Tag Archives: Hunger

Day 354

The show must go no matter what– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 33 PM on day 354 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, make some sandwiches on behalf of Virginia’s Sandwich Run with the help of our housekeeper– I was sticky and messy by the end of it but it was for a good cause 🙂 – feed myself an avocado sandwich for brunch, prepare my Kid of the Week feature for Sunday, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – feed myself grilled chicken for dinner and watch TV.

As many of you know my family has been going through a rough patch of late – first my brother was hospitalized and then almost a week later my grandma (she has now been moved to a rehab center) – and because of that I put making sandwiches for our housekeeper’s neighborhood – if you have no idea what I’m talking about refer to Virginia’s Sandwich Run – on hold but this week I realized that me sitting here not helping people wasn’t helping anyone least of all my grandma who I haven’t see in four weeks – I asked my father to take me but as per usual he said no I still can’t understand how a father can be ashamed his child because she has a medical condition – so today I am going to make sandwiches in honour of both sets of my grandparents – both my grandmothers are still alive – Virginia, Joseph uncle – my father’s friend who died a couple of years ago – Brennan and Rachel. Do you stop your life when something unexpected happens?

Day 352

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You can have freedom and still not be free – that’s what I learned today 🙁

It’s 7: 15 PM on day 352 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself oranges for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – feed myself oranges for lunch, exercise for about ten minutes, watch TV, feed myself grilled chicken and bread for dinner, brush my teeth once more and watch some more TV.

The moment I woke up today I asked my mom could you buy three loaves of bread – I wanted to make sandwiches for our housekeeper’s neighborhood – if you have idea what I’m talking about refer to Virginia’s Sandwich Run – while my parents were at work tomorrow just in case the housekeeper didn’t show up on Saturday – and she answered my question with another question isn’t sisi – that what we call our housekeeper – coming on Saturday we’ll give her the sandwiches then in that moment I thought to myself I wish I could drive I would go buy the bread myself and that ladies and gentleman is what it is like – at least for me – to be “disabled” – it does not matter if you can pay for things – I offered to pay all of the expenses that go along with running Virginia’s Sandwich Run with the money I make from this blog (thank you guys for all your support) but my father declined – you will always have to rely on someone else to get things done which suffice to say is hard because everybody has their own lives. Do you feel imprisoned in spite of the fact that you have freedom?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

If you’ve given to my cause or you can’t give now, please help me by sharing my cause with others. You can tweet about it like my friend Stan Faryna. This is the tweet he uses: @Nisha360 is a brave, smart young woman trying to make a better world for us all. Please help her do an amazing thing. http://bit.ly/hC7vOu

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 331

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And I believe that good journalism, good television, can make our world a better place. – Christiane Amanpour

It’s 7: 51 PM on day 331 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – feed myself an avocado sandwich for brunch, tweet about my campaign some more–outcome pending – and watch TV.

This morning I heard on Morning Live – South Africa’s premier breakfast show – that they are going to be holding a three hour telethon tomorrow to raise money for the people of Somalia –if you live in South Africa call 083 9133 555 to make a pledge or text SABC to 38722 (one text costs R10) (Note: Lines only open tomorrow so if you call or text today it would just be a waste – and I would like to thank reporter Vauldi Carelse and cameraman Herbert Mamela for the staler work that they did because I believe that had it not been for them the SABC – South Africa Broadcasting Corporation – wouldn’t have been moved to get involved. Have you witnessed good journalism making the world a better place?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 327

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The adjective extraordinary is earned – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 55 PM on day 327 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself scrambled eggs and bread for breakfast, donate to the Somali people via The World Food Programme – (see why below) I am SO happy that I got to give twenty-four meals today 🙂 – feed myself steamed vegetables for lunch, prepare my Kid of the Week feature for tomorrow and tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck aside from the donation Emma (@ladyday93) made last evening.

A couple of days ago I saw a story on the seven o’ clock news about a six-year-old Somalian girl who walked 400km on foot just so she could eat something and after much internal debate as to whether I should help out in some way I decided to donate $6.50 – half of what remains of my charity budget – to the people of Somalia via The World Food Programme because I believe that if all of us vote with our actions we will be the difference in somebody’s life. Have you earned the right to be called extraordinary?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 313

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Ninety-nine percent of the population is kind and caring it’s just the other one percent that are selfish and egotistical – that’s what I learning today.

