I have been amazed at the progress Gracyn has made in the last few months. She is walking most of the time with her heels down, which is a HUGE accomplishment (GO GRACYN!!). There are many activities that Gracyn has been able to do for the first time like: jumping in place without falling, jumping forward, jumping down from a step and landing with two feet WITHOUT falling, standing still to play a game of catch (before Gracyn was always moving and unable to maintain her balance because she was on her toes). One of her biggest accomplishments with Physical ...
We have just returned from our March 1 check up in St. Louis. Dr. Park and his therapist said agree that Gracyn looks great and is progressing well! He has cut her back to PT only twice a week, once a week next year. He has also reduced her braces down to an ankle height brace on her right side and a shoe insert on the left. He feels that if we stretch her heel cords daily and keep her active, she will not need further surgery. She has made so much progress in the last month. She is walking with ...
Gracyn has now fully recovered from surgery and I am starting to see changes in her. There is improvement in her balance and flexibility. Her gait is smoother and she falls much less than before surgery. She can also stand up straight with her feet flat and jump from a step to the ground with both feet. Last week, she walked along a curb with one foot in front of the other, perfectly flat! This is something she has worked on for a long time. One major improvement is in how she wears shoes. It was always so ...
As I pondered over Thanksgiving this year, I was once again overwhelmed with gratitude. We have so much to be thankful this year. My mind immediately began to race with thoughts of everything that has been given to us this year, and I worry, "Did I thank everyone? Did anyone sneak by without being properly thanked?" I know there were many, but I also know the blessing will not come from me or my family, but from God. I can rest knowing that God will bless each of those who helped Gracyn. When asked at school what she ...
Gracyn started back to school half days this week and is doing very well. She was excited to see her teachers and friends. She is no longer having back pain and seems to be back to her normal energy level. She's still working hard at PT and improving daily.
We have made it through one week at home. Things are getting easier. Gracyn works hard every day. Either she has PT with her therapist or we work out at home. Yes, it is a work out. I have realized the things she does in PT are just as difficult as anything I have done at the gym. I am, once again, amazed at her strength and determination. She is now walking on her own.Yay, Gracyn! We have to cue her to put her heels down, but her gait improves every day. The challenge for her now is learning to ...
We are so happy to be back home. You just never appreciate home until you leave it. The flight home was pleasant and uneventful. Gracyn had plenty of time to lie down and rest. Now comes the tough part. Gracyn is struggling to regain her strength and mobility. In addition to physical therapy 3-4 times each week, we are stretching her and trying to get her to walk again. She is easily fatigued and not always cooperative, but we are getting there one step at a time. I am so proud of how hard she is working. She is one ...
Today has been a big day for Gracyn. She is only taking regular Tylenol now - no IV, no Valium, and no Fentanyl. She also had 2 sessions of physical therapy. PT was tough for her. She was very anxious and scared. She is afraid of hurting her back even though they assure us she is fine and able to move around safely. She cried through both sessions and wasn't very cooperative. They promise it will get better. She was sitting up in bed and in the stroller for a short time. Tonight she gets to go with us to ...
The last 2 days have been a bit of a roller coaster. She is either sleeping, resting, or crying from the pain in her back. It's so hard to see her in pain and not be able to do anything for her. For the most part, the nurses have been good about trying to make her comfortable (just not as quickly as I would like!). The worst part is waiting for her pain medicine to kick in. She is eating a little now and watching TV. This afternoon they will discontinue the Fentanyl and she should be more awake. Tomorrow ...
Dr. Park said the surgery went well, no complications. We made it through the scary part! she is sleeping soundly right now in ICU. she looks like an angel. I wanted to get a picture, but I did not want to disturb her with the flash. tomorrow she will move to her own room, but she will be on bedrest until Friday.
Please join us for an evening of praise and worship to raise funds in support of Gracyn Rhodes’ life changing operation.
On Sunday, September 27th starting at 6:30 PM the Orchard Church is hosting a benefit concert featuring The OBand!
For directions to the Church and for more information, click on the image to the left or download the flyer here.
We had a wonderful weekend with Operation Gracyn! Friday the rain held out for our golf tournament, and we had 122 golfers!! Our total profit was $6,643! We want to give a very special thanks to Nerissa and Royce Baker for organizing the entire tournament, to Bear Creek golf course, Johnny and Rhonda Palmer, all of our sponsors, helpers, and every golfer. (Please see our “thank you section for a complete list of thank yous.) We had a really great time and we appreciate everyone who helped to make it a success. Gracyn really enjoyed putting and riding the golf cart with her Daddy!
Then, on Saturday, we had the Meridian Park Party with a Purpose. Even though it never stopped raining, we still made $2681 in sales and donations! We were so so blessed by everyone who came out in the pouring rain to support Gracyn. The food was delicious and the music was great! We want to thank Belinda Wilson and Jim Watson for organizing the party. Thank you to everyone who helped them to make it a success, all of the sponsors, restaurants, everyone who worked a booth, and all of the bands. (again, please see thank you section for complete list).
