Happy Thanksgiving!

I have not been able to update the diary for a little while due to a recent shoulder surgery I went through. I didn't feel up for doing much probably because of the Percocet.

The kids have been doing well. Tyler has nothing out of the ordinary to report but has taken a few falls lately and it seems it is because his DBS turns off. We are trying to figure out what is causing that to happen. Ty continues to play baseball on the North Central Florida Mustangs and has seen more playing time in the field(right). The coaches are great with him and it makes a huge difference in his life.

Samantha is uncomfortable a lot. It is hard for her to sit still. Her back twitches and pulls so much that it will throw her to the ground or make it very difficult to fall asleep. Fatigue makes dystonia worse so it becomes a viscous cycle. We are all eager and scared about her January 20th date for DBS surgery.

Luke occupies his time with Sponge Bob, dancing, drawing, and playing catch with his brother.

Tyler's Hope for a Dystonia Cure had a successful wine tasting event last week. Approximately 300 people attended the event with many new contributors that became aware of dystonia and Tyler's Hope. The interns(Adriana, Lindsay, and Brooke) did a wonderful job of setting things up and making it a great event.

We found out recently that we will be receiving a large donation before the end of the year including matching funds. The recruitment of a star dystonia researcher is going very well and promises to bring a lot of money and people to the Tyler's Hope center at UF to find a cure.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for my family both immediate and extended. I am thankful for caring friends, a job, the opportunity to make a difference, the energy and drive to constantly try to improve and to look at all of the positive things that surround us instead of letting the bad things get us down. Thank you for your support and encouragement and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.