Recently, I set my grill on fire. Not like a huge fire where the fire department had to be called but big enough that I needed to employ my fire extinguisher, along with traumatizing our children. My parents had been over for dinner, so my dad felt compelled to remind me, his 43-year daughter, of… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “Asking for Help is Hard,” July 3, 2018
We have a few sets of friends right now in the world of spinal cord injuries having babies, and we could not be more excited for them to start this next adventure. “Bringing home baby” carries trepidation and anxiety for most new parents, and this is especially so when one has mobility challenges. I wasn’t… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “Favorite Adaptive Baby Tools,” June 25, 2018
Here’s the thing: talking about certain spinal cord related issues like bodily fluids, poop, sexuality, and fertility does not come naturally to me. However, I’ve gotten better at it over time. Some people are incredibly private about such personal matters, but in listening to my husband over the years, I’ve learned not to be. It’s… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: “Essential lifelines, pathways, people to people,” May 3, 2018
Spring. Easter. Life. Renewal. Redemption. Mud. Lots of mud. Kids in our neck of the woods are used to Easter egg hunts with feet of snow on the ground; tulips, daffodils and, crocuses are generally sprinkled with spring snow before truly given a chance to bloom. We ride our bikes and scooters and sleds all… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: Making the Extra Hours of Daylight Count, April 5, 2018
With the negative stressors of the world around us, I made a commitment to blogging about local heroes in our community (there are a lot of them so be sure to send me a private message or email if there is someone you want me to write about). But I’ve chosen first to highlight Live… Continue reading Live a Little Fitness: Building Local Strength
The other day a first grade friend of our daughter’s with shaggy red hair, (he’s been growing it out for a while) also the son of the local minister, knocked on our door as he was riding bikes in our neighborhood. “Hi, Heather, is Greta home?” he politely asks taking off his bike helmet and… Continue reading Why We Love Laconia Bike Week in Northern NH
Children follow our lead in everything we say and do from the earliest of ages. They learn from every good and bad experience, and they learn the most in times of trial, challenge, or just plain crappy situations. Parenting is hard. Parenting from a seated position is even harder. Our son was having a conversation… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog, May 15, 2018: “Honoring the Mamas and the Papas”
Watching the Boston Marathon is always inspiring, especially this year, the fifth anniversary of the tragic bombing when many were killed and injured, whose bodies will never be the same.The weather was utterly crappy, a cold, relentless rain for 26.2 miles. I can’t even imagine.The news showed a man handcycling late in the afternoon, the… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog, April 23, 2018: “Carrying the Load, One Hill at a Time”
When I set out to write a realistic fiction novel, True North, I knew one of my main characters would be a dad with a spinal cord injury who was a good man, with a dark secret in his past, and a fairly significant character flaw. As a high school English teacher for 20 years,… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog, March 26, 2018: “Tracking Our Character”
I had just finished up an adaptive ski lesson in a collaboration between Spaulding Ski Club, part of the Spaulding Adaptive Sports Center, an arm of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, and New England Disabled Sports of Loon Mountain. Geoff, my husband, is the Technical Director for Loon’s Snowsports School, but on this day, he was… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog, March 13, 2018: “Meredith Koch: Ending Piano Violence, Ted-Talking and Swimming her way to the 2020 Paralympics”
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 