Sunday, August 24, 2008
Illinois State 4-H Fair
Drake attended the Illinois State 4-H Fair with two of his best buddies from the Dunlap Dynamite 4-H Club. Abigail and Amanda Carter shared the day with us in Springfield and we all had a great time! When you are attending a State Fair you have to enjoy the “regional flare”. We decided to find things you only have an opportunity to experience in this unique environment call “State Fair”! So when you are hungry you can’t just eat a burger you have to find something different, right? How about pizza on a stick! Where else would you find this amazing combination! Yes, the pizza was as big as Amanda’s and Abigail heads, let alone bigger then Drake’s all together! It took awhile to finish them off but we managed. Now we needed is a little entertainment. So Amanda took on the challenge of riding the electiric bull. As I signed the release form as “guardian” I was wondering how I was going to explain this to her parents! Drake was so excited and cheering Amada on. She could hardly refuse at this point. Amanda hung on for quite awhile, we were all very impressed with the performance!
Drake & Dunlap Dynamite 4-H Club.
“What have you been up to lately Drake?”, asked his friend at the first day of school.
Let me tell you, as the chauffeur of Drake Taylor, his life has been full! One of the highlights of the summer was the Peoria County 4-H Fair. Drake showed three trio set of his bantam and standard size chickens, along with six other projects. He proudly stood in line awaiting the opportunity to speak to the judge for each project.
The Visual Arts- Glass category was the one his was most excited about. Drake made a pair of pink glass bead earrings. He spent a lot of time making the pattern, taking beads off, rearranging and then starting all over again. This particular pair of earrings took over 45 minutes to make! He wanted them just right. “I want the judge to like them mom, this is my favorite.” When he finally said he was done designing he called me over to turn the top of the wire into a loop to attach to the earring clip. They were beautiful; each bead was a different shade and shape of pink. He was very proud. “I like these mom, they are a winner!” A winning pair of earrings they have been. Drake won Class Champion in the glass division, a superior ribbon, 4-H Trophy and qualified for the Illinois State Fair. Drake presented the earrings to the State 4-H Fair on August 13 in Springfield, IL and went on to win an Award of Excellence and a Superior State Fair ribbon! He is now qualified to attend Legislators Day next spring to present his project once again. Those pink glass beaded earring hold a very special place in his heart as Drake just learned this spring how to make jewelry from his Aunt Brenda when she was visiting us from Sand Springs, OK.
Drake went on to show his chickens later on that morning and won an additional 14 ribbons along with to class champions with his Black Austrolorp Chickens. His favorite of all the chickens are his Black Tail Buff Japanese Bantams. As you can tell from the pictures, Drake loves his chickens! Drake also showed his miniature call ducks and won a blue ribbon is that class as well.
It was an award winning few days at the 4-H Fair. Drake won a total of 31 ribbons including 4 Class Champions, 6 Superior Ribbons, 1 State Delegate and 2 Alternate State Fair Delegate awards, and a 4-H trophy. As many of you know, Drake has always loved to create and design things. The Dunlap Dynamite 4-H Club has given him an opportunity to show his treasures off!
Let me tell you, as the chauffeur of Drake Taylor, his life has been full! One of the highlights of the summer was the Peoria County 4-H Fair. Drake showed three trio set of his bantam and standard size chickens, along with six other projects. He proudly stood in line awaiting the opportunity to speak to the judge for each project.
The Visual Arts- Glass category was the one his was most excited about. Drake made a pair of pink glass bead earrings. He spent a lot of time making the pattern, taking beads off, rearranging and then starting all over again. This particular pair of earrings took over 45 minutes to make! He wanted them just right. “I want the judge to like them mom, this is my favorite.” When he finally said he was done designing he called me over to turn the top of the wire into a loop to attach to the earring clip. They were beautiful; each bead was a different shade and shape of pink. He was very proud. “I like these mom, they are a winner!” A winning pair of earrings they have been. Drake won Class Champion in the glass division, a superior ribbon, 4-H Trophy and qualified for the Illinois State Fair. Drake presented the earrings to the State 4-H Fair on August 13 in Springfield, IL and went on to win an Award of Excellence and a Superior State Fair ribbon! He is now qualified to attend Legislators Day next spring to present his project once again. Those pink glass beaded earring hold a very special place in his heart as Drake just learned this spring how to make jewelry from his Aunt Brenda when she was visiting us from Sand Springs, OK.
