wasn't an option, because then I wouldn’t be able to see at all. My old glasses were the best option, and they worked out really well. The first time that I went to Great Wolf Lodge, I was scared of the Howling Tornado ride because I thought it was the steep green thing that takes the rafts up (in above picture), so I didn’t go on it. The next time I went to Great Wolf Lodge, the friend I went with persuaded me to go, eventually, and when I did, I had a blast! Now it’s my favorite ride by far.
Julie and I played mini golf where our only light was UV light, so everything looked like it was glowing; it made it hard to see, though. Julie was very helpful, and made sure that I knew where everything was. At night, we curled up in our bunks, turned on the TV, and proceeded to paint our nails. Painting my nails is hard, especially because it’s difficult to see, but with practice, I’ve gotten better. Full of smiles, we returned home the next day, giggling and chatting, for we had the time of our lives.
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Yay, the Icare lending library is set up at Duke Eye Center! Thanks to everyone for your support. I am so excited! Here is four year old Quinn, choosing his Icare to take home. Shawn Rocco/Duke Health Quinn loves having his eye pressure taken with the Icare. Shawn Rocco/Duke Health
I got some great art supplies for Christmas, and have since been experimenting with different subjects and styles.
Here are some of my recent pictures, using water-color pastels: I joined the Girls In Tech after-school class this semester, and had lots of fun creating this Google Doodle. The theme is "What makes me…ME". Many things define me. I enjoy reading, so the G represents reading a captivating book. The Os, second G and E represent my adoration of nature and animals. The L represents my love of drawing. The sky-like background is for my notion that everyone should follow their dreams.
Only two more people before it’s my turn… I stand nervous-excitedly, awaiting my turn to break a board. My friends are scared and want me to go first, before deciding whether to have a go themselves. I glance outside to see my mom and other moms handing out donuts and lemonade. People are also getting hand massages. My friend Annie is helping out with registration.
Now it’s my turn. I am instructed to write a message on my board. I draw a heart using a Sharpie marker. Sensei positions the board on cinder blocks. I raise my hand up and bring it down hard. My board smashes beneath me. Feelings of satisfaction and achievement flood me. My friends realize that they can be successful too, and line up for their turn. It was a fun afternoon for my first fundraiser at the ZUltimate self defense studio where I learn Kempo karate. About fifty people came to break boards and we raised over five thousand dollars. People in gorgeous costumes surrounded me as I browsed the vending aisles at Everfree Northwest. My Little Pony bookmarks, paintings, keychains and more covered the vendor stands. A smile spread across my face at the sight of all the colorful equine merchandise. People think that My Little Pony is for five year olds, but I was one of the youngest there. Most of the people at this convention were fourteen to seventeen years old. I used to also think that My Little Pony was for little kids, until my friend Susan showed me some of the Youtube videos. She explained that there is a lot more to My Little Pony than people think, and that there are different generations of the show. The newest generation is really for older kids; little kids can still watch it, but will not understand the true underlying meanings. I was sad that Susan couldn’t come, because she lives so far away. She has never been to a My Little Pony convention before, and has always wanted to go. Her favorite comic artist was in the vendor room, and I talked with him about his comics and DeviantArt. He gave me the inside scoop about his new comics. I sent a message to Susan as soon as I got home afterwards. She was very excited! There were long lines for autographs from the voice actors. Kids twelve and under, like me, were called foals, and thankfully we had a much shorter line for each voice actor. I chose to line up for three of my favorites. A guitarist entertained us with requested fan-made songs, as we waited. I recently broke a bone in my wrist, and instead of autographs on paper, I ended up with signatures and sayings on my cast. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I asked my dad to bring me to my first ever convention. The ambience was happy and excited, and well-organized at the same time. In addition to teenage girls in role play costumes, I was surprised to see so many older boys and young men present. It wasn’t quite what I had imagined, but It sure was awesome! Signing cast with John de Lancie
I am super excited that our first iCare tonometer has been loaned to a family with a 12 year old boy named Cole. Cole has had two surgeries in the past four months, and has another surgery scheduled for April, to try to get his eye pressure under control.
