The Benefit
By Dave#2 | March 11, 2010
Hundreds come together for Mike Gooding Benefit - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio
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We Were on Channel 10 News!
By Dave#2 | March 11, 2010
BOWEN, Ill. (WGEM) — Mike Gooding fell from his roof last May and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. He is restricted to a wheelchair and is living in a nursing home. The medical bills from surgeries keep piling up.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Gooding’s family and friends turned out for a benefit to help him through the most difficult time of his life.
“There are people from everywhere here. I don’t know how far they have come for the benefit, but it’s great,” said longtime friend Ron Smith.
The Southeastern Elementary auditorium in Bowen, Illinois was packed with people, there to help a loyal friend. It was the first step, they hope, in getting Gooding back on his feet.
“With this crowd here, it’s nothing like I expected. I knew there would be lots of people but maybe not this many,” said Anne Goudschall, Gooding’s friend.
Gooding is thankful for all the support from the community. “It’s just amazing. It’s a lot of people I haven’t seen in eight months,” said Gooding.
Gooding may be in a wheelchair now, but he says just wait a little while.
“I’m planning on walking again, though it may be a year or two,” said Gooding. “I’ll walk one way or another.”
The benefit raised almost $25,000, which will go towards medical expenses.
“It’s fantastic. I just can’t thank people enough. I don’t know how I could ever repay all these people,” Gooding said
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Mabel Escapes
By Dave#2 | February 15, 2010
Mabel greeted us at the door yesterday. We went upstairs to find her cage in the above state. Houdini chewed her way out. But first she pulled the area rug into the cage and it being balled up (think making paper snowflakes when you fold the paper and cut)her chewing created little holes all over the rug.
It was a ROUGH day yesterday. We left here at 8:30 for a Special Olympics basketball game that started at 10:30. Sally was in RARE form. Or should I say the Autism was. Crying, whining, pooping her pants - it wasn’t pretty. But as soon as the game started she was in heaven. Now, Sal doesn’t actually play - she runs up and down the court and stands at either basket - trying hard not to come in contact with the ball. She also stands in the middle of the court and waves to us. 
But she is one of only 7 and has to be put in for the other kids to have a break. Plus, she provides comedy. But to the family yesterday she was a miserable little brat (and I HATE that word).
So by the time we arrived home *I* had had it! I have some kind of swollen gland thing in my neck - it’s not awful - just annoying - so Mabel’s little trick was just what was needed to put me over the edge. I just had to laugh. Bill and I collapsed on the couch and watched our new addiction: “House” and just let the day pass by.
JBSRA won one and lost one yesterday. We play at the State Finals in March, down in Bloomington - which means we will be staying overnight in a hotel. Sally and ANYONE in a room with her - NOT a good match. It will prove to be VERY interesting - I’m SURE!
Jack and I sat on the bleachers yesterday - waiting of Bill to bring a drink and popcorn and Sal was warming up. I talked to him about Sally (she’s been riding him pretty good lately) and I commented “She’s really on your last nerve lately, huh? I know it’s hard, Jack. It’s hard for me too, but we have to keep trying together as a team.” I said
“Mom, you don’t even know,” he replied “I have 20 at school and 1 at home, that’s 21 people on my back,”
It took EVERY ounce of strength I had to not bust out laughing. It was SO funny - but I knew he was serious and would not have appreciated his Mom laughing in his face. That boy can make SO much drama out of nothing. I swear he’ll be a politician, lawyer or actor (if he doesn’t end up in jail) the way he can deliver a line of bs is unbelievable.
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Mabel Goes To Jail
By Dave#2 | February 12, 2010
Wednesday morning Mabel got out the front door as Sally was waiting for her bus. Of course, being Mabel, she ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk and out of sight. I have given up chasing her - esp since we now have inches of snow covering the ground and the fact that I have a very time sensitive morning schedule.
