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Post by workingmom on Jan 8, 2008 12:57:00 GMT -5
January 8, 2008
Just got some sad news this morning that a boy that played hockey with Thomas a few years ago died yesterday. Fifteen years old - life is too short.........
J
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Post by june on Jan 12, 2008 0:21:21 GMT -5
Tonight was the visitation for Thomas' friend. The teammates all wore their hockey jerseys. The family had lots of pictures and had Brian's jersey, helmet, trophies surrounding his casket. Very, very sad. Thomas was very quiet tonight............
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Post by june on Jan 18, 2008 9:50:00 GMT -5
Thomas went on the ice on Wednesday night for the first time in 5 weeks! The doctor has given him the okay to skate but no contact until next weekend. Thomas is itching to play and his collarbone is healing nicely......I'm suffering from hockey withdrawal!
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Post by june on Jan 24, 2008 23:52:42 GMT -5
Thomas has his first hockey game tomorrow night in 6 and a half weeks! Wow, I really need to get a life!
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Post by june on Feb 2, 2008 2:18:19 GMT -5
Well here I am in Santa Barbara in a meeting and I get a message from Thomas' high school hockey coach that Thomas is at the hospital and could I meet him there as soon as possible. Just last week was Thomas' first time on the ice since he broke his left collarbone, and today, he broke his right collarbone. Poor kid - he was so looking forward to the rest of the hockey season and now the season is over for him. I'll be back home tomorrow night and I'm glad to be going home!
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Post by june on Feb 7, 2008 14:36:35 GMT -5
Thomas' high school hockey coach (he is so caring and an incredible guy) got us in to see a sports medicine orthopaedic specialist and he has determined that Thomas needs a metal plate for his right collarbone. The appointment was today and the surgery is scheduled for Monday! Unfortunately I have a meeting that I can't change and feel stressed that I won't be able to be there for Thomas. Oh well, I will leave the meeting as soon as possible and drive like a maniac to get there.
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Post by june on Feb 11, 2008 23:49:35 GMT -5
Just got back from the hospital. Thomas' surgery went fine. Apparently they put him on morphine by mistake so he was just "flying"............
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Post by workingmom on Feb 12, 2008 16:47:42 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
We just posted another article on FTD that came out in the National Post on Gordie Howe’s wife Colleen who suffers from the same disease as Michael. A sad story but another step in promoting awareness.
J
Admin's note: please see article: National Post: Mr. Mrs. Hockey
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Post by june on Feb 26, 2008 10:06:56 GMT -5
Thomas' follow up appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon went well yesterday. I saw his xray and he has a metal plate about 5 or 6 inches long with 6 screws. His incision is about the same length and the surgeon is really pleased with his recovery and said in fact that he's done incredibly well. Another 4 weeks of recovery and he's good to go!
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Post by june on Feb 28, 2008 10:23:13 GMT -5
I have written so much about Thomas and I don't want you to all forget about my girls! Jaclyn and Erica are doing fine. Jaclyn is now in hockey playoffs with the Scarborough Sharks house league and Erica is just about to head off to the Cheer Alliance Provincial Competition for cheerleading in Kitchener! Erica is very excited as this is the first time that it will be just the two of us traveling together. Jaclyn is staying with the McKendrick family and Thomas is staying with the Flieger family while we are away this weekend. Thank goodness for good friends/neighbours!Jaclyn plays hockey with Krystine S and Christina M and we have jokingly called them the "Asian Invasion". Actually the 3 of them are doing really well but unfortunately their team did not win a single game all season. Jaclyn and Christina are now taking power skating lessons and are doing great. So if you ever need to get a hold of me, you'll know that I'm out and about with Jaclyn's hockey/powerskating 3 days a week and Erica's cheerleading/tumbling 4 days a week. Luckily, I don't need to take Thomas to hockey practice, just the occasional game. What did I do before cell phones? As I always say, it's better to be busy than not!
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Post by june on Mar 3, 2008 9:07:26 GMT -5
Got back from the Alliance Provincial Championships for cheerleading yesterday. It was a lot of fun for the kids and Erica's team (UCC Kittens) placed third! She was so excited and they got a medal that they all proudly wore home! It was a great weekend and the only thing that went wrong was that Miss Erica forgot ONE of her cheerleading shoes. Cat managed to borrow a pair from one of the girls in another group - crisis averted!
