Still Alive?

So where in the heck have we been, you ask? Why the long delay in posting? Well, here's a short rundown of our last month:

1. Sy's new little sister (Phoebe) decided to show up over 5 weeks early! Sy is doing a great job of taking care of mom and baby and sometimes has a hard time not poking her when she's asleep. We'll post some pictures of Sy and baby sis soon.

2. Sy's mom had a few complications in the weeks following the pregnancy that resulted in an emergency room visit and subsequent surgery. All is well now and we think we've had enough adventure for now... Back to the "normal" life with EE Boy, his energetic big sis, plus one premature newborn!

3. Sy and his dad made a very "quick" and eventful trip to Cincinnati on October 18. We have details of the trip and news that needs it's own post, so we'll get that up as soon as possible. Stay posted! You'll want to hear what happened...

OK, just tidbits for now. Promise to get more to you all soon. Thanks for sticking with us!

Sy Wants You!

Do you happen to have a little extra time in a week that you would like to spend helping out a little blondie?

We are at a point where we have received enough ideas an information to start organizing some fundraisers for Sy's medical costs, so we are officially posting that we need volunteers to help! Whether you are local or overseas, you can help in some way. Please let us know if any of these opportunities interest you:

1. We have received enough information, support, and media coverage to do what Sy would love most: a bowling fundraiser! We would mainly need people to help plan and publicize the super fun event(s). There are several ways to actually raise the funds with this, so we'd need your input and help with that, too. We would need at least 3 people who could jump right in!

2. Are you artistic or crafty? We have a great idea for a small product to sell to help raise funds as well. It's fun, original and creative. This would take a small amount of design and imagination on how to best mass produce these items so we can get them out as fast as possible and then just get the ball rolling. The more the merrier on this one!

3. We have received word from a group that is going to put on an amazing 5K race and family fun run in Sy's name in the Oakland/Winter Garden, FL area. We are scheduling this for September 2011, so we have time, but it takes a lot of time and energy to pull off an event like this and make it quality. The group coordinating the race says that they could use about 5 volunteers right now. You would be responsible for parts like T-shirts, publicizing/registration, water stops, and others! Let us know and we'll pass your name along!

We've been working hard to try to get this going, but things like a new job, homeschooling and getting ready for baby #3 have been getting in the way a bit. We need a great partner like you!

Thanks to all of you who are both passionate and compassionate about getting this boy well! By the way, we're going to blow these events up big, so jump on the wagon...

If interested, please contact us at thelovebus (at) wildmail.com (use the symbol, this is to keep phishing software away) or join "Save Sy's Esophagus" on Facebook and shoot us a message that way.

More Sy Media

Not to bore y'all but I know lots of folks don't get the newspaper anymore... Unfortunately, this link doesn't have the cute bowling pic that was actually in the newspaper article. Enjoy the read!

http://www.wotimes.com/articles/2010/09/08/news/top_stories/news03.txt

Sy Takes the Fight Against EE Worldwide!

Well, the word is getting out for sure. Thanks to people like you and our friends in the local media, Sy's story has reached out across the U.S. and has even crossed international borders!

If you just put in a search for "Silas Harger" in Google, here's an example of just a few places where  you'll find his story:

Florida (Orlando, West Palm Beach, Tampa, and more)
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Illinois
Arizona
Louisiana
Ohio
Alabama
and....Romania! (There's more, but we just can't read some of the languages they're written in!)

We've also found him on numerous other blogs, medical websites, manufacturers of allergy products,  and more...

So, the more the world gets to know Sy, we help so many others by raising awareness of this disease and it's effects on those who have it, those who love them, and those who work on finding a cure. If you happen to have just a few minutes, send his story to the best place you can think of. We've had people contact local social organizations, television shows, clubs, major news publications, churches, and other media outlets. I even had someone suggest contacting Food Network! It was a good laugh at first, but then, the more I thought about it, I would have to say that they've probably never had a show that would cater to a no food diet! I guess Sy could just smell all of Rachel Ray's dishes? How many ways can you prepare ice?

Anyway, give it your best shot. Send it to anyone. Send it anywhere. Let's give "Flat Stanley" a run for his money...

The Daily Commercial Newspaper Headlines

 http://dailycommercial.com/localnews/story/082510harger

Check out the link above... This was a great story written by Roxanne Brown. We really appreciate all the time and effort she put into this (as well as the photographer). It's so amazing to have such support in our hometown. THANK YOU!!

News Channel 13 Full Story

This is the 2-minute version of Sy's story. If you would, click on the link and watch. It will up his ratings!! It looks like the story is being syndicated nation-wide. Thanks to all of your for spreading the word!!

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/august/143255/Silas-Harger:-The-boy-who-cant-eat

A way to cope!

For the last few weeks, Sy has started a strange habit. We were all ready to start eating (and drinking) dinner one night as usual. Before we began, Sy made a request: "Poppy, can I smell your food?".

At first I thought it would just make it more difficult on the little guy and started to refuse it. Then, I talked to him and asked him if he thought that might make it harder for him to not eat. He said no and that he just wanted to see what it smelled like. With hesitation, I pushed my plate over to him as he took one large, long sniff of the evening's meal. He finished and then stated, "Mmmm, that makes me full!". Without complaining or getting upset, he went on to drink his elemental formula with a smile. What kind of kid with this kind of illness does this?

Since Sy has started, he occassionally asks to smell the day's food items and it seems that it's helping him (somehow) get through his crazy no food diet. Like it wasn't enough to show us self-control by undergoing a liquid diet without a single complaint, he now shows us that with the right attitude, you can still enjoy food without putting it in your mouth. I think it's harder for all of us who watch than it is for him!

Thank you, God for one special little boy!