Month: April 2010

Best day Yet!

April 27, 2010
I’m very happy to report that today was the best day I’ve had since the CCSVI surgery.  Yesterday, on the other hand, was one of the worst.  Mind you, I only slept a couple hours a couple nights ago, so that didn’t help things.  I had to go home early yesterday because I just couldn’t stay awake at work.  I felt so drugged.  I’m still having a couple of other side effects from the Plavix (blood thinner), which I was allowed to discontinue as of Monday.  I guess it’s going to take a few more days to get the rest of it out of my system.  Fortunately, I slept well last night and woke up feeling somewhat refreshed.  My fatigue barely increased throughout the day.  Cognitively, I had no issues either…well, besides my usual cognitive issues…but they’re fun and entertaining!

I really hope the weather is as clear as they’re predicting for Saturday.  I also hope I feel as good as I feel today!  The Hamilton Aviation Expo and Air Show is this weekend.  I wasn’t able to fly in last year due to the icky weather.  I did fly in the year before that, though. 

Today’s symptoms: Felt great!  A little tired, but MUCH better than I felt over the last few weeks.  Here’s hoping that things stay this way!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/27/2011 6:59 PM

Elizafix

April 26, 2010

Is it only Monday?  It feels like Friday….you know it’s a long day when…

I was speaking with my friend at work this morning. She was facing a window behind me.  She suddenly looked shocked and said “Oh my gosh!  A man just walked by the window!  All I saw were his legs!”  They are resurfacing the outside of our building, so there is scaffolding up.  The guy was obviously walking on the scaffolding.  I put my hand on her shoulder and said “Just think, this is what my short little mother sees everyday!  Unless she looks up, all she sees is legs!”  Tee Hee!

Not too much happened this weekend.  It was basically what I mentioned in my previous blog entry – cleaned the carpets and studied for a test.  However, there was one interesting little tidbit, which may lead to a very short-lived new blog segment.  It’s a new handy-man section I would like to try out.  Mind you, I can’t see it lasting too long.  Anyway, Chuck let me know that the door handle on the closet snapped in two.  I took it upon myself to investigate and ended up breaking it in another spot in the process.  Chuck wrote up the work order to bring to the superintendent, while I began to Elizafix the handle.  I found a small, curved brush that no one was using, and came up with the perfect solution:

Not only is it a functional door handle, but it’s also a nail cleaner!  Talk about multi-tasking!

I decided to tell Abby about my professional handy-man skills, which allowed me to Elizafix the door.  This was her response (even the lamb wasn’t amused):

Today’s symptoms: Not feeling too bad.  My jaw was hurting a little more than usual and a bit of a headache.  Still, the fatigue was better than it’s been over the last few weeks.  Yea!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/26/2010 8:07 PM

Booster Seat

April 24, 2010
Great news – I was feeling pretty good today and the weather was decent.  My mother met me at the apartment and we headed over to the airport.  We decided to go to the Brantford Airport for some coffee and toast.  Little Jan typically can’t see over the dash, so I used both of my cushions on her seat.  The extra six inches seemed to do the trick!  I figured the cushions would be lighter than the seven phone books she usually sits on, so it all worked.

I forgot to take a picture of my “I Have MS. That’s Why I FLY” sign that I received from the Walk for MS last week.  Jan was kind enough to snap this shot:

I snapped this pic while flying over the Hamilton Airport:

I only heard a few small planes flying around there today.  Soon after clearing their zone, we arrived at the Brantford Airport:

As usual, Vyctor looked as cute as ever while he was parked.  He’s usually very coordinated with the wind socks:

Jan and I decided to be rebels and indulge in some pancakes while at the airport restaurant.  Yum!

We took a slightly different route on the way home, heading South then East along the Lake Erie shoreline.  Jan took a few pics on the way.  Here’s Grand River, just South of Hamilton:

I also took her over that old, abandoned light house just around the Dunnville area.  I snapped some pictures for a previous blog post.  Here’s Jan’s shot:

It was a nice flight and we arrived back home before 3:00:

Does anyone need any slightly used phone books?  I now have around seven that I don’t need anymore.

