Shriner's Update

WYFF News 4 has learned that the Shriners Board of Trustees has identified five Shriners hospitals nationwide that could cease operation, in addition to not reopening one that was already shut down after Hurricane Ike.

The Greenville Shriners Hospital is one of the five facilities facing closure.

A final decision will be made the week of July 4 when the Shriners meet for their annual meeting.

Two-thirds of the Shriners at the meeting would have to approve the closure of any hospital.

Rodney Brown, the chairman of the board of Greenville Shriners Hospital, said the decision by the trustees to put Greenville on the closure short list doesn't make sense.

The number of procedures and surgeries at Greenville Shriners Hospital are all up, Brown said.

"We're no where near the bottom of the system," Brown said, comparing Greenville to other Shriners hospitals.

Brown also said Greenville is one of the only Shriners locations in the Southeast, taking in kids from Alabama to Virginia.

"Where will those kids go?" Brown said.

The other Shriners hospitals faced with possible closure include Shreveport, La.; Erie, Penn.; Spokane, Wash. and Springfield, Mass.

The hospital in Galveston, Texas was closed after it was damaged by Hurricane Ike and the trustees will also formally vote on not reopening it.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children were founded in 1922 to improve the lives of children through specialty pediatric care.



http://www.wyff4.com/health/19053561/detail.html

Shriner's in Trouble....

Shriners Hospital in
danger of closing
More than 200 employees could be out
of a job
Updated: Saturday, 28 Mar 2009, 8:52 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 28 Mar 2009, 8:13 AM EDT

Jackie Ibanez
Michelle Misiaszek
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Every year 13,000 children walk through these doors at the Shriners Hospital to get the care they deserve. "Everybody can't afford the type of insurance where they can have their children obtain this kind of treatment," said Shriners volunteer James Kirst, Shriners.

The hospital that's been a lifeline for children since the 1920's may soon be forced to pull the plug. Twenty-two Shriners Hospitals throughout the country rely solely on the generosity of the public to pay their bills, but donations are dropping 1 million dollars a day.

Shriners has been suffering a budget deficit since 2001. Ralph Semb, chairman of the board told 22News Springfield is on the short list of 6 hospitals that may have to close just to keep the their mission of helping children alive. "When you see a child who has had a leg longer than the other or you see a child for the first time walk out of a chair...I can tell you our meeting was emotional. There was tears in all of our eyes when we had to say we have three options. None of them are what any of us want," said Semb.

Springfield Congressman Richard Neil grew up in the Hungry Hill neighborhood where the hospital's located, and spoke with 22News about the impending future of the local landmark. "I'm hoping the Shriners Hospital will be able to survive, I think there are some opportunities here to explore the role that the private payment might participate in, and strengthen the Shriners Hospital good for all of use in the region."

If the facility did shut down the children wouldn't be the only ones who would be affected; some 200 employees would be out of a job.

Semb assured 22News none of the patients would be left behind, they would receive unconditional care at other Shriners Hospitals across the country.

"The one thing I remember the most is I went into a physical therapy room where there was a child with no arms and no legs. Six years later that child came up to me and hugged me, pulled up my sleeve, and said, Mr. Semb you and I are going to cut the ribbon to the new auditorium in this hospital," reflected Semb.

The board of trustees will take a vote on the matter in July.

Normally a picture says a thousand words......mine only says 3

Those words you wonder: MY CAMERA DIED!!!!!!

I'm going to go and cry now but I wanted to share my misery.

This is how my day went:

I got to fold a months worth of clothing....and try like hell to find a home for everything.



This is the pile of clean laundry that was hiding from my "want to do" list for the past month or so in my basement.




Notice the folded stuff and the pile-o-clothing.... the folded stuff was my clothes, Jeremy's clothes, sheets and towels..... the pile-o-clothing is Ashtyn and Taylor's stuff. And keep in mind: 1)this is just what they fit into at this moment, 2)this is not the clothing that is in their room, 3) or the festering pile that has consumed MY closet, 4) doesn't include the dirty clothes still in my basement, 5) there is at least this much if not more clothing in my attic that Ashtyn has grown out of and Taylor is too small for, and 6) I have an entire row of my closet that is full of brand new clothes and a bunch of outfits that were worn to a photo shoot and then handed down to me.... um...... The words "EXCESS" and "DOWNSIZE" come to mind.