Drake went on to show his chickens later on that morning and won an additional 14 ribbons along with to class champions with his Black Austrolorp Chickens. His favorite of all the chickens are his Black Tail Buff Japanese Bantams. As you can tell from the pictures, Drake loves his chickens! Drake also showed his miniature call ducks and won a blue ribbon is that class as well.
It was an award winning few days at the 4-H Fair. Drake won a total of 31 ribbons including 4 Class Champions, 6 Superior Ribbons, 1 State Delegate and 2 Alternate State Fair Delegate awards, and a 4-H trophy. As many of you know, Drake has always loved to create and design things. The Dunlap Dynamite 4-H Club has given him an opportunity to show his treasures off!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A Grateful Teacher...
I have had the privelege to be Drake's teacher at Dunlap Middle School for a year. I'm so grateful to God for placing such a wonderful and unique young man into my life. He has taught me more than I ever imagined. As I read these posts, I can do nothing but smile. :) Drake has touched so many lives and doesn't even know it. His love for his family, friends and animals is contagious. He has taught me so much about what it truly means to love others. I'm so blessed to know him and his incredible family.
Jeremy and I are on our knees for all of you. God is good...Trust in Him. May you come to know the depth, width, height and length of His love for you during this difficult time. One other thing. Every time I hear Drake talking about his sheep I think of Psalm 23. There is so much hope and encouragement found in these verses.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We share an AMAZING God!
All My Love and Prayers,
Lindsay Carrier
August 18, 2008 6:35 PM
I have had the privelege to be Drake's teacher at Dunlap Middle School for a year. I'm so grateful to God for placing such a wonderful and unique young man into my life. He has taught me more than I ever imagined. As I read these posts, I can do nothing but smile. :) Drake has touched so many lives and doesn't even know it. His love for his family, friends and animals is contagious. He has taught me so much about what it truly means to love others. I'm so blessed to know him and his incredible family.
Jeremy and I are on our knees for all of you. God is good...Trust in Him. May you come to know the depth, width, height and length of His love for you during this difficult time. One other thing. Every time I hear Drake talking about his sheep I think of Psalm 23. There is so much hope and encouragement found in these verses.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We share an AMAZING God!
All My Love and Prayers,
Lindsay Carrier
August 18, 2008 6:35 PM
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Drake Taylor's Benefit
Family and friends of Drake Taylor invite you to attend a celebration of support for Drake's upcoming journey. Drake has been diagnosed with moya moya, a rare blood vessel disorder of the brain.
Friday, August 29th, 2008
5:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Where: Kickapoo Creek Winery
6505 N. Smith Rd
Edwards, IL
$20.00 per person
includes dinner
Dinner Buffet 5:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Look Forward to...
Silent Auction, Live Music, Bake Sale, Dinner Buffet, Cash Bar
Highlights of the Night
Raffle Prizes Include:
GPS Navigational System
Nintendo Wii
2-Round Trip tickets via Allegiant Air to Las Vegas
Bronze Cowboy
Tickets are $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00. Need not be present to win. Pre-sale raffle tickets may be purchased at 309-693-6180.
Silent Auction Items
7 Night Getaway Accommodations to...
Colorado, Sannibel Island, Cheasapeke Bay, and Cobos San Lucas
Bradley Sports Package
Fine Art by Various Local Artists, Home Decor, Gift Baskets, and Certificates!!!
Advance tickets can be purchased at Exhibit A Gallery in Junction City
For more information about Primordial Dwarfism visit:
For more information about Drake's surgery visit:
Drake's Blog can be found at:
For more information please call
309-692-6224
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Ranch
The Little "D" RanchHome to an amazing young man and his many miniature and rare breed animal friends!
Our Drake
Our Grandson Drake is so special to us. When he is around, his attitude and energy makes one forget the aches and pain of old age. He is a joy to watch, especially with his many animals. They have a very loving keeper.
We know this is Drake’s blog, but we are sure he won’t mind sharing. We feel we need to give credit to his extraordinary parents. God knew what he was doing when he chose Beverly and Randy to be the parents of this exceptional person. He has always come first in their lives. They have encouraged and supported him in his many endeavors. They have made many sacrifices with love and for that we are proud. He is fortunate to have two sets of Grandparents, a Great-Grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles that love him--but then we are the lucky ones as we have Drake.
