It's Fundraising Time Again

A Pasta Dinner and Auction is scheduled for Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 5 p.m. at the Novato Youth Center to raise money for Abelina. For more information or if you would like to donate in any way (time, goods, services, food, etc.) please contact Joanna Frazier at (415) 774-3258 or jfrazier@smrh.com. Abelina and the kids are very much in need of our help.

Happy New Year!

We are back in Novato and so glad to be here. We are all doing very well. I am continuing to improve and am working very hard at physical therapy. The kids are in school and are very happy. We appreciate all the help and kind thoughts and prayers from friends and the community. All our love, Abelina and kids

Hello everyone again, Abraham speaking . . .

My Mom wants to thank everyone that has kept us in there prayers. She also wants to say hi to Kate and Ethan and all others included from California Pacific Medical Center. We are all doing fine, and hope to move back to California by summer.



Bless you all and will keep in touch soon

hello everyone

Its been a while since we have written on the blog, I just want to say thank you to every body that has asked about Abelina and her progress. She is doing great and she is going to therapy 3 times a week. Claudia is doing gymnastics and she just had a meet last sunday and got a medal. And Angel's baseball season just ended but is starting again in the spring. Thank you again for keeping her in your prayers -
I will be sure to keep in touch

phonix (claudia speaking)

Hi it's Claudia again, it has been a while since i have written on the blog because it is always really busy down here. Anyways i have a little free time on my hand so i guess i can tell you whats been going on with us down in Phoenix.

my mom has been improving a ton, she even started to move her fingers! and she is almost back to her regular weight. so in what I'm observing things are going pretty well.

but for us three kids (abraham, me, and angel) are going to be starting school on agust 11th, so that means we are going to start making some friends and going to start getting homework.

well thats pretty much all f0r now and i will keep blogging

Keeping in touch

So it sure seems quite around our house, it's both good and bad.  On one hand, It's great things have slowed down here.   Plus the fact that it is now summer vacation.    Although, there is a significant void in our lives without the Magana's.  

We have talked and texted to all of them almost everyday.  It seems,  they always have a ton of company and Abelina is a little worn out.  She called me the other night at 10:00 and I thought the television  was on.  But  she said, "they had company."  She sounded really tired, I hope she is getting the rest she needs.  Everyone seems to be adjusting to their new digs.  When we talked to Angel on Fathers day he was very excited about his new purchase of a catchers glove.  Yesterday, Claudia was able to go to the water park with our friends from Sonoma who were visiting Arizona.  So all in all we are managing to keep in touch.  We are hoping to fly over soon and visit.

Johnny and Kylie seem to pick up were they left off.  They are already bored and tend to get on each others nerves, which might lead to a petty argument,  Where is Angel when you need him.  He is always good for a distraction or two.  Or Claudia the peacemaker,  she always tries to sway the kids from arguing.

We cannot wait to see their cute little faces again.

Diana

it's claudia!

I am right next to my mommy and we are all doing just fine. we all appriciate everyones support and prayers that people have given us! the weather right now in Arizona is pretty hot right now so if you're thinking about visiting arizona make sure to bring shorts!!! well i have to go but i will keep every one posted, lots of love claudia

A special thanks...

In the last week, I have talked with Jessie several times, as well as Abelina and they are so happy to be together again. I cannot imagine what the reunion of Abelina and her three babies must have been like. I know how I would feel if I was forced to be away from my children for seven and a half months. So the day had finally come for the Magana's and that brings me great joy!


I also was able to speak with her brother Ernesto who flew from Texas with his family, to add to the Magana welcoming committee. Abelina, has been surrounded by her children , her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins.


May their family unit continue to flourish and grow.





I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank those people that continually assisted us with the children. These people were always just a phone call away, they would drop what they were doing and help with rides to and from school , gymnastics or any given sporting event. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

Our good friend 's Brian & Kristin Land, Suzy Fitzpatrick aka Suzy Q, Jeff & Christina Johnston, Aileen Warmood, Alicia Robledo, Marta Moran, Scott & Shelly Vollert, Ericka and Damian Mysliwczyk and Heidi and Alfredo Ulloa.