A quick pic....or 4

Ashtyn asked me for some ice cream and since she ate her dinner I gave her some. I went upstairs to check my email and thought it odd I didn't hear her or Taylor. I ran down to check on the monkeys and found this:




I thanked her for making a wonderful mess for me to clean, and how nice of her it was to share, and then asked her why? "Taylor's hungry" Awwwww




And Grammy..... this is her ATV

"I need a hand Mom"

XRAY VISION

Taylor got her xrays today and everything is looking good.... thank goodness!!! We still don't know why she has limited abduction in her hips but we now know at least its not anything skeletal and her hips are located where and as they should be. Her spine also looks normal and apparently she has daddy's HUGE teeth coming in!

Spring is coming!!!!!!

I did it finally! I have finally managed to have the first ride. Every year Jeremy has somehow managed to get a ride in before me...even the years he didn't even have a motorcycle...... not this year... HA! Now I just need another sunny kidless day so I can give my bike a much needed bubble bath

So now what?

My Mom and Dave came down to snag Ashtyn for the weekend and left 20 minutes ago. I'm already bored and can't figure out what to do with myself. Taylor's still hanging out with me but she doesn't require as much work as Ashtyn does. I'm so used to my 24/7 mommy-hood, that I don't know what to do when I'm short a child or both. Last night my parents watched both of the girls so Jeremy and I could have some much needed time away..... we haven't been alone together since our fakie honeymoon back in April of 2007.... and I was completely at a loss when we had to figure out what to do. This was my second night out since Ashtyn was born and all I could think of was "what are the kids doing right now?" I whine and carry on about how I want to have a few hours away to do something..... anything..... and then it finally happens and I have no idea what to do. I'm lost without my babies. Its insane. It might have been a different story if it was warm out and daytime, then I could have ridden my Harley.... that's always enjoyable, but a night out...... I hate the bar, and I'm too poor to enjoy it, same with dinner at a restaurant. Why spend 50 bucks to eat something I could have made at home for $4? Last night was kind of an eye opener of how my priorities have changed so much since having Ashtyn. And as much as I still hate spending countless hours at home, I'd really rather do that than do whatever it was I used to do before them. I've turned into a hermit against my will. I only enjoy being out if its with my kids. Playgroups, the beach, the pool, wherever as long as I've got Ashtyn and Taylor by my side. Even when Ashtyn is being absolutely unbearable, I'd rather be with her, than not. 10 years ago, I didn't want kids....and now look at me, I have forgotten how to live and function without them. I'm offically a complete sap.

Spoiled Much

So somehow last night my husband and his parents got talking about Ashtyn's birthday coming up and what she would want for her big number 3. Well, by the end of the conversation, Sue handed Ron the credit card, said "you make the call". He then handed the card to Jeremy and told him to go for it and the three of them tee-heed themselves silly until they called me up to inform me of the purchase. Apparently my sly hubbie informed them of everyone else's dis-interest in contributing towards an ATV for her so Ron and Sue said they'd get it. Um spoiled much!?! My kids (well Ashtyn anyway....Taylor's too young to care still) are spoiled rotten. It is partially because they have agreed (at least for now) that we're not having a Christmas this year....at least not with gifts anyway. So anyway, now I have to figure out where to hide this thing until the end of April..... and I mean hide it from Sue not Ashtyn.... Sue's going to show it to her the first chance she has and Ron and I agree she should have to wait until her birthday...and Jeremy and I need time to get her a helmet and riding gear. Ashtyn is going to freak out when she sees this thing. April 22 can't get hear fast enough. And yes its PINK!!!!! And Jeremy actually is responsible for that...shocker!!!

Splish splash...its 5 below zero!?

We definatly picked an odd time to go swimming.... but wow did we have fun.

Taylor is screamming for mommy so I must run and will try to update this later today.

We're going swimming tomorrow!!!!

http://www.uvac-swim.org/