INDIANA'S 7th ANNUAL HepFest FESTIVAL

WHOOOOO HOOOOOO, 
      I have all 4 of the 4 Hepatitis C Quilts that there is in the whole world on display at this years HepFest on June 22, from 11 til 4 pm, Auburn, Indiana Rieke Park...
 
         Hello everyone! I hope this finds you all enjoying this beautiful morning! I am so excited for alot of reason's. 1 God allowed me to wake up yet one more morning. 2 my oldest daughter is about to Graduate High School!!! 3 A couple of good friends are coming to see me the first time in 14 years. 4 Indiana's 7th Annual HepFest Festival is two weeks later on June 22, 2014 from 11am til 4pm here in Auburn, Indiana. So I am really excited. It is getting real now. I have been settled down off the truck for 15 years and I have my little trucker baby ready to take the next step in her life. She has been in school for 15 years total. She did 2 years of Pre-School before her long journey of school. And now in the Fall she is going to College to become a Lawyer. I am a very proud mother!!! 
     Well now I get ready to put a graduation party, a awesome visit for my friends from Kentucky and a Festival!!!  So needless to say I really have my hands full!!! I enjoy it though it helps me to not think about my physical needs and allows me to go to another place in my day and stronger then the day before. Please know that I think I do best under pressure sometimes. So I am so sure I can do it.. I am a fighter not a quiter. So on we go. 
     Just like all of you should do who are on this page by way of Hepatitis C. All of you should remain fighters in your life's. Nothing no matter what it is is worth being depressed and let that rob you from today. No one knows what tomorrow's will bring. But we do know what today brings right this very minute. You are all AWESOME and LOVED by me and my family not matter if I know you or not. If you are reading this and you are not local. Then please reach out to a local Hepatitis C Support Group... Now if there isn't one then please start one. That is what I did. With no clerical experience at all. I will celebrate my 10th year for my group this October. I knew that i needed support for me and that there were no groups around so I started my own. And now we have grown like crazy. I have opened the eyes of so many in my community and erased some of the Stigma. So no matter your education, background and what you know and who you know. Just got to your local hospital and make a go of it. There is so many out there that need you!!! I pray you all will stay strong and for those of you who can I hope to see you at this years HepFest Festival, another thing I started just 7 years ago. A festival for those suffering with Hepatitis C , their family and friends. And a great way to educate your community!!! Hopefully you all will be better tomorrow then you are today. I pray that you all stay strong and know that I care about all of you!!! Please feel free to call me with any concerns and or question's. 260-927-8180 
     You all have a wonderful day and remember to smile at everyone you see in hopes they will pass it on!!!!
    

Please if you get to this blog by way of the support group;s name with inc at the end then go to the same address without the inc. I am still non profit but. After my 3rd Stroke I ended up with two blog sites and Im not very good at adding them together. so please try the hiponhepcsupportgroup.blogspot.com site. for the real updates. unless they come on both? Heck I do not do computers well... )o:  But either way be sure to check both out. Thank you very much. Know that you got Hep C you don't have to let the Hep C have you. Fight my friends and everyone reading fight....... I love you all and am sending great big hugs out to everyone!
Christie

hepFest and update story!

Hello Everyone,
     I am so sorry that I do not get to update this on a regular basis!!! But I am trying!! I promise!!! If it is not one more diagnoses I had my 2nd stroke in 4 years on February 24. I am bouncing back as best I can. I still only have 60% of my body back but I am fighting. Just like I fight Hepatitis C everyday! I passed my 10 mark that my first Liver doctor gave me last week and I have fought to beat that mark. I know darn good and well I refuse to let a Stroke get me down!!! I am really trying so hard! So all the prayers you can send this way would be nice. I am also getting things done for the HepFest this year. I am having to hire a helper. I just can't do this. Just 6 weeks post Stroke. If anyone is interested????? Please call me or email me. I have home physical therapy and a home nurse. They are getting me a power chair so that I can take walks with the girls. Walk to my mail box, cook with my kids at their level. Instead of feeling like I am sitting on the floor. It will bring some good back to my life. Thank goodness. I have to stay strong for these girls I have to raise that are still at home, and my children who are grown men and one of them is blessing me to be a grandma, and the other is follow a dream that he may feel, in his heart is the right way to go!!! I pray for both of them every night, and all you people reading this. And to those Heppers who may be a family member or a friend reading this. I pray and ask that you share this with a family member or friend. Who is going through the life of Hepatitis C. It put's you in shock at first then you go through the stage of " WHY ME" Then it is WHAT IS IT? And from then on you just suck it up, put your big boy or big girl pants on!!! Know Hepatitis C does not and I mean does not!!! Make who you are!!!! The person your spirit and heart is: is who make's you as a person. Not some stupid disease. I am really trying to be the best person I can be. So hopefully one day my illness with slow down and allow me to get out of my room let alone my house. I need those of you out there reading this to please pray that I get the right amount of help for this years HepFest so it will not kill me. But it must go on!!!!!!!!!
I will keep you updated. I love you all bunches!!!!!!!!!!!  The event is