Today’s symptoms: Felt much better today than yesterday.  No headache, no body aches and I didn’t start to feel fatigued until this evening.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/24/2011 7:13 PM

Jersey Boys

April 24, 2010

It’s been a few days since my last blog entry.  Reason – nothing exciting has happened over the last week!  Blah!  At least today was a little better.  Chuck, Jan and I went to Shea’s Performing Arts in Buffalo to see Jersey Boys .  Chuck and I watched it in Toronto a few months ago.  I’m really not sure which performance I enjoyed more.  They were both great!  We had pretty good seats too.

We had an interesting drive back, especially when we got to the Peace Bridge.  Just as we arrived at the rather long line for customs, the supervisor walked out close to our car, and start directing cars into the two far left lanes.  People were scrambling to get up to the newly opened lanes, causing a fair bit of yelling from frustrated drivers and the supervisor.  Man, people are so impatient anymore!  At least it was amusing for the people (like us) who were in no real rush.  It was also amusing when we got up to the pay booth.  Chuck asked the guy if the charge would go through on his Nexus card.  The guy was clearly in a rather giddy mood and told us that the charge would not go through Nexus on this bridge “never, never, never, NEVER, NEVER…..”  He must have said “never” a dozen times!  At least he knows how to make his job interesting.

I don’t have too much planned for tomorrow other than studying for some tests for work…just try to control your jealousy.  I was hoping to go for a flight, but the weather isn’t looking too good.  Oh, I plan on cleaning the carpets too.  Again, control your jealousy!

Today’s symptoms: Feeling quite fatigued and weak again.  I seem to be having a hard time climbing out of this rut I’ve been in lately.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/24/2010 8:27 PM

Refridgercats

April 22, 2010
I officially have two of the naughtiest cats ever!  Check out what Pinky and Boo were up to yesterday:

Speaking of naughty, I could say the same thing for the upcoming weather.  What’s up with this crap-o-la???

Seriously?  It’s a long weekend.  I’m finally starting to feel better and plan on feeling even better tomorrow.  Would it kill the cloudage to just go annoy someone else for the next few days?  My plane misses me!  He just had his starter solenoid replaced and he would really like to give it a try!  Geesh!

Anyway, that’s my gripe for the day.  Hopefully I’ll go for a joyous flight tomorrow and be able to share wonderful flighty-photos from the Niagara Region on tomorrow’s blog.  Stay tuned!

Today’s symptoms: Still feeling a bit more tired than normal, but not as bad as yesterday.  I started reducing my dose of the blood thinner Plavix today, thus the decrease in tiredness.  I reckon that after a good night sleep, I’ll wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow.  Oh, my hairless cats will be SO jealous!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/22/2011 6:52 PM

Blog Issues

April 21, 2010
I posted a blog a couple days ago and it didn’t get sent out to my subscribers.  Sorry about that.  I unpublished it and republished it a couple of times, but nadda!  Let’s hope today’s is a little more successful.

I’ve been quite concerned since having my CCSVI procedure that I wasn’t feeling nearly as well as I hoped.  I had a few good days, but I’ve been in bed more than ever, due to severe tiredness.  It wasn’t the same as the MS fatigue.  Usually when I’m completely exhausted from the MS, I still can’t fall asleep (weird, eh?)  With this tiredness, I feel completely knackered and very drugged.  I had my blood work repeated which showed my white blood cell count was still elevated.  I assumed this was an infection.  I went to my doctor this morning and she said that there really wasn’t anything she could give me because even if I had an infection, we didn’t know if it was bacterial or viral.  I was so bummed after I left her office, thinking that this is the way I’m going to feel from now on.  I went home and slept for a few hours.  When I got up, I called the clinic in Florida where I had the CCSVI surgery done.  I told her my symptoms and she said it was very odd (kinda like me!)  She then mentioned the Plavix (blood thinner I’ve been on since the day of the surgery.)  We both looked up the side-effects on line and I was shocked at how many I was experiencing:  bruising, itching, diarrhea (oh joy!), tightness in chest and EXTREME TIREDNESS.  I’m so hopeful that this is why I’m experiencing this.  The nurse at the clinic suggested I take one pill every other day rather than one each day, for the next two weeks.  Keep your paws crossed!!!

Speaking of paws, the new kitties are slowly getting integrated with our other two rascals.  There is still a lot of growling and hissing from the new ones, but they’re wandering around more now.  Mya and Abby weren’t too concerned with them out in the other room:

Pinky found herself a nice new hiding spot:

Meanwhile, Boo was being naughty again in the kitchen.  I reminded her that counters are kitty-free zones:

She’s lucky she’s so cute or she would have been in big trouble!

