On a sad day for America, I am forwarding an update from Asa''s mom, from gofundme. Let''s hope fewer such tragedies will happen in the future. Updates (5) Today by Asa''''''''s Family, Organizer 7/14/24 It’s been a year. A year ago, in the shock and despair of seeing Asa hurt, I had a single prayer: for him to live. I was a mother, pleading with whatever power I have, for my son to stay in this world. I have never had a more clear desire than his survival. This weekend marks one year since he was injured and survived. Following 9 months of hospitalization and 3 months back home, we have a much better idea of how his life has been transformed. It also feels early on his journey. We are still adapting and discovering what life is like for Asa with paralysis. My prayers for him are more nuanced and evolving. How is Asa a year on? He is thriving in many ways. He is relaxed and funny and utterly himself when he’s home with family and close friends. He made it back to school in the spring for increasingly long visits. This summer he’s attended full-day math camp and zoo camp. He is finding new interests. Last year his birthday gifts were around soccer and roller coasters. This year he’s into chess and reptiles and even more into video games. Whereas in the hospital he was in bed most of the day and rarely went outdoors, he’s now up in his wheelchair from morning until night, spending hours off the ventilator, taking fewer medications, and getting outside every day. The progress is truly remarkable. There is no denying that the transition home has been difficult. Every day, every place he goes, there are new reminders of the limitations in how he interacts with the world. At school, he can’t play four square or climb on the play structure. At camp, he can’t take the stairs up to the classroom, can’t work his math problems by hand, can’t run around at recess with the others. His sister takes off for overnight camps and trips he can’t join. As a family, we are finding new ways to spend time together. Instead of biking or hanging at the pool we are playing board games and flying kites on the paved path by the bay. It’s a process that takes many cycles of grieving and then moving forward. As this anniversary-of-sorts approached, I have thought on how to mark the day. July 14th is a day like any other. It’s the middle of summer. It’s the birthday of someone dear to our family. It’s exactly 7 days after Asa’s birthday. Sometimes I wondered whether we could let the day come and go without acknowledging it. But as the days got longer and the weather warmer the last few months, I was often reminded the evening we were driving to dinner when the unimaginable happened. And as we entered July, and then celebrated Asa’s 9th birthday on July 7th, I knew that for me this date carries emotional weight. A year on I am also thinking of what I can do to share our story and use it as a force for change. Guns are the number one cause of death for children in our country, surpassing car accidents since 2020 and rising steeply. It’s not that way in other countries. I’ve been studying an online database of deaths and injuries related to guns: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org. There they are painstakingly tracking every incident, in cities and towns across the US , of harm related to these powerfully destructive weapons. Asa’s story is included in the archive, as one of 6,194 children killed or injured by guns in the US in 2023. As his mother, it’s still hard to accept that my son, my love, is listed in this database. It is a reminder that no one is safe from gun violence in our country. Since Asa was hurt, I have learned - again and again - that love and community truly make all the difference. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to Asa’s campaign last summer. Your support has covered critical expenses -- from travel to Baltimore, to home modifications, wheelchair accessible vans, experimental medication and medical supplies and therapies not covered by insurance. It''''''''s also given us the opportunity to pass your generosity on to others. I have decided to mark July 14th as a day that I do something in the name of gun violence prevention and healing. This year, I have the privilege of making a large donation to Youth ALIVE!, using funds from this extraordinary GoFundMe campaign. As I learn more about effective measures to reduce gun violence, I believe that community organizations like Youth ALIVE! can work with individuals to interrupt retaliatory violence and provide people with the resources they need to pursue peaceful lives. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Melissa Neuwelt (Asa''''''''s mom) https://www.gofundme.com/f/mgyf5-help-asa-thrive
Updates (5) Today by Asa''''''''s Family, Organizer 7/14/24 It’s been a year. A year ago, in the shock and despair of seeing Asa hurt, I had a single prayer: for him to live. I was a mother, pleading with whatever power I have, for my son to stay in this world. I have never had a more clear desire than his survival. This weekend marks one year since he was injured and survived. Following 9 months of hospitalization and 3 months back home, we have a much better idea of how his life has been transformed. It also feels early on his journey. We are still adapting and discovering what life is like for Asa with paralysis. My prayers for him are more nuanced and evolving. How is Asa a year on? He is thriving in many ways. He is relaxed and funny and utterly himself when he’s home with family and close friends. He made it back to school in the spring for increasingly long visits. This summer he’s attended full-day math camp and zoo camp. He is finding new interests. Last year his birthday gifts were around soccer and roller coasters. This year he’s into chess and reptiles and even more into video games. Whereas in the hospital he was in bed most of the day and rarely went outdoors, he’s now up in his wheelchair from morning until night, spending hours off the ventilator, taking fewer medications, and getting outside every day. The progress is truly remarkable. There is no denying that the transition home has been difficult. Every day, every place he goes, there are new reminders of the limitations in how he interacts with the world. At school, he can’t play four square or climb on the play structure. At camp, he can’t take the stairs up to the classroom, can’t work his math problems by hand, can’t run around at recess with the others. His sister takes off for overnight camps and trips he can’t join. As a family, we are finding new ways to spend time together. Instead of biking or hanging at the pool we are playing board games and flying kites on the paved path by the bay. It’s a process that takes many cycles of grieving and then moving forward. As this anniversary-of-sorts approached, I have thought on how to mark the day. July 14th is a day like any other. It’s the middle of summer. It’s the birthday of someone dear to our family. It’s exactly 7 days after Asa’s birthday. Sometimes I wondered whether we could let the day come and go without acknowledging it. But as the days got longer and the weather warmer the last few months, I was often reminded the evening we were driving to dinner when the unimaginable happened. And as we entered July, and then celebrated Asa’s 9th birthday on July 7th, I knew that for me this date carries emotional weight. A year on I am also thinking of what I can do to share our story and use it as a force for change. Guns are the number one cause of death for children in our country, surpassing car accidents since 2020 and rising steeply. It’s not that way in other countries. I’ve been studying an online database of deaths and injuries related to guns: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org. There they are painstakingly tracking every incident, in cities and towns across the US , of harm related to these powerfully destructive weapons. Asa’s story is included in the archive, as one of 6,194 children killed or injured by guns in the US in 2023. As his mother, it’s still hard to accept that my son, my love, is listed in this database. It is a reminder that no one is safe from gun violence in our country. Since Asa was hurt, I have learned - again and again - that love and community truly make all the difference. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to Asa’s campaign last summer. Your support has covered critical expenses -- from travel to Baltimore, to home modifications, wheelchair accessible vans, experimental medication and medical supplies and therapies not covered by insurance. It''''''''s also given us the opportunity to pass your generosity on to others. I have decided to mark July 14th as a day that I do something in the name of gun violence prevention and healing. This year, I have the privilege of making a large donation to Youth ALIVE!, using funds from this extraordinary GoFundMe campaign. As I learn more about effective measures to reduce gun violence, I believe that community organizations like Youth ALIVE! can work with individuals to interrupt retaliatory violence and provide people with the resources they need to pursue peaceful lives. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Melissa Neuwelt (Asa''''''''s mom)
https://www.gofundme.com/f/mgyf5-help-asa-thrive
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