Monday, July 27, 2009

Week #8 Semi-Finalist U.S. Military Spouse Contest


My husband is Active Duty Air Force. He has been in since April 2007. The picture is from the his Boot-camp graduation. We have been stationed at Goodfellow AFB, TX and now are at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. We had our first child together in March 2008. After an uneventful pregnancy, our son Malynki was born not breathing. It took the doctors/nurses 25-30 minutes to resuscitate him. He now suffers brain damage because of the length of time he went without oxygen. They weren’t sure he would live past a week and told us to be prepared for the worst. (I've attached another picture of him shortly after delivery to show how bad things were.)


This was the hardest thing that my husband or I have ever been though. I didn’t want to live, I didn’t want to speak to anyone. All I wanted to do was be with my baby. I'm crying even typing this because it brings back such sad memories. I just kept thinking the whole time Malynki was in the NICU "Please God, Don't take away my heart and soul." Its amazing to see how much strength my husband had during this hard time to keep our family strong for our lil' man. I'm grateful to have my husband, Larry. Because without him I’m not sure I would have been able to make it with everything that happened to our son.


When our son was 3 weeks old, he had surgery for a G-tube. Its a tube in his stomach that we feed him directly through. They also repaired a hernia and completed a fundoplication. We were told his future wouldn’t be so bright. We didn't care what they told us we were just happy that he had made it past the length of time they gave us in the beginning. The doctors believed he would probably never learn to eat by mouth, talk, walk or really do anything normal babies do. This was the hardest thing to hear because as parents all you ever want for your child is for them to be the best at everything they want to/can do. We didn’t want him to be different but that was the hand we were dealt. So we took it in stride.
We applied for EFMP Program that the military offers for dependant family members with special needs. This program helped us get relocated to Ohio (where we are originally from) because Goodfellow AFB did not have the services in the town that we needed. Twice a week we were driving 3 hours to San Antonio for Medical services for our son. Once we got relocated to Wright Patt AFB. My son's future began to look brighter. He attends Physical, Occupation, Speech and Feeding therapy each once a week.

I am unable to be employed because of all his needs. My husband is our sole provider and we are so appreciative for the military and all there benefits. My son has shown me what strength is at only a year old. He surpassed all the expectations the doctors gave us. He is now 16 months old, is able to eat puree baby foods, drink juices and is working on learning to chew, he still has his g-tube for nutritional purposes. He is rolling and army crawling. He is learning to bear weight on his legs and talks up a storm. He is unable to sit unassisted or walk yet but that has not stopped him from trying to become the best that he can be. He will forever have development delays due to his brain damage. We recently received the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. It was hard to swallow knowing that he is forever going to have that. But I know one thing for sure, he will never let a diagnosis slow him down.
The military has been so beneficial in my son’s health care. We have 8-10 doctors that we see regularly, $10,000 in medical equipment and numerous prescriptions and medical supplies; we haven’t had to pay anything. We would be lost without the military and for that my husband and I are forever thankful. (I've attached another picture of him recently) He never stops amazing us. Although my husband hasn’t been deployed yet, he has volunteered numerous times and really wants to go overseas and protect his country.


Thank you for listening to our story,
Courtney Jackson
**Remember...I am donating a portion of the proceeds from all of my book sales from 6/1/09-8/31/09 to ASMBA STAR. Details on my site http://sarataneyhumphreys.com **

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Saturday's Stop on the Summer Book Tour




Hey there! I will be posting the US Military Wives Semi-Finalist for week #8 shortly, but I thought it would be fun to post a few pics here from my Book Signing in Philadelphia.


I have to say it's been quite an adventure organizing this Summer Book Tour but all the hard work and persistence has absolutely paid off. This Saturday I was in Philadelphia at Borders Avenue of the Arts and it was such fun.


Justin, the Community Relations Manager, and his staff were outstanding. Everything went off without a hitch and we sold most of the books they had ordered for the event. I have to say... it was pretty cool to walk into Borders and see my book on display out front with Harry Potter. Nice.



It was great to see some familiar faces and meet some brand new fans as well. I'll be very honest...I wasn't sure anyone would show up! I expected to sell one or two...not almost sell out. We had a few left over so Justin had me sign them and put them out front. If you want an autographed copy, give them a call at Borders in Philly (215) 568-7400.





Next stop on the Summer Book Tour is Boston! I'll be at Borders in the Cambridge Mall this Saturday 8/1/09 from 1pm-3pm.










Hope to see you there!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Week #7 Semi-Finalist!


My name is Jennee Allan. My husband is a CW3 and is currently deployed for a year, will be back June 2010. He has been active duty army since January 2002 and we have lived in 7 states. He went in as a helicopter pilot, flew for a few years, deployed to Iraq, and came home struggling with PTSD. It was triggered mostly when he flew his helicopter so he had to resign from that. His heart can do nothing more than serve this country and so he changed MOS to flying UAS's. Which he is now doing in Taji Iraq.


