Madison Sanders Writes

Well, lots of things have happened since my last post! I had a new nephew who came into the world November 14, 2013 weighing a whopping nine pounds with a head FULL of black hair! He seriously looks like a little baby doll. I turned 24! Here are a few memories from that night: When Eli and I blew out the candles on the cookie cake, Mason said, "Turn it back on!" He hasn't understood that candles are lit, but it was so cute. Before we ate, Mason went from 0 to 60 when his best friend and cousin, Keller, came in our Memaw's house. He ran down the hallway and back, and I would try to catch him. If I did, I said, "I got you!" and he would excitedly run back to do it all over again. If I missed him, he said, "I got me!" and touched his back with those pudgy little toddler fingers. Later, he found a quarter underneath the table. "I found mondey(money)! My mom asked him what he was going to buy with it, and without a moment'

It's been six weeks since my surgery. I didn't feel like writing, but I want to remember each phase. Weeks four and five were a little rough as I had some muscle cramps in my foot. Muscle relaxers solved that problem, though. I now have the cast off. I was able to take a shower for the first time in six weeks! I wasn't sure how to feel! I have traded in the cast for a walking boot. Yes, that means Dr. Brosky cleared me to start putting some weight on it. I was tired after walking to and from my shower. It was only about ten steps, but my muscles haven't been used to putting any weight on that foot since the foot issues first began. I am doing good. I am able to go back to church for the entire service now. I just have to remember to take my muscle relaxers and that it is okay to take pain meds! I only take medicine if absolutely needed. I wasn't expecting the muscle in my left leg that was transferred to help my knee bend better (by Dr. Griffin in 2

Today I am three weeks post-op. I am honestly happy that I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday so I can get out of the house. I tried to go to church on Sunday night, making sure to elevate my leg in the car and in the service. It was hard to restrain myself during the worship. My wheelchair was rocking - literally. Even though the brakes were on. I was so happy to be back for a service! I had to say to myself, "Madison, you have GOT to calm down." So, clapping in a restrained manner would have to suffice for the evening. Everything went well until about 5:30 a.m. My left leg was throbbing and the medication was taken to no avail. I woke my mom up and iced it for a little over forty minutes. Finally, sweet relief. But, this was coupled with frustration and disappointment that I wasn't quite ready to be doing much...even if that something was just a little something in the grand scheme of things. Couple these feelings with an overdose of Food Network's "

It's been two weeks since my surgery, and I'm doing good. My doctor is pleased so I am very happy that things are healing well and there are no signs of infection. I have four more weeks of no weight bearing on my left foot.  I thought I would share some pictures my mom took on my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. WARNING: If you have a squeamish stomach, you will probably want to stop reading now.  I'm sharing these images in the hopes of showing every side of my recovery. It's raw, real, and unedited. The yellow color on my feet and toes is the cleaning solution used on my wounds when I go to the doctor. I am limited to sponge baths right now because the cast can't get wet. This last picture shows two small incisions on my heel where the Achilles tendon was lengthened. 

Well, it's been eight days since I've had a fusion of the metatarsal joint of my left big toe and lengthening of my Achilles tendon. It was done on September 27, 2013. This is my sixth major surgery, not including a biopsy I had done. You can find out more about my surgeries here . I've had lots of surgeries, just never any on my feet. This is uncharted territory for me, but I am up for the challenge because I want to be able to walk again and not have to use the wheelchair as I've said in previous posts. I'm doing pretty well. I just can't put any weight on my left foot for six weeks. The first two nights home were rough because I am used to transferring from my bed to my wheelchair with no help. Since my left leg must be elevated, my mom has had to help me more. That has been an adjustment. :) The first post-op visit with my doctor showed that my foot looked great. I usually have never taken many pictures before or after my surgeries as I have gotten ol

Dear Comcast, This is yet another time I am having to email you about a particular situation that has yet to be addressed. EVERY single time it rains, our Internet goes out. I have emailed and contacted twice this year Farrah Lively from your corporate office in New York who has promised to get someone to my road to fix this ongoing problem. I've also emailed someone from Augusta, GA that works for Comcast who took my information, but nothing happened.  Our Internet went out again today. A man who works for you by the name of Leonard was nice enough to come out and fix the problem yet again . As we suspected the amp up the road just poured water when he opened it up. He said he knows this is will be the second time he has asked the maintenance techs at the Hartwell, GA location to fix it and they won't. He said, "I'll ask 'till I'm blue in the face, but I can't make them fix it." After emailing various people and getting foreign people WHEN they ac

Spinning, spinning, spinning Mind is going in so many directions, trying to find somewhere to land Do this, do that In the midst, I seem to lose myself in the busyness The busyness of living...of doing How do I adjust to the quietness? The seemingly monotonous routine I realize in a moment that I have never really learned to rest Rest my mind, my body Turn off the switch that so often screams for me to do It's okay to just take time to rest Reenergize my thoughts Fire up those creative pistons that have laid dormant, squashed by things Now, I sit in the quiet, praying Talking with my Father Taking time to listen, really listen Not rushed by the clock and impending sunrise Now I wake up, look around my room and give myself a chance to wake up After eating breakfast, I assume my usual position in my comfy lift chair and sometimes a good book Sitting, savoring, being Although I've entered a new phase void of papers and tests, My

Okay, I'm going to be really honest. If you read this, that's wonderful. I'm writing this more for myself so I don't forget how far I've come. I've had a tough, tough few days. I walked twice last week, and my feet have given me fits since then. They are better this morning, but it has been hard. I've had to take more of my pain medication than I would like. That bothers me. But, I refuse to let pain get the best of me. Last week, I was able to get up a play with my nephew, yesterday I had to play with him from my bed. What I love about my nephew is he comes and finds me if I'm not in the living room. Just hearing the pitter patter of those little feet brightens my day. For a few weeks, I allowed myself to get consumed about future plans for my magazine, and I felt like I really wasn't accomplishing anything during the day. Those negative thoughts from the enemy began to creep in and really affect me. I even told my mom that even though I was