Indiana's 5th Annual HepFest Festival
June 23, 2012
from 10am til 3pm
Rieke Park
1850 N. Indiana Ave
Auburn, Indiana 46706

Christie Soaper
260-927-8180
ladytruckr@mchsi.com
if you can't reach me by phone

HepFest time is coming soon!!!! Whooo Hooooo!

Okay Well we are off and running for this years event. INDIANA'S 5th ANNUAL HEPFEST.    Yeaaaa hawwww!!! Doctor says no stress so any volunteers? I am hiring some help? So call or shoot me an email to let me know if there is any takers.  E-mail is ladytruckr@mchsi.com . Or you can call at 260-927-8180.

We have the location and the free blood test vouchers for three locations and a two week grace period too, and we have the time set. Anddddddddddddd the rest I am working on. The live music is going to be there and the State Senator Dennis Kruse and a couple other Government officials I pray. Also some health speakers. There will be food, fun, learning, awesome new friends to meet who understand how you feel inside, a great park with clowns for kids to play with and get their faces pained. Or not the clowns for the kids who have the clown thing. But anyways it is going to be an awesome day to stop in and become aware or more aware about what the word Hepatitis C. There will be a Free Hepatitis C blood Test Voucher at the event. You don't have to stay but you and tell your friends and church families about the free blood test. it will start on June 23rd and the vouchers are good til July 7th.  there is 3 locations on there for them to go to. No registration, just take the vouchers straight to the Lab and they will test you. And the state health department will test the blood. And hopefully you don't get the bad call. But there is so many many of you out there that are at risk. One little drop of Hepatitis C blood can live for 30 days with live virus on it. There is not suppose to be a Stigma on the disease. because it's a disease all crowds and classes, high income families to low income families. Hepatitis C knows no bounders to whom may have it or ever came in close contact with someones blood, Vietnam Vets should all be tested. If you work in the Medical Field and have EVER had a needle poke, if you have gotten a Tattoo or Body Peircing in an un safe shop. Or if you ever have gotten any form of blood product, such as Organ transplant, or Kidney dialosos or Gotten a blood transfusion. That is how I got mine and little Logan Leigh got her's because they tried to pull all 11lbs and 5ozs (o:  . and they cut her behind the ear and she then was emergancy C-Setion. so came blood to blood with mine. Okay back to others who need tested. If your an Officer of the law and have grabed someones licesnse with out a glove on and that be a Drug user using his drugs who knows how. They need to be tested. You baby boomers wipe your pride off your shoulders and if you were a lets say partier then you will want to get tested. I mean the event is based on Community Awareness. We want the word Hepatitis C to be in everyone ears and everyone that just has that "well maybe " thought in their mind, please come get a voucher and leave as many as you need, they are free, and last for two weeks, or come and stay the day from 10 am til 3 pm it should be awesome. For all ages. Heck I am going to be 50 and I have it there is older then me too and then there is like my daughter age 13. Everyone is welcome even those folks who are just plain curious!!! There will be 2 out of th 5 Hepatitis C Quilts in the world showcased at the event for all to see, even make your own square designed the way you want. for frr it will be made or you make it and then this Lady Maria she sews them on there. And for you quilt lovers out there let me say to be honored to have 2 of the 5 in the world here in Auburn to see, is awesome. They are so so big and very heavy. One quilt would cover up 10+ people. A well worth drive out to see them!! And we are saying that it's 2 of th 5 in world not just the USA the whole world. What a blessing it will be for you to see. Also we are having the event at our community;s newest park Rieke Park, It has so much to offer, from food to live music, free blood testing, walking trail, playground, restrooms and Karaoke singing!!! So much more. A great day all around!!!!!!!! Please come out to see us. Feel free to call me anytime with questions 260-927-8180 Christie.
Okay again I need someone to get with me on the clerical work and online grant research too. It will be $10. an hour?
Oh yea, we are a offical 501c3 Non-Profit Organization so any donations would be tax deductable for you.
Everyone I must close for now. I just wanted to pop in for a few to catch ya all up. Please remeber to smile at everyone you SEE!! In hopes that they will PASS it on!!!
Have a wonderful day!!!!
Christie Soaper