We have 4 beautiful Children and I am pregnant with our 5th, due October 2nd.We are both from Utah. After we had out first child we decided to move to New York. Michael worked in Manhattan when the twin towers went down. That morning he had been on the phone doing business with a few people that ended up losing their lives. It just made him stronger in his conviction to Join the Army. We moved to Alabama(Fort Rucker), North Carolina(Fort Bragg), Tennessee(Fort Campbell), Arizona(Fort Hauchuca), and a place in Victorville, California for UAS training.Some of the challenges that I have faced have been the obvious; single parenthood, fear for my husbands safety, moving and changing states/ homes. etc.However, the one that I want to focus on in is something not so obvious.


I remember feeling this last time he was deployed but not to the extent that I feel it now.I have a flame burning inside me and it seems to get bigger. I have a strong desire to help people understand (those that don't, of course) the depth of what is done for them. I have selfless and selfish reasons for wanting to do this.What I mean by "What is done for them" is first, the selfless sacrifice that each soldier gives to this country by getting deployed, and second the family members left behind.The living conditions of the soldiers is not comfortable by any means. They live with Hot 145 degree weather, some live in tents on cots, other on bunk beds in a slightly air conditioned building, if they are lucky. They eat MRE's, stay in their hot uniform, even when they are off, witness deaths and awful things that the natural eye cannot comprehend, and I think hardest of all live alone while the ones they love are back at home.


Because my husband struggled with PTSD, I have a new perspective of what is sacrificed for the country as I lost a part of my husband that will never come back, because of the affects of war.So, what I have been doing is trying to rally others to help give back, even just a little for what is done for them. I ask people to send my husband and the other soldiers packages, I ask for discounts where I go, I try to be honest about my husbands living conditions with those that ask. But I truly feel I am not doing enough to help people understand the depth of the sacrifice. I feel Joy when I see receptive hearts and minds. I feel a duty, for my husband and other sacrificing soldiers to fight my own war over here of helping a clueless population truly understand. Of course I know that as humans, we don't usually understand things that are not tangible. But when I have reached a heart, my Joy is extreme. But again, I am still left with the burning flame inside me and want to know even more of how I can help educate others and they in turn will sacrifice as well, for our country.


When someone serves me, like mows my lawn, offers child care, gives a discount at the store, sends my husband a package, listens to me heartily explain the living conditions, says thank you to me or my husband, etc. It makes me so happy and it helps me to feel that I want to continue with this sacrifice. However, most people do not do all those things. Most people just live their lives unaware of what is done. That it makes me feel angry, I don't feel proud of.I hope I have explained what is in my heart and I also seek for answers of ways to quench the flame. I trust it is their for a reason and that others who have this flame might find me and we can educate, lovingly together.


Sincerely, Jennee Allan
**Reminder--I am donating a portion of my proceeds from book sales 6/1/09-8/31/09 to ASMBA STAR--a top notch Veteran's charity**

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Week #6 Semi Finalist--U.S. Military Spouse Contest


My husband is in the Navy. The picture I attached was from the actual night he deployed to Iraq this past March 2009. This is our second deployment since being married and our first one with a child (now 7 months, a girl). We've been married for a little over six years now. Honestly, the most difficult thing about the military life is having to send my husband off to war. I struggled with our first deployment because my husband was fresh out of a Navy school/training & had never deployed doing his current job. To make matters worse, about a month before he left in 2007, a friend from that same Navy school/training was killed in Iraq. I was still mourning the loss of our friend as I watched my husband climb aboard the large aircraft carrying him to the same destination & job! I suffered with anxiety and had a few actual panic attacks while he was away. It was mentally exhausting! I finally got myself pulled together about a month before my husband came home from that initial deployment with the help of God, my church, other military wives, and a counselor to deal with grief and anxiety.


In 2007 I was so nervous about having children when my husband returned because I knew I just couldn't be the "mess" I was during that deployment with small children to care for in future deployments. I am happy to share that I have found and made my peace with deployments. It is possible to make peace with deployments. Honestly, all the glory goes to God. He saw & still sees me through every single day, whether my husband is home or deployed.
Our current station is in California. Another challenge in the "military life" that I've recalled, is that my husband doesn't like me to share specifics about his command/job in public forums. It's difficult to "cheerlead" for your husband when he's the reluctant hero.


Sincerely,

Amy

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Week #5 Semi-Finalist! Proud Army Wife Kowanda McBride


My husband is in the Army. He has been serving since 1997 after he graduated from the United States Military Academy. Since I was 5 I've been an Army dependant. I met my husband at Ft. Bragg, NC. We have lived at Ft. Benning, GA, Baumholder, Germany, Knoxville, TN, West Point, NY and soon we will be in Yongsan, South Korea. One of the biggest challenges we faced was his 15 month deployment to Iraq. His long work hours and time away with training do not compare with 15 months apart in a war zone. I love being an Army wife. I'm very proud of my husband for his service and am glad I can continue to serve as an Army spouse.


Sincerely,Kowanda McBride


This picture was taken in 2004 when my husband just returned from Iraq.

Amoveo Legend Series!

Amoveo Legend Video Trailers