I was pleased to learn about a college scholarship for people who use a wheelchair. This scholarship is for $500 and is expected to be used for books or other extra needed items for full time students. This is provided two times a year, fall and spring and has other requirements besides the use of a wheelchair and those are that the student must:

• Be enrolled in an accredited two or four year college
• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Complete a 500 word essay by the deadline specified
• Be a legal resident of the USA
• Complete an application by the deadline
• Submit two character references (more information about this will be provided after the application is received)

The deadline for the upcoming fall scholarship is July 31, 2009 and can be completed online or via the mail. If done by the mail, the postmark must be July 31, 2009. There are two questions for this essay. Only one needs to be completed:

• What area of your school do you think would benefit from improved accessibility and how would you improve it?
• What area of your school do you feel has excellent accessibility and why?

The AmeriGlide Achiever Scholarship enables someone who faces challenges every day to not only earn money but to promote what is needed to make colleges more accessible for people with disabilities.

June is the month that the United States sets aside as APS Awareness Month. APS stands for Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome. It is also known as APLS or APL in the US or Hughes Syndrome or Sticky Blood in the United Kingdom.

APS is an autoimmune disease

in which the body recognizes certain normal components of blood and/or cell membranes as foreign substances and produces antibodies against them. Patients with these antibodies may experience blood clots, including heart attacks and strokes, and miscarriages. APS may occur in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, other autoimmune diseases, or in otherwise healthy individuals.

(from APS Foundation of America)

Symptoms: Blood clots, heart attacks, strokes in young people. Pregnancy symptoms include, miscarriages in early pregnancy, loss of baby after 13 weeks, small birth weight, placental abruption and a small placenta, and HELLP – hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), elevated liver tests and low platelets. Low platlet count, found by blood work.

Diagnosis – If you don’t have a low platlet count, it is often difficult to diagnose APS because of the many various symptoms.

Treatment – Keep weight and cholesterol levels low. Stop or don’t start smoking and try to keep active. If you have clots or deep vein thrombosis, you will most likely be put on a blood thinner. If you are attempting to become pregnant, you may take low dose aspirin.

To learn more about APS, please visit the APS Foundation of America. You can also listen to to a recording on an APS Focus Interview.

This post is sponsored by PayPerPost.
Izea, the company that owns PayPerPost and Social Spark now has another new blogging site open, PayPerPost v4.0. There are a lot of features that I like about this:

• It is simple to join. Just add your blog name, URL and just a bit of information about your blog
• There’s no eligibility process for blogs. Join and you’re in!
• You chose how much money you want to earn per word for your posts and per link. Plus you can edit this price as often as you wish.
• If you need to make changes to your post once it’s completed, you just sign in to your account and follow the directions. Easy!

I don’t like that not accepting an opportunity reflects poorly on my blog and my account. If I receive an offer that doesn’t have anything to do with my blog theme, I most likely won’t accept it. I’m hoping since PPP V4.0 is still in Alpha that this will be addressed.

That’s the only issue I have with this new Izea program. Other than that I’ve received a few offers and have been pleased with them. Here’s another way for people with health issues to earn some money. Why not give it a try and join too?

I can’t belive the hot flashes that I’ve been having lately. They hit me at all times of the day. The worst time is at night.

I’ve been sleeping with a washcloth on my head and face to try to cool down but it does very little. To make matters worse is that heat makes Myasthenia Gravis worse. I am going to have to bite the bullet and go to my doctor to talk about this as it is causing other illnesses including Fibromyalgia to worsen.

I feel weak and shaky during them and for about an hour or so after. Add this to the heat of Florida! I’ve taken to keeping a small battery fan with me.  I feel like a tourist in my own home state! I’m thinking of all kind of hot flash jokes too. Do you have any to share with me to make this time in my life go by a bit easier?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that has as its main cause exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is no longer used in construction in the United States, but there are some older buildings that may still contain it. Due to research about this form of lung cancer, asbestos is now removed with workers using equipment that protects them from breathing in the dust and particles and bringing any of those home to contaminate others or their own dwelling.

In the past, however before the danger was known or before employers made workers aware of the risk of working with asbestos, many people and their families were affected. Some types of workers in these situations are:

• Drywall Installers
• Elevator Mechanics
• Military Workers
• Pipefitters
• Steel Workers
• Ship Yard Mechanics
• Welders

There are many other employees including teachers and other people working in schools, tile workers, painters and carpenters. Quite often the diagnosis did not occur until years after their work ended either through retirement, leaving their job to work elsewhere, bankruptcy, etc. The sad part of this scenerio is that the asbestos manufacturers were aware of the danger but did not produce evidence until OSHA made this information available in 1971.

People who have been diagnosed are entitled to compensation. Family members of those who have died are also entitled. Since this type of law suit is so specialized it is imperative to procure a Mesothelioma Lawyer who is knowledgeable, experienced and has an excellent track record in these type of cases. You don’t want to deal with an attorney who will cause you more stress in an already stressful situation.

June is a special month to those of us that have Myasthenia Gravis and reside in the United States because it our time to share awareness of this rare disease. I was diagnosed with MG the month that I turned 40 and it was a complete surprise. What began as one eyelid drooping soon became body weakness, extreme fatigue and a constant choking sensation.

This is not always the case as MG can be only “occular” meaning that it’s symptoms remain with your eyes only. Those symptoms are often drooping eyelids (ptosis) and/or double vision. It can progress to facial muscles and stop there too. That can mean a drooping mouth, difficulty smiling, even a feeling that your forehead muscles are drooping.

The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America is one of the leading non-profits that provides education, support and funding for research about the cause(s), treatments and one day a cure for this disease. You can read about the symptoms, current treatments and how you can volunteer or make a donation from their website. You can also find a local support group.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association also provides information, research and treatment through their clinics. I see a neurologist at an MDA clinic and am grateful for their help in providing me with a scooter also. For further information, call your local MDA office.

Right now I take Mestinon and Cellcept and do have flareups once in a while. I will continue writing about my journey with MG all during the month.

Here’s a video that I’ve posted before on my blog, but it is so powerful because it shows you what a boy at the age of 13 goes through with Myasthenia Gravis: