Coast Along 2011

Yesterday Blondie Boy, his Grandma and I walked 6 miles along the Ayrshire coast, a little bit more than the average 6km women and children walk to get water often from unprotected water sources, for Water Aid. You might have seen some of the photos I tweeted along the way and I hope you followed the tweets of the Coast Along Ambassadors, too (you can catch up by searching #CoastAlong on Twitter). We had a lovely afternoon (except for the part where Blondie Boy pissed all over me) and I'm so glad we were able to take part. 

I've put together a short video of our day and uploaded some photos as well. You'll hear me say it in the video but I can't imagine having to walk that far to get water (and not necessarily clean water) and then lugging it back with your children.


1.4 million children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation - 4,000 child deaths a day or one child every 20 seconds. Yes you heard me right, diarrhoea kills more children every year than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. How is that possible in today's world? Diarrhoea should be something annoying but not something that kills you.  


A  huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far (including SnugBaby for Blondie Boy's Sling) and if you haven't yet please do consider donating; even £1 will make such a difference in helping get access to clean water and improving the lives of the 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water.



 

Coast Along for WaterAid

I have what you may call a mild obsession with the ocean. If we are going on holiday I want to be near a beach. Maybe it's because I grew up in a land-locked state where it was a good 12 hours at least to the the nearest ocean, but for whatever reason I'm just a happier person by the seaside.

This Saturday Blondie Boy, his Grandma and I will be walking along the Ayrshire coast from Troon to Irvine. I'm one of seven Coast Along Ambassadors who will be walking to help raise awareness and funds for Water Aid.

Why am I walking for Water Aid? Water is essential for life (duh), but one in eight of the world’s population do not have access to it and almost 40% of the world’s population do not have adequate sanitation. WaterAid is a leading independent organisation which, with its partners, uses practical, sustainable solutions to enable the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation. 

So this Saturday I'll be tweeting and Instagramming my way along the Ayrshire coast. Blondie Boy's Grandma lives one block from part of the beach we will walk down but I haven't ever walked much further than our little stretch. I'm not exactly what you'd call an avid ambler but I'm looking forward to exploring the coast and thinking happy thoughts it doesn't rain. If women and children can walk an average of 6km to get water which is then most likely dirty and contaminated, I can walk 6 miles on a gorgeous stretch of sand.

I hope you'll follow all of us with the #CoastAlong hashtag on twitter and if you feel so inclined you can make a donation on my Just Giving page here. 

Born to be Beautiful

Save the Children are currently running their "No Child Born to Die" campaign and they are asking people what they were "born to" do. The first thing I thought was that I didn't know what I was born to do and I tweeted as much. The lovely Sian suggested I was "born to be beautiful" and while at first I blushed and was flattered, the more I thought about it, the more I realized maybe I was.

Now I'm not being cheeky here and pretending I'm some sort of aesthetically perfect goddess, I'm talking about a different kind of beauty. In high school in the States we each pick a quote our final year of school for our yearbook which is supposed to sum up our view on life: the boys all pick some Tupac, the girls pick from the most popular songs of the moment. My senior quote was lyrics from a Carole King song:

"You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face

and show the world all the love in your heart

then people are gonna treat you better

you're gonna find, yes you will

You're as beautiful as you feel"

Beauty isn't about glossy hair, white teeth and good bone structure, it's about who you are as a person; when you make eye contact with someone on the street and smile at them; hold a door open for the person behind you; chat to a little old lady on the bus; tell a salesclerk to "have a nice day" or say "Sorry, no thank you." to a telemarketer, instead of just hanging up.

It doesn't take a lot of effort or money to make a big difference in someone's day by being nice. A smile is free and takes seconds, but how many people do you see walking around with a sulk on their face all day?

So yes, I think I was born to be beautiful. I was born to smile and say thank you and help out others however I can. I might not be able to give lots of money, but I can give my time, my enthusiasm and my smile.

You can learn more about the No Child Born to Die campaign and how you can help by visiting the Save the Children website or following them on Twitter. I'll be attending their blogging conference this weekend and I can't wait to see how I can help make the world a little bit more beautiful.

Breast Cancer Petition

I think everyone has been touched by Breast Cancer in some way. My Aunt Donna, who gave me Gee Gee, is a Breast Cancer survivor for over 15 years now. I know I blog a lot about stupid things like Peter & Katie and other randomness, but please take two seconds to sign the petition or contact your local representative.


The Bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act Needs Your Support!This week Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Senators Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) will re-introduce the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act in Congress. Thanks to its viewers, Lifetime has so far collected more than 23 million online petition signatures urging Congress to pass this critical legislation, which would end the practice of so-called "drive-through" mastectomies when women are forced out of the hospital only hours after invasive breast cancer surgery.

Help restore patient and consumer rights to breast cancer patients and their families:
Sign Lifetime's growing petition. Lifetime will continue to deliver the signatures to Congress and make your voice heard.

Share your story. If you or someone you love has experienced a drive-through mastectomy, we want to know. Tell us in the official Breast Cancer Survivor community discussion.