God bless you, Drake and your wonderful parents.
We love you,
Grandma and Grandpa Taylor
We know this is Drake’s blog, but we are sure he won’t mind sharing. We feel we need to give credit to his extraordinary parents. God knew what he was doing when he chose Beverly and Randy to be the parents of this exceptional person. He has always come first in their lives. They have encouraged and supported him in his many endeavors. They have made many sacrifices with love and for that we are proud. He is fortunate to have two sets of Grandparents, a Great-Grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles that love him--but then we are the lucky ones as we have Drake.
God bless you, Drake and your wonderful parents.
We love you,
Grandma and Grandpa Taylor
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Drake is a wonderful friend to us. We met him a little over a year ago. We see him through school, volunteering with Special Olympics, and 4-H. We both helped with Special Olympics basketball and enjoyed spending time with Drake.
He is also in our 4-H group. Drake takes such pride in showing his chickens and ducks. You can tell how much he loves his animals. He recently showed his poultry, jewelry, science project, and woodworking project at the Peoria County 4-H show. He did extremely well and earned several ribbons.
Drake is always interested in learning new things. When Drake, Amanda, and I were working on a China project for International Night with 4-H, Drake was always telling us interesting facts about China. He read books about China, searched the Internet, and asked people from China about their culture.
As we mentioned, Drake is a great friend.
-Abigail and Amanda
He is also in our 4-H group. Drake takes such pride in showing his chickens and ducks. You can tell how much he loves his animals. He recently showed his poultry, jewelry, science project, and woodworking project at the Peoria County 4-H show. He did extremely well and earned several ribbons.
Drake is always interested in learning new things. When Drake, Amanda, and I were working on a China project for International Night with 4-H, Drake was always telling us interesting facts about China. He read books about China, searched the Internet, and asked people from China about their culture.
As we mentioned, Drake is a great friend.
-Abigail and Amanda
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Journey…
The journey ahead will be embraced by prayers from our family and many dear friends. I know there are many that do not know Drake personally that are bowing their heads in prayer for our special little boy. It is those prayers and the Grace of God that we move forward in this new path and journey…
We have connected with Dr. Gary Steinberg and his team at the Stanford Medical Center in Stanford, CA. Dr. Steinberg has operated on many of our primordial children in the pass several years, two of them this past June. All of the children are doing well and improving the blood flow of their brain. We believe the experience his group has with our children is critical for a successful outcome for Drake. If you have had an opportunity to visit the web site of www.moyamoya.com you will have an idea of what is ahead.
We will be leaving for Stanford on August 23, 2008. There is a week of pre-operation testing that needs to be completed prior to the surgery. Drake’s surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, 2008. This is for the left side correction only. If the right side needs to be done the schedule may change. We hope to be staying at the Stanford Ronald McDonald House. We expect to return home sometime around September 15th.
Drake will be staying at:
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
725 Welch RoadPalo Alto, CA (650) 497-8000
This will be our first visit to Stanford Medical Center. Drake will need to return to Stanford for additional follow-up testing 6 months, 1year, 3 years and 5 years from the date of surgery. We will keep you updated through the blog web site as things unfold here at home and the time at Stanford.
We ask for prayers of Drake’s safety during this time. Drake is at risk for strokes as we wait for the surgery time to arrive.
We thank you for the outpouring of love, support and prayers from all of you.
Beverly…Drake’s Mom
The journey ahead will be embraced by prayers from our family and many dear friends. I know there are many that do not know Drake personally that are bowing their heads in prayer for our special little boy. It is those prayers and the Grace of God that we move forward in this new path and journey…
We have connected with Dr. Gary Steinberg and his team at the Stanford Medical Center in Stanford, CA. Dr. Steinberg has operated on many of our primordial children in the pass several years, two of them this past June. All of the children are doing well and improving the blood flow of their brain. We believe the experience his group has with our children is critical for a successful outcome for Drake. If you have had an opportunity to visit the web site of www.moyamoya.com you will have an idea of what is ahead.
We will be leaving for Stanford on August 23, 2008. There is a week of pre-operation testing that needs to be completed prior to the surgery. Drake’s surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, 2008. This is for the left side correction only. If the right side needs to be done the schedule may change. We hope to be staying at the Stanford Ronald McDonald House. We expect to return home sometime around September 15th.
