Amazon Smile, social media, and email alerts

I have to admit, I love shopping on Amazon.  I have always had great service and my products arrive quickly (usually).  It is great when I have gifts to send to Alaska....shipping there is very expensive.  Well, I recently learned about something cool.  AMAZON SMILE.  They donate to a charitable organization of your choice.  It is not very much (.5%) but I figure every little bit helps.  So, guess what, you can set your Amazon account to donate to the 5P society (Annika's disorder).  If it is a site you use, I just thought I would pass this on in case someone else might be interested.  I just Googled Amazon Smile and there I was able to type in my organization (5P society Lakewood, CA).  Now each time I go to Amazon to order - which is often - I make sure it says Amazon Smile in the upper left corner and I can help out a little.  Every little bit helps to get the word about about this syndrome.  Lack of education is one of the biggest problems.

Not that educating people helps our kids, they are who God created them to be, but it may help other kids who need to be diagnosed.  We were very lucky with Annika because we have known since she was about a month old.  Many kids are 2, 3, 4 and even older before they even find out.  There is a lot of misinformation out there about 5p- and many doctors don't even suggest to parents to have their kids tested.  So they are left with a guessing game for years trying to figure out how to help their child meet their potential.  We are lucky that Annika has been receiving services since she was about 5 months old and we are already seeing amazing things from her.  So, you can see why education is so important.  We want 5p- to be as known as down syndrome; that people know what signs to look for and can get help for their kids right away.  Plus, many doctors are giving parents antiquated information and the picture is grim.  I have learned one thing from Facebook....it is great if you have a child with a rare disorder.

It makes you feel a connection that is so important.  Once we received Annika's diagnosis I reached out to parents on this Facebook page and found parents right here in NM with in a couple of hours.  It was amazing how excited this made me feel.  All of a sudden I wasn't alone.  (I know I had and have tons of people who support and love us).  But I had a connection to people who were going through the same things as me.  I have had the opportunity to reach out to other parents when I have questions, I celebrate successes with them, and I have made friends as close as ABQ that I am able to call when I have questions and need support.  I never thought I would say social media is awesome, but it is so amazing.  I received more information from Facebook than I ever did from a doctor.  Parents know more than the doctors do.  The information in the books and web site are useless and discouraging.  There is information telling parents that there kids will never walk, talk or be able to learn.  What horrible words to hear about your child that you love no matter what.  Well guess what, through Facebook I have seen kids who can talk, walk, run races, ride bikes, read flash cards, go to prom, and smile and laugh in a way that melts your heart.  So, one point for social media.

Ok, one more thing.  I figured out how to put a choice on my blog where you can sign up for email alerts.  I used to send an email when I made updates but I don't want to bother people who are not interested (which is totally fine).  So, if you would like to follow our crazy life and maybe pass some of this info on to someone else who it might help, please sign up for email alerts.  I think it works.  I tried to sign myself up so we will see what happens.