There’s no stopping her now! Abdominal ultrasound slayed. Labs from two weeks ago are fine. GI next week, with more labs, and another (different) ultrasound to follow. We are gonna figure out what’s going on so Lillian can fully enjoy this life! I’m just so thrilled Lillian is ready to do this! ❤️🎉❤️
She did it!!! After about 6 years, she finally had labs done! You on fire, gurl!
I found a place that does mobile draws, explained that Lillian has a needle phobia, a pediatric size body, hard to find veins, and a traumatic lab draw 6 years ago. They said they had the perfect person. And they do! Patrick Go is absolutely amazing, and he did a wonderful job! So relieved to have this done. There’ll be more after the GI visit in December. But at least we’ve begun!! Stomach ultrasound next week. 🎉🎉🎉
WooHoo Y’all! The RN&R article about Turning Views Foundation and Different iz Good came out today! Kat did a great job of condensing the ton of information I spilled out to her!
Lillian Darnell holds the iPhone that, though speech impaired, allows her to talk through a special app. Her mom, Camilla Downs, stands beside her.
PHOTO BY KAT KERLIN
Lillian Darnell was 3 years old in 2004 when her mother, Camilla Downs, received a phone call from her pediatrician.
“It was a phone call that landed me in a place I never thought I’d be,” says Downs.
Lillian had been born a month early, so Downs attributed the developmental delays she’d noticed to the fact that she was a preemie. But that day, she discovered Lillian had a chromosomal abnormality, so rare it didn’t really have a name: It’s just called 18p-, a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 18.
“The main way it manifests for her is communication,” says Downs. “Everything is in her mind, she just can’t articulate it.” Lillian is about 90 percent unintelligible.
Before this year, Lillian, now 9, had been carrying around a heavy, clunky “augmented communicator” called Dynavox. She actually had to pull it on a cart behind her at recess. Then Downs heard about Proloquo2Go, an iPhone app that could do the same thing, but on a smaller and, let’s face it, cooler device. She bought Lillian an iPhone and had the app installed. Lillian carries it in her purse, which has a speaker clipped to it to make her “voice” louder. There are programmable buttons on it for typical things she might say in class or to her friends, as well as a section for things she could say in emergencies. For other things she wants to say, she can type it into the keypad and press “speak.”
The whole thing cost less than $1,000. Compare that to the $5,000-$10,000 people pay for augmented communicators. However, health insurance and Medicaid will pay for those clunky, expensive devices, but not for iPhones, iPads or iPod Touches that could have apps like Proloquo2Go installed on them.
“There’s no reason these kids should have to wait to have a modern way to communicate,” says Downs.
The school district will provide an iPod Touch or an iPad to the speech impaired, but not an iPhone, which Downs wanted Lillian to have for emergencies. So she decided to start a nonprofit, Turning Views, which encompasses the Different Iz Good movement to help kids like Lillian. Key to that is “Lillian’s Voice,” the recycling program that takes used iPodTouches, iPhones and iPads and gives them to children who are speech impaired or nonverbal. She accepts “last generation” devices, meaning more recent models, as some older ones may not be able to have the app installed on it. Look for “Lillian’s Voice” drop-off boxes at New2U Computers and Mac-O-Rama. (See column note for details.) People can also donate money or gift cards from iTunes or Apple on the nonprofit’s website, www.differentizgood.org.
“People still haven’t caught on that these are more than just phone and music devices,” says Downs. “It’s not just the app itself, but the shift that has occurred in society. It’s a communication revolution, in a way, that includes the nonverbal and speech impaired in a way they never have been before.”
What does Lillian have to say about it? She punches some keys on her phone, looks up, nods her head and presses “speak”: “I like the iPhone.”
Oh wow! What a wonderful world Lillian transported me to. What a beautiful soul she is!
I loved the beauty, the innocence, the depth and the magic of Lillian Darnell’s writing. This was truly a wonderful adventure into her amazing world and I enjoyed reading every story and every quote. Such beautiful quotes that really touched my heart. – Jennifer Jansen
For more information about Where Would You Fly, go here …
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 20 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 16 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
It was a momentous date day. First time for Lillian to go inside of anyplace in just over a year. She was excited. Clothes shopping for our first stop.
Part 2 through I lost count, as we made so many stops, I’m delirious.
Fries and lemonade at Noble Pie Parlor. Then to pick up dessert. Watermelon macaroon for Lillian, ginger rose dark chocolate for me.
Barnes & Noble, Michaels, and stopping to gaze at the full moon on the way home. (Psst …. I do not like shopping. Drains every inch of energy out of me. I shall crawl into bed, and pass out shortly.)
This is such an amazing and beautiful endeavor. Just magical. The Wall of Love by Marco Santini Art, surrounded by artwork submitted from people around the world, including Lillian Darnell, from Reno, Nevada!
If you’re near East Harlem in New York go have a look! Lillian’s artwork is hanging on the far right. Rick zooms into hers at 6:46 if you want to see it. Thank YOU to everyone involved. It blesses me so to see Lillian’s abstract art as part of this installation with the message of love and inclusion. We love and miss you Rick Guidotti and Liz Matejka Grossman!! xoxo Keep spreadin’ the love!
Been exploring this all afternoon. Mainly for Thomas. I’ll explore mine and Lillian’s after I’m finished with his. Deeply interesting, and fun! If you’re familiar with Human Design, what’s yours?
Thomas: Projector with a 4/6 profile and Spleen Authority.
Lillian: Manifesting Generator with a 6/2 profile and Emotions Authority.
Camilla: Generator with a 2/5 profile and Emotions Authority.
If you’re familiar with Human Design, and familiar with us, what do you think? Sound like us?
I spent almost 2 days putting together a report for Thomas, with all of his information. Whew!
I have no idea when Lillian shared this with me. It was either in 2017 or 2018.
(Photo from an October 2020 Date Day with Thomas)
Hey there! Imagine a maze with dead ends and straight lines. Every bad thing that happens takes you to a dead end even if it seems to be leading in a straight path. Every good thing that happens takes you to the correct path. The entrance is you come in the maze as a newborn and the exit is your soul exiting and reentering as someone or something.
I told the shortened version to Camilla this morning and it had just came to me. Think of your life like this and your life should be easier to live. – Lillian Darnell
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.