Today’s symptoms:  Very relieved that this horrible exhaustion I’ve been experiencing for two weeks now may just be due to the medication.  My hope has been fully restored!  I had to leave work early yesterday because I was falling asleep at my desk.  I didn’t feel much better today.  Hopefully once I start reducing the dose of the Plavix, the tiredness will be a thing of the past.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/21/2011 7:04 PM

Yesterday’s Blog – Oops!

April 19, 2010

Even though we’re more than half way through April, it snowed for a few hours today.  How rude is that?  Tomorrow is supposed to be only a few degrees above zero, then it’s going to shoot up to 17 degrees on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, it’s going to be raining all day.

I’m hoping for some decent weather during the long Easter weekend.  I would really like to fly somewhere exciting (perhaps a little further than Welland).  I think there is a nice restaurant at the London Airport….hmmm….

Last week during the Marcel Dionne and Lizzy McFly event, I was interviewed by Mike from Niagara TV.  He did a really nice job.  You can check out the interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bijU0OcDWO8&feature=channel_video_title

 OK, so there is my blog from yesterday that I was too tired to post.  As for today, I had a really productive day at work.  I felt pretty good too!  I’m still doing fairly well with the MS fatigue – it’s getting a bit better each day.  I think I mentioned that I had some blood work done before my CCSVI surgery, and it showed an elevated white blood cell count.  I had it repeated last week as per my neurologist’s request.  He asked that I stop the monthly IV infusions of Tysabri until we get this issue figured out.  I found out today that my white blood cell count is still elevated.  This means that the Tysabri is still on hold.  On a bright note, the fact that I have an infection (somewhere!) may be contributing to my tiredness.  I’m waiting for a call back from the neurologist’s office to see where we’re going from here.

People at my office are starting to comment about my increased energy, mainly because it has lead to an increase in silliness.  They’re finding it quite entertaining!

Today’s symptoms: I became fairly tired by around noon today, and it fluctuated throughout the afternoon.  It’s leveled off quite a bit this evening.  My jaw was really hurting today for some reason.  The jaw pain has been more than tolerable for more than a month now.  Hmmmm…..

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/19/2011 7:23 PM

MS Walk/Fly

April 18, 2010

The MS Walk was today and fortunately, the weather was good enough to fly over the Walk!  The Walk was to start at 9:00, so I made sure I was airborne by 8:40.  I headed over to Port Dalhousie and waited for a call from Chuck to let me know the Walk was underway.  There was a huge group of people standing together when I arrived.  After about 15 minutes of flying around, I figured the Walk would start any second.  I did a descent of about 500 feet, just to increase the sound of my engine and alert everyone to my presence.  As I later found out, I did this immediately after the MC announced that “Lizzy McFly would be flying over the Walk route for the third year in a row!”  Pure luck that my timing of the “dive” was right after he said that. 

 

Here is a picture of the group just before they started the Walk:

Chuck also took some pics on the ground of my plane:

I was always pretty good at “Where’s Waldo?” and was able to quickly spot Chuck and Jan in this picture:

Here’s a shot soon after the Walk started:

After flying over to Welland, I headed back to St. Catharines for a landing.  I decided to meet up with Jan and Chuck in Port Dalhousie.  I was greeted by a few people.  Many asked me if I could see them waving!

It was a great day and I’m looking forward to hearing how much money Niagara raised for MS!

Today’s symptoms: Feeling great in the morning, then a little weary in the afternoon.  Not too much else to report!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/18/2010 7:51 PM

MS Walk

April 17, 2010
We’ve been watching the weather for today all week.  Every year, the Walk for MS seems to be on the poopiest weather day ever!  Sure enough, el yuck-o today.  I phoned Flight Service in London for a weather briefing.  The good news was that I had enough clearance from the clouds to fly.  The bad news was that it was extremely windy.  The gusts were up to 40 knots.  Fortunately, the winds were heading right down one of the runways at the St. Catharines Airport, so I didn’t have to worry about cross-wind landings.  Still, it was very windy and gusty. 