Image credit: Injection Needle Macro 2 ©  Michaela Kobyakov I haven't forgotten about my blog! I've just been busy going to doctor's appointments. I know I'm going to have to have surgery on my foot that's been giving me problems, I'm just not sure what kind or when. I go back to the doctor on July 31st to set up a game plan. My doctor did give me a cortisone shot in my toe joint to help with swelling on June 24th. It's helped some. I was able to find a pair of red shoes that actually fit my feet AND Dr. Brosky, who is excellent and I can't say enough good things about him, released me to start walking again with my walker as I can. YAY!!!! I'm taking it slow, but it's going well. I have been relaxing but also exploring my options when it comes to printing my magazine. Right now, it seems like the best bet might be to buy a commercial printer and assemble my own. We'll see. I also have plans to make FOCUS magazine available

Hey, everyone! Now that finals and the big presentation of my senior project (FOCUS Magazine) is over, I finally have a chance to blog. I graduate tomorrow!!! Wow. It's kind of surreal. I remember the first two years being very hard physically and emotionally. With God's help and a supportive family who were willing to rearrange their schedules to take me to school, I made it! I'm graduating fourth in my class with a 3.97 GPA! Lots of blood, sweat, and tears went into this degree. The feedback I have gotten from my magazine has been absolutely AMAZING! People are already wanting to order more copies! If anyone of my blog friends would like a copy, just email me. They will be about $7-8 each, depending on how many are ordered. It's 12 pages of inspirational stories of men and women who have refused to let a disability stop them! I couldn't be more proud of the final product. After all of that work, I'm going to take a break. I have an upcoming

You know sometimes you come across a story that just knocks you flat and puts things in perspective. That happened to me a few weeks ago when I came across Summer's Story . I went back on her blog last night and to read about what she is dealing with, how she's often in so much pain she can't even walk, hard to access ports, and dumbfounding the medical community while raising a beautiful daughter, all I can say is wow!  Then again this week after my mom shared Katie Dama Jaskolski's story. Please take time to watch the video about her life. It is nothing short of AMAZING!  I have to be honest and say for the past few weeks I have been focusing more than normal on the pain in my foot. When I should have been praising God and not focusing on what I felt like, I was doing the opposite. After reading these stories, I went to bed last night saying, "I'm blessed!" Yes, I have to deal with pain and not able to do everything I want to right now. But,

Well, I've not been absent from life. I've just been dealing with it. L.I.F.E. L iving I n spite o F E verything. Yep, I just made that up!  Each day as I get up, I remind myself that I will not quit. I will not give up. God's grace has gotten me too far to turn back now. But, every day isn't easy. This past week was hard, exhilarating, exhausting, and challenging all in one. I'm done with the necessary interviews for my disability magazine. I'm going to do at least one more story, though for good measure. This has been one of the most rewarding things I've done so far, and I can't wait to share it with you! I had to deal with sinuses and foot issues and even had to cut one of my classes short and come home, which I hated to have to do, but it was necessary.  What I haven't shared publicly is that I am going to have to have a surgery in June, right after my college graduation because my left big toe is going up under my foot making me re

PrintingRay is a USA based online company that provides cheap custom stickers printing and folder printing of best quality. They were gracious enough to offer one person the chance to win a cust om design of their choice! You can choose from the following things:   Free Facebook Cover and Display Picture   Twitter Background   Free Picture and logo for your blog... or for anything else you can think of! Just leave me a comment telling me something interesting about you along with your email address so I can contact the winner! This is mandatory. This giveaway will run until March 5, 2013! After you are contacted, PrintingRay will have your design ready within 3 to 4 days and send it via email. All other entries are optional like following PrintingRay on Facebook, tweeting about the giveway, following me on Facebook or my blog. Have fun and share this with your friends! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have now completed my internship with Tannenbaum Publishing Company, which was nothing short of AMAZING! I am excited to announce that a manuscript I have   been working with is now a published ebook on Amazon!  Tigger - Memoirs of a Cosmopolitan Cat is the fictional autobiography of a cat and his human family. Based on a true story, it takes the reader from Perth in Western Australia, Tigger’s birthplace where he joins his family, to Maryland in the United States of America. We are all familiar with human responses to change; but what about the animal's perspective? What are the challenges for a cat in a new and unfamiliar environment? What matters to him, and how does he adjust? Tigger lets the reader follow him as he explores nameless flora and fauna, mysterious smells and undreamt-of hunting opportunities. He meets neighbourhood pets, escapes from sticky situations and copes with the surprises of a first snowfall. In the background of the story, the humans have

Several months ago - and I mean several - Zachary asked me if I'd like to review his book. I enthusiastically said yes, and then life got in the way. Zachary, thank you for your patience! Off-Balanced is a biography of Zachary Fennell's   life as a teenager with CP. That's cerebral palsy for those who don't know. It tells of his struggles with girls, friends,driving, and life with a well-meaning but overprotective mother and a hard-working father he rarely sees. Staying home on Friday nights was the norm because he didn't have the greatest self-esteem like some who can joke about their disability. Zach lives life in somewhat of a shell...until meeting Chase and Randy. Even then, he let his disability overpower him and shrank back from conversations. This caused people not to ask him much of anything. If asked how he was doing by a classmate, "Okay" was his standard, unenthusiastic reply. As time passes, he begins to lighten up and