This past Friday was a very hard day for me, as well as many other people who had the chance to meet John. John was a five-year-old disabled boy that I had the honor of getting to know. My sister was John’s nanny for two and half years and during that time he became a part of my family. Although he was severely disabled he brought joy to everyone he touched! His smile, laughter and high-fives were just a few things that touched my heart. John was born with cerebral palsy along with multiple other disabilities and was only given a life span of two years. With his determination and encouraging family he was able to live until he was five. I know every birthday for him and his family was another achievement as he had many struggles throughout his life. Friday was John’s funeral and as you can imagine was a very hard day, although we were grieving the speakers at his funeral really brought him back to life and gave us something to smile about. We will never forget this little boy as he has such a place in our hearts. If you are a parent I would take a few extra minutes out of your day to squeeze, hug, kiss and tell your child how much you love them, as we never know what the next day may bring.

Please think of John and his family in this time of remembrance and sorrow. You can sign his guestbook at https://www.legacy.com/Oregon/GB/Sponsor.aspx?PersonId=116097734.

We will miss you John!

I have been wanting to write a post for a long time regarding Alzheimer's. I know there are so many people affected by this cause, and I am one of them. I'll never forget when my mom told me about my grandmother, the person who I thought was going to live forever. She was so active and healthy and such a big part of my life. My grandmother lived with the disease for about 6 years. It was so hard to watch her turn into child and not be able to do or remember anything, I almost couldn't watch, my sister was absolutely amazing with her...taking care of her, changing diapers, feeding her, etc. I just felt like I did not want to remember her that way, so I was kind of in the background. I definitely stayed a part of her life and she stayed a part of mine...as a matter of fact my daughter's middle name was after my late grandmother. I could go on forever about this amazing women, just writing this blog brings tears to my eyes. As you know I am apart of FiveHumans and am really anxious to make Alzheimer's one of our causes. I am looking for people to share their stories...this will help us come up with some amazing shirts that bring about awareness and show their support in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's. Please comment on my blog or share your stories on our website at www.fivehumans.com. I appreciate you listening to my story and hope that some of you never have to watch a loved one go through this.

Thanks,
Nicole