Friday, September 24, 2010

GETTING MY FM TRANSMITTER AND LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR TERM 3

23rd and 24th September 2010

Another sleepless night due to the vicious circle of pain in my right knee and ankle, that is what I have to face though and as with every obstacle that I face in my daily life I try to find a positive side to it and bravely forge on with my life.

My morning started by doing some drawing, I decided to draw what I thought the Myer Christmas Bear would look like this year, I am a collector of the Myer Christmas Bears and Theodore is my favourite, he has been travelling my journey with me and I would be lost without him. Once I had finished my design Mum showed me what the Bear looked like, this year his name is Charlie, he is a cuddly brown bear, with a lime green top and a red and white candy stripe scarf.

I then sketched my design on my canvas and started to paint, the first thing I painted was the rainbow that is at the end of the path, as I painted it I contemplated how important a rainbow is to me. They are so vibrant, captivating and magical when I see a rainbow in the sky or in a picture it brings a feeling of happiness into my life, in my painting that is the feeling I am hoping to recreate for others.

After a rest because painting had made me quite fatigued, Mum and I then played Upwords twice, I feel that Upwords has helped me with my spelling and vocabulary, playing it is something that I think many children should do as not only do you learn you also have lots of fun.

The time had then arrived to go to my Australian Hearing appointment to collect my FM Transmitter, this amazing piece of technology like my hearing aid will make an enormous impact on my learning because I will be able to hear much more clearly and precisely what the teacher is saying. My hearing aid is beneficial by itself in a quieter environment however at school there are so many outside, background noises I was still having difficulties hearing what my teacher was saying. My FM Transmitter is a Oticon Amigo, it has a receiver and a transmitter. I have the receiver which is set to a channel that matches the transmitter, my receiver has headphones which I attach to it, I am able to change the volume on it so that it allows for louder and quieter teachers and a louder or quieter classroom environment. The teacher has the transmitter, they attach it to themselves and have a omni directional lapel microphone which they attach to their clothing and the talk normally, because I have the receiver I am able to hear the teacher clearly the whole time they are teaching instead of them dropping in and out. They have a mute button on the transmitter so if they need to talk to another student or teacher they can mute it so I don't hear unnecessary conversation. Both the transmitter and receiver are lightweight and have rechargeable batteries, this is going to make such a difference to my learning next Term, I can hardly wait to use it. I go back on the 8th of November for a review, I am hoping that I will be able to give them really positive feedback from using the FM transmitter.

In the afternoon we had running training, the weather was incredible, it was a spectacular Spring afternoon, as Jarrett did his training Mum, Nalani and I sat on a blanket in the sunshine. Nalani did mathematics homework and I did some knitting. The grass had been mowed and there was tiny pollen particles blowing through the air and settling on the car bonnet as a thin yellow film. Jarrett's hayfever flared up, his chest and throat became tight, he had to pull out of the last repetition so that his asthma would not cause dreadful problems again. Jarrett is now looking forward to his appointment with the Speech Pathologist next Tuesday so that his vocal cord dysfunction can begin to be treated and he can move forward with his running again.

Before bed after doing my physiotherapy exercises I used my Rollator, my right ankle still is unable to take too much weight, it stops me from progressing but I grit my teeth and bring forth that determination that has helped me throughout this difficult journey and I can achieve amazing feats. I was able to walk one full lap of the family room and kitchen without stopping for a rest, it was a little painful and towards the end my balance was rather wobbly but I did it. My ankle was rather painful as I went to bed but my achievement made it all worth while.

Today I woke early because Short Stack were performing on Sunrise and I really wanted to watch them, Nalani and her friend Catrin had seen them in concert earlier this year and got to meet them, I had been so fortunate to have Short Stack telephone me and speak to me on the night, not only are they talented musicians, they are really nice guys. Liam who is their touring member was at my book launch, he is the son of the truly extraordinary Paul who was the man behind my book without him, Tess, Gavin, Ben and many others my wish would have been put in the too hard pile and not have eventuated. Short Stack performed their brand new single Planets on the show, it was terrific to watch them and hear their song their music is so cool.

