Niagara Falls and CN Tower will go GREEN again!

Final confirmation received today --- once again, both Niagara Falls and Toronto's CN Tower will run green lights for Lyme Disease Awareness!

The date for both these lighting events this year will be the same: MAY 17, 2014.
(Arranged by LymeWalkBrampton.ca )

The postcard on the left can be used to advertise and let people know so they can plan to attend one of these lighting sessions, or view on webcams.

Brampton's Lyme Walk will be held for the third year. Registrations and more can be done online. People can register as individuals, as a family group of up to six members, or get a group of ten together and register as a corporate group.
http://LymeWalkBrampton.ca 

T-shirts can be purchased separately, or bring your own from previous events. Wear green!!

The walk in the park is not a difficult one. Usually we start the walk around noon or so, once everyone is there. If someone is too weak to walk, please bring a wheelchair or walker along. It takes only around half an hour to complete the walk but sometimes others walk around the whole park, or complete the circuit more than once. It is very relaxed. The mission is more to bring Lymies, their friends and caregivers together to share stories and build relationships.

Register and ask friends and family to sponsor you, no matter where they are. Tax receipts are issued and all donations are paid over once a month, with a small fee to handle everything. Registrations include a number to pin to clothing and to keep as a souvenir! Bring a picnic and chairs or blankets to enjoy in the park afterwards, meet with family and enjoy everything that is there to see, experience and discover.

BramptonLymeWalk is part of the WorldWide Lyme Disease Awareness effort. 

Proper CN Tower pictures

As promised --- here are the best pictures taken and worked on from the CN Tower going green for Lyme Disease awareness on May 11, 2013. We were saving them for exclusive use by newspapers, but after two weeks, nothing --- big surprise. So, here are the pictures.

The earlier pictures from that cold, windy, blustery, FUN evening were posted on THIS LINK here on the blog if you haven't seen them yet. If you click on a picture in the blog, you should be able to see a bigger view. If you use them elsewhere, please let me know? It would be fun to link them together!

We were gathering at the foot of the CN Tower from about 8:00 pm on May 11. We had to move around quite a bit to try and keep warm! But we had a lot of fun and met up with a lot of great people.

Group shot without the tower in the back. Poor hubby, who was taking the pictures, had a difficult job getting us all to stand still, and to avoid the bright lights in the background!

 It was cold and windy, can you tell? Middle of May and we were wearing several layers! But we were in high spirits, as you can tell from this shot with Mary and Debra.

Love this shot with Patricia, wrapped in that pretty scarf and holding a CanLyme flag!

CN Tower --- the group shot! I was holding back on these pictures to give exclusive use to interested newspapers, but as usual, they didn't go with the story. We just have to keep pushing.

What a month this was for Lyme Disease Awareness! Together, we all make things happen and more people have to take notice. 

Green lights for Lyme on CN Tower

Finally the day arrived: May 11 - the day when Toronto's famous landmark, the CN Tower, would go green for Lyme Disease Awareness!

It was cold and breezy and with lots of construction around the tower, it was an adventure to get ourselves down to the assigned spot. But Lymies are nothing if not determined. About 30 of us walked, drove, shuttled and subwayed ourselves to the foot of the tower.

We were disappointed, though, when the green wasn't solid as promised, but mixed with blue. It was very hard to take proper pictures, showing green from bottom to top! We figured the blue was mixed in for the Maple Leafs or Blue Jays (sports teams, for those who, like me, don't really know sports).

But that didn't put a damper on us. We laughed, made fun, hugged, swung glow sticks, bopped each other with blow-up flags, bounced and jumped to stay warm and generally had fun!

Pictures are uploaded to an online album but will be shared here too. Oh and I just had an email that another Canadian icon will go green on Saturday ... more info to follow as soon as it is confirmed! It is in another province, and we hope pictures will follow!

So -- a group of us arrived at the CN Tower before sundown, which was after 8 pm. We had to traipse and walk and encounter detours, climb over construction, watch out for walls and generally walk way more than we bargained for! But we met under the Canadian flag as planned, thanks to Mary who scouted out the place before the time.

As darkness approached, we could see the colour starting to show on the tower.

But it kept getting blue in there as well, which made it very difficult to get pictures!

Nice one with green at top and bottom, and just a little blue in the middle, as the lights were changing.

Arno behind the camera, trying to capture some pictures while the tower was green.

Canadian flag waving in the corner.

The group gathering at the tower, wrapped and layered against the cold!

Kevin and I -- moving as Arno tried to get a shot. I think it is kind of cool, though, with the tower green and the moving heads in front!

Cari and Kevin in front of the tower.

Cold people chatting. Yes, it is Canada, but this was the middle of May and we didn't expect temps that low! In fact, the next day there was snow in the air.

Mary, Debra and I in front of the green tower.

Grandma and grandkids in front of the green tower, holding signs that said .....

... I was only 5 years old when my Nannie got sick; and I have never seen my Nannie well, but I would really like to!

Bob seems to be a little chilly .... he wasn't wearing enough layers!