I arrived at the airport for 8:00.  My plane was plugged in overnight, so my oil was nice and warm and ready to flow.  We pulled the plane out (actually, it just blew out of the hangar) and I climbed in to crank him up.  When I turned the key – nothing.  Not even a whimper from the engine.  I tried a few times and the same result.  I turned on a few electronics to see if I had any juice in the battery.  Everything worked fine.  I was starting to panic a bit because I had less than half an hour before the Walk started.  A pilot from the Flying Club came out to investigate.  He assumed it was the battery.  We tried to hand-prop the plane, but it wouldn’t catch.  We then pushed it back into the hangar and hooked the battery up to a charger.  After a few minutes, back out into the wind we went and I tried to start it again – nothing.  The Walk has pretty much started now.  The pilot attempted to hand-prop a bunch more times.  I felt so bad for him because it’s quite a bit of work plus it’s rather dangerous.  I almost flew out of my seat when the engine finally caught.  I yelled “I love you, man!” and headed further out on the apron to do my run-up and call the Tower. I was reminded of how insane the winds were as I headed out to the runway.  I couldn’t believe how fast I took off.  It seems like a couple of seconds before the plane was just sucked into the air.  I’ve never seen the runway get so small so fast.  I zipped over to the Walk site and called Chuck.  He said that were walking/blowing along the canal.  I was thrilled to see the clouds were gone over the Walk site.  This meant I was able to do some aerobatics on the Airport side of the canal.  After performing the mini air show, I headed over to the Walk site in Welland.  I only saw a small group of Walkers:

I couldn’t get any decent shots due to the crazy wind.  On the way back to St. Catharines, I hit such a huge gust that my butt left my seat and my GPS antenna went flying to the roof!  I was starting to think of my joyous landing I now had to make.  The winds were still right down the runway, which made things a little less stressful.  I was very happy with how it went, although it was quite the struggle!  After landing, I said to the Tower “Wow, did you see that!”  He replied “We thought you just stopped the plane and set it down on the runway.”  The head wind was so strong that it must have looked like I was hardly moving forward at all.  I was very happy to be back on the ground – I don’t think I’ve ever thought that before.

I drove over to the Walk site and met up with Jan and Chuck.  We stayed for a bit, then headed over to Bailiff Auction to check out his stuff.  I decided to drive one of their kid cars they have for sale:

I drove this one around the inside of the building when I was there yesterday.  Yes, I’m really mature.

Check this out, those little white dots aren’t flecks of cat dander, it’s snow!

Today’s symptoms: I was a little tired from not sleeping too well last night, but no serious fatigue today!  And no headache!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/17/2011 4:40 PM

Ewww

April 17, 2010

Tomorrow is the big day – the MS Walk!  The weather is looking very iffy right now, as it is every year for the Walk.  The MS Society really needs to arrange things with Environment Canada a little better so there is sun!  Jan came to St. Catharines today and we dropped off my pledges.  As of today, I have raised over $7000!  Yea!  That more than doubles my initial goal.  I received some more pledges today after I dropped off the first batch, so Chuck and Jan will be submitting them tomorrow before the Walk.  They will be doing the Port Dalhousie route this year.  This is also the first place I will fly over, then to Chippawa, then Welland and back to Port Dalhousie.  When we get back from the Walk, Chuck and I will be doing the draws for the winners of the flights (everyone who donated at the Marcel Dionne MS fundraiser as well as a few people who brought in completed pledge sheets.)  I’m sure I will have some good pictures to share on my blog tomorrow!To change the topic, I would like to promote a new product that I just tried.  It’s called Bissell Ewww Dog Stain and Odor Remover .  Wow!  It works wonders on cat poopies on the carpet!  For some reason, Abby likes to poop on the floor a few times a month.  I think she has psychological issues.  Anyway, she did a dilly on the floor this morning and I used my Bissell Ewww….the carpet was like new after!  It was on sale at PetSmart last week.  I may go back soon and stock up!

Speaking of kitties, here is one of bug eyed Abby:

Today’s symptoms: Feel better today than I have in the last week.  I plan on getting a good sleep tonight so I’m well rested for the flight tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/17/2010 8:35 PM

Quick Check In…

April 16, 2010
I had a great day today.  I slept fairly well last night and work up feeling somewhat refreshed.  Chuck and I drove to the North side of the city and handed in my pledges for the Walk for MS.  The Walk is tomorrow morning.  As of this morning, it was supposed to be partially cloudy with no precipitation for tomorrow.  Now they’re saying rain and snow!  What the heck is up with that?  It’s so rude!  I won’t be able to fly and everyone walking will be all cold and wet.  This bites!  Let’s keep our paws crossed that things will change by then.

