And I Am Officially A Blogger!......I Guess :-)

February was flying by.  By this time I had run out of projects to do around home.  I had started to drive at the beginning of the month after I was cleared by therapy.  But I am not a shopper and even though I LOVE Target, I can only go there so many times before it is no longer fun.  I just couldn't take the risk of no longer loving my favorite place in the world! ;-)

Many of my relatives and friends had been telling me that I needed to write a book about my experience.  I would just laugh and say thanks.  It was a huge honor that they enjoyed what I wrote, but what the heck did I know about writing a book?!  Absolutely nothing!  My brother suggested writing a blog.  I laughed that idea off too but eventually came around to the idea.

It dawned on me that it would be beneficial to my healing process.  Writing helped me express my fears.  It was a great relief to be able to get those feelings out.  The blog would be something that I, my kids, and my family would cherish one day.  It would be a great reminder of where I had been and how far I had come.  Finally, I would be able to help others in my situation if they saw it.  I didn't want to have to keep posting on Facebook.  I didn't want people to become annoyed or view me as self-indulgent.  A blog was a great way to share my story, but share it with those who actually wanted to read about it.

Creating it was much easier than I thought.  I contacted my friend, Jess Hansen, who directed me to a site and gave me the basics on how to get started.  From there, it was just like creating a website.  Choosing the name of my blog was incredibly easy.  "Do Better.  Be Better."  My entire journey explained in two sentences.  Simple.  I made the background red to represent stroke awareness and the amazingly talented, Sara Fitzgerald, created my blog header.  All that was left to do from there was write.

This blog has been a miracle healer for me.  I have had the opportunity to reflect and reminisce on everything that has happened.  It is an avenue in which I can continue to express my thoughts and feelings.  My family members and friends not connected to Facebook are able to stay up to date too.  Most importantly, I have already had fellow CM patients contact me.  CM's in the brain stem are so rare that it is hard to find others out there.  I m so glad that it is reaching some of these people and helping them.

Facebook post from February 13, 2014

I have started a blog to chronicle my journey. I decided to do this for many reasons. 1) Writing/reflecting helps me heal 2) I want to have my experience saved so my girls know what I have been through and who I really am 3) Many of my family members and friends don't have Facebook but still want to read my updates 4) I am bored! 5) Many people have asked to share my posts with others who are struggling.

It is very hard for me to actually speak the words that describe what I have been through and am feeling. I get way to emotional and frazzled so I write so that I can get it all out. I have received many personal messages from strangers that have been shown my page expressing gratitude for how much my honesty and attitude has helped them in their time of need. So, I want to share my blog address with all of you. If you know someone that you think can benefit from it, please share it with them.

I just started it yesterday so it is in the beginning stages and I still have a lot to learn. It is my goal to post about twice a day so by this time next week I am to present day. The posts will include my Facebook posts, but also go a little bit more in depth.

http://www.dobetter-bebetter.blogspot.com/

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