Our photographer for the group shot, Arno, on his back on the ground, taking the picture upside-down! Some kind soul thought to keep him warm with a green blankie .....

Now we are getting ready for the green lights on Niagara Falls on Friday, May 17! People are driving over from the USA, driving down from all over Ontario, and flying out from BC and Nova Scotia. 

Remember to those who are driving to Niagara Falls, there is paid parking all over the place and you can buy a pass for the WeGo buses (formerly Peoplemovers). Parking is usually free by the Floral Clock and the buses should pick up there too. LINK: WeGo

Meeting place for the green lights on the Falls: Table Rock at the Horseshoe Falls. First block of green lights is at 9:00 pm for 15 minutes.  See you there!

Original post on this blog about the green CN Tower: Tower will go green!

Niagara Falls will go GREEN!!!

Things are really happening to get awareness about Lyme Disease on the map! I have been waiting and holding on to announce both the events we're working on, but news is starting to filter out about the one already approved.

So, for now ---- here's a graphic to announce the Green Niagara Falls! I've blurred out the second one since we don't have formal approval yet, but wait a while and we should have them both to talk about! Sounds cryptic? Sorry about that, it is really not intentional.

On Friday, May 17, the day before the Brampton Awareness Day Walk, Niagara Falls will be lit in green for 45 minutes in total!

Exciting? You bet it is!!!

We are talking about arranging a bus to go down from Brampton to Niagara Falls on Friday, May 17, in order to be there for the green-flowing Falls. We can take pictures, make noise, hand out brochures and  make sure people there get the message about Lyme Disease.

Together with various other people like Melisa from the LDAO, people are working on applications and a press release about the other icon to be lit in green. Lots of red tape there! We are not allowed to publish anything until formal approval was given. But as soon as the expected "yes" is given, we'l let you know!

BUS FROM BRAMPTON TO NIAGARA FALLS
I've been on the phone trying to arrange for a bus, but no luck so far. Brampton Transit doesn't go to Niagara Falls and GO buses don't charter their buses. Anyone have any ideas? We need to be there, but not be too tired to come back and be ready for the Brampton Walk the next day!! See the post about the Bus to the Falls as arranged, please.


NIAGARA FALLS WEBCAM
For those who are unable to go to Niagara Falls to see them be lit green on May 17th, they can view it on the live free Niagara Falls webcam.  It may be comforting to see. (Thanks for reminding me to add the link, Doris!) We'll probably gather and meet at the Horseshoe or Canadian Falls at first, but then spread out towards the American Falls. It all depends on how many people show up wearing green and carrying glo-sticks! CLICK: Niagara Falls Webcam 

TIME DIFFERENCE
What would be the time difference where you are? We are working in Toronto, Canada time. Here is the Worldclock website for you to check what the time will be for you on May 17, 2013, when it is time for the Falls to go green! WorldClock Link


MY "HOLIDAY" WITHOUT ANTIBIOTICS
It has now been almost three weeks since I've gone off the antibiotics. Things went well the first week, and for half the second week! Then symptoms started coming back. They were mostly just little ones and I ignored them.

On Saturday, while out with friends, all was fine for some hours and then the stiff neck and raised shoulders thing, the creaks and tweaks started again. I ignored it. It got worse. Finally I felt like the bottom guy in a totem pole so asked to be brought home to get warm in bed.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful. Hubby and I shared some scones with strawberry jam and cream for breakfast and discussed various plans. Next moment it felt like I got bitten by a tsetse fly and had to sleep immediately. Couldn't even keep my eyes open properly until back in bed where the sleep came down like in the early days of the onset of this disease. I was so cold even under the duvets and sheets, wearing long flannel pjs, that the fluffy bed socks from South Africa had to come out as well. Thanks, Ma!

Various aches and pains are returning. A dull ache behind the left eye is noticeable. But nothing like what it used to be and I haven't lost my sight or seen the return of the eye infection.

I'm ignoring these blimps as much as possible! There are things to do, plans to make, arrangements to get sorted out and the body needs a break from the constant onslaught of antibiotics. It might be the Bab-2 drops getting all hot and heavy. Who knows?

CURRENT PROTOCOL
I'm also still using the Auum oil, which I'm convinced protected my brain from being completely ravaged by this disease (read testimonial), Oil of Oregano, Evening Primrose oil, Cats Claw, Resveratrol not from grapes, Vit. C from rosehips, Olive Leaf extract and inject myself with Vit B three times a week. Two or three days ago I also went back on Plaquenil since I was prescribed that anyway for Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2005. It is part of the treatment for Lyme Disease but I wanted to see what would happen without all the pharmaceuticals. Joint pains are becoming worse and hubby, who sorts out my pills, felt the Plaquenil should be brought back into the mix.
If I can hold out until May 8, 2013, without a major relapse, I can carefully consider myself in Remission and hope that gives hope to others.

AN ASIDE
While writing this post, I had a phone call from the credit card people. Seems my card was compromised and used to buy over $500 of shoes from Australia, books all over the place, a Bell order was put in ... so now the card gets cancelled and a whole drama happens. Always something fun to happen somewhere to keep us on our toes!