Christmas Miracles! Nicole's Story ...
In my last blog I shared the story of Maggie Schoenfeld, a 9-year-old from Boynton Beach, Florida, who has an aggressive case of Leukemia. Though she has many long days before her as she prepares for a bone marrow transplant she’s not facing it alone. Hundreds of people from her hometown have come together to show their support. The local police station where her dad works has raised more than $30,000 for the family through fundraisers where they’ve shaved their heads, served food and even posed for a pinup calendar. Even complete strangers have been compelled to help Maggie, attending fundraisers and sending cards.
But today's story is about Nicole Bennet – another Christmas miracle. It all began at a recent fundraiser held for Maggie at Panera Bread. It was here that Nicole Bennet and her mother Brenda, who didn’t even know Maggie but came to show their support after they heard her story, got some help of their own.
Just three days after her 16th birthday, Nicole was in a terrible car accident. That was five years ago, but her mom Brenda always remembers it as they day her daughter died. After paramedics pulled Nicole from the wreckage of her little convertible they struggled to resuscitate her.
Two motorcycle cops brought Brenda to her daughter’s side at the hospital. She remembers the stitches that stretched up and down the left side of her daughter’s face. The accident had severely damaged Nicole’s brain. Doctors told her that she’d be a vegetable for the rest of her life if she even made it through the night. She made it.
Nicole spent four weeks in the hospital’s trauma unit. There was no expression on her face. No life. She suffered complete memory loss. She didn’t speak for six months. But her mother never stopped hoping…never stopped working with her to make her better.
Now five years later, Nicole, 21, is surpassing all of her doctors’ expectations and defying science as she continues to remember and improve. She’s been back to high school and she now works as Panera Bread – her first real paying job since the accident.
I asked Nicole’s Mom Brenda about the progress of her recovery. Is it leaps and bounds? Incremental?Baby steps? She told me the good news is that Nicole has yet to hit a plateau.
So is it coincidence or faith that Nicole went to Maggie’s fundraiser at Panera?
I’ve always believed that deep down everyone wants to do something to help someone else…to make an impact on the world that’s larger than themselves. I think that feeling kicks into overdrive during the holiday season as you hear dozens of stories about people reaching out to help those in need. Maybe that’s because, like the bright holiday lights that dot the nation this time of year symbolizing hope and life in the dead of winter, everyone wants to believe in miracles. When you have enough faith… the unexpected can happen.
Christmas Miracles! Maggie's Story ...
I’ve always believed that deep down everyone wants to do something to help someone else to make an impact on the world that’s larger than themselves. I think that feeling kicks into overdrive during the holiday season as you hear dozens of stories about people reaching out to help those in need. Maybe that’s because, like the bright holiday lights that dot the nation this time of year symbolizing hope and life in the dead of winter, everyone wants to believe in miracles. When you have enough faith the unexpected can happen.
For Christmas week I'll be sharing the stories of two girls, 9-year-old Maggie Schoenfeld and a 21-year-old Nicole Bennet. Both are facing crushing personal circumstances, yet through it all, finding something that every looks for, especially this time of year: HOPE. These stories are about tears and triumph, pain and love, heartache and healing and most of all FAITH. Though these girls barely know each other, their stories are intertwined and they both begin – as all miracles do – with a haunting challenge.
Anyone who knows Maggie Schoenfeld will tell you that she’s a “feisty girl” with a personality to match her bright smile. When doctors told her parents that the 9-year-old had an aggressive case of leukemia their worlds turned upside down. What followed in the months after her diagnosis were long trips to Miami Children’s Hospital, dozens of chemotherapy treatments and hours of waiting and praying for Maggie to get better.
Tests revealed that Maggie had 440,000 white blood cells in her body, which, doctors said, is virtually unheard of. A normal count is between 5,000 and 10,000.
The prognosis was unclear and the treatment long but the family pulled together to take things day by day. Maggie’s next big challenge is a bone marrow transplant from her brother scheduled early next year. In their pain, however, the Schoenfelds have found overwhelming support as hundreds of their neighbors in Boynton Beach, many whom don’t even know the Schoenfelds, have rallied around Maggie. They’ve raised thousands of dollars, donated blood and been there to talk when the family needed it most.
Since Maggie was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in September, the Boynton Beach Police Department has collected more than $30,000 for the family through fundraisers where they’ve shaved their heads, served food and even posed for a pinup calendar.
Employees at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach, where Maggie's mother works as a neonatal nurse, have chipped in more than 400 vacation hours so she could be at her daughter's side.
The community has gotten involved, too. During a fundraiser a few weeks ago, Panera Bread in Boynton Beach donated half of its sales for the day to Maggie. About 2,000 people stopped by during the daylong event that featured music, baking classes, a car show and Maggie, who was well enough to make an appearance.
It was during this event at Panera Bread where 21-year-old Nicole Bennet and her mother Brenda met Maggie. The two decided to sign up for baking classes during the event that would help raise money for Maggie. They didn’t know it at the time, but their act of reaching out to help Maggie would in turn help Nicole, who suffered serious brain injuries after a car accident just days after her 16th birthday.
