I met with a small group of people that represent different foundations in Gainesville Florida this morning for breakfast. The foundations (Tyler's Hope being one of them) have formed a coalition to work with the University of Florida and Shands Hospital to promote and enhance the health care services for children in our community. Our first venture as a group was to work with Tim Goldfarb and others to get a dedicated area of the new ER for Children. This was very successful and we are now talking with them about creating a dedicated ER for just children at Shands. It amazes me to see how well this community sticks together and how involved people are in making our community better. I have never seen a community that does a better job at supporting and enhancing themselves. Tyler's Hope continues to benefit from the way this community has rallied behind our foundation to support our efforts to find a cure. Unfortunately my meeting with the coalition and with the University of Florida foundation later in the morning didn't allow me to participate in a Tyler's Hope event in which my wife and children are very involved.

Michelle, Tyler, Samantha, and Luke went to Brentwood school today and went to each class to explain dystonia and Tyler's Hope. Each of the kids asked questions after they were done. The younger kids asked if they were contagious or if they could get dystonia through touching Tyler and Samantha. They got a great education to kick of an event that will create great awareness, understanding, and donations for the fight for a cure to dystonia. Today was the educational day and next week there will be two days of activities in school that expose all of the kids to the limitations and challenges of having dystonia as well as other disorders that cause disabilities. They will do things during P.E. like taking a wheelchair through obstacles and throw a ball into a basket with their opposite hands. There are Tyler's Hope t-shirts given to each student and other ways to recognize the charity.

Tyler is still having a difficult time putting on weight.

We have made the formal offer for one of the top dystonia researchers to head up the Tyler's Hope Center at The University of Florida. We are anxious to get started on some of the excellent research projects that will briing us closer to a cure.