Also, special thanks to those of my our friends that have just been there to listen. Therapist/friends-Kristin & Brian Land, Suzy Fitzpatrick, Jessica Tevis, Tiffany Kneff, Erin George, Walter & Tonya, Ericka and Damian Mysliwczyk , without all your help we would not have been able to do our part. I know I'm forgetting names, please forgive me. You know who you are.


Lots of Love


p.s. hopefully we will hear from Claudia soon.


Diana

We bid farwell to Abelina

Wednesday afternoon my husband John, Johnny and I drove to the SF airport to bid farewell to Abelina. When we arrived, around 9:30, they were immediately escorting Abelina, her brother Hector and sister Gloria to the gate. I asked if they could wait a little bit so John, who was parking the car, could also say goodbye? As we took our last photographs and hugged and kissed, a lady working for the airline, waited behind us with a walkie talkie.

John finally arrived to say goodbye and again we took more photographs. We exchanged hugs and kisses and talked about, how much we would miss one another, tears immediately filled all our eyes. We bid farewell trying to hold back our emotions, with little success. We followed Abelina, Hector and Gloria all the way until they checked Id's and they went through the metal detector. We were told to stand back, because we were "to close". Then the three of us stood there looking at one another and said, " I guess it's time to go." I suppose we thought we would be able to spend more time with her, but the reality is the longer it dragged on the harder it would have become.

One thing I know is, that the friendship we once shared will be different, but stronger.
We used to talk on the phone several times a week figuring out when we could get together again. Once we got together it seemed like we had never been apart. We enjoyed sharing dinners at one anothers houses, going out to eat at Boca, The Wildfox, The Red Grape, Grazie, Ming Yang's and many more establishments. We spent summer vacations together, one in beautiful Maui and the last visiting her home town, Montosso. We also, loved the occasional shopping trip, boy did we both know how to spend. Our girls certainly enjoyed these outings with their mommy's. Matter of fact the last time I saw Abelina standing was at H & M at the Westfield Mall the weekend before October 12Th. She had decided at the last minute to join us to watch the Blue Angels in SF. She brought Claudia along for the fun. We went down near pier 29 to watch the festivities with my entire family and the Land's. What a day filled with aeronautics, hot dogs, photographs and friends. Claudia mentioned earlier that day, that she really wanted to go shopping. So Abelina decided that night at The Hard Rock Cafe that they would stay overnight. We woke up that morning and walked to Starbucks enjoying the usual tea for me and extra foamy latte with a snikerdoodle. John being the kind of guy he is just ordered a plain coffee. We enjoyed our treats and walked back. After that, we decided to go shopping. The girls were so excited and being that Abelina did not have any clothes for her Sunday open house we made a stop at H & M. As usual we made our way to the dressing room to try on our hoards of clothes. Abelina always would come out to model and ask us how her outfit looked. So, as she normally did, she came out in an outfit I don't quite remember. Because as you know, with Abelina it's not the outfit that draws attention, it's her. But I do remember she had a full skirt on and little white pumps. She twirled around and said, "how do I look?" We all said, "you look beautiful." She then purchased the outfit from H&M. We said our goodbye's since she needed to be in Novato by 12:30 to set up for her open house. We hugged and kissed and talked about what a wonderful day we had had the day before. This was the last time I saw her walk, but as a lot of you believe. If anyone can walk again, it's Abelina Herrera Rodriguez Magaña.

I will always cherish my frienship with my beautiful friend and I belive God brought us together for a purpose. She has helped me in ways that she may never realize. As well as her three brillant children.

I love you Abelina , Abraham Jr., Claudia, Angelito and all the Herrera family.

I will see you soon!

Diana

A tearful goodbye to the Magana Kids

This beautiful Monday morning, at 6:00 am, we bid farewell to the extraordinary Claudia and Angel Magana. They lived amongst our family for seven months, one week and three days. There were a few days when driving to and from Novato and transporting kids to therapy, sports etc... I was wanting to pull my hair out, but the constant voice of appreciation immediately put those feelings aside. Our family fell instantly in love with all the Magana kids and will forever be reminded of their presence in our home and out an about in Sonoma.