I went to school today, it was Mufti Day which is a non uniform day, if you wear non uniform you make a donation which in turn is given to a chosen charity. I decided to wear my jeans and my Tigers Jersey that Benji Marshall gave to me at the game I went to against Canberra back in April. School was fairly laid back today, I watched some presentations that the class did on Wetlands and then coloured in a geometrical picture which the teacher wants to hang in the class next Term. My right hand fatigued quickly so I used my left then it became fatigued so I had to have a break from colouring. I also put together my portfolio of work that I had done this Term. I was extremely proud of the assessment marks that I achieved on the work that I completed, one day I hope that I will be able to do the same amount of work as the rest of the class but at the moment it is just too much for me to cope with.

When I came home I had a warm cup of tea, had a rest and then painted a golden path on my canvas, the golden path leads to the rainbow and I think that my painting is looking really spectacular. I will be doing more painting during the School Holidays, when I paint, I paint with my heart and with lots of love.

Today I have had pain, I find that the warmer weather assists to some degree but it does not take it away as I had been hoping it would, I rely on pain killers which work better on some days, yet on others I find it more difficult to cope with the level of pain that I am experiencing.

We have had no news on when Nalani's surgery has been rescheduled to as yet, it will most likely be at the end of November now, she is disappointed as she really wanted it all to be over and done with and able to move ahead. She is unable to still participate in her sport but has found that going to the gym for PE and Human Movement is something she can do, so she is going to continue to do this to help with muscle tone and fitness until she does have the surgery.

'Having a family who love you and encourage you is more precious than the biggest and brightest diamond in the world'



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

HI Dainere, OH I am so sorry you are continuing to have these troubles with sleeping because of your knee and ankle, I wish I could take the pain away .

Arent Rainbows magic, you will have to watch out in the mail , some may be coming your way, by way of the rainbow fairy .

That is amazing technology that is going to help you so much , your FM transmitter, I know what you mean , it is so frustrating when you cant hear properly what is being said ,( Incidentally , I heard from Cochlear today , they have to replace my new BAHA, with a new one ) , we are forever saying pardon, or sorry i did not here you. I am so glad for you as it is important to be able to hear your teacher.

You are so thought full , thinking of others as you do .

Sorry that Jarrett had troubles with the pollen and asthma.

Good to hear that you are getting good use from your rollator, , i guess you will just have to watch with the ankle .
Well done with your portfolio and getting good marks , that's fantastic Dainere, you only need to put in 100% effort and I think you are puttinghg in a great 100% in everything you do , ,you can hold your head up very high.
I do hope that Nalani does not have to wait till November, that is such a shame for her and you all too.

Well The Tigers will be getting ready Dainere , I must confess to knowing absolutely nothing about the game , but Im crossing all my fingers and toes , for them to win for YOU..
So you enjoy the game and have a great weekend. We will be driving down to Cooma for the long weekend , so as we come past Canberra airport , I will be thinking of you. lots of love stuart xxx

Anonymous said...

Dear Dainere
We are so happy that you will now be able to hear better at school. We are also very proud of the achievements you have made, not only at school but in so many other ways.

Bet you will be cheering loudly tonight for the Tigers. We hope they win for you. Pop said it should have been the Raiders though.

We will be sending your prize for winning the footy tips next week.

Enjoy the school holidays. We hope to see your painting next time we come to Canberra.

Lots of love
Nan and Pop xxxooo

Anonymous said...

Hi Dainere,

your new transmitter sounds fantastic, it is so amazing all the new technology that keeps coming out.

I hope this nicer weather helps your pain a bit.

Did you see the moon last night. it was so bright and beautiful, I thought of you when I looked at it, I know you are a rainbow girl but I think you also shine in a dark sky, just like that moon.

I am sorry cant agree to be happy about Tigers as I would have liked the Raiders to win but I agree Benji is a nice man, he seems very genuine, lucky you to have met him!

Take care

Monica

The Deadly Newt said...

Heya Dainere!!

My name is Kate Doak and I'm a friend of Carol Duncan's. I just wanted to say that you are one of the most talented writers that I have ever had the pleasure as an English/Journalism/History student of reading.

You are a special person, and your beloved Tigers know it too. So keep your chin up, as they played beautifully tonight. I look forward to meeting you at a Tigers Grand Final someday in the near future.

Since Carol linked me to your blog, I have been working on something special, specifically for you. Your Blog helps bring "light" into many people's days, while I'm sure that it helps you too.

Just be you, my lady!! Every girl is a Princess and you highlight that fact everyday. :)

Much Love,

Kate!!

TUNE!FM
University of New England.