<h2> </h2>Working through Childhood Traumas or ACE’s is one of the most difficult and rewarding journeys. I know, because I am currently going through the process. To be completely transparent, I thought I was a really happy kid that was able to adapt easily. The truth is, I realize now I was only masking my struggle.Often time with the need to over perform and perfectionism just to be able to reach levels of recognition every year.<h2>What Were My ACE’s?</h2>At this point, you’re probably wondering just what my traumas were and why I felt the need to over perform. ACE’s are personal and while I’m happy to share my score of 7, I’m not really keen on opening up about how exactly I got those scores. I will say this, my parents are both immigrants from Bolivia and a lot of immigrants have a harder life ahead of them due to lack of familial support, financial hardships, unfamiliarity with the system, etc. All things considered, my parents did the best they could but even then, I ended up with the score of 7.That said, my therapist and I have the same discussion every week “do I feel this campaign is helping me?” She sees my struggle and my response is usually a muted yes. Perhaps because I’m still going through the process and it’s painful to think of the various scenarios that happened as a child that affect the way I function now. Moreover, it can be difficult to reflect back on a scenario you experienced as a child with the understanding of an adults’ perspective. Let me give you an example, with both my parents working, I really didn’t have the time needed to connect with my parents. A lot of times I felt lonely as play dates weren’t set up. So instead I had two imaginary friends, an elephant and a mouse. I guess at the very core that is the definition of post traumatic growth. In psychology, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_growth" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);">Posttraumatic growth</a>is a concept describing positive psychological change experienced as a result of struggling with highly challenging, highly stressful life circumstances.&nbsp;<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/c260e579-e4a7-46d1-9352-a338ab3f4003-MicrosoftTeams-image_(6).png">Post-traumatic Growth and ACE’s</h2>I know what you’re thinking, how could imagining a friend be a positive thing? It was a coping mechanism I had at the time and it’s just one of my many quirks that allowed me to continue to be the positive, happy person I am today. That mouse and elephant solved my problem of loneliness for the time being. Well, now as a mom to a 7-year old daughter I am mortified to think back on just how lonely I was. I could never imagine my little Amelie looking into thin air, laughing and playing hopscotch with an imaginary friend.That said, I like to think of my life as a Kintsugi vase. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: windowtext;">K</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">intsugi</a>&nbsp;is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.I bring that art into my own parenting style. I suppose embracing my flaws makes it easier to accept the fact that while I may not have the same skill set as other parents, whatever parenting style I am adapting for my family, beautifully strengthens the flaws I once had.At the end of the day, I am grateful for having discovered the science behind ACE’s because as painful as the journey has been, I know that everything I am doing is not only for my benefit but for my daughter’s as well!<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/a4b71d6a-cc6b-48ac-bed6-01d189b04b9a-MicrosoftTeams-image_(5).png"><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/d7015853-6ae1-4b38-b61f-ad93c15ebc66-MicrosoftTeams-image_(4).png"><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/9e724923-b69c-4355-b7e4-668243372b4e-MicrosoftTeams-image_(3).png"><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/ef3780da-43f6-4526-944a-a8669b239747-MicrosoftTeams-image_(2).png">

