Friday, June 17, 2011

The last Robin chick hatched, Legal to treat Lyme in NH now!, Elizabeth Chalker Update.

There are 4 chicks now keeping Mama busy as you can see by the worm in her beak.









  "New Hampshire residents suffering from chronic Lyme disease will no longer have to worry about finding a doctor who will treat with long-term antibiotics.

A bill, HB 295, that states doctors are free to treat Lyme disease with long-term antibiotics and cannot be punished by the Board of Medicine because of such prescriptions was passed Thursday.

The bill's prime sponsor Gary Daniels, R-Milford, said the bill is an important step in helping both patients and doctors as it acknowledges chronic Lyme disease is a real ailment.

The text of the bill reads, "No licensee may be subject to disciplinary action solely for prescribing, administering, or dispensing long-term antibiotic therapy for a patient clinically diagnosed with Lyme disease, if diagnosis and treatment has been documented and monitored in the physician's medical record for that patient."
 Link to Whole Story


For those of you interested in helping Elizabeth Chalker, here is more info.

SICK WOMAN'S LAST CHANCE RELIES ON FINDING CHARTER FLIGHT TO OUT-OF-STATE DOC

Internet “Family” of Chronically Ill Patients Races to Save One of Their Own

BOCA RATON, FL (June 15, 2011) – Forty-year-old Elizabeth Chalker was a hardworking psychologist and athlete when she became debilitated eight years ago. For the past four years, bed-bound and ravaged by pain, Chalker's been alone, with only her dog, Symon, at her side. Misdiagnosed, then denied treatment by numerous local doctors, Chalker wrote a book from bed on how “raw faith” has kept her Hanging On by the Scratch Marks My Nails Left Behind.

Symon is gone, but Chalker is no longer alone, and her chance for recovery relies on the help of an unknown pilot and a group of people she's never met. A Facebook page of over 150 people – most strangers and severely ill themselves or caretakers of those who are – are working night-and-day to get Chalker on a private jet by Sunday, June 19, to see a specialist in Maryland.

Chalker suffers from late-stage Lyme disease, multiple co-infections, endometriosis (resulting in nine surgeries), and other complications. Though her conditions are treatable, the years of misdiagnoses have left her in such a frail condition that no area doctors are willing to treat her.

“We tried every doctor here,” says Corey Cameron, a Boca Raton, Fla., chiropractor who says Chalker “is like a daughter” to her. “Close to a hundred doctors. They all said, 'She needs the specialists who can treat her properly, her case is too complicated.'”

It was Cameron who found Dr. Shoemaker in Pocomoke, Maryland, and will make the complicated trip, requiring – among other things – a cooler of ice packs to keep Chalker's temperature stable. “Dr. Shoemaker has reviewed her case extensively and believes he can help save her life. Because of Florida laws, he cannot come here. We have to get Elizabeth to him.”

The “Save Elizabeth” campaign has spawned a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbvQBZ9KUt0), website (http://www.helpelizabeth.net/), and raised $10,000 but organizers say either a pilot who can donate their time, or $15,000 must be raised in the next four days.

Writer Alice Walker, who once endured Lyme, herself, responded to Chalker's friends by sending a “Save Elizabeth” message on Twitter. The volunteers hope this will help raise funds for the charter jet.

The volunteers are often hampered in their efforts by their own struggles. Shelly Schrolucke of Orlando, Fla., had two planned radio appearances to speak about Chalker's plight. “I ended up in the hospital with an infected central line in my chest,” she says. “I was septic and in no shape to talk to anyone.” Now, however, Schrolucke is emailing everyone she knows, pleading for her friend's life.

Helen Raser, also of Orlando, visits Chalker as often as she can, but is limited by providing full-time care to her daughter, Teri, also a Lyme sufferer. “I can't begin to fathom [Chalker's] terror – being alone in horrific pain and suffering [around the clock] except for a couple visits a week from [Cameron],” Raser says, who has been in tears many times at the generosity of those who are also ill and strapped going to great lengths to raise funds. “Especially because she can't sleep more than a few minutes or an hour at a time. I'm so grateful to everyone who has made Elizabeth know how much she is loved.”

