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° News Of Note: There are now thousands of step descriptions and instructional videos for hundreds of line dances in the Archives! Subscribe TODAY! Gloria has her own website now at www.gloriajohnson.us . Check it out when you get a chance. You will find step sheets for all of her dances, and a video clip for many of them. We will be adding more video clips as we film them. Dusty has a new business: WebWerks Design Studio. He is designing websites for small businesses and individuals. You can host
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Sweetpea - Needs a little help |
| It has been a few years since we updated you folks on our grand-daughter. This time we come to you with our hat in hand and ask for your help. You, the line-dancers of the world, may have done a dance called Sweetpea for Shania Twain's "Honey I'm Home". That dance was written by my wife Gloria Johnson and was named after our grand-daughter. "Sweetpea" is my knick-name for that munchkin. She was only 27 months old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 - Juvenile Diabetes. You can read the original story of the Race through the night if you have time. Cheyenne Lenay Dancause turned eight years old at the end of April 2006 and she faces a great challenge in the coming years.
While research scientists are continuing to look for ways to fight Diabetes, time is growing short for Cheyenne. Doctors now say that her life expectancy with the healthcare she is now getting is only to the age of 15 or 16. In an effort to prolong her life, the endocrinologists have approved her for a special insulin pump which she will wear 24 hours a day. The pump will monitor her blood sugar level constantly and give her minute amounts of insulin automatically to stabilize her blood sugar levels. The problem we face is that the pump (manufactured by the Animus Corp.) alone costs $6,000.00 plus the Cleo system that inserts the needle to the proper depth and the specially packaged insulin for the pump. This is the most advanced insulin pump available today for a child, but it and the specially packaged insulin for it are not covered by her mother's health insurance. Just to cover the initial needs, we set a goal to raise $10,000.00, but fell far short. We have established a special trust fund for Sweetpea through Wachovia Bank, the Cheyenne Lenay Dancause Assistance Fund, and are in the process of registering that fund with the State of Florida. The high school students where Cheyenne's mother (Cassandra Dancause) teaches (Atlantic High School in Daytona Beach) have taken up the cause and have raised over $600.00 so far and are aggressively putting out collection boxes in stores, bars, gas stations, and other public places in the Daytona Beach area. A number of our friends in a network marketing business we are involved in have sent in donations. You are welcome to read that letter sent out to our network marketing friends. Including what we have added, there is $2,450.50 in the bank as of 4/10/2006. We need to raise another $3,550.00+ before we can order the pump and thousands of dollars above that for the Cleo system, insulin, and more. Even her clothes need to be altered to provide a pocket to hold the pump inside the clothing. UPDATE (7/17/2006): Early in June, Gloria and I realized that the fund raising was not going so well. We had raised a little over $2,800.00 and the need for the pump was growing more urgent. Negotiations between the pump manufacturer and the insurance company resulted in the manufacturer supplying the pump with insurance paying 60%. Between what was already in the bank and what was in our bank account, we were able to cover the remaining 40%, pay for the Cleo system, and several months worth of insulin. Insurance will cover 80% of the insulin from now on but we will have to cover the other 20% which amounts to several hundred dollars each month plus incidentals like needles, lancets, and more. To say this has "strapped us" would be an understatement. If you can find it in your heart to help, we would be so grateful. Click HERE to go to the DONATIONS page. Thank You, Dusty & Gloria Johnson |
Since we last posted any information about Sweetpea, much has changed and regretfully, not for the better. Cheyenne's condition has worsened. Until recently she took a minimum of five insulin shots each day and sometimes as many as seven shots if she eats too many carbs or her blood sugar level goes high. She is under the care of the endocrinologists at Shand's Helathcare Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville and on April 3, 2006 was placed on the national Kidney Transplant Registry as her kidneys are starting to shut down. Her Diabetes is bow considered "brittle" meaning that her blood sugar levels cannot be stabilized and are out of control.
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