FIGHT LIKE A WARRIOR October 2021 Newsletter |
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Happy FLAW-lloween Warriors and happy October. October is ADD/ADHD Awareness Month, Spina Bifida Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and Oct, 10. is World Mental Health Day. Let's join these movements, together! |
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So what is ADD/ADHD? ADD/ADHD is a neurobehavioral hyper deficit disorder which affects your moods and behaviour. | | |
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Let's Chat With Cristy. Meet Cristy Hunter, a Canadian woman who was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 18. Listen to or read her interview below. (Auditory and visual options both available). |
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ADD/ADHD Support If you are suffering from ADD/ADHD, there is help. The link below is a blog style resource for ADHD awareness and support. | | |
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Spina Bifida Awareness Month |
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Meet Amelie and mother Victoria. |
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Spina Bifida is a birth defect which causes the spinal cord and membranes to close incompletely. It forms during the early stages of a pregnancy. |
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October is #SpinaBifidaAwarenessMonth and we want to introduce Amelie and her amazing mother Victoria (@our.exquisite.normality). They have a history making story to share: “This is Amelie, she has Spina Bifida. Before she was even born she became part of medical history. At just 25 weeks gestation, when she was still inside my belly, she helped make great strides in the medical community. She and I became the 4th baby and mother in the the U.S. to undergo a new experimental procedure (fetoscopic repair for Spina Bifida). She was born 3 weeks later, when I was 28 weeks pregnant, weighing only two pounds. Amelie has already faced an immense amount of adversity at the very young age of two. But she continues to smile every step of the way. We are so proud of how far she has come and we look forward to seeing all she will do.” Thank you to the Reyes family for sharing their story with us. |
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Down Syndrome Awareness Month |
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Down Syndrome is a chromosomal defect which is caused by a partial or complete clone of chromosome 21. Below is a link for National Down Syndrome Society for donations and more information about Down Syndrome. | | |
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This month's Spoonie Meal Saturday will take place on: NOVEMBER 20th @ 7:00pm EST/4:00pm PST
We will be making: Brown Butter Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Vegetables (serves 4) |
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One Saturday of each month, we will be going live on Instagram to bring you a virtual cook-along of a delicious meal meant for spoonies. These quick and easy meals can be altered to meet specific dietary restrictions and will be perfect for making on those days where you're low on spoons but don't want to sacrifice tastiness! We will be posting the recipe, accessibility requirements, and possible substitutions you might use for the meal each month in our newsletter. That way you have time to get your ingredients so you can cook right along with us if you would like to! These videos will be saved on our social media pages if you weren't able to come to the Instagram live or if you want to cook the meal again! We encourage you to submit your own “spoonie meal” recipes that you love to kelsey.calimer@fightlikeawarrior.org to help us build up this excellent resource for all others living with a chronic illness or disability and for the chance for us to make it in our cook-along! These can be recipes you have created yourself or ones you have found elsewhere and have grown to love! |
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The Ingredients you will need are: 3 heaping cups Bite-size broccoli florets 1 half 2 heaping cups half-inch Butternut squash 2 cloves Garlic 1/2 tsp Onion powder 1 Red onion 1/4 cup Sage, fresh leaves 1 tsp Thyme, dried leaves
3 turns Black pepper, ground Accessible prep and Dietary substitutions: You can substitute gluten free gnocchi and vegan butter. If you have low hand dexterity, low grip strength, joint pain, or difficulty using large knives you can buy pre- cut produce. |
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October Warrior Of The Month |
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Meet Vita. Vita is a model and student from Slovenia. She was initially diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 2 when she was two years old. A treatment for SMA called "Spinraza," became the first ever available treatment for adults living with SMA in Slovenia. While she was having tests done, doctors found that her diagnosis of SMA was- in fact- false! Since then, she still doesn’t know what her correct diagnosis is. Vita says she is not ashamed of her disability and is happy she can tell her story. She values the ability to help others who are in the same situation as she was/is in, and says it is a "big plus," in her life. She is happy to educate abled people that we are no different - in any aspect. She proudly says her disability won't stop her from anything and your disability doesn’t have to stop you either! You can achieve anything you put your mind to. |
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