I’ve got myself a new theme, and after tweaking it for a couple of days, I’ve finally decided that this should be it for the time being. I’d still like to have the “Recent Comments” column in my footer instead of the “Blogroll” column, but I have not a single idea how to do that. So I guess I shall leave it as it is, until I’ve found someone who’s willing to help me with that *smiles*

Anyway, how do you like this new theme? It’s a little too late to ask, isn’t it, since I’ve already mentioned how I liked it, and will most probably stick with this for long :)

And I’ve just found out that the theme designer, Brian Gardner, is on a mission to walk for breast cancer. In his own words:

On August 10th of this year, I will once again lace up my shoes for the Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, and start an emotional journey that will take me 60 very long and grueling miles from Vernon Hills to downtown Chicago. This walk will be hot, this walk will be painful. There will be sweat, and there will be tears.

Now, some shocking statistics about breast cancer:

• By the time that you finish reading this, two more women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and another one just died from it.
• In fact, while I am walking those 60 miles, 110 women will die from this horrible disease.
• 110 families will lose a mother, or a daughter, or a best friend.

Check out Brian’s other WordPress themes and if you liked what you see, consider making a small donation (to donate via PayPal, you will need Brian’s email) so that he can participate in the Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, please? To participate in the event, he is required to raise a minimum of $2,200.

I don’t walk to get recognition. I don’t walk because I want people to think of me a hero. I walk so that a little girl can grow up and spend time with her mother. I walk so that a mother can watch her daughter walk down the aisle at her wedding. I walk so that I don’t have to console another friend while a part of her life was taken too soon. I walk because I am physically able to, while others are not. I walk because I have been given so much, and I want to give back as much as I can.

One of the Photo Hunt participants blogged about Hugs & Hope last Saturday, and I’ve been combing through the site since then. The Hugs & Hope Club for Sick Kids was created by Marsha Jordan in October 2000, as a ministry of encouragement for children battling critical illness. Every month they feature new stories and photos of sick children on the Hugs & Hope website. Visitors and volunteers pray for, encourage, and send these children cheery postal mail (a.k.a.”happy mail”). Volunteers also sponsor many special projects to brighten the lives of the children on a regular basis!

Now, Jonathan was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was two years old. And since then, he had undergone three brain surgeries within six years to try to reduce his seizure activity, but unfortunately without much success.

Jon is allergic to most anti-seizure medications and suffers from many side effects, so his options are limited. Because of neurological impairment due to the seizures, he has trouble with his speech, coordination, and academics. And as of April 20th, he was still experiencing seizures though lately, it appears that they have decreased some.

And since he has a great love for animals, especially insects and amphibians (his pets include his dog, a parrot, a turtle and his fish), I’m going to send him some turtle postcards, and I hope he will like them :)

And since I’m at it, I might well send everybody whose birthday falls in June a birthday card (June is such a nice month, right??) :)

Did you know that..

• tuberculosis, or more commonly known as TB, kills 1.7 million people annually and infects someone every second?
• each year almost two million people die from TB and approximately nine million people develop the disease?
• new cases are increasing especially in Eastern Europe and Africa?
• TB diagnosis and treatment protocols have not kept pace as the most commonly used drug was developed more than 30 years ago?
• according to the World Health Organization, controlling TB will require an extra $650 million a year in addition to current spending?

Did you also know that TB treatment generally lasts eight months, and requires taking multiple pills daily, some of which can have significant side effects: liver problems, vomiting, headaches, joint pain, depression and even psychosis?? Consequently, failure to complete the regimen is common, and restarting treatment after interruption increases the risk of drug resistance.

Now, to combat that, Doctors Without Borders USA has introduced more flexible strategies, allowing patients to take drugs at home while keeping high adherence levels. The organization also distributes easy-to-use fixed-dose combination drugs, shortening the treatment period to six months. With fewer pills to take daily, patients are less likely to share or stop taking pills because of side effects.

Besides Doctors Without Borders, Project HOPE, which now has 66 staff members in Central Asia working specifically on TB, is the largest and most comprehensive program in the region. It provides technical assistance and support, strengthens laboratory quality assurance and trains staff in patient management, emphasizing education and adherence to treatment. It also facilitates involvement of local NGOs in TB control.

TB is a curable disease. And I am a walking example.