It’s 8: 33 PM on day 313 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, donate £7.36 to Sophie Brown’s cause – Sophie visited South-West Uganda with her mom and she was so touched by the plight of the children there that she started raising money to building a classroom I LOVE her she’s a girl after my own heart 🙂 – make 40 sandwiches for our housekeeper’s neighborhood (if you have no idea what I’m talking about refer to Virginia’s Sandwich Run) – a HUGE shoutout to my baby brother – he’s 10 turning 11 next month – for helping me make the sandwiches today I am SO SO SO proud of you buddy today you became a real-life HERO! 🙂 – feed myself chicken biryani for lunch, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – prepare my Kid of the Week feature for tomorrow – this week’s Kid of the Week is 2011 Miss Teen Maryland In’tl. 2 time Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Owner M.O.D.E.L.S. (Making Ongoing Differences in Every Life through Service) Margo Huffman feed myself sweet potatoes and plain yoghurt mixed with onions and chilies for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Yesterday I was watching (TV)⁵ – radio on TV – and they featured some of their DJs who were part of Bikers for Mandela – a group of South African celebrities who travelled across the country spending sixty-seven minutes in service at each one of their stops – and not thirty minutes after that MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen – a show about teenagers and how much time and money they will spend on their sweet sixteen parties – aired my point is the world is screwed up and we should learn how to distinguish between the great and the down-right idiotic. Are you part of the ninety-nine percent or the one percent?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 309

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It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. – Charles Darwin

It’s 7: 55 PM on day 309 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself a polony sandwich for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – chat with my Twitter friend @pfellas via Skype –it was actually fantastic I got to see some London sunshine sitting in my own dining room 🙂 – watch TV, feed myself rice and curry for lunch, go and say goodbye to my uncle and aunty who are leaving for Canada tomorrow, feed myself a McValue Meal for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Yesterday my mother told me that our housekeeper would be replaced by the temp if she didn’t show up before August 5th – we need a housekeeper every day because someone has to help me while my parents are at work (oh the joys of having Cerebral Palsy never alone but always just a teensy bit lonely) – and although I had no problem with the temp my first thought was who’s going to deliver the sandwiches to our current housekeeper’s neighborhood every week(if you have no idea what I’m talking about refer to Virginia’s Sandwich Run) then it hit me that I could just as easily have our temp deliver the sandwiches since both her and our current housekeeper live in the same neighborhood my point is sometimes things happen that you don’t expect but that doesn’t mean you have to quit because I truly believe that there is no problem without a solution and no question without an answer. In a world where change is the only constant do you choose to adapt or die?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 291

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Mental illness is a family disease– that’s what I learned today 🙁

It’s 9: 35 PM on day 291 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, – feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – help make 40 sandwiches as part of Virginia’s Sandwich Run – I am SO proud of myself 🙂 – feed myself rice and curry for lunch, prepare my Kid of the Week feature for Sunday and brush my teeth once more.

As you know my grandma and I are very close and in honour of the person she used to be I am going to share with you the symptoms of “her” disease in the hopes that it will help you and your family. Take a look:

The Signs of Dementia through All Three Phases

Early

Word-finding difficulty – May be able to compensate by using synonyms or defining the word

Forgetting names, appointments, or whether or not the person has done something; losing things

Difficulty performing familiar tasks – Driving, cooking a meal, household chores, managing personal finances

Personality changes (for example, sociable person becomes withdrawn or a quiet person is coarse and silly)

Uncharacteristic behaviour

Mood swings, often with brief periods of anger or rage

Poor judgment

Behaviour disorders – Paranoia and suspiciousness

Decline in level of functioning but able to follow established routines at home

Confusion, disorientation in unfamiliar surroundings – May wander, trying to return to familiar surroundings

Intermediate

Worsening of symptoms seen in early dementia, with less ability to compensate

Unable to carry out activities of daily living (eg, bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding, using the toilet) without help

Disrupted sleep (often napping in the daytime, up at night)