After we dropped off my pledges, we went over to his auction.  We ended up buying a really nice pedestal table, a winter scene print for my little mother and some great purses.  Afterwards, we did some grocery shopping then headed home.  The day seemed to go on forever, which is really nice for a Saturday!

As I mentioned, the Walk is tomorrow and I’m hoping for decent weather so I can fly over the Walk sites in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland.  Hopefully I’ll be able to go and take some joyous pictures of the event.

Today’s symptoms:  This was probably the best day I’ve had since the CCSVI surgery.  I was only a bit tired by the afternoon and haven’t even had to lay down and rest yet today!  Things are looking up!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/16/2011 8:20 PM

Marcel Dionne Event – A Success!

April 14, 2010
We had the Marcel Dionne and Walk for MS event last night.  When Jan and I first drove up to his store, we were really surprised at the size of their new restaurant, which just opened a few weeks ago.  I certainly didn’t expect it to be that big!  I think they’re going to do very well with it.  Jan and I are hoping to go back in a week or so to try their Friday night fish and chips!

Everything was set up beautifully in Marcel’s store.  Marcel, his family and staff yet again did an amazing job.  They provided great food, drinks and company.  I was really happy to see so many people come by that I know.  A few people from work showed up as well.  Someone I met at the event last year just had the CCSVI surgery a few months ago.  I couldn’t believe how well he looked and that he was moving around unaided.  He said that his progress has been slow and steady.  Like me, he didn’t go into the surgery expecting to jump off the surgery table completely symptom-free.  He is walking well, his vision has improved, he has feeling in his finger tips, and also isn’t as fatigued.  The lessening of the fatigue is certainly what I am hoping for the most. 

Part way through the evening, Marcel made a wonderful speech.  I was also asked to come up and say a few words.  At the end, I became very emotional, mainly from all of the support that surrounded me. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures last night.  Someone (I won’t mention any names, but his name rhymes with Hames), took quite a few so I’ll have to bum them from him sometime.  Chuck did take this one photo of me, expressing what I thought of the night:

It was my day off today, but I didn’t really feel like doing too much.  I received a call from my neurologist yesterday, saying he wants me to go off of my monthly Tysabri infusions until I have my blood work rechecked.  I had it done last month and my white blood cell count was a little elevated.  I managed to drag my butt over to the lab and get the blood drawn this afternoon.  Hopefully the levels will be back to normal.  Mind you, maybe I have an infection which is causing me to be more tired than normal (more tired than fatigued).

Today’s symptoms: Just tired again!  I also realized yesterday that I have not had a headache since the surgery.  I used to have a headache every day for over ten years!  Yea!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/14/2011 7:24 PM

To Bee Or Not To Bee

April 13, 2010

I was starting to think that I didn’t have too much to tell y’all from the last few days.  Not too much excitement in my life.  I’ve been home for the last day and a half, due to worse than normal weakness and fatigue.  I’m hoping tomorrow isn’t the same.  Anyway, I felt like such a useless lump, since I wasn’t even able to read or concentrate on anything while in bed today.  That all changed when I opened the door to the balcony.  Abby ran out, followed by Mya.  I almost had a heart attack when I noticed Abby run up to a great big bee.  I tried to reach her before she got to the bee, but I didn’t make it.  She put her face up to it and quickly jerked her head back.  I knew she was stung.  She ran in the apartment and I quickly grabbed Mya and ran after her, closing the balcony door behind me.  Abby ran under the bed.  It took me over five minutes, but I finally got her out. Her upper lip was so swollen!  I grabbed a blanket, wrapped her up, got my purse and keys and left the apartment.  Fortunately, the vet’s office is only about a block away.  Considering how weak I’ve been, I’m surprised I was able to run most of the way.  They took her in right away and gave her a steroid shot.  The swelling went down within minutes.  We were there for about an hour, before calmly walking back home.  I think I should change the spelling of her name to Abee!

