Sickle Cell and Living Well

I'm stating the obvious, but the name of my blog has changed to SickleCellandLivingWell.blogspot.com. I was confronted with some trademark issues with my previous title; consequently, I changed it to the above.

Since it's been a few weeks since I last posted, what else is new in my life? Mainly, I just turned 43 years old. That's big. When I was in my twenties, I couldn't imagine being thirty, and certainly had no desire to live that long. But life has a way of changing your perspective, and when I turned thirty, I couldn't be happier. Thirteen years later, I am just as happy to still be alive as I was when I hit the thirty year mark.

Recently, I've had several different people comment to me how at peace I always seem. I find such comments interesting. Peace in life is something that was once very far away for me. I give thanks to our Heavenly Father that He has prolonged my life. I am even more grateful that I am grateful that He has prolonged my life. Additionally, I'm thankful that He has helped me replace the turmoil that once existed inside of me with a prevailing tranquility.  That's not to say I don't have times when I get angry or depressed, because everyone does. But for the most part, peace permeates my life. That prevailing peace comes in part because I work hard to maintain it.

Peace in life is such a precious gift. For me, it is one of the biggest keys to keeping myself as healthy as possible. I pray you each safely traverse the troubled waters in your life, and l land safely on the shores of personal tranquilty.

Green Eggs and Sickle Cell

This was a poem written for me by a couple of friends. I loved it so much I knew I had to post it on my blog, with their permission of course.

"Green Eggs & Sickle Cell"

I do not like sickle cell, no I do not, not with a fox, not in a box,
I do not like it, not with a mouse, not in a house,
I do not like it, now, live real nice despite the sickle cell splice,
not in cold weather or ice,
nor in November with pumpkin spice,
but live real well despite sickle cell, make rhymes I do really well,
for the blog about sickle cell, for Jon, our friend, with the the smile so swell,
until next time, when we make our next rhyme, for the blog about sickle cell.

A poem by Rachel & Vico Zuniga

Change of Blog's Name

Forgive me for not posting recently. I have been--and still am--in the middle of a move and have been quite distracted.

For your information, due to trademark issues, I will soon be changing the name of my blog to: SickleCellandLivingWell.blogspot.com. To my few faithful followers, I hope this doesn't provide any confusion.

Grateful with Sickle Cell

For nearly four years straight, I have struggled with constant foot ulcers. One would heal, another would pop up and take an addition 3-6 months to heal. It was a depressing cycle; one that I sometimes felt was never going to end. THANKFULLY, for the past five months, I have been foot ulcer free!!!

There are so many things we take for granted, like wearing shoes. I wasn't able to wear normal shoes for almost five years. Its such a joy to be able to put on socks and shoes and not be in agony. Who would have imagined that wearing shoes could bring such a pleasure.

My feet have tons of scar tissue; they kind of look like leopard print socks. They also become dry very easily. My wound doctor suggested I use Viniferamine Skin Renewal Cream.  It is the best skin cream I have ever used and I have converted my entire family to it. It does not leave you feeling oily, and keeps my skin moist longer than any other cream or lotion I have used.

As you can tell--other than plugging the above mentioned skin cream--this post is just to share how happy and excited I am to be foot ulcer free for five months. I pray it lasts.

Sometimes, with all the complications Sickle Cell throws at us, it can be easy to become depressed; to feel as though there is no hope things are ever going to improve. But there is always hope. Some trials last longer than others. The only thing we can do is cope with them the best we can and keep a positive outlook. Finding things that bring joy to help counteract the negativity of our illness is a must for our mention, emotional, spiritual and even physical health. I hope you, my readers, find things in life that bring you joy. Like wearing shoes!

New Pages & Photos Added

Last week I decided to include samples of my artwork, sushi making skills, and my newest hobby of playing a mountain dulcimer. Obviously these things have little to do with the day to day struggles of living with Sickle Cell Disease. My purpose in sharing these photos is to show there are many things in life that bring joy to our souls. Obviously, not everyone likes sushi, art, or poetry. I'm simply sharing my interests in hopes that it will inspire you to find interests and talents of your own.

Sickle Cell can be a brutal illness to live with. I feel it is vital to combat the negativity it brings into our lives with wholesome, enjoyable recreation. When able, use your time to discover and explore new things about yourself. As you do, you will find a new measure of happiness.

Sushi Video

This is a video of my sushi flambe experiments. I had the song "Fever" with it, but YouTube censored me and removed the audio track.

Pink Roll

I call it a Pink Roll. It has imitation crab on top.

No, all this food is not just for me. I had a friend over and we stuffed ourselves with sushi.

(Please forgive the out of control hair)

Fire Roll

This roll has raw tuna on top, but I sear it by adding a liquor and fire. 

 This is a blueberry roll that has a spicy honey sauce on top.

Baked Lobster Roll

Baked Lobster Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll & Lobster Roll

Caterpillar & Rainbow Rolls

This is Rainbow Roll.

This is called a Caterpillar Roll.

Dragon Roll

These are different versions of "Dragon Rolls."

Yoda #2

 This was done with oil pastels. Yoda is my favorite Star Wars character. I have several drawings of Yoda. I think was my third color drawing of him. I actually sold this one recently.

Yoda #1

This is one of the first color drawings I did. It was drawn with a single watercolor pencil. The background was done with a black sharpie.

The Storm

This didn't scan very well. It was a sketch drawn while I was having an intense pain crisis. It represents the pain of a Sickle Cell pain crisis.

Optimus Prime

To date, this is the largest thing I've drawn. It measured 36" x 48".  The black background is sharpie marker and the rest is done is pencil. It was a gift for a friend. Every time I look at this photo I'm a little sad I gave it away. Who doesn't love old school Optimus Prime?

Natalie

Another pencil drawing of another friend.

Kali

This is a pencil drawing of a good friend of mine named Kali.

My Grandmother

This is a portrait of my grandmother when she was pregnant with my mother.  

Yes, they are caucasian. I was adopted.

Eloho

This is a pencil drawing of a girl named Eloho.

Dave & Trish

This was drawn as a wedding gift for my nephew and his then fiancé. The sky and clouds are done with charcoal and the rest is done with pencil.