Call or write your members of Congress and ask them to support the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act. You may reach your member of Congress by calling the U.S. House of Representatives switchboard at 202-225-3121. To find your representative in Congress, go to: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml.

Click here to sign Lifetime's petition.

World Kidney Day

When I was an undergrad, my sorority's national charity was the National Kidney Foundation, as when it was founded Kidney Disease was the number one cause of death in women. When I first joined it didn't mean much to me, but I still raised money. Unfortunately during my sophomore year, my aunt passed away due to Kidney failure and suddenly my philanthropy meant a whole lot more to me.

Some quick facts:

• 26 million American adults have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and millions more are at risk. Most people are not aware that they have CKD or are at risk


• There are 100,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the USA


• 24% of those waiting for kidneys received transplants, 76% are still on the waiting list


• More than 485,000 Americans are being treated for kidney failure, also called end stage renal disease, or ESRD. Of these, more than 341,000 are dialysis patients


• One year patient survival rates for kidney transplants are 94.5%(cadaveric) &97.9%(live donor)


• Virtually all religious denominations approve of organ and tissue donation as representing the highest humanitarian ideals and the ultimate charitable act

I'm not asking you to donate a kidney, but if you aren't already an organ donor, why aren't you? Personally I am an organ donor and am on bone marrow registers in the US and UK. If you can help save someone's life why wouldn't you?

My friend Gretchen donated one of her kidneys to her father; I can't imagine a more honorable and selfless thing.

So in honor of today, why not head over to the National Kidney Foundation website and even just learn more about kidney disease and organ transplantation. Or if you are really generous join the donor list or make a donation.

The Big Knit

Every November, Innocent Smoothies get a fashion makeover and start sporting little knitted hats. These limited edition bottles benefit Age Concern, with 50p from each special hat purchase helping to support older people in the winter months.

Last year 24‚650 people died as a result of cold related issues in the UK. This seems crazy to me that this is happening here in the western world and it makes me think what must happen in much colder and poorer parts of the world.

Sainsbury's has a 2 for £3 special on just now, so I picked up some smoothies today. I was super excited to find one with this super cute strawberry/hearts motif. Each hat is knitted by hand by volunteers; thousands of people make little hats and send them in for the campaign.

I have no idea what I will do with my little hat when I'm done. I have 3 in total now, so if you have any ideas let me know!

UPDATE:

My hat is currently keeping my cellphone warm in cozy in its inflatable German armchair.

Rolling Dog Ranch

Two years ago instead of sending out holiday cards we made a donation to the Rolling Dog Ranch in Montana instead. I came across a story about them and a wee paralyzed Yorkie named Spirit. After reading her story and reading about the work they do out at the ranch for disabled animals, I thought my money was better spent on helping them than a bunch of paper and glitter.

Here is Spirit's story, but you can read about the other dogs, cats and horses at the Rolling Dog on their website or make a quick and easy donation by clicking here.

Spirit the paralyzed dog

The start of Spirit's story is hard to read at first, but please stick with it...because there's a very happy ending.

A lady in Butte, Montana, Denise S., was walking down a street when she caught a glimpse through the traffic of a Yorkshire terrier lying on the pavement. She waited for the cars to pass and then rushed into the street to get the dog. That's when she noticed a man standing next to the little Yorkie, kicking it.

Denise ran over and scooped up the dog in her arms. The man was drunk and shouted at her, “That's my dog!” Then he turned and walked away, leaving her holding the Yorkie.

The dog was paralyzed in her front legs, her eyes were crusted over, and her hair was matted. Denise took the Yorkie to a vet clinic for some initial treatment, and then called us. Two days later Denise's family brought the dog to the ranch.

Despite her paralysis and the abuse she suffered, the Yorkie was full of life and love. She propelled herself with her back legs, hopping and then sliding on her chin. She wanted mobility, no matter what the effort. Whenever we picked her up, she'd lick us on the face. To have endured such a life of trauma, and still be like this...well, that's why we named her Spirit.

The wonderful folks at Doggon' Wheels in Bozeman, Montana, came out to personally measure Spirit for a wheelchair – and then they donated the entire cost! When we first put Spirit in her new wheels, she didn't know what to do. She looked up at us as if to say, “Now what?” Yet the expression on her face told us she was thrilled to be upright like a “normal” dog.

To get moving, though, she needed some motivation, so we took Spirit to the cat house and set her on the floor. Her eyes got really big, her back legs started to move, and off she went to check out the cats! Spirit completely forgot she was in a wheelchair. Now it's natural.

When she's not in her wheels, Spirit likes to lie on a dog cot in our living room, which she thinks is a Yorkie lounge.

The best part of Spirit's story? A family from Tampa, Florida, just contacted us after reading about Spirit on our blog. They had recently lost a paralyzed Yorkie, also rescued from abuse, and wanted to know if they could fly out and adopt Spirit!

So Spirit will be arriving at her home in Florida in time for the holidays, and her new family is excited about enjoying a little Christmas Spirit together!