Maggie still has many long days ahead. After her bone marrow transplant she’ll have to fight the risk of infection or the slight chance that her body rejects her brother’s cells or that the cancer comes back, but she won’t be facing it alone. And for the family, the quiet shock has become a deafening roar of support.
To learn more about how to help Maggie…whether it’s sending her a card or attending a fundraiser…contact Stephanie Slater with the Boynton Beach Police Department…at 561-742-6191.
How to Help Send donations to: Stephanie Slater, Boynton Beach Police Department, 100 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach, FL 33435.
Make checks payable to Margaret Alyson Schoenfeld.
Write to Maggie: Go to carepages.com and click on "visit." Create an account, search "maggieschoenfeld" to pull up her page and leave a message.
The Big One!
On Monday, I mentioned that I had quickly learned that there is at least one common denominator when it comes to avid fishermen "EVERYONE HAS A FISHING STORY." And when a gang of Anglers gets together each fish is bigger than the next.
I also mentioned that now, I, too, have a fishing story … and it’s called Beginner’s Luck.
OK. It all began just before 8 a.m. We pushed off the dock and headed down the intracoastal to the Hillsboro Inlet out to the ocean. All said – about two miles.
Before we pushed off I happened to ask Captain Eddie, Captain Mike’s partner if we were going to catch anything that day:
So, now we’re drifting, the sun is shining, the guys had set up the rods with goggle eyes and released the kites to keep the bait on the ocean’s surface – the anticipation began to build.
Because I had never fished before, I didn’t understand why the guys on the boat were so quiet and seemed so uptight. I thought fishing was supposed to be fun.
Then I noticed the intensity of Captain Mike’s gaze on the horizon, he, Steve, Captain Eddie and the rest were peering at the movement of the water in the distance looking for – what I realize now – would be the catch of the day.
Suddenly, Captain Mike hollered out: “Katie … your rod’s got some action.” I scampered to the bow of the boat and he handed me my rod. Indeed there was something biting my goggle eye on the other end. His direction was as follows: “Start reeling. When the fish is fighting hard – let him fight. When he stops fighting – start reeling. And so on."
Little did I know, I was in for the fight of my life. I am in pretty good shape so I was okay with the reeling part. It was where to put the butt of the rod that gave me trouble. I started to lose spots on my gut – ouch – that’s painful, finally I sat down and anchored the rod between my legs against the seat.
After about five minutes we saw the fish jumping out of the water into the air – about 50 yards off the boat. The guys started to whoop and cheer.
Then I saw him. My fish was 10 yards away leaping in and out of the water. Captain Mike put on his glove, leaned over the side of the boat, grabbed my fish by the nose and began to pull him out of the water. My fish was fighting hard. He wasn’t having it. Finally, he slipped back into the water and fought over to the other side of the boat where Captain Eddie snagged him and pulled him up on deck.
I couldn’t believe how big this sailfish was. I heard Steve yell "wow … six feet!" Then suddenly my sailfish was in my arms. A few seconds later his tail fanned out and smacked me right in the face!
I had never understood how grown men could sit around a table for hours taking turns talking about this one moment. Now I do.
Pulling Fish in Pompano Beach
Ok this series, let’s just say it turned out vastly different than I even I expected.
It all began innocently – the location? A low-key diner in Hillsboro Beach Florida, where the cash register has no LED display and the waitresses still wear sensible shoes, and reeks of the now cult-classic hair spray – Final Net.
Two of my wonderful friends, Steve and Laura Kennedy were encouraging me once again – Steve would intermittently suggest – “Hey, Katie – we gotta get you on the boat.” That meant fishing, I had never fished before. And – I feel a little guilty now – but I’d always thought: YUK. Fishing. Too hot, too slow, too smelly – yep – too stinky.
Camera pans forward about five months. I don’t know, I’m standing on a rickety-drift-wood-barnacle-ensconced dock in Pompano Beach, Florida about a half mile from my house and I’m talking to Captain Mike. The Captain Mike. He owns and operates a charter boat called The Sweet Emily. He’s mid-thirties, blond, blue eyed, kind of freckly and fun. But more than anything – trustworthy.
The two of us? We didn’t even haggle. After 20 minutes of Captain Mike explaining to me, and me pretending that I understood … we settled on a price and a date: December 13, 2007. Thursday morning. I would arrive at 7 a.m. with my crew; we’d be pulling out by 7:30. Game on. Fishing on?
Art Basel Miami Beach: Where weird becomes normal!
The sixth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach has ended. It is the largest, craziest art bazaar in the world -- five days and four nights of hundreds of galleries selling thousands of artists to an insatiable herd of 43,000 of the trendiest, “coolest” people on Earth! Many of them were swathed in black enveloping wraps with silk linings of funky loud purples, pinks and fuchsias!
It was big, it was bold and it was everywhere. Think Andy Warhol meets the space shuttle?
Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest contemporary art show in the world closed on Sunday with a record number of visitors from every continent plus 1,600.
We, here at KBTVonline, road tripped down to the Miami Convention Center on Saturday. But like many thousands of the other guests we were drawn to the surrounding cultural exhibitions and events