A Special Needs Trust Fund has been established for contributions. Contributions can be made online via PayPal at http://www.helpelizabeth.net/ or by checks, payable to 'Elizabeth L. Chalker S.N.T.' and mailed to Elizabeth Chalker c/o DR. Corey Cameron, 6292 La Costa Dr., Suite D, Boca Raton, Florida 33433.
Cameron believes it fitting that this group of ill strangers has come together to help her friend. “Despite all of the impossibilities of her health, the unspeakable pain, and her circumstances, Elizabeth remains the most loving, giving, caring, funny, and remarkable person I have ever known. If there was ever anyone who would pay forward this sort of help, and make a difference in this world, it is Elizabeth.”




"The Butterfly Girl", a painting I dedicated to Elizabeth

I hope you will visit and "Like" my Facebook Studio Page! My Facebook Page Link

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Butterfly Girl, Robin's Eggs Hatching

I finished up the "Butterfly Girl" painting today. 




















I am having a huge pain flare in my jaw making it impossible to chew so I am eating soft foods and drinking a lot of green smoothies. The pain has traveled up into my ear again and is causing a lot if dizziness and balance problems. Despite that I was still able to get out and go for a walk and I am still feeling so blessed that I can walk again. Here are some photos from my walk this morning. 




And last but not least the Robin that has nested in the lilac bush outside my studio has hatched a third egg. I guess number 4 is a late starter ;~)


I hope you will visit and "Like" my Facebook Studio Page! My Facebook Page Link

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Photo of Baby Robins Hatching & Paintings

 Mama Robin in the nest

 
Robins Eggs Hatching
I found a baby cardinal in the road, when I looked up there were a bunch of fuzzy little baby cardinals in the tree above. Mama and papa cardinal were having a fit so I picked him up and put him back in the tree. Then I got home and found the robins outside my studio were hatching. Been a bird day ;~)
Here are some photos of my latest mixed media paintings. The girl with the red hair is a work in progress, need to paint in her hair detail tomorrow.  

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

One Painting Done, Another in the works

















It was cranking hot today so I went out for my walk really early and when I got back I made up a batch of green smoothies in the Vita Mix and headed into the studio. I finished "Twas a Robin Taught me How to Sing" today and started another mixed media painting.You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Below is the background. I put a layer of taping compound on the canvas and carved out various textures and shapes. After it dried I coated it with gesso and started to paint the background layers. At this point I had no idea what I would paint on top of it so I just went to town on it.


















Then I started to get a vision for the lady that appears here with the Robin. The saying came to me after the painting was finished.
















Here is the one I started today. I forgot to photo the background after I had finished it. The surface painting came to me right after the background was done so I started to sketch her in with paint. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Mixed Media Painting and a Smoothie to Boot

















I did a mixed media painting on paper yesterday and it was a blast!!!!! So much less demanding that painting on silk and more suited to the exploratory style of painting that tends to be so healing and delightful. Don took some photos of me working on it. Just as I was taking the photos of the finished pairing we got an intense thunderstorm and the lighting in the studio got very dark and grey/blue so the color is way off on the finished painting. It is not that muddy looking. I will have to re photo it at some point.






I called today's breakfast smoothie "Summers Bounty"  it has a lot of goodies in it and may seem over the top but if you just use a small amount of each of the following ingredients it is awesome. The ginger gives it a nice little spicy bite  ;~)
1/5 a container Tofu
1/2 cup Coconut water (not coconut milk)
watermelon
peach
celery
pineapple slice
1/2 a small lime
Kiwi 1/2
papaya slice
Kale, part of a leaf
zucchini chunk
cucumber chunk
Spinach
very small amount of ginger
2 TLB Walnuts
Ground Flax seed
a handful of a spring mix that included the following:
Beet greens
Red & Green romaine
Red and green chard
Muzuna
Frisse
Arugula
Tat-sol
Mustard greens
6 or more ice cubes

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Cool Morning Dew Smoothie

I am so in love with my Vita Mix! I took Bilbo for a walk this morning and by the time we got back the sun was already getting pretty hot. I wanted to make my morning green drink real crisp and cooling so I went to the fridge and started pulling out fruits and veggies. It came out so cool and refreshing I thought I would share it. I used a lot of ice so it was really thick, light and cold!

Cool Morning Dew Smoothie:
Spinah
Kale
Pineapple
Lemon
Watermelon
Kiwi
Mango
Flax Seed
Ice Cubes