People bustle by me as I saunter through the floating market in Pattaya, Thailand. An expanse of green-brown ripples surrounds the market, creating a beautiful landscape. In front of me, I spy a stand selling ice cream and treats. They have Choconanas and popsicles of various flavors. Two big signs beg me to try the durian flavor popsicle. It looks sort of good, and my parents explain that durian is the stinkiest fruit in the world, but they heard it tastes good. I decide to be adventurous, and buy the durian popsicle. It stinks. A lot. I take my first tentative lick. The flavor is indescribable, but not that bad. It kind of tastes like I'm eating sweetened frozen farts. It has some good parts as well. I decide that the bad part is probably just the smell, and take a huge bite, pushing the popsicle away from my nose immediately afterwards, so I won't have to smell it. It tastes sightly better; the flavor is growing on me. I continue taking large bites, till I get about half way through the popsicle, when I begin feeling a bit sick. Soon I am three quarters of the way done with my popsicle, and I am now sick to my stomach. Well, I was right about it growing on me, but not in a good way. It is like the vines that curl themselves around trees and get inside the tree, strangling it. By now, we are nearing a stand with a Thai lady cooking squid in a frying pan. My dad decides to get some squid for a snack, and I ask to taste some of his, hoping it will wash the durian flavor out of my mouth. The lady asks if he wants some sauce with it, and he says, "Yes please, just a little." In a couple of minutes, the squid is ready. The lady adds some of the sauce, which is full of chili flakes. I am really eager to get rid of the durian flavor. I stuff a piece of squid into my mouth, and immediately regret it. Man, the spices burn! It doesn't exactly help with the durian. While walking later on in the market, I notice people with heaps of chili flakes on their meals. Some with about five times the amount on the mouthful I tried. Hours later, that durian flavor keeps returning to my mouth, even after eating a full dinner. It was a gross and unique experience, yet an interesting and fun one as well. I don't get how some of the people in Thailand grow to love this fruit. In my spare time, I love to draw and to create fun things. My three favorite creative activities at home are duct tape art, origami, and fashion design. When I take a break from my homework, I am usually doing one of these projects. Duct tape art is so versatile. I have made folders for school, wallets and purses for my friends, and now I am making duct tape roses. Here is a duct tape rose that I made recently. I put a rose on top of a pen and then covered the pen with green duct tape, and gave it as a gift. I put another rose on top of a straw and covered it with green duct tape, to make a stem. A smaller red rose was the perfect addition to a black hairband. ere is a picture of one of the roses in the front yard of the gingerbread house I decorated last week. Duct tape is amazing and can be used for so many things. I bring some with me whenever I'm going for a long car drive, or when I'm meeting up with friends who also love crafts. We made a very tall tower of duct tape rolls at the library a few weeks ago.
About three weeks ago, I had a check-up appointment with my glaucoma doctor. It went well-ish. I hadn’t seen her since my surgery last May, when my glaucoma shunt had been moving a lot and she tied it down really well with extra-strong stitches. I found out that my shunt is still moving, but not nearly as much as before the surgery. This means that I’m going to have to have a steroid eye drop for the rest of my life so that I don’t get inflammation in my eye. I feel like I have a ton of drops every day – 3 different drops, twice a day for each of them. I was worried that I’d have to add even more drops, because my eye pressure was high that morning, too. It was 29 which is quite high, but it’s usually about 22 or 23 in the mornings and 19 at night. The good news is that I had an appointment last week with my regular ophthalmologist and my pressure was back down. He measured twice and got 17 and 19. He also searched for inflammation in my eye and it was all gone, but I have to stay on the steroid drops to keep the inflammation away. My next appointment is in December and I hope it goes great as well. |
AuthorSarahRose The goal of my blog is to increase awareness of childhood glaucoma and other eye diseases, and to unite kids like me living with visual impairment.Archives
September 2020
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