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Post by june on Apr 7, 2008 9:39:43 GMT -5
This is an essay written about Michael. Very well written.........made me cry. This young adult shares incredible passion and emotion. Give your kids a big hug today. J
"Who stole Uncle Mike?" I agree with Hemingway when he said "If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places." Uncle Mike Shin is not only my godfather, mentor, and loved one, but he is the one person who has changed my outlook in life from a successful NASCAR ride into a picturesque Sunday stroll in the park; a peaceful autumn walk with the one you love where time is not a factor, but the moments which take your breath away are endless and invaluable. He is the laugh at the Hallowe'en party, the one person who knows how to have a good time; the one with the funniest mask. Uncle Mike is my father's very best friend. Together they fit each other like ying and yang, like batman and robin; my dad and Uncle Mike have been through heartaches and pain together, life changing rough spots and smooth sailing, and everything else in between. From directing traffic at cultural events, running and organizing family picnics, the joys of marriage, raising children and all the joys that life threw at them. I've always thought of Uncle Mike as one of the most passionate, loving, caring, interesting, and bravest people I've ever met. The enthusiasm he puts into everything he does makes me feel a little bit lighter, an ecstasy of inspiration which humbles me to know that people like himself actually exist in this whirlpool world of narcissism. Uncle Mike has three young children, and an amazing wife all whose love for him is indescribable, a bond that surpasses the imaginable, a love that cannot be measured by actions, but the affection they show towards him. Michael Shin has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a "reverse Alzheimer's" disease that affects humans in their 40s 50s and 60s and it is stealing his passionate and unique personality and social skills, followed by his crystal clear memory and emotion. This disease called FTD has stolen his ability to show love and affection to his children and family. Already the disease has stolen his ability to walk and speak. In a few short years, this disease will steal his life. Who stole Uncle Mike? At 49 years old, frontotemporal dementia has stolen Uncle Mike. As I look into Uncle Mike's eyes, I can see into his soul. Before his illness I saw happiness within his mind of sunny skies and and warm may winds. Before his illness when I looked at him, I saw accomplishment and wisdom. Before his illness, when I looked at Uncle Mike, I felt warm inside because I felt how much he loved me as a person and as a father figure. Nobody needed to know Mike Shin to know that he loved his family. With more passion than a passion fruit and expressing more love than any Hallmark valentine card, Uncle Mike exceeded his fatherly duties and lit up at the sight of his kids each and every day. Today I look at Uncle Mike, and I no longer see those skies of blue, but rather a tableau of fog. It stands still like a stone pensive; a motionless abyss of melancholy. The sight of Uncle Mike unable to act as himself - his real self - breaks my heart. At the sight of Uncle Mike as this new unknown character, it feels as though a lumberjack has taken his strike upon my cedar heart. Split in half as easily as kindling, it breaks me with every sight, with every chop of his axe. With every handshake, each hug, another conversation, my heart is slashed, slashed, slashed again sending a bloody eruption of fury, pity, bewilderment, and heartache through my body in pulses. These aren't 'normal' pulses of course. With each pulse I tense. Another pulse, this time I feel angry. A different pulse, but this is a pulse of fear. There are so many mixed emotions that I often find it confusing to find my thought through this labyrinth of emotion. I feel them at the same time, and I think to myself: Why? Why has this happened to Uncle Mike. MY Uncle Mike. Why can't he come home from work, announcing "I'm Home!", and be attacked with hugs from his kids and a kiss from his wife? Why can't he walk either of his daughters down the aisle at their wedding? Why can he no longer be the figure his kids look to after scoring a goal at a hockey game? As they look back to see the empty spot where Uncle Mike should be, they know why. As I sit here, tears streaming down my face, I am no longer broken. My wooden heart has been turned to ash from the fire of love. Just like the circle of life, my heart has changed forms from wood, to ash, to soil, and only recently has a new sprout started to grown from the ashes of my former heart. Essentially, it is the same heart that loved Uncle Mike all along. I look past the differences, and beyond the thief who stole our Mike. I don't forget what is happening to him, but rather put them aside for a later day. Just being around him is still a sense of Zen. I feel relaxed and clear-minded to just spend what time is left with him. He is still the same Uncle Mike I've always known and loved, just with a different mask.
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Post by june on May 3, 2008 1:12:42 GMT -5
Well today is Jaclyn's 13th birthday! I can't believe she is a teenager. We just got back last night from Chicago where I joined the grade 7 and 8 classes from her school on their trip which included an 11 hour bus ride. It was a great time with lots of fun things. The kids were great and I think it will be a trip to remember for all. Tomorrow is Erica's cheerleading competition for the nationals. This is the last competition for the season and Erica is pumped! Tryouts start in 2 weeks so there is no break for cheerleading.
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Post by june on May 8, 2008 22:32:18 GMT -5
Erica's team placed 5th out of 13 in the nationals for cheerleading! They did an awesome job. The competition was held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Jaclyn got a guinea pig for her birthday (from me) and her name is Doodles. Jaclyn is absolutely thrilled and is taking good care of her little pet!
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Post by june on May 18, 2008 19:46:22 GMT -5
Thomas and Jaclyn played in the Asian Championship Hockey Tournament this weekend. They played 5 games over 3 days and although they didn't win the championship, it was lots of fun!
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