Drake will be staying at:
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
725 Welch RoadPalo Alto, CA (650) 497-8000
This will be our first visit to Stanford Medical Center. Drake will need to return to Stanford for additional follow-up testing 6 months, 1year, 3 years and 5 years from the date of surgery. We will keep you updated through the blog web site as things unfold here at home and the time at Stanford.
We ask for prayers of Drake’s safety during this time. Drake is at risk for strokes as we wait for the surgery time to arrive.
We thank you for the outpouring of love, support and prayers from all of you.
Beverly…Drake’s Mom
Just a little history…
I have always believed Drake is our very special gift from God. He came to this world as a fighter and has never stopped. Drake has touched the lives of so many people. I have watch him bring a smile to a stranger’s face, bring a group of giggling teenagers to a compete stop as they bent down to talk with him and make the crumbiest of old men to pause and wonder. Drake has had a special way about him since the day he was born. God has given Drake a special mission in this life. My prayer now is the Drake’s mission is not complete here on earth, that it has only taken a turn to a new path. I pray that God will continue to allow me to be Drake’s chuffer in this amazing journey of his life.
Let me give you a brief history that has led us to the Moya Moya diagnosis. Drake has a condition called Majewski's Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type 2 (MOPDII). It is a rare form of proportional dwarfism. At the age of 14 Drake is 39” tall and weighs 39 pounds, about the size of a 4 year old. Don’t let that fool you. As many of you know he is full of life with attitude and spunk that reaches the sky! With this MOPDII come many medical challenges. Drake has been blessed and has escaped most of the major medical conditions. In May of this year Drake had a severe headache at school. His wonderful aide at school, Mrs. Theobald, knew something was wrong and called me immediately. We took Drake to OSF Hospital in Peoria, IL and a CT of his head was done to eliminate aneurysms or bleeding. Everything was clear. We were at the 2 year mark to have the MRI/MRA scans done to view for Moya Moya, a condition that has come to be very prominent with our group of primordials. We have been doing these scans for 8 years now so we thought we would check it off the list and move on with our lives. The headache, we hoped, was just a fluke. The MRI/MRA testing was done. On page 2 of the report were the magic words… possible precondition of Moya Moya, additional testing needed for clarification. WHAT!! My heart sank. We have escape almost every complication tied to this condition. That is were the dots started connecting together. The loss of 25 points in IQ, the regression of speech, the long blank staring episodes, sleeping 12 hours a day from the usual 9 to 10 hours, all those little signs in the pass 18-20 months that you reason away.
At this point we were close to the date of the Little People of American Convention (LPA) to be held in Detroit, MI. Detroit was not really on the top ten places we wanted to visit but we had not been to a convention for 2 years so we believe it was important to attend. A new Foundation had been formed by a family to help organize our primordial families and was focusing on good medical research. They were bringing our children together and assisting primordial families with more centrally located information. I was very impress with the founder Elizabeth Hale and looking forward to meeting her in person. We also missed many of our old LPA friends and knew it was important for Drake to reconnect with his primordial friends in these teenage years.
The LPA Convention was amazing. Wonderful medical work shops, fun visits with many new and old family friends, nightly dances for the children, it was great. During this convention there was a vascular concerns workshop by Dr. Bober of DuPont Hospital for Children and Dr. Thompson from the University of Michigan Medical Center. The workshop included picture slides, symptoms (numbness of one side of the body, loss of balance, and other signs of stroke) and described the surgical corrections that are possible. None of Drake’s “signs” were mentioned. At the end of the presentation I raised my hand to ask a question. “Do you ever see a drop in IQ or regression of speech?” The doctor replied, “Yes, those are definite signs of Moya Moya.” I knew at that moment as tiers ran down my cheeks that Drake had Moya Moya. All the signs were there. Sometime it just takes a pause or changes in your routine to let things catch up with you and fall in place. Randy and I went up to Dr. Thompson and spoke with him personally after the presentation. The doctor also met Drake near the end of the conversation. From that point on I could not get back home soon enough to get the rest of the tests done. Maybe this would all go away. You always hang on to that hope.