Wow oh Wow it's been awhile!!!!

I am way behind on keeping up with the newest news my way. And checking up on you all! Sorry. Our family has got out of the biggest part of a bad thing that happen to our life's and now that was over in Feb. And there was no innocence found in him. He didn't even show up for trail. But God knows what happened and so does all my family and friends. But it's something we will be done with from now on. Thank you so very much for all of your Prayers and help!!!!!!!!!!! You rock. Tena and her young lady that was with you Thank you to them to for us.  My mom, my cousin, my little Logan. We fought the right fight and it's done. I am so very proud of my child for fighting to the end. She never got knocked down once. What a job she did. I am so very proud of her 210%. So God Lets Move On!

Well on a happier note. I want to hear from you all. I am home in bed sick most of the week. I do feed my girls and get 18 dinners at the soup kitchen for the Seniors where I live, I even go out in my Jammie's at time, no matter how weak I am the soup kitchens hep me carry it out to the truck and I can easily grab the dinners out one at a time. And they live on my same block. So I don't mind and the soup kitchen understands my weakness and being sick so they are very understanding and help me out. So God Bless them. And God Bless the hot dinners we have twice a week. The least i can do with all the Angels that live where I do. Since the day I turned sick and then Chemo twice 14 months and then Logan's Chemo was for 12 months two different years. Because a year after the first year of treatment the virus was active again. But the Seniors back here would bring dinner after dinner, home cooked meals at that to us when we couldn't cook or get out. My oldest daughter is almost a full grown lady. Wow. She was so awesome through 7 years of treatment her Mother and Sister were on. She was Nursemaid, Mother to Logan when I was sick, she keep up on the house real good, she cooked, she held our hair if we needed her to when we were getting sick. She was so many things and damnit. She never really got to be a kid and I promise to you all I will show her that joy in other ways the best I can. She is almost College age and I am praying so very hard she doesn't move out when she's 18. That will just crush me. And then 5 years from now the Baby, my baby will be 18. That is scary. I am so very affraid of the term EMPTY NEST SYNDROM. Because i already get some of that like the second part of a school day. The first part of a school day is aweeeeee. So quite. And if they spend the night somewhere I start missing them like crazy. God hold my hand please for the new days to come . Yes My oldest daughter is my spunk that kick's me in the butt sometimes. I am so very proud. I have 5 children to fight for. I have just 3 weeks ago had a TIA ( mini stroke) Now mind you on top of the Hep C side affects, and several other things that my body is trying to shut down. I get hit with a second stroke. One on each side of the brain. Now I am in training to teach parts of my bady to work. Like a baby learning it. But I will blast out of this. I again say I refuse to let the Devil win. Everything and I mean Everything happens for a reason!!!! You all have to tell yourself that everyday. God knows what he is doing!!! It's his will. And it has been before I was born almost 50 years ago. So when I say "EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON", I know what I am talking about. No matter how good or bad it is For A Reason. And my goal is to find a cure for Hepatitis C so I got a long way to go. But not for me but for my baby and my new family in the hep world I will fight to find a cure. Hepatitis C is a bad word and should never run ramped like it is in The United States of America, not talking about other countries. But in America the CDC and the Amercian Liver Foundtation say that for every 1 case of AIDS being repoted there is 5 cases of Hepatitis C. It is really runnig crazy is every kind of crownd. It has no prefrence what life style you live it is there. 1 in every 10 people knows someone who knows of a person suffering from this, Debilitaing at times, from this disease. But Christian or not just once raise your hand to the skky and say please God please for all of us. Thank you so very much!
I will stop this post and start the HepFest one!
I love you all bunches!!
Christie

WELL WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Well my friend and family we have made it through another year!!!  We are awesome for that. It's another year God blessed to have. Wow I praise him for that!!!! I hope you all are doing well and the bringing the new year wasn't stressful on you and that goes for Christmas too. That is why Christmas and the getting ready to close the year I haven't got an update of here!!!! My Christmas was great I got to spend it with my children and my dad. What more can you ask for? good blessed me to make it nice for my children and family and friends. So that makes me happy. I got a wonderful heart necklace that my daughters got me that says MOM in the middle. As for my two children still left at home they got a Telescope as their big present and I think I sam just as excited for it to turn warm around here so we can all play with it. How awesome it will be! (o: I managed to cook a nice dinner for the family and it turned out good. I made my 4H blue ribbon pie, well close, I didn't have Granny Smith apples. But mmmmm was it still good. Sat a watched a movie with my kids and my dad and that was fun too. We never get to see him much, mainly birthday's and x-mas. I will make more time to cook him a great dinner at least once a month. Have to if not 2 a month. We miss him bunches. He is one of the greatest people on this earth!!!! What a heart he has and true love for us!!!  I didn't get all my Christmas cards sent out this year I had 178 people to send them to and that was down sizing the prize of a stamp, but i did manage to get most of them done. I still have a couple who don't have there's yet. They will though just a couple days late. I am never one to ever not have them in the mail by December 1st. Same on me. But between being sick and doing the things I do for my family and friends I just got behind alittle. Next yer I need to hire a Secretary. LOL (o: We'll have to see. I do have alot of friends and my girls and neighbors who end up become my friend they are here for me on those sick days to do all they can. So I a very blessed there. I know some of them have their own life to tend to and that is totally understood. But thins will be good this year. I have faith, gotta have faith. 

I am blessed to have one more day to help you. My goal this year is to be everything my family needs, each and everyone. I have big one they are all over America but their love is here 24/7!!! I want to make my support group everything it can be. Bringing all the speakers to group that we need to be there for us!!1 Open the hearts of these speakers so the will provide us of there time freely. We need that. Also open the hearts of the people I reach out to to get this years HepFest of and running way before the start date in June.. We all need a day of fun for us and our family and friends. To be us and not be judged by one single person in it. A place where our children either with or without Hepatitis C to understand where the other kids feeling come from. And for our friends to come and support us in our day of total freedom to just be us!!! I have been having some problems on getting donations and grant money together so we can have our day. So please pray for that. I pretty much got the live music lined up, the free food, the KidZone is started, however any of you with idea's you think would be fun for our children please email me or call me. I know we have some game idea's plus there is a playground where I think we are going to have this years event. So lets see if all our prayers can produce a wonderful HepFest festival!!! I have faith in it and in all those who are going to be a part of it. We will get there. I am thinking this years event will be the second Saturday in June. The first Saturday of the month, like the past years, it is sometimes running into Graduation time. So I really hope the second Saturday will work for you all. Please I really need to get donation's and grant money. I have our grou as a Non-Profit Orginization 501c3 so everthing everyone will give will be tax dedutable. So pray, pray and pray some more. My pharmicutical company's I deal with who make the medicine for the treatment are making it so hard to get their help. And we by their producted on a monthly bases!!! Expensive product I must add. So God open their heart to see this event for the whole state of Indiana. I know it is call Indiana's Annual Hepfest but that does not in anyway mean everyone from southern Michigan and Norteast Ohio are not welcome at all!!! Everyone is welcome 210% so come on out and help us make it a blast. Thank you!  We need to get $2000.00 raised to have a productive festival this ear. That pays for our tents, tables, stage, live electric to the stage. It also helps us provide the jumper for the KidZone, food supplies and speakers. It all adds up quick. But I have it doen to the bare minumin. So hopefully this year Roche will not back out on us a the last minute and leave or group reponsiable for what already set up on site. We'll see. Prayers people and those of you out there with Hepatitis C who don't really pray then keep your fingers crossed. We need it.