Working Through Childhood Traumas or ACE’s

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It’s the season of giving and I’d say not many individuals give more than this young lady has in her 17 years of life. I’d love for you folks to meet Gabriela Hernandez from the <a href="https://sasdreamfactory.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">School for Advanced Studies</a> in Miami. I had the pleasure of meeting Gaby for the first time at the <a href="https://www.choicemd.com/blog/coral-gables-summer-literacy-festival-combats-the-summer-slump" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Coral Gables Summer Literacy Festival</a> where she was promoting her book: “Timothy’s Magic Wheelchair: The Martian Overlord.”<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/2e978617-e3f8-49ed-8e29-ac10f85c207a-IMG_9468.jpeg">At the time, I was still chair to the City’s Advisory Board on Disability Affairs and happy to check out all the booths that were scoped out to represent the disabled population. This particular table took me by surprise because all the proceeds from this children’s book benefit the <a href="https://www.jettfoundation.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Jett Foundation</a>. I was so intrigued and I simply had to find out more. So many questions came flooding into my mind. For example, why did she decide to do something so altruistic, especially at such a young age? From my experience, the people who choose to do these types of things are usually the ones whose lives have been directly affected, and helping others can become part of the growth that takes place when faced with adversity. Well, it turns out that was exactly the case. Her life forever changed when her cousin Ale was diagnosed with <a href="https://www.duchenne.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy</a>, a genetic disorder usually diagnosed in early childhood that causes muscle weakness and degeneration due to the alteration of a protein that helps keep muscles intact. I can only imagine the amount of courage and resiliency needed to navigate a life filled with so much difficulty. It was after a trip to a theme park in Orlando where Gaby realized how difficult the prospect of being in a wheelchair was for her cousin Ale and that was really what sparked the idea for the book.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/80fc4698-646c-473e-9c02-f2b990c7914b-IMG_9469.jpeg">After that intro, I quickly went to Amazon to order a copy and our family was more than pleasantly surprised. It is a really well-written children’s book with a delightfully whimsical yet realistic twist about adapting to a physical disability. I seriously liked it so much that when I found out she would be at the Coral Gables Adventure Day for All, six months later, I went rummaging through my daughter’s bookshelf so that I could bring it to the event and ask for her signature – she already is a superstar in my mind!<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/18b0784a-96b0-4fad-b807-7fda07fc60a8-Resized_20211023_141853.jpeg">If you’re looking for gifts that will teach your children about the beauty of appreciating the differences in all of us then this is the perfect book for you!

The Gift of Appreciating the Differences in All of Us

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<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/2ba65e19-0079-4827-90fb-fe0c39641bf5-Add_a_heading_(2).png">A New COVID-19 Variant – The Omicron Variant</h2>The news has been saturated with information about a new COVID variant <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/omicron-variant.html" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);">B.1.1.529</a>with very little actual information about this new virus. It was first detected in South Africa in late November, but it is possible that Omicron did not originate there. The virus has been found in samples in Europe that precede the discovery in South Africa. It is now found in at least 26 countries including several states in the US. The confirmed case count is low but rising quickly. With this early statistical information and the fact that the new strain is highly mutated compared to the Delta variant, experts believe that the virus is more transmissible. There is some good news at least anecdotal that would indicate that the new virus could be less deadly as the symptoms appear to be milder than symptoms with the Delta Variant.<h2>The Omicron Stage of The Pandemic</h2>All this information is preliminary as we are very early into the Omicron stage of the pandemic. Not enough information has been gathered and not enough data been cross referenced to the patient population specifics like vaccine status, and prior infection status. This does not allow any certainty in the prediction of severity. The vaccine companies are scrambling to understand how the variant reacts to the current vaccines and they need time to make valid conclusions. They are confident that there is benefit to the existing vaccines; but are already looking into plan B an Omicron booster and they expect to have a plan B vaccine production ready in about 100 days. Let’s hope we don’t need plan B, but it appears that it will be available soon.<h2>What Can We DoInTheMeantime?</h2>Meanwhile what can we do as a population to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193); background-color: transparent;">help ourselves.</a>We can continue to socially distance, we can continue to wear face masks in public, we can continue to wash our hands frequently. We can continue to test when we have suspicious symptoms or suspect exposure. We can continue to adjust our lives to the pandemic. We are all tired of this and wish that it had already passed, but once again we will need to dig deep and continue to show that we can survive<h2>Is There a Silver Lining to The Omicron Variant?</h2>If there is a silver lining to the appearance of Omicron is that vaccination rates have gone up. This is good news because if it turns out that the current vaccines are highly effective against Omicron we are in better shape. Even if they are not very effective, they will reduce the healthcare system load from prior variants. Two years into this pandemic every country’s health care system is to the breaking point, the care givers are physically and mentally tired, they have lost many colleagues to the virus and have lost many to retirement due to exhaustion. The number of hospital beds maybe the same but if you cannot adequately staff the facility, those facilities become less effective. This has caused ripple effects for patients that need help due to non-COVID related illness. Or even those that are waiting for “elective” surgeries which is a misnomer; they can survive without the surgery but are possibly living with more pain or have a diminished quality of life.One last comment and it is more a hope than a prediction or a statement. If (and that is a big IF still) the variant is less deadly it maybe that the virus is starting to become just another common cold virus or flu. Don’t get me wrong even the most mundane form of the flu is still deadly to some people and it is still tragic; but as a society we could return to a more normal life,and that is a good thing.Stay up to date by reading my recent <a href="https://www.choicemd.com/blog" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193); background-color: transparent;">Blog posts</a>or <a href="https://www.choicemd.com/health-news" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193); background-color: transparent;">News articles!</a>