Unable to learn new information

Increasing disorientation and confusion even in familiar surroundings

Greater risk of falls and accidents due to poor judgment and confusion
Behaviour disorders – Paranoid delusions, aggressiveness, agitation, inappropriate sexual behaviour

Hallucinations

Confabulation (believing the person has done or experienced things that never happened)

Inattention, poor concentration, loss of interest in the outside world

Abnormal moods (anxiety, depression)

Severe

Worsening of symptoms seen in early and intermediate dementia

Complete dependence on others for activities of daily living

May be unable to walk or move from place to place unassisted

Impairment of other movements such as swallowing – Increases risk of malnutrition, choking, and aspiration (inhaling foods and beverages, saliva, or mucus into lungs)

Complete loss of short- and long-term memory – May be unable to recognize even close relatives and friends

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 287

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If you judge people, you have no time to love them. ~ Mother Teresa

It’s 7: 32 PM on day 287 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself Chapati and beef curry for breakfast, listen to music, feed myself rice and curry for lunch, exercise for fifteen minutes while watching TV, brush my teeth once more –a guest was arriving and I didn’t want to occupy the bathroom while he was here – start preparing My Book Shelf – a page on this blog which consists of all the books I remember reading over the course of my twenty year life – and tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – I woke up to find that Bonnie (@bonnie67) made a donation – seven kids most of who have disabilities and she still managed to find the money to make a donation I’ll never get over it – thank you SO much Bonnie 🙂

Yesterday we had some company over at our house and quite unusually I wasn’t lost in thought thinking she probably feels sorry for me while she was talking to me and as a result before she left she handed me R50 and told me to make more sandwiches on her behalf – I had mentioned that I was making sandwiches for our housekeeper’s neighborhood during our conversation – which surprised me considering I didn’t even ask for a donation. Is your inability to connect with people solely due to the fact that you’re constantly judging them?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 282

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Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. – Sir Winston Churchill

It’s 7: 47 PM on day 282 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself French fries and a mango sandwich for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – eleven days and counting without a donation – watch TV, tweet about my campaign – no luck – feed myself rice and curry for lunch, email Salt & Necter – I figured since they wrote about Oprah’s final show they would be willing to write about someone who was inspired by Oprah 🙂 – feed myself rice and curry for dinner, watch some more TV and brush my teeth once more.

Two days ago I received an email in response to my sponsorship request (if you have no idea what I’m talking about refer ‘Day 277’) and it read in part Please may you send through a formal letter with a letter head as PnP only support charity organizations and not individuals. and although I was severely bummed out at the time I now realize that real change comes from the actions of ordinary people such as you and I so I am asking you to spread the word about Virginia’s Sandwich Run and donate if you can. Do you fail at everything you do because you give up the first time you hear a no?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 277

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Don’t sweat the small stuff– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 21 PM on day 277 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself an egg sandwich for breakfast, go to the Home Affairs office to apply for my passport it is said to expire on the 26th of this month – I had to go back to the photographer because I smiled in my pictures the first time around and apparently you’re not supposed to do that for your passport… weird, right? 🙂 – feed myself chicken biryani for lunch, go to physiotherapy – it was super uncomfortable and yet again it was my fault for not exercising for the past two weeks – email Pick n Pay – a big chain store in South Africa – a sponsorship proposal – I tweeted them asking them if they would be interested in donating supplies to Virginia’s Sandwich Run and they emailed me asking me to send them a formal letter (see below) – I am SO excited 🙂 – feed myself chicken biryani for dinner while watching TV, brush my teeth once more and tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – still no luck 🙁 –

Today as I stepped up to take my thumbprint because apparently the signature on my passport application wasn’t good enough I realized that all the time I spent in the car depressed over the fact that I couldn’t sign my own name was because I didn’t want to be different which was stupid because I was different. Are you risking your health, wealth and emotional happiness by obsessing over your small disabilities?

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Nisha Varghese, I am a 20-year-old from East London who started making sandwiches for my housekeeper’s neighborhood in an effort to end hunger in my community and I would like Pick n Pay to be the chief sponsor of this initiative which currently feeds 17 people a week. Any assistance you could provide in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Nisha Varghese

http://nisha360.wordpress.com

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!