Well as for our little Logan her Hepatitis (HCV RNA) blood test came back and she is now two yeaar Un- Detectable (remission for those not knowing what that means) and man oh man were we happy. I have been at a Non- detectable rate now for 6 years, Whoooo Hooooo. However I have damage to my Liver and muliple other things physically wrong with me. So that really the  having all these other wrong makes it at times hard to be a mommy and daddy to my girls left at home, However we manage. Little Logan is in stage 1 of her Liver with mild Inflammtion. So she should be good til I find that forsure cure for her so her Liver damage stays the same. I know it will God has his hnds touching it daily. And that goes for each and everyone of you! God is touching you disease with healing hands. In form or another.No matter what stage you are in or how sick you may feel. Itis what it is and you always need your faith. We all know healthy people die everyday so we need to know ONLY when it our time to go to heaven then that is the time the good lord has gave us, and not a second to soon!!! You have be allowed to have Hepatitis C becaise the next person in line would not have been able to handle it like we do. So being positive is not about you having the disease but t know it is for a reason in your life. Now I am not say this in a mean or crazy way. Just in a real way! I am also going to everyother week or at least once a month do my stories on the Stigma word put on Hepatitis C. I would love it if I could take an eraser and earse totlly the word stigmsa or cooty factor. Those are such a horriable title for for anyone to every have. You are not who you are for what you have. You are you a reall person. God has blessed us to have you her among us. You Are All Awesome in your own ways!!! Well I am going to do alot more reasurance the public that we want to be treated equally. They want everyone to treat them like that, with respect until they don't eserve it. Not by them excepting us will be a wonderful world to live in.

Well I am going to close for now. Please know I pray and thank about you all everyday!!! BE HAPPY MAKE THIS A WONDERFUL LIFE OF PEACE FOR YOURSELFS!!!!!

I love you all,
Christie
ladytruckr@mchsi.com put int he subject line Hep C blogsite. So I know where you are coming from. Thank you!!! annd my phone number is 260=927-8180.
BIG HUGS to you all!

My baby girls all three of them!!!

Enjoy and beliveve!!!

Such an awesome picture I had to share it!

Sorry It's been awhile!

Well as far as the fair it went better then the last year I set up up there. There were still those people who turned their heads like it was a cootie faactor if they even looked at the booth let alone tried to stop by and be open minded about getting some new information about the facts of Hepatitic C, and lots of other things like Hepatitis A & B and Liver cancer and much more.  I couldn't work the booth very long. I was there the best I could. I know I should have asked others from my support group to work it for me too. But it was something I really wanted to try on my own. So I did. The crappy weather rain and clod made it extra hard on my body. But I did the best I could. I even got my new 4 wheel drive stuck in the muddy parking lots. I pulled into a puddle i thought was only a puddle and bam I sunk up to my eyebrows it seemed. lol I had mudd all the way up to the top of my truck trying to get out. Teh farm guys were going to go get me a couple of horses to real horses to pull me out, really lol, I finnally after rocking it back and forth got it out. Shoooo I didn't want my 4 wheel drive get showed up by some for legged horses. (o: So then on my way home I went to the car wash and was sitting there in this automatic car wash looking in my review mirror and it was pouring down rain. Was on my way into the car wash. But I had to get the mudd off. Couldn't park in the garage at home with mudd up to the top of my truck. So I think I need to call Jeff Foxworthy and tell him I have a new redneck joke. ( you know your a redneck if your sitting in a car was in the pouring down rain) LOL LOL has to be a good one.
Well back to the Hep stuff. As for my daughter she is feeling pretty good. She is doing As and Bs in school she wants to become a Hep C pediatrician. Awesome huh???? She says " mommy I will be able to look at the kids and tell them do not be affraid. I know what you are fearing and feeling". Made my heart melt. So awesome. As for my other daughter she wants to be a lawyer so whoooo hooooo for them. Both or on the right track to be able to become something great in this world. I am so very proud of them both. And now as for me. Well I just can't beat the pain that I have daily and the nausea and more. I have come to terms that I will have to live with this for the rest of my life and I know it. I am grateful that my Liver is holding it's own though. So that is a good thing. I mean I have 5 more years til my baby is an adult and I have to be here for that to happen. Being momm and daddy makes me have a double duty and I will get them where they need to go. I pray with God s will that I will be around for their College Cragduation too and their babies.  I know if I put my mind to it that I can fight this and be here for a lot more years. As for my other grandbabies may not happen til they turn 18 but I will be here no matter what. Praying for them, Loving them and hopeing for a reunion soon. My son Dillon is making me very proud too. He is 22 now and back in College taking Culenary schooling. I see him owning the finest resturant in the world. Yep he can do it I just feel it. My other son is doing construction and i hope it stays busy for him. I have no doubt that he does good work. But I don't know. I will always pray for him no matter how far away he is. He has given me three beautiful grandbabie though I do know that!!! One I have not met yet but the other two well let me just say they will melt everyone hearts once they meet them!!! So Awesome!!! So I know God made me the blessing of giving birth to 5 wonderful children andeven the one is in heaven with our heavenly father and his daddy who passed on our Harley when I was 3 months pregnant. I still have been blessed to carry them for nine months and give birth to them. So blessed. Now it's just two more at home and even though I will be 50 next year and still have a 13 and 16 year old at home. I am blessed to be their mother. My son Dillon will I pray soon find the right women God will send him to be his wife and he will soon give me and his other mother and father afew grandbabies too.
Well I have to say as far a group I am sorry I have had to cancel the last couple. I wake up feeling okay some days thinking things are going to be good then bam it hits me blind sided and I'm in the rest room sick. So sorry for that. I hope in Dec. we can have a nice dinner in group to celebrate the season!!!!! Everyone lets pray hard for this one okay!!!!!!. I hope and pray that all of you are feeling okay and doing the best you can. I know I still have alot of you in group who still do not come to group for there reason's and maybe one day that will change. Damn stigma. But I am blessed that you have given me 7 years of being able to give you phone support and email support. I want you to know I love you all so much. Everyone in my gorup is speacial to me. And I am still praying to the those that we have lost to Heaven that they help me to be able to be all that you here on earth need!!!!! That is my goal to be the support group leader I can be. So come on third Friday of everymonth. You all pray hard for the devil yukies to stay away from me that day so I can be at group with you!!!!.
Okay I will close for now. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!!! Call me anytime 24/7 no matter what for anything 260-927-8180 home or cell at 260-515-5130. I love you all bunches!!!!
Til next time. oh yea pass this blog site on to everyone you think it would help. Remeber to ttell them to click on older post link at the bottom of each page so they can keep going all thy back to the begeinning and to click on the links at the right side close to the top to click on my daughters stories they posted.
Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christie

