Wishbone Day Vietnam - Heads-up Asia!

By Caring and Living as Neighbours (CLAN)

On Monday 14 November 2012, CLAN partnered with the National Hospital of Pediatrics (NHP) in Hanoi, Children's Hospital Westmead (CHW in Sydney, Australia), Wishbone Day and other key partners to support the launch of Vietnam's Inaugural Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Club. There are about 120 children who present to NHP for management of OI, and this Club will bring them together as a community, and learn more from them about the best ways to ensure the children enjoy the highest quality of life possible.

In 2013 the Vietnamese OI Community joined their international neighbours to celebrate the fantastic network of Wishbone Day. We're excited and proud that the Vietnamese community is a genuine part of our global celebration.

Heads up Asia!
Happy Wishbone Day!

[O]I wish I may, I wish I might...

By Bek Misic 2013 
[images + text copyright Bek Misic 2013]

Today is International Wishbone Day.  Find something yellow and splash it about...

Two and a half years ago I had never heard of Wishbone Day, or the disease it aims to highlight, Osteogenesis Imperfecta. I was a new mother of a beautiful six month old baby girl full of love and light, and I was reveling in my new role and life with my little family in Far North Queensland.

Then came the sunny morning we gently pulled our daughter towards us in bed for a snuggle and broke her elbow, the long journey to a diagnosis of hypermobility and OI, three femur fractures, a compression fracture to her T6 vertebrae and a broken big toe.

Our little girl is three now. She is charismatic, vivacious, and beautiful. This Wishbone day she is in plaster from her toe to her hip, in what is called a Spica Cast, which, for the uninitiated, is like blending a medieval torture device with a makeshift chastity belt.  It is both inspirational and painful to witness how readily she is again adapting to life in her cast; but adapt she does - looking out the window of our car from her custom Spica car seat, exclaiming  'Mumma I LOVE the world';

one cannot help but follow her lead...

So this Wishbone Day I am making a list with our little girl - of all the things she CAN do rather than rattling off a list of 'no's' and 'don'ts'...

Because she CAN and she WILL...  never say never ... 

Oh,  and what do B1 and B2 have to do with all of this?

Well apart from being in radiant yellow attire, this Bananatastic team have been with our daughter since the day her first Spica was fitted.  Just minutes before she was due for theatre, Stylus spied the supportive pair at the hospital's fundraising stall, positioned between the tea cosies and the crochet throws.  They have watched over her since this first [and each subsequent] cast was fitted...



[B2] 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking B1?'
[B1]'OI am B2'
[B2]'Lets wear yellow all day today to help raise awareness of Ostegenesis Imperfecta'
[B1 and B2] 'Bananatastic!!'




Find out more information about Osteogenesis Imperfecta here Wishbone Day

Addendum:

As the sun set on Wishbone Day our house was graced by a double rainbow that ended it's journey by kissing the Pyramid...

Life is like a rainbow.  You need both the sun and the rain to make its colours appear.' 

[unattributed]

[images + text copyright Bek Misic 2013]

Reproduced with permission from Bek Misic, 2013

Awareness. Its starts with you. [Charlie's story]

Raising awareness one story at a time. Here is what Charlie and his mum shared with friends about what is important to them about OI awareness. Thanks for sharing Charlie! :-)

Wishbone Day India

Amrithavarshini is the only non profit organisation working for the cause of people with OI (brittle bones) in India and will be flying sky lanterns and hydrogen balloons to raise awareness about OI.

These delicate floating lights have a strong symbolic status and important meaning. It is believed that these spiritual lanterns can give you good luck and prosperity. Imagine placing all your worries and negative thoughts, unloading them into the depths of the lantern and casting them away into the sky. People make wishes as they send off their lanterns, believing that their wishes will come true when the lantern glides into the sky. Thus we thought it an apt to celebrate wishbone day with sky lanterns.

Amrithavarshini wishes good health and prosperity to all OI people in the world. 
Happy Wishbone day.

Letha Nair,

President,

Amrithavarshini Charitable Society

http://www.facebook.com/amrithavarshini.oi