 

I took a picture of the bee…I should have taken one of Abby’s swollen, cute, little face, but that wasn’t my concern at the time:

As you can see, she’s back to her cute, googly self!

Today’s symptoms: Very weak and fatigued.  Blah.  I hope it’s better tomorrow!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/13/2010 5:50 PM

Marcel Dionne/Walk for MS Event Tomorrow!

April 12, 2010
I’ll start off with my day yesterday – it was not good.  I hardly slept the night before and woke up very weak and fatigued.  Still, I went into work and had a fairly productive day.  However, around 1:00, I started to go downhill fast.  My friend was leaving at 3:00 and offered me a ride home.  I was so appreciative and took her up on her offer.  I was able to rest for a few hours before heading to my Recreational Aircraft Association meeting at 7:00.  Fortunately, I was able to hide how I felt and, as usual, had a great time at the meeting.  Our guest speaker was amazing.  Her name is Hayley Shephard and she has been around the globe on many excursions, typically via kayak.  Check out her website here!  Her presentation was great and everyone in the room really enjoyed the evening.

After my somewhat long day yesterday, I took a full sleeping pill when I got home.  I was dead asleep when my alarm went off.  I did not feel rested at all.  Still, I got ready, dressed, and headed out the door.  Before stepping into the hall, I decided to go back to bed.  I laid in the bed, fully clothed and with my office security tags on, and dozed for a few minutes.  Then I called my supervisor and said I wouldn’t be there this morning, changed my voicemail message, then fell asleep.  I slept until after 11:00!!  Man, I REALLY needed that extra sleep.  I feel so much better now. 

Tomorrow is a really big day for us.  Hockey Legend Marcel Dionne and I are teaming up to raise money for the Walk for MS.

We had a great turnout last year and we’re certainly hoping for the same this year.  I am so grateful to Marcel and his family for doing this for us again!  There will be a draw for three separate flights with me around Niagara, for those who pledge me.  Come on down tomorrow!  Not only will you get to meet Marcel and McFly, but you’ll also get to meet my little mother, Jan!

Today’s symptoms:  Much of the day was spent unconscious, which I think started me on my path towards feeling great from the surgery.  No pain or aches so far today.  I’m also not feeling any MS fatigue since my looooong sleep.

 
Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/12/2011 7:01 PM

A Piece of My Past

April 10, 2010
Geesh, I totally forgot to blog tonight!  I was hoping to yesterday as well, but I spent the day in bed.  My fatigue was back in full force – blah!  Today was a bit better, but the MS fatigue was still there.  I’m not getting nervous yet.  I’m not going to start telling myself that the CCSVI surgery didn’t work for me – it’s way too early for that!  I’m just going to take things day by day.  I did try to motivate my blood flowage with my mind today.  I used visualization techniques and even recited a little cheer a few times.  It went a little something like this:  Two, Four, Six, Eight, Who do I appreciate?  My veins!  My veins!  Yea, my veins!  I pretended to have pom-poms and waved my arms around too.  I got a lot of weird looks from people in the mall….I also noticed that my mother pumped her short little legs and got as far away from me as possible.  I just yelled “It’s medicinal!”

For many years, I figured I just became weirder as I progressed into adulthood.  Surely, I must have had a “normal” childhood.  Well, that thought was demolished when I found an old childhood toy at my mother’s.  I would like to introduce – Kendra:

My mother spent many pain-staking hours, carefully creating this wonderful dress for Barbie.  She gives it to me and what do I do?  That’s right – I stick it on Ken and rename him Kendra.  I guess I’ve been a little warped since day one.

Today’s symptoms: A bit fatigued but no aches or pains – that’s a good sign!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/10/2011 8:57 PM

Marcel Dionne MS Fundraiser

April 9, 2010

I think I had one of the best evenings of my life yesterday.  April 8th was the MS fundraiser at Marcel Dionne’s store in Niagara Falls.  I was blown away by the set up when my mother and I arrived around 5:00pm.  There were tables, lounging areas and a huge spread of food and wine.  Marcel Dionne and his family went above and beyond my expectations for this event.  The number of people that attended was equally amazing.  There were around 70 to 80 people!  It was a huge hit!  Everyone raved about the great food catered by Tony Roma’s which included ribs, chicken wings, breaded shrimp, ceasar salad and cole slaw.  There were also the plentiful sandwich, cheese, meat, fruit and veggie trays graciously brought in by Marcel and his wife Carol.  Again, I was completely shocked by their generosity.  Marcel and Carol also had a wonderful selection of wine and beer.  And when that wasn’t enough, they also had a wonderful singer there, performing all evening.  There’s more…..Rene Robert  (former Buffalo Sabre) and Steve Ludzik (former Chicago Blackhawk) were in attendance!