Getting ready for the fair 2011

Well here i sit just one more day before the DeKalb County Fair. I am really hoping and praying that most of the people who walk by my booth at the fair will stop by and get educated about Hepatitis C and get a free voucher for a free blood test for Hepatitis C. The first time I did the fair (which is the only time so far) I took home 98% of the informational phamplets that I took there. That was very saddening to me. People would just walk by and turn the other way putting that cootie factor on my booth and all it has to offer. I really am so sick of people acting like that. Everyone should take the time to stop by get inforamiton ask questions and or get a free blood test for the Hepatitis C. Right now in America according to the CDC and the American Liver foundation. Every 1 case of AIDS being reported there is 7 cases of Hepatitis C being reported. Scary. The disease is spreading like crazy. Yet people still put such a stigma on it that they won't reach out and get information about it and get tested if they are at risk. And people are never going to stop using others needles when they are junkies. And those who have been in the Armed forces will not take the time to be tested either. Then there is those who are getting unsafe tattoo's and body piercings at an clean shops and in homes at party and such. People who work in the medical field who have come in contact with anyone's blood should be tested. But 75% of them won't for fear of what people will think of them if they do. Why does what you have be more important then who you are. No matter what kind of spreadable disease you have you should never be labeled as having cooties so to speak. Never!!! Those of us who have a spreadable disease are just as human and have feeling just like someone who doesn't. So I sit here and pray that this week at the fair people will stop by and take the information I will have out and ask questions and get tested if they are at risk. I ask all of you who are reading this to please pray for me to be able to attract people to want to stop and get informed. Thank you! Speaking from someone who lives with having Hepatitis C it is a very lonley place to be in. Very lonley!!!. The depression of knowing when I first meet someone I have to more less say "HELLO MY NAME IS CHRISTIE SOAPER AND I HAVE HEPATITIS C" not exactly like that but really close. And to be fearful of that oerson you meet trun and run from you never to speak again. It hurts badly!!! And then to have a daughter whois also Hepatitis C positive and having to do that with all her friends parents before she can go and spend anytime at their home or ours. And having to tell her teachers and the faculity at school before each new year of school. It is not my fault that I contracted Hepatitis C and it is not my daughters fault or mine that she has Hepatitis C. We contracted me from recieving contaminated blood and her from being cut during delivery. I hate this so bad for my daughter more then me. I want her to grow up living a normal life. With no one putting the cootie factor on what she has and have them to turn and run away!!! I have put a story in the paper about people stopping at my booth. So we will see. I will keep you infromed. Okay I will close for now. please rememebr to keep the fair in your prayers. Praying for opened minded people to get educated and get tested. Thanks again.
Love ya all,
Christie

Wow! What a day. What a day. What a day.