So,as you would guess, she wound up in Animal Control doggie jail. I got a call at work around 2:00 telling me that they had Mabel and kind of “scolded” me about letting her out. Ughhh. Telling me that she could get eaten by a coyote - oh if only….. Now don’t go giving me grief about that - I love Mabel and I’m just joking - but just like my kids she is very good at pushing my buttons and can rub that last nerve of mine off the scale. And besides, no coyote in his right mind would go after Mabel. Ewww - Mabel germs. So, after telling them that I would indeed retrieve her after work I hung up.
When I got to Animal Control I heard no barking - so that would mean that Mabel was ALL alone. “Good,” I thought, “maybe she will have learned her lesson if she didn’t have fun this time, playing with all the other doggies.”
Oh, what we Americans do when we give a little power AND a badge to a teenager. This monster size, pimply faced man cub let me in and showed me Mabel’s “file”. Yes, Mabel has a rap sheet AND a mug shot. Seriously - they have a picture of her and all thees papers of the times when they have caught her. Again, I get the dripping water on the head and the light bulb in my eyes about how Mabel keeps getting out. I would have LOVED to confess that I am so attracted to this little man child that I keep letting the dog out just so I can rondevu with him. Let’s get a little perspective here, Sparkie - she’s a dog - a beagle at that and they are best known for letting their noses get the best of them. So I hung my head and played all sorry like and picked up Mabel and lectured her all the way home.
Of course I got the eyes this morning - you know those eyes from a dog laying in your bed that say “I’m SO tired, I just want to sleep here all day, I won’t make a mess or destroy the house, I’ll be good - I’ll just sleep in this bed all day. You don’t need to put me in the cage.” Oh, she’s good at the eyes. If only she’d use her power for good instead of evil.
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Sigh
By Dave#2 | January 30, 2010
Bill and I are weird. We’ve decided this after watching a Special Needs basketball game where parents - mind you parents who have to help their child get dressed - yell at refs and coaches!!!!! LET’S GET SOME PERSPECTIVE PEOPLE!!!!!! Seriously - you have to zip your child’s coat - a child who is at leas 10 years of age and you think that it’s really worth your energy to yell at a coach for not playing your child more???
Bill and I also cheer for both teams - it’s not like we made a pact or something - it just happens. If you really watch the game and see the intensity in their faces - that just running up and down the court is a BIG deal to them - you HAVE to cheer! I wonder - where is the compassion? Where is the camaraderie? I mean - we, as parents are all in this together. Aren’t we THRILLED that there IS a Special Needs basketball team? Bill and I are. We’re THRILLED with the coaches - who are young adults who could be doing a LOT of things on a Sat afternoon than this. Sure, they get paid - but you know it’s not NEAR what the effort demands.
I’m embarrassed. A LOT. I’m embarrassed to be a Special Needs parent - and it’s not the kids that embarrass me - it’s the adults and I feel ashamed for their actions. Quite the same way I feel ashamed to be a Christian when Pat Roberts opens his mouth and has the audacity to give REASON to a HUGE tragedy the way he did.
The crazy thing is - a Special Needs person would no more yell at a Ref or a coach than Christ would blame God for Haiti. I question? Where are the camera’s? I mean, we’re surely on Candid Camera or Punked - right??? I mean - it’s CRAZY what goes on in day to day life.
So Bill and I laughed our “we’re sorry you’re so pathetic” laugh that we share a lot lately. We cheered for our little “Brick” who stands - and I mean STANDS near the top of the key and waves to the crowd or tells the others what they should do. We cheer for the other team and tell the people in front of us how cute their son’s smile is. We stand as the cheerleaders from the other team - one who is in a wheel-chair, get up and do a cheer for the other team. We joke with the coaches afterwards and tell them to do a shot for us - cause you KNOW after dealing with those parents they HAVE to unwind somehow. We shake our heads on the way home and try and teach Jack how very lucky he is to have a body that works correctly with his brain and how proud we are of him because he helped Sally during practice. And mostly we wonder if the world has gone mad. We wonder how it is that we have come through all this with the humor we possess and then we keep keeping on.
Life is hard enough with Sal (and Jack) to carry all that ANGER. My back isn’t strong enough. But I have to admit to feelings of wanting to cross the court - call time out - and shake the CRAP out of the parents that are IDIOTS! The restraint I’ve shown is amazing.
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