Abraham, with his extensive knowledge of history and what I imagine to be a photographic memory, always has something worthwhile to say. He is such a bright, fun loving kid, that has the world at his finger tips. His Uncle tells us how well he is doing in Arizona academically and socially. But we would have expected that, especially surrounded by family. It will be fun to see what path he decides to take (I think I see an episode of Jeopardy in his future).

Claudia, is so patient and kind. One could also say she is an old sole. I call her the Peace maker and she is. She tries, with great effort, to assure everyone is happy and well taken care of. Even though she has migraines once a week, she came into my room one night and rubbed my head until I fell asleep. I personally enjoyed and will miss our drives to and from Novato, it gave us an opportunity to share our feelings and also vent. It was very therapeutic for both of us. Claudia, definitely seems like she will follow her heart in whatever she does in life. She will also proceed with caution and great insight. She is beautiful, intelligent and very disciplined and I can guarantee you we will see her in the Olympics for gymnastics! If you have not seen her muscles, watch out.

Angel, aside from his always upbeat attitude and gregarious smile, is a sweet kid. Yes, he has a lot to say. But when he stops and really thinks about his words, they are a gift. Angel learned many new activities while staying with us and excelled at all. He is a natural athlete he played basketball, baseball and snowboarded for the very first time and did exceptionally well at all three sports. He was on the intermediate slopes, snowboarding on day two. He is a Super Smarty Pants and I predict will invent some sort of flying wheelchair machine to help his Mom get around a little faster. He is always thinking of ways to help his Mother.

So with a historian, olympian and inventor I know we will see great things with the Magana kids and their beautiful mommy.

We will miss you guys.

We say goodbye to Abelina on Wednesday.


Diana

Claudia here ; )

Sorry we haven't written on the blog for a while. We have been living in a rental house (with no internet) near town in Sonoma since the 13th of this month because the septic system backed up and we weren't able to take showers, go to the bathroom, or do any laundry, ect... (which stinks). I went to visit my mom today (of coarse most of you know her as Abelina) and my uncle Jesse was there too. My mom has been doing very well lately. She seems to be very rested and in very good spirits. We now are only waiting for the arrival of my mom's (Abelina's) wheelchair to move on and move to Arizona, which should be coming on the 19th of this month if all goes well : )

Abelina update

When I visited Abelina on Tuesday, she was able to go to the gym for the first time. So I was there to witness her exercise regiment in a new enviroment. She was accompanied by her good buddy Jackson. Whom has the exact spinal cord injury at the C-5 vertebrae that she has. He was also shot, but that had to do with a drug deal gone bad. Nevertheless the two of them are good buddies, swapping stories of recipes, hospital food and how they came to be were they are today. Jackson is quite the character and his personality complements Abelina's sharp whit.



So, Ericka and another assistant physical therapist wheeled the two of them down to level A where people of different ages and physical abilities went about their vigorous routine. First they lifted Abelina out of her chair by using a Hoyer lift, then carefully lowered her onto what looks like a large wooden bed with two mats about a foot apart. One for her and one for Jackson. Then after her transfer, it was Jackson 's turn. He commented a few times,"your my girlfriend Abelina you just don't know it yet." She chuckled and said, "Okay". As the therapist manipulated their bodies they discovered they both had nick names, his being Poppy hers Nena. So they joked about how they would never be Abelina and Jackson again. The amazing thing was how happy they seemed. Laughing and telling jokes while other patients struggled to smile. There were several moments were I caught the eyes of other patients . They watched the two of them very carefully, i'm sure wondering what their secret was. All the while they lay flat on their backs smiling and carrying on. It just goes to show you what a positive attitude and a lot of faith can get you.



I then was able to maneuver the wheel chair back up to the 3rd floor and get Abelina settled before my (never easy) departure. Before I left , she wanted me to read her Psalms from the Bible. So I read from Psalms 13 to 23 I believe. But the most important Psalms (which she had highlighted was) Yeah, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil... I't struck me as odd for a millisecond. But then realized this is a mantra for her, due to the fact she is constantly fighting for survival, life will never be the same. She will have to watch what she eats, make sure shes hydrated, avoid getting sick and constantly monitor her blood pressure. Not to mention being in a wheelchair. So, as we complain about our daily woes remember what her positive outlook has done for her thus far.