Well things are good for me besides dealing with my yuckyness. When it come to Logan my youngest daughter who also has Hepatitis C. She contracted it during a c-section. It is school time and I must say so far I feel relieved. Not just dealing with Hepatitis C myself I have to live her Hepatitis C too. Like when i meet someone I say hello my name is Christie I have Hepatitis C . Like that in different way. But that is point blank I have it tell it is always what I say. I hate the stigma on it so very very very bad. Now Logan going through grade school was good. She had one teacher and she followed alot of the same teachers her sister had. So they were already aware of the Hepatitis C. But every year I still made it a point to refresh the school and her teacher all about the Hep thing. At first her school made me mad at the beginning of us finding out Logan was also positive with her Hep. I called the school and said' I am calling to report about the Hep c and they were am you need to talk to the nurse first before she can come. I was so mad. But then the stigma fear wore off and they opened there hearts 210%. So we are really going to miss them. The kids, the teachers and all employes and other parents too. They all loved Logan. And we all became like family. They went threw me being sick with mine to Logan having it and so much more. Anyways back to now. It's a new school. Middle school. So now there is alot more teachers, employes, kids ext. It's kinda like the feeling of having to tell each one of her friends parests first before she could spend the night. Telling people who know nothing about it is something we have to do. It is really starting to take a toll on Logan.She is asking and crying with the qyestion. Mommy why me. wow What a punch in the gut to me I just try to tell her to get her mind on something else. And I reasure her that we are not going to let this Hepatitis get the best of us. And remind her that healthy people die everyday too. And we will nnot go until God is ready for us. I mean Gosh what do you say? Hard to put yourself in my shoes. The feeling of guilt that I gave my daughter a disease that can Kill her. Evening though that it was because of the c-section and the cut behing her ear. I still go at night before I go to sleep at night lay there hurting because my baby is hurting. Every way she can. And has to live in this cruel world  living it. So today has been a really hard day of thinking about it and not knowing how to come out of this depression I feel because of it. Knowing I have started a support group because Gosh I need it at times. I want everyone in my group to know I thank each and everyone of them..This is something I have keep inthe not knowing what to say or do to comfort my daughter.  Blaaaaaah. Please pray for me!!! Hopefully I can help find a peace for her. Finding a cure for her is why I do all the work for bringing Hepatitis C awareness stuff...... Everyone have a great day!!!

God is so good!!!

Well God is so very good. I was to the point after my last biopsy that I was ready to give up. They came in and took more then one sample from me and then I was told that I may only have a year to live if I do not follow what the doctors told me to do. By two different doctors. How they could tell that right then I have no idea. I think that they where meaning now that I think back to that day. Was that if I didn't follow my doctors orders I could die in a year or 10. I don't know I just know the way they said it had me crazy. Well here for a whole week I was scared to death that I was going to die in one year. Well I had everyone praying for me from east to west and north to south. And you know what people prayer does work. There was a message on my phone from my doctors nurse practitioner that she would discuss more with me on Tuesday when she got back in the office. Well things are okay she said in her message. But that there was more and she would talk to me in person about that. I do know that 3 1/2  years ago my last doctor, who was a goof if you ask me. He did the Liver biopsy way different then they do them down in Indianapolis at Indiana University Hospital. My old doctor did the biopsy on the side and never used a ultrasound machine like they do at IU. And last one 3 years ago he hit a nerve when he went in to my side that almost sent me flying off the table. Both times he never used a ultrasound machine and like I said the last one hitting the nerve and a few other things got me going to a better doctor and one who specializes in not only gastroenterology  but one who also specializes in Hepatitis C. Anyway I am so not knowing how to feel. At the day of the biopsy I was giving up on life and now after hearing her message. WOW I am obviously very very happy. But still numb. I am exited to hear what she has to say on Tuesday. So everyone still keep on praying. Please! Thank you so very much.