The additional tests were done. They were far more painful as they required a large amount of die for contrast with an IV place in Drake’s arm. We have sent the studies to three different teams of doctors across the country. The diagnosis has been confirmed. A new journey has now begun…
By:
Beverly…better know as “Drake’s Mom”
Web sites that may be of interest:
The Potentials Foundation was started by Elizabeth Hale on behalf of their daughter Chloe. Elizabeth is truly God's Blessing to our families.
http://www.potentialsfoundation.org/
An information site for Moya Moya:
http://www.moyamoya.com/
Thank you for your prayers and support, Bev
I have always believed Drake is our very special gift from God. He came to this world as a fighter and has never stopped. Drake has touched the lives of so many people. I have watch him bring a smile to a stranger’s face, bring a group of giggling teenagers to a compete stop as they bent down to talk with him and make the crumbiest of old men to pause and wonder. Drake has had a special way about him since the day he was born. God has given Drake a special mission in this life. My prayer now is the Drake’s mission is not complete here on earth, that it has only taken a turn to a new path. I pray that God will continue to allow me to be Drake’s chuffer in this amazing journey of his life.
Let me give you a brief history that has led us to the Moya Moya diagnosis. Drake has a condition called Majewski's Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type 2 (MOPDII). It is a rare form of proportional dwarfism. At the age of 14 Drake is 39” tall and weighs 39 pounds, about the size of a 4 year old. Don’t let that fool you. As many of you know he is full of life with attitude and spunk that reaches the sky! With this MOPDII come many medical challenges. Drake has been blessed and has escaped most of the major medical conditions. In May of this year Drake had a severe headache at school. His wonderful aide at school, Mrs. Theobald, knew something was wrong and called me immediately. We took Drake to OSF Hospital in Peoria, IL and a CT of his head was done to eliminate aneurysms or bleeding. Everything was clear. We were at the 2 year mark to have the MRI/MRA scans done to view for Moya Moya, a condition that has come to be very prominent with our group of primordials. We have been doing these scans for 8 years now so we thought we would check it off the list and move on with our lives. The headache, we hoped, was just a fluke. The MRI/MRA testing was done. On page 2 of the report were the magic words… possible precondition of Moya Moya, additional testing needed for clarification. WHAT!! My heart sank. We have escape almost every complication tied to this condition. That is were the dots started connecting together. The loss of 25 points in IQ, the regression of speech, the long blank staring episodes, sleeping 12 hours a day from the usual 9 to 10 hours, all those little signs in the pass 18-20 months that you reason away.
At this point we were close to the date of the Little People of American Convention (LPA) to be held in Detroit, MI. Detroit was not really on the top ten places we wanted to visit but we had not been to a convention for 2 years so we believe it was important to attend. A new Foundation had been formed by a family to help organize our primordial families and was focusing on good medical research. They were bringing our children together and assisting primordial families with more centrally located information. I was very impress with the founder Elizabeth Hale and looking forward to meeting her in person. We also missed many of our old LPA friends and knew it was important for Drake to reconnect with his primordial friends in these teenage years.
The LPA Convention was amazing. Wonderful medical work shops, fun visits with many new and old family friends, nightly dances for the children, it was great. During this convention there was a vascular concerns workshop by Dr. Bober of DuPont Hospital for Children and Dr. Thompson from the University of Michigan Medical Center. The workshop included picture slides, symptoms (numbness of one side of the body, loss of balance, and other signs of stroke) and described the surgical corrections that are possible. None of Drake’s “signs” were mentioned. At the end of the presentation I raised my hand to ask a question. “Do you ever see a drop in IQ or regression of speech?” The doctor replied, “Yes, those are definite signs of Moya Moya.” I knew at that moment as tiers ran down my cheeks that Drake had Moya Moya. All the signs were there. Sometime it just takes a pause or changes in your routine to let things catch up with you and fall in place. Randy and I went up to Dr. Thompson and spoke with him personally after the presentation. The doctor also met Drake near the end of the conversation. From that point on I could not get back home soon enough to get the rest of the tests done. Maybe this would all go away. You always hang on to that hope.
The additional tests were done. They were far more painful as they required a large amount of die for contrast with an IV place in Drake’s arm. We have sent the studies to three different teams of doctors across the country. The diagnosis has been confirmed. A new journey has now begun…
By:
Beverly…better know as “Drake’s Mom”
Web sites that may be of interest:
The Potentials Foundation was started by Elizabeth Hale on behalf of their daughter Chloe. Elizabeth is truly God's Blessing to our families.
http://www.potentialsfoundation.org/
An information site for Moya Moya:
http://www.moyamoya.com/
Thank you for your prayers and support, Bev
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)