 

Chuck’s Office Manager donated many hours that evening, taking pledges at the door.  She was a wonderful greeter and I am so grateful for her time and efforts!  Some of the folks from Chuck’s office came in with filled pledge sheets and donations!  Also, some of his friends and business associates did the same – I couldn’t believe it!

Some of my friends from work and back home in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Fonthill also joined us at the event!

Marcel called everyone into the main room and made a wonderful speech about the event and some of the special guests.  He then handed the floor over to me to let everyone know why I was there and the true meaning of why we were holding the fundraiser.

The whole night was absolutely perfect and I can’t even put into words how much I appreciate everything Marcel, his family and staff and Chuck did for me and the MS Society.  Thank you so much!!!  Because of this event in conjunction with my previous fundraising efforts, I was able to exceed my goal of $3500!  I will post my final amount after the Walk for MS on April 18th!

Today’s symptoms:  I was a little more tired than usual today, due to all of the excitement last night.  Being tired has never been more worth it!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/9/2010 7:51 PM

Radio Ga-Ga

April 7, 2010
Perfect, wonderful day!  I had the honour of being on a few local radio stations today.  Hockey legend Marcel Dionne and I were invited to promote our Multiple Sclerosis fundraiser.  It takes place tomorrow (April 8th) at his store Marcel Dionne Inc., 4424 Montrose Rd., Niagara Falls, between 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.  We will have food donated and catered by Tony Roma’s (yummy!)  We both met at the radio station for 8:00am this morning, to speak with Jack and Lori at 105.7 ez rock .  They are both such a riot!  Actually, I arrived rather early just so I could enjoy their antics before Marcel and I went on.  They did such a wonderful job promoting our fundraising event, the Walk for MS (April 18th) and Marcel’s store!  If you like sports, you must visit his store – it’s HUGE!  5000 square feet!  Here’s a picture of the four of us after our on-air chat:
 

I think that’s an orb of kindness, floating above Jack’s head.

After 105.7, we were ushered down the hall to 610 CKTB for a chat with Tim Denis. Another great interview, promoting the MS fundraisers and Marcel’s store!  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a pic with Tim!  We were a little rushed to go next door to the 97.7 htzfm folks.  They all seemed to be hard core hockey fans, so I had the pleasure of sitting back and listening to some sportage-chat.  It was interesting to listen to some of Marcel’s history.  They also graciously promoted the MS events – it was greatly appreciated!  Really a great group:

I’m still smiling from my perfect day!

I can’t wait until the MS fundraiser tomorrow!

Today’s symptoms:  I still haven’t been sleeping well, so I was a tad groggy today.  I’ve had a pretty bad headache since about 3:00.  Perhaps I should take something for it…..hmmmmmm……

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/7/2010 5:45 PM

Elizaloop

April 2, 2010

What a perfect day.  I had an aerobatic lesson this morning.  We reviewed loops then rolls.  I was shown how to recover from a roll gone horribly wrong.  Kinda nice to know!  I’m glad I will now be able to practice rolls on my own.  I went up by myself yesterday and did about fifteen loops – at least now there will be a little more variety.  I’m hoping to go up again tomorrow to practice what I learned today.  I’ll have to start posting videos on my video page soon.

I think Chuck and I should have picked up groceries yesterday, rather than leave it for tomorrow.  I’m assuming the grocery stores and malls are going to be mad houses the day before Easter.  I will be preparing Easter dinner for my entire family this year.  Let’s see, there will be Chuck, my mother and I….yup, that’s it!

There was an amazing full moon out the other night.  I should have taken a picture at night but I did manage to snap this one in the morning:

Today’s symptoms: I hardly slept last night due to a headache and restless leg syndrome.  I felt fine this morning, but my energy took a dive around 2:00.  I’ve being in bed like a blonde blob ever since!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 4/2/2010 8:04 PM