Diana

Johnny, Kylie, Claudia, Joe and Angel at the A's

Hello ,

I have not seen Abelina since last Thursday, but she is back in the Rehabilitation portion of the hospital and still awaiting her departure. Which looks more like the middle of May. Although with the recent happenings, there are certainly some concerns about her life outside the hospital. I wish it was just cut and dry but it is not, there are so many factors that come into play and Abelina is the pawn. So, please continue to pray and we will have a better idea of her check out date after this weekend.

Abelina In Critical Care

Most of you do not know that on Saturday Abelina feel asleep at 1:00 O'clock and did not wake up unitil Sunday morning. It was very frightening. Her blood pressure was the lowest I had ever seen it and she was very cold. I tried to wake her, she would try and open her eyes but with very little success. I read to hear, talked with her and sang to her trying to get a response. It was not until later around 10:15 that she started to repeat "Oh my God" over and over. She then was able to answer yes and no on occasion. Around 10:00 her cat scan came back without any deficits, this was a huge relief. I was so scared. They poked her and prodded her drawing blood and flashing lights in her eyes (which seem to irritate her, this was a good sign). Her niece Eli arrived around 10:30 so I was able to call it a night, but of course I did not sleep well.

When I woke up Sunday morning. I immediately called the hospital and they said, "she woke up." So I called John to let him know it was okay to bring the kids. With a sigh of relief I went to go get Pete's coffee with my girlfriend Jessica, enjoyed our treat and Yerba Buena gardens then headed back to the hospital. When I arrived she was sitting in the room with an unfamiliar couple, they introduced themselves. But my mind was on Abelina. She began to cry and "ask were I was"? She said, I called you and told you my blood pressure was low". I then told her that she did not tell me that, but only that she wanted a shower and her ingrown toe nail clipped. Matter of fact at 8:30 am Saturday she called me balling. I could hear her arguing with the nurses about a shower and then she asked me to help her. One of the reason they hesitate to give her showers is due to her blood pressure dipping. Then I told her I was with her all the night before and she was relieved. She did not remember my presence at all. She kept crying and saying she almost died. I do believe she had a fight on her hands.

Sunday we finally were able to talk with Dr. Attena and he deducted from all the test that she had a bacterial infection most likely from Mexican food. He said, this caused severe dehydration, which then lowered her blood pressure, couped with her medications caused her kidneys to start to fail.

So one thing we learned from this is how fragile she is. Another thing we learned is she has to be very careful with what she eats. The doctor said, "No fast food or chain restaurants."

So please do not bring her any food as of now. The only thing that seems to be safe as of now is well washed fruit. Fruit with lime, salt and Valentina is her favorite.

Also, please keep the visits minimal. Although we all want to see her she needs her rest. Also, when you bring children into the room it expels a lot of energy from her. Which on weekends takes away from her visits with her own kids.

Diana Tate

p.s. I f you think I sound a little bossy, I take my co-role of health care directive very seriously.

Abelina update

I just wanted to share the latest Abelina news. Well some of you already know that her custom wheel chair came in slightly larger than ordered (17" verses 15") and she cannot be transported without the proper fitting chair. So as of now it looks like it will arrive somewhere between May 7th through the 16th.

So we are lucky enough to have them all in our lives for a few more weeks!