This Sunday, O Band Concert at the Orchard Church. 6:30pm. See flyer for details.
Remember to sign up for the Oct. 10 Coker Field Softball tournament. Any coed or mens’ teams. $20 player. Contact Jonathan Brooks 678-859-0018
We have so many great events coming up! Please keep checking our site for updates.
Sunday is Operation Gracyn night at Sonic, 5pm – 8pm.
Next Saturday, Sept. 19 is Party with a Purpose at Median Park. (see flyer below for details) If you have items you would like to donate for the yard sale, please contact me at brandirhodes2001@yahoo.com. 100% of proceeds will go to Operation Gracyn.
Coming soon:
O Band Concert for Gracyn at Orchard Church- September 27 at 6:30pm
One Pitch Co-ed Softball Tournament at Coker Field in Monroe on October 10. $20 per player. If you would like to sign up a team or individual, please contact Jonathan Brooks at 678-859-0018
Gracyn is my great niece. I was attending a dinner for my sister’s 8Oth birthday when I first learned about Gracyn’sstruggles with CP. She had the sweetest smile on her face and spoke to me with the utmost respect for a 4 year old. As the day went on, I watched her play and try to be like the other little ones there. She desperately wanted to fit in and tried her best to do so, but her condition would not let her. When she tried to run like the others, she would fall down. Not to be discouraged, she would get up and go again. This happened over and over, but this miracle child would not give up. I was so impressed with her, I wanted to cry.
With prayers for help, her family has located Dr. Park in St. Louis, who is the best hope for Gracyn to grow up and be normal, but they need a lot of financial help. It will be a major surgery with a long recovery which will cost a lot of money. I know the economy is bad right now for everyone, including myself, but I reached down a little deeper into my pocket to try to help and I hope everyone will do the same. No matter how much you can give, every penny will help Gracyn. God will bless you for what you give and He will never let you miss it in your life. Our prayers will be there for Gracyn and everyone who helps.
Thank you,
Bennie Dooley
Come Party With A Purpose on Saturday, September 19th from 10am to 2pm at Meridian Park!
Bring your friends, family, and perfect strangers to Meridian Park off of Hwy 81 for a fun filled event to benefit Operation Gracyn.
We will have live entertainment from Fishing With Dynamite, Tyler Hubbard, Danial Blake Lee, Between Rocks, and MORE!
There will be great food provided by Off The Bayou of Loganville and Flavors of Atlanta who will both be donating 100% of food sales to Operation Gracyn!
Fun for the kids with the park’s playground and a moon walk provided by Party Day Rentals.
For directions to Meridian Park CONTINUE READING…
Operation Gracyn would like to thank Britt’s Home Furnishings for becoming a Corporate Sponsor by purchasing the Prince Package!
Britt’s Home Furnishings, a family owned and operated business, was first located in Snellville, Georgia when Tony Britt began the business in 1972. Tony has followed the Britt family tradition of serving the Snellville community and surrounding areas since the early 1950’s.
In 2003, Britt’s expanded with a second location in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Tony’s sons, Jamie and Matt, remain committed to serving the community with excellent knowledge and service as they work in the community.
Lawrenceville Warehouse: Britt’s has a fully-stocked warehouses which contain vast varieties of flooring products and appliances. This allows them to complete your project quickly without extensive delays. Their experienced sales associates will help you make the right choices for your flooring and appliance needs and their trained delivery and installation teams are willing to cater to any of your requests.
Britt’s invites you to visit one of their showrooms to see in-person all the products they carry. They also offer free in-home estimates on any of your flooring choices. For more information visit Britt’s web site at www.britts.com
A huge thank you goes out to North American Tree Service of Loganville for becoming our second Corporate Sponsor by purchasing a Princess Sponsorship package.
North American Tree Service provides tree trimming and removal as well as tree care in Gwinnett County, Walton County,Athens, and metro Atlanta. We use state-of-the-art equipment and friendly, professional workers to ensure that every job is performed above and beyond the customer’s expectation. Our training and certification programs for crew members are far beyond the industry standard, and it shows in our fast and re-liable work. We go the extra mile for our customers by offering 24-hour emergency ser-vice seven days a week; and, we have ISA-certified Arborists on staff.
As members of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Tree Care Indus-try Association (TCIA), you can feel confident in trusting North American Tree Service with your tree needs. We are insured, licensed, and available to give you free written estimates on your job. Whether you need tree removal, stump grinding, technical take-downs, or tree care, you’re in good hands with us. For more information, call 770 554-9406 or email us at info@northamericantree.com.
