CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005

an interview to inspire: Jesse & MS

an interview to inspire: Jesse & MS

I recently found out that my friend, Jesse Lee from high school was diagnosed with MS. I don’t know alot about MS and saw an opportunity to learn about the disease and share it with others. Jesse is a really cool guy (and funny) so when I found out about him and MS, I was really interested to learn more. Below is my interview with Jesse. Please read it. I assure you it will touch your heart and inspire you. You can donate too MS and help Jesse raise money for the cause here or by following the links below. Did you have symptoms, how did you know? The first two symptoms I encountered were numbness in my fingers and face and blurry vision in one eye. It was in the summer of 2007 while playing baseball. I have always been a good athlete and all of a sudden I was missing fly balls because of my blurry vision and the numbness caused my coordination to be off. I contacted my Doctor who originally gave me eye drops. Once the eye drops didn’t work I was sent for an MRI. When did you find out you had MS? After my first MRI came back and showed some lesions on the brain, a neurologist that I was referred to said there was a possibility that I had MS and sent me for more tests and a second MRI. The results of those tests confirmed I did in fact have MS and I was officially diagnosed in March of 2008. This was a very frustrating time because as you can see it took almost a year to diagnose and so much uncertainty was surrounding while other symptoms started to arrive and get worse. These other symptoms included; loss of balance, poor short…

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the power of a post: social media with love

the power of a post: social media with love

Want to see something amazing? I witnessed something happening tonight on Twitter. Right before my eyes. If you tune in, you can see for yourself! I follow David Armano on Twitter. He has a friend in need and decided to reach out to his community on Twitter to help her family out. Here is an excerpt from his blog post earlier this evening: “I’ve been at this blog for nearly 3 years now and have never asked for something like this—I hope I’ve earned enough trust to be able to ask something back from you. Above is a picture of Daniela and her family. Brandon, age 6, Daniela, age 9 and little Evelyn age 4. Daniela recently divorced her husband after years of physical abuse. In recent years her mortgage went unpaid and she’s lost her house.As of this moment, Daniela’s family is staying at our house and we are trying to help her find a one bedroom apartment for her family to live in. With Evelyn, her youngest having Downs Syndrome and Daniela herself being a Romanian immigrant with very little family support she literally has no one to turn to. Except us (all of us).”[read more] As I wrote this post there there were 211 MORE ReTweets in response to Armano on Twitter. His goal to help out Daniella was $5,000. There have been, at this moment 208 contributors and over $,7,000 dollars raised anonymously to help her give her children a home. I suggest you check it out for yourself.If you didn’t believe in the power of a post or social online media, now you will. UPDATE: Over $12,000 in 24 hours raised! Check it out!!

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oh god, giving feels so good!!

oh god, giving feels so good!!

I was more than glad to help out a friend when he told me about Networking for a Cause in December 2008. Daniel and friends raised over $3,000 in only 30 days to help families in need buy Christmas presents for their family through the Hospice of Peel Charity organization. This event was the first of a tradition that he is starting and I look forward to helping out again next year. Daniel is a very inspiring individual involved in social media & networking. Daniel is sure to shine in 2009!!

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clean up. let it go. breathe. exhale. refresh.live life.

clean up. let it go. breathe. exhale. refresh.live life.

The new year is upon us in a few short hours. I’ve been puttering around all day tidying up the place, doing laundry, setting dishwasher (t.g.f.dishwasher!), I’ve even invested in glass coffee tables with storage so that I can really declutter, and wiping old ugly thoughts and developing new ideas for 2009. I’m quite looking forward to this year ahead. I have heaps of really cool stuff planned for this blog and a bunch of amazing people helping my dreams come true. I don’t lie when I say ” Move over Martha, there is a new Stewart in town”. My name is Casie Stewart, I am proud of the unique person I am and I want to encourage others to create, share thoughts and ideas and inspire others to be individuals. One thing I hold close to my heart is knowing that thoughts become things, you are a product of your thoughts. You are who you think you are. If you think you are awesome, adorable and funny, then live that way, be that person and be your true self. After my year in Australia away from friends and family I learned who I am as a person and how to embrace that, foster it, and make something of it. I learned how to be myself. I encourage you to inspire and embrace those around you. This year, give thanks for being able to breath clean air, see the sunrise and sunset, to share a laugh with a trusted friend and ball your eyes out with your BFF. Be thankful for each day. My wish and challenge for you in 2009 Next time someone asks you ‘what’s new?” don’t say “nothing, same as usual”, say “everything is new, today is a new day”. Think to yourself, think about yourself, each…

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i like stuff! i like stuff!

i like stuff! i like stuff!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YES! I got some goodies today. They arrived in a big white gift bag with my name on it: I opened the bag and much to my surprise was a beautiful 50ml Ange ou Demon eau de toilette, 200ml bath gel and for my special man a 50ml Pour Homme eau de toilette spray. How awesome! I love testing out new jazz and getting presents delivered too. Makes me very happy! Ange ou Demon smells very soft and light. Not flowery or vanilla, I hate those smells. Its light enough that I could wear it all the time. It is not as strong as Hot Couture that I received a few months ago. I liked it also, but I reckon it’s more evening wear. This one is quite delicate. I like it. ♥ Try it out for yourself while out holidayshopping and let me know your thoughts.

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My friend Daniel is a very inspiring individual.

My friend Daniel is a very inspiring individual.

Daniel Patricio is a 20 year old Ryerson University student and a Hospice of Peel volunteer for the past two years. Daniel approached Hospice and said he would like to contribute in a bigger way. Daniel is raising funds to put Christmas dinner on the table and provide for families affected by terminal illness and their kids. He is asking for $10 which will go directly for Hospice of Peel. If you know of anyone who is in a facility such as a Hospice Cincinnati (or one closer to where you live), you know that they are in the best hands possible to help care for them, regardless of what they’re going through. Just like with anyone, of course you’d want the best for them. Many of these families divert most of their valuable time, energy and finances to fighting illness which causes them to forget to cherish their last moments with their loved ones. In these precious last moments, we would like to give families the chance to embrace these last days as memorable ones. I am a big believer in giving and that it truly is it’s own gift. Take a few minutes to donate to a good cause and shine some light on your day by helping out someone else. Feel free to tell me your stories of giving. I love sharing the positive vibes ? Do it today!

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