Diana

More Pictures

Abelina's, Claudia and Angel's going away party

All was a success! It was a beautiful party all went off without a hitch. Other than Abelina's transport driver taking her on a detour, all the way to Petaluma. John said, "he could hear he reprimanding him in the back ground." She said, "he was listening to the baseball game and not paying attention." We managed to pull off the surprise the kids had no idea what was going on. Then when the van arrived with Abelina in it, we all gathered outside. Still the kids did not get it, then they saw their cousins Eli and Hector and Claudia let out an enthusiastic squeal," Eli , Hector. Then they made it around the corner and got a glimpse of their Mama. "Hi mommy". I don't think their was a dry eye in my front yard, as Abelina was pushed onto the wheelchair ramp and then lowered to the ground. Abelina was so happy to be here. She was stopped every few feet to receive the many hugs coming her way. She was then brought into the house and escorted to the back yard, where she could bask in the sun. She had a procession line of people kissing hugging and chatting her ears off. After awhile, we pulled her into the shade where she was serenaded bye our local claim to fame Michael Lonibus (Who has a # 38 song on the Country Charts). He then pulled Angel up to sing some Johnny Cash Songs (which he sings all the time in the car). Then one of our favorite friends Ed Vaughn sang a beautiful song dedicated to Abelina about memories, she was very touched, it brought more tears to her eyes. It was time for her to leave around 4:oo . This was so incredibly hard as she started to cry and ask for hugs, she was so sad to leave all of us. I think it felt to her like her final goodbye. I kept telling her "we will see you again and you will be back". Abraham you were very missed!

I called about 7:00 to see how she was doing. Her nurse Norman said, "she was soing really well, her blood pressure was slightly low, but he had just given her, her medication."

Also, when she was leaving she requested for me to post on the blog, that she does not want to have any visitors before she leaves. She said, "she will not get a chance to get ready", so PLEASE respect her wishes! If you really want to see her call the nurses station and have them run it by her.

Also, thank you to the Wonderful Karen Woods RN, who donated her time to come to our party yesterday. Thanks for making all of it possible.

Diana

Abelina's Second Outing

Abelina was able to go on her first outing last week, you guessed it Starbucks! I asked her "how it was being in a wheel chair and going out into the real world?" She quickly replied, " It was great everyone stopped to tell me they liked my outfit, from my sister Hilda's store Claudia's in San Jose, Mexico." The dress is a combination of bold primary colors as well as being almost to her ankles. Also, she wore her first pair of high heels. She said, " one baby spotted her and started to jump up and down because he wanted to sit on her lap." I guess nothing has changed!

Anyhow, today I am having a small surprise, going away party for the kids and I told Abelina. Her immediate response was," I want to come." So through many discussions with the hospital, wheelchair and blood pressure tranning from Abelina, looking desperately for a transportation company that would work on Sunday and as a volunteer RN (Thank you Karen Woods of Sonoma). If Abelina checks out Okay she will be joining us, so we can give them all a proper send off.

We will be capturing it all film, so we will keep all of you abreast of this fabulous day.

I have to go prepare to pull off the big surprise...

Diana Tate

P.S. If I have overlooked anyone I apologize profusely. This was very last minute and most of the invitations were via telephone.

The Trach removal

Today I had the great pleasure of being present for Abelina's one hour interview and as usual there was not a dry eye in the house. When she tells her story in her own words it is something that sends chills up and down your spine. I will post some of the pictures from her interview very soon.

But most importantly she had her trachea removed today. Shortly after the interview I went to get her Doctor, because Abelina wanted me to be there for this monumental occasion. This is the last piece of plastic or metal on the exterior of her body. It was an unforgettable moment. Sorry for the sideways picture, it is getting late.

Diana

Abelina in great spirits

John the kids and I had a great visit this last Sunday. We stayed until 5 pm listening to her stories, laughing and a bit of primping for Abelina. Also the kids kept Abelina entertained as they wound John up in hospital gown and made him rubber glove dog ears. She really enjoyed watching the kids enter act with big John.

She had a new plug on her trachea and she was very excited for the upcoming removal.
She has not had any suction for four consecutive days and she is ready to be rid of it for good.. Many of you might know that one of her two vocal cords is paralyzed (hard to believe). So we like to joke around that nothing can stop her from speaking... Just another small miracle for Abelina!

Tomorrow, I will see her again with my old friend from High School Charles White, who is in the beginning stages of filming a documentary in which he did an hour long telling interview with me this afternoon. Tomorrow he will be interviewing Abelina she is very excited. Little does she know that we are also bringing a make up artist, I'm sure she will love it. If you want to know more about the film, go to http://www.idocfilms.com/ .

The film is scheduled to debut April of 2009!

I will keep you posted.
Diana