I am going to try my best to blog more and let you guys know about all of the great things happening. Operation Gracyn has been miracle after miracle. Daily something wonderful happens. Just this week a sweet lady that I had never met, Belinda Wilson, offered to throw a benefit at the American Legion for Gracyn. Amy Cloud, who I didn’t know, called and encouraged me with her son Tyler’s story. Please read his blog! A lady I know only through an internet blog gave a huge donation. Heather worked on a team for the praise concert and got cookies donated. Pam found the second, sweet editorial in the Loganville Tribune that I would’ve otherwise missed. This is just a sampling of the wonderful things going on behind the scenes. Not to mention Gracyn is now famous thanks to the paper! And I cannot fail to mention everyone at Next Generation, especially Nerissa and Nanette, who continue to help and bless us each day. The teachers are donating their time to have aparents night out this friday. Wow. There is so much more. Our community is filled with wonderful, giving people. We are so very very blessed!
My name is Tyler Cloud. I’m the 16 year old son of Andy and Amy Cloud and have the same CP as Gracyn. I had a pretty tough time when I was younger. Falling a lot and getting stared at by people. My life story is a lot like Gracyn’s life. I was born at 27 weeks and weighed 3 lbs. I was very sick and the doctors told my parents to let me go. That I would never walk, talk or live a normal life. Thank goodness my parents and grandparents didn’t listen. I was released from the hospital when I was almost three months old. Mom and Dad both thought everything was going to be fine. They were told that my development would be delayed due to me being premature. So when I didn’t sit up on my own or start crawling when most babies do, they didn’t worry. I started talking in complete sentences at 10 months old so they just knew that was a sign that everything would be fine. At almost 18 months old they took me to my Dr. who then sent us to a physical therapist. Her name was Leslie Bridges. After seeing her for a few weeks she gave Mom a book one day called “Coping with CP”. Needless to say, my Mom freaked out. I don’t know how I remember all that I do but I remember Mom crying for hours everyday for a long time. We kept seeing Leslie for years and one day she brought up a surgery that she thought might help me. Before the surgery I couldn’t walk at all without my walker. I had braces in my legs that I hated and I fell all the time. It was called a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. She told us that they were very picky who they did the surgery on and that we might not be a candidate but it was worth the try. I remember that first trip to Scottish Rite. It was the longest day. They put me through hours of testing just to tell us that I was not good candidate. My Mom and Ganmama wouldn’t take no for an answer. We went again a few months later. Still the answer was no. Once again, my Mom wouldn’t accept that. She told them she knew I could do it. The did an IQ test, I passed and two days later I was having my SDR. I remember getting some “sleepy juice” then I don’t remember anything until I woke up the next day. I will tell you, it was the most horrible pain. The therapy afterwards was grueling. Each day I would wake up and they would roll me down to the big therapy room with all these toys that on any other given day I would jump at the chance to play with. I wasn’t wanting to play. I just cried. After about a week I started feeling so much better. I actually wiggled my toes for the first time in my life! I was very sore but I was determined to walk alone. I never wanted those braces on my feet again, and did NOT want to be in a wheelchair. I still have notes from my therapist, Miss Leslie, that say “WAY TO GO TYLER! ” and “TYLER TOOK FIVE STEPS TODAY BY HIMSELF”. With each week that passed that number grew from 5 steps to me walking across the room. I’ve been walking independently ever since and I’ve never looked back. I’m so grateful that my family didn’t give up and take no for an answer. I’m so glad that fought to give me the opportunity to live life like I am now. I walk braces free!!! While the pain was severe, I look back and know that it was worth it. I’m on the football, baseball and basketball teams at LHS as their Statistician. I have more friends than I ever thought I would. I do get stared at sometimes but I just smile and wave thinking they must like what they see. ha ha. I hope Gracyn’s surgery goes as well as mine did. Good luck to the Rhodes family and God Bless.
Tyler
I have the privilege of working with Gracyn twice a week for Physical Therapy. Gracyn has Cerebral Palsy (CP), which is a neurological diagnosis that results due to a stroke that most likely occurred at birth. Gracyn’s CP has affected her physically. I have been working with Gracyn for a year and we have gone through many ups and downs. We have struggled with getting the right braces for her legs. We have had her try several different braces to wear throughout the night to help with her tight hamstrings and calves. We have tried Botox in both her legs in hopes of improving her walking by decreasing the tightness in her muscles. All this things have proven to provide short term help. Gracyn tries hard and wants to keep up with the kids. Due to her gait, she falls frequently so she has to be very careful where she walks. Gracyn has trouble riding a bike, jumping, going up and down steps, kicking, and running. This surgery will allow Gracyn to have more freedom and confidence. She will be able to walk on uneven ground and elevations with little worries! Gracyn is a very smart little girl with an adorable smile and a big heart. It is truly a blessing for me to work with her. This surgery will allow Gracyn to function like kids her age and open up new doors.
