A Mothers Love is Forever~~

Austin Cole Gillentine 1994-2007

In Loving Memory

Another Angel 

and a Mother's Love

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

     

Wild Farm Kids lost an Angel to the Choking Game

I wanted to share the outstanding work at this website to help further educate
others about the "Choking Game". Sadly a child's life was lost, another angel in heaven, read this post via the website by founder and big sister KeriGlenn, talking about the night her little brother died. Kudo's to your work "Wild Farm Kids"


The Game That Could Win Your Life.
November 21^st 2011, this day was my little sisters 7^th birthday and the day that has forever changed my life. My family had a small birthday party planned for my sister at my grandparents. The basketball games I was at coaching my cheerleaders went into overtime, so I didn’t get done until about 9:15 that night. I hurried to my grandparents to have cake and ice cream with them, but by the time I got there, they were getting ready to leave. I said hi and bye to all my siblings, then headed back to campus.
I no more than got in the parking lot and my mom called me screaming so loud that I couldn’t understand anything she was saying. I then got her to talk slower and she said the most heart breaking words I have ever heard, “Joshua is dead!” I dropped my phone and burst into tears, I couldn’t breathe, and I instantly turned back around and sped home. I got about a half mile out of town and got pulled over for speeding. I was a wreck. I told the cop what was going on and he didn’t believe me, so he had to call dispatch to see that I was telling the truth.
By the time I got close to my house I could see a light show from all the cop cars that were surrounding my parent’s home. I couldn’t get into my driveway so I drove through my neighbor’s yard to get to my parents. The look on my dad’s face, made me know this was real. My mom was crying, talking like she was talking to herself, but out loud. She said, “His eyes were lifeless and glazed, his skin was blue, all I wanted to do was hold him but they wouldn’t let me.” I tried talking to her but all she could say was, “They told me to prepare for the worst, but I know he’s already gone.”
The drive to the hospital was the longest drive of my life. Once we got there they wouldn’t let me in his room. So many EMT’s and ME’s were in the room working on him. I just wanted to go in there with him. Once they let me in, I held his hand, kissed his cheek, tried closing his eyes and talking to him. I knew he was gone, but my mind wouldn’t let me accept it.
We were fielding questions, going through all of his things, and trying to find peace of knowing what really happened and started the funeral planning process. I took on the “big sister” role, and helped plan his visitation and funeral. I never thought I would be able to do this, but I did and it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I did it because I knew my parents needed the help. There were so many people there; it was completely amazing to see all the love and support we got from everyone.
Joshua was 13 years old, a 7^th grader who was on the A honor roll, loved football, wrestling, drawing, singing, outdoors, 4-H and everything else a little boy loves. He had the biggest heart and a contagious smile that could light up a room. A few days after he died we found out the cause of his death, it was from “the choking game”. This is something that none of our family knew he was doing, but when we were told about it and what it entails, we found that the warning signs were all over. They included things like; headaches, itchy eyes, off sleep patterns, marks on his bunk bed, robe ties in his room, and the fact that he was a 13 year old adventurous boy.
Since this happened I have been so invested in the “choking game”. I have found that it is more common than people think. It isn’t something that people really admit to or talk about, but it is going on everywhere, probably even in your neighborhood. When someone participates in this, they are cutting the oxygen supply from their brain, for a short term high, which as a result kills brain cells and can be fatal. This isn’t a game and if people are doing it, I hope that this is a wakeup call to them to stop. The affects of this not only hurts yourself, but also everyone that loves and cares about you.
KeriGlenn
 http://wildfarmkids.com/

Focusing on teen health dangers

Over the next few weeks we are going to focus on some of the teen health dangers
that are prevalent now and maybe a few more totally absurd ones you might never think about.
If you search the internet you will find many articles on different webpages that list these dangers, make sure you are reading credible information.
This list of 10 trends comes from the social media doctor at KevinMD.com a great site for health information that you can use, one of my favorite sites.

Here’s a roundup of 10 troublesome trends, some old and some new, that your teen may be exposed to this summer and school year :

1. Biting and cutting and sucking blood. Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, there’s a vampire movement afoot thanks to the glamorous portrayal of teen vampires on the Twilight series and The Vampire Diaries and the popularity of HBO’s True Blood. Besides the serious bacterial dangers of human bites, it can be a mode of HIV transmission that’s not covered in most sex ed classes.
2. Circle lenses/decorative contact lenses. A look made popular by Lady Gaga and YouTube, circle lenses create a big doe-eyed appearance and have become popular among teenage girls. Illegal to sell without a prescription, but easily bought online, doctors are concerned about risks of blinding infections and damage to the cornea.
3. ADHD prescription drug abuse. The same drugs being used to treat attention deficit disorder are being freely shared by some teens on college campuses and high schools to give them an edge at preparing for exams. Not only is the stigma gone, but kids who have the prescriptions are the go-to favorites during finals. If your child uses ADHD drugs, warn him or her against sharing. If your child doesn’t, make it clear that these are serious medications with side effects, not study aids.
4. Tobacco escalation products. Many teens are convinced that, unlike cigarettes, smoking a hookah or using chewing tobacco is not harmful. In fact, hookahs do use tobacco (referred to as Massel) which comes in a wide variety of flavors—including apple, strawberry, and coconut—intended to create a “graduation strategy” so that kids get hooked by starting them with milder tasting, more flavored substances. This trick is also used with a product called “Snus”, a non-chew, no-spit oral tobacco that’s also available in variety of sweet and fruity flavors. Also increasingly popular with teens, using Snus lets them stay under the radar at school and still get their nicotine fix, because it’s stuffed between the lip and the gum. Make sure your teens know that these products have their own dangers, as well as leading to nicotine addiction.
5. Tanorexia/Tanning salons. Even though exposure to tanning beds before the age of 30 increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent, this real danger is dampened by television shows that depict it as trendy and fashionable. One study of university students found that more than 90 percent of tanning-bed users know about the risks of premature aging and skin cancer but continue to tan because they think it looks good.
6. Tattoos. Tattoos have become extremely popular among teens. Although most states have laws prohibiting minors from getting them, they are poorly enforced. Recent data suggest that more than one-third of adults in the U.S. under the age of 35 now sport at least one tattoo. Outbreaks of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections among tattoo recipients have been related to sloppy infection control practices. And tattoos are estimated to account for more than twice as many hepatitis C infections as injection drug use. Other infections, including HIV, can also be contracted through tattooing. If your kids insist on tattoos, make sure that they go to a licensed practitioner.
7. Piercings. Besides traditional ear piercings which carry the standards risks of infection, allergic reactions to nickel, and scar formation, kids are piercing other parts of their bodies, including their nose, naval region, lips, eyebrows and tongues, as well as areas hidden from parents, such as the nipples and genitals. Bacterial infections are not uncommon as are risks of hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV and tetanus. Deformity and scarring can be permanent. Make sure your kids are aware that needles wielded by anyone but a health professional or certified technician can be lethal weapons.
8. Tech use at night. Do you know what your kids are doing in their bedrooms at night? It’s likely they’re texting their friends, chatting on Facebook, or playing video games. The high-tech bedrooms of many teenagers, are anything but dark and quiet. They often go to sleep listening to their iPods, and exchange text messages late into the night. In fact, this seems to be typical teenage behavior. No wonder they’re tired in school. Encourage your child to make it a habit to completely unplug well before bedtime.
9. Texting while driving. There have been reports of teens getting into serious car accidents texting while driving because they keep their hands and eyes on their cell phone keys, rather than the steering wheel. The practice is widespread and getting worse. According to a 2010 survey by AAA and Seventeen Magazine, 86 percent of drivers, age 16-19 admit to risky driving habits, up 25% from a 2008 survey. And those who texted, sent, on average, 23 text messages while driving in the past month. Sixty percent of teens say they drive while talking on their cell phones, up nine percent from a 2008 survey. Make sure your teen drivers have headsets in the car so they can take needed calls and keep their hands on the wheel.
10. Noise exposure. According to published research, about 12.5 percent of American children between the age of 6 and 19 have measurable noise induced hearing loss in one or both ears. Exposure to harmful sounds can injure the delicate hair cells in the inner ear. We have a fixed number of cochlear hair cells and they don’t regenerate, so it’s important to prevent damage in the first place to reduce the need for a hearing aid later in life. To protect their hearing, they should turn down the volume from headsets, televisions and car radios, and set the top volume level on their MP3 player to a safe level.
Orly Avitzur is medical adviser at Consumer Reports and blogs at the Consumer Reports Health Blog.

Stay tuned for our next post about "blood sucking" "cutting" 
JKYP2R994FFY