Well as for everything else. I am trying my best to enjoy the summer with my children. We have been camping a few times and we go swimming at the different lakes we have around here. I bought me this big ole yellow boat( You have to use a pump to blow it up) but it will fit two kids teens ext. But it fits me just fine. I blow that baby up and get in it have my kids push me to the rope that they have to block off for the kids, they push me way out to the farthest rope so I am out of the way of everyone swimming and such. I tie my boat to the rope and lay back and almost fall asleep. But I am there with my kids so falling asleep in out of the question. But it is very relaxing. I also have a big blow up chair that has a big back to it with a drink holder and harm rest that I use when my friends go with me and we tie to the rope and tie them to each other and kick back and catch up on whats happening. We have been doing some new decorating to the inside of the house to. Like painting my bedroom, getting a new china cabinet for the kitchen from a friend and working on getting my grandma's china out. I have been doing a few other things to. Working on painting the living room and hall before the fall gets here. I have lived here in my house for ten years so it is time to do some painting big time you could say. I have a big picture wall that has 62 pictures on it. All my life my family has had picture walls. Most of them running down a long hallway. But anyway I need to rearrange them. I have each year of my girls school pictures and much more. I have friends who tell me to cover the last year school picture. But not me I want to be able to be able to look at them all. Anyway there is some more stuff to do to the house.

Well my daughter with the Hepatitis C is doing great. She is now over a year non-detected. And feeling great. So I am very happy. I want to find a cure for her. So bad. But until then I will be reaching out to the community to keep bringing awareness.
I will close for now. I love ya aall and pray for each one of you. God bless!!!
Christie

Goodmorning To You All

I am still blogging on her and thinking of a way to continue to bring the awareness of Hepatitis C to our community. Our Open Open House was good but there so many more calls then people who showed up. I feel so bad for those who didn't show because of the awful stigma there is yet on this disease. It makes me sad. I want everyone to feel the joy we do when we all get together and enjoy the company of someone who can understand what you are going through. It makes it so nice to be able to talk to someone and have them say " I know " and have them really know what you are feeling. We can all get so down once we are diagnosed with Hepatitis C and feel that that scary feeling of the unknown. I want the public to realize that it is who you are that makes you and not what you have. So like I said we got to meet a few new people and for that I am grateful!!! They all seemed quit lovely.  I am not going to give up on bringing the stigma down. I am not sure how or exactly how to do this. But I will never stop trying. One thing I will continue to do is to pray. And prayer can be quit powerful so if any of you would please pray also. Thank you.
I am scheduled for my 3rd Liver biopsy in July to see how much the Cirrhosis has progressed. Hopefully it has not but we will see.Okay til next time take care and stay strong!!!
Have a great day!!!
Christie

Well the Open Open house went really well.

Well the event was really great! We met three new people with Hepatitis C and that made it all worth it !!!! I really wish more of the public would have came out and taken advantage of learning more information about Hepatitis C. There is still such stigma on this disease that scares the public because of the unknown. And the only way they are ever going to learn is to get information on the disease. It really saddens my heart that people just want to stay in this bubble of there lives and not try to learn new things about this disease that is killing people everyday. Why I do not know. But I will never stop with my calling of educating the public and try my best to find a cure for my daughter and others!!!!!!!!!!!! Hepatitis C is not a cootie factor and I am sick of people thinking that because they are to scared to learn the real stuff about Hepatitis. I will continue to reach out and share what I know and hopefully the public will loosen up!!!!!!!!!!!! I want everyone out there to know these facts.   1. For every one case of AIDS being reported to the CDC ( CENTER for DISEASE CONTROL ) there is four cases of Hepatitis C being reported. In America! And in every ten people you know someone will know someone with Hepatitis C!!! They predict that by the year 2014 or 2015 here in America AIDS will be in the back ground and Hepatitis C will be in the front. So the public really needs to come out of their bubble and be open to learn about this disease and even get tested for that matter. Okay I will close for now and I pray that everyone that reads this post will pass this on to as many friends they can to help the public here in America be safe and well aware and have learned about the disease. Thank you everyone for your time in reading this!!! It really means alot to me. Love, peace and knowledge to you all!!! Everyone have a wonderful day!!! You deserve it!!!!