Ella Loves School Thanks to a Community Effort
School has started. Ella loves school. She’s one of those kids that adore playing school over the summer just to keep it alive for herself. She’s now in the third grade and loves…
Five Servings of Strength
— Michael Casten
Michael is married and a father of three, one being a child with SMA Type II (born in June, 2011). He is an educator who has worked directly with children and their families since 1994. He loves his family, writing, working with his hands, and taking road trips. Michael holds a bachelor’s in psychology (1994) and a master’s in education (2001).
Featured Post
Ella Has Fun While Sheltering at Home
Ella, 10, the youngest of our three children, is thriving. She has friends from school, in the neighborhood, and online. She sings in a community choir, and occasionally plays with her siblings. Due to Ella’s disease,…
Read more
We’ve Come a Long Way Since Diagnosis Day
Aug. 12, 2011. One day after our fifth wedding anniversary. Ella’s D-Day — diagnosis day. No treatment. No cure. At the time, we suspected SMA as Ella’s…
Two New Sets of Wheels for Ella
Kids grow … and Ella’s right there along with them. Since her spine surgery, Ella has gained a bit more than 5 inches in her height. And every three months, she gets her spine…
Ella Makes a New Friend
It’s been a long summer. The kids have found things to keep them busy, but playdates for Ella have been few and far between. That is, until new neighbors moved in just down the…
Take Your Time in All Things
I stood in Home Depot watching an employee cut pieces of wood for me so I could build a foundation for the two sheds I’d just bought. He measured and cut, measured and cut. Once…
Ella Had a Lovely Time at MDA Camp
Ella and I sat at Dunkin’ Donuts, conversing about MDA Camp. (MDA is the Muscular Dystrophy Association.) She thoroughly enjoyed camp for all the wonderful activities she did, and especially for the people she…
Always Have a Backup
Always have a backup. For the first time in her life, Ella is attending Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Summer Camp. We had prepared for this adventure for weeks, reassuring her that she’ll…
Family Is Essential to Thriving in the Midst of Chronic Illness
Family is important. A supportive family, both immediate and extended, is so beneficial when raising a child with SMA. People often do not know how to help. While there is no set…
Best Friends Forever
Ella loves her friends. She loves going to school each day just to see them. She raves on and on about how helpful they are and how funny they are. She’s a very social…
Bonding with Bunny
Dogs are great. We have two of them. Potter and Ginny are Hungarian hunting dogs; the breed is known as Vizsla (vee-z-shla). Vizslas are extremely family-friendly. They are known as “Velcro Vizslas” because they stick…
Happy 8th Birthday, Ella
Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake. A Cabbage Patch doll. Brush-tipped markers and a slime kit. A diary and a special drinking glass (filled with Hershey’s Kisses). All the goodies Ella received on her 8th birthday.
Playground Swing Helps Vestibular System Development
Ella loves playgrounds despite being in a wheelchair hindering much of what she can do there. The area of the playground she has always gravitated toward is the swings. However, she has been restricted to…