What is The New Omicron COVID Variant?

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Today I had the opportunity to sit down, chat with, and learn from one of our newest team members, Franjo.I find him simply remarkable and his story is even more impressive.<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/f1825f25-7867-435f-aae2-049e6937c50b-20211110_133709.jpg">Who is Franjo?</h2>Franjo is one of our front-end and back-end developers and his latest task was extensive, to say the least. We needed an update to our system that would sync the Florida Department of Health Registry with our database to check for inconsistencies, among other things. Usually, I’ll reach out to the team with issues and they’ll come up with solutions to my requests and put the right people on the task. In my mind, this process was going to take some time so when a meeting was called just a couple of weeks later I was convinced it was going to be to learn and figure things out. I was wrong, it was completed and just a few minor changes needed to be made. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least!However, that’s not what makes this story special or even impressive. What I didn’t know, was that Franjo is 100% blind from birth. I felt like the stars were aligning! I immediately called a meeting and asked if it would be ok to share his story.Here I am, the newest board member to The Advocacy Network on Disabilities, tirelessly trying to get companies to understand that people with disabilities can and should be contributing to society and I am shocked that I unknowingly have put this into motion through my own company. I wasn’t looped into the surprise until everything was complete and running perfectly and I kind of love that it worked out that way. In my mind, Franjo is just the coolest and I really wanted to find out more. My mind was filled with so many questions I wish I had the opportunity to ask when I was a kid. I’ll admit I felt ridiculously dumb when I asked him his favorite sense, it’s sound – of course! How else would he take in the world? What impressed me most was his story – ALL OF IT!He grew up with two sisters that have their sight and his mom felt it important that he socialize with all peers so he never went to a school for blind children. He went through school just as any normal kid would, but with the added difficulty of finding books in brail.<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/3bfeef9f-2085-4608-8fb9-3ac3838264fc-20211110_133808.jpg">Fast forward to the present day where he found himself coding because he wanted to learn to automate the timer while hosting Dungeon and Dragon events.</h2>Wait!?!! What? That was my reaction. He actually went to school for something else and taught himself to code to solve a problem. I’m really starting to appreciate his resolve. It gets even more interesting, he teaches himself to code several other programs and plans to run into another one of our developers at a convention to let him know that he is up for the task if any positions are open. I’m dumbfounded at this point and trying to imagine finding someone in a convention center with my eyes closed. Of course, he succeeds because this guy knows no barriers. Tomislav gives him an opportunity because he is a great guy and that’s the kind of determination every team leader wants on their team!! Next thing you know, he sends him a test he gives all his developers and while it takes almost a couple of days, Franjo completed it overnight and with no errors! Having relied on my sight my entire life I just couldn’t conceive how the work process played out. I was grateful when they offered to make a video for everyone to see. You can click on the video to see how it works below.<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/203a47d7-b1bd-4f15-8e99-8cf1ef316934-20211110_133818.jpg">Learn to see without sight</h2>That said, The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind has the perfect logo for this story – It’s Possible to See Without Sight.“I’m incredibly grateful for Tomislav giving Franjo an opportunity and upon learning of this I became exceedingly proud of my team -- all over again.” Our company culture is outstanding and I look to the future with so much hope for our team.

Working Through Childhood Traumas or ACE’s

The Gift of Appreciating the Differences in All of Us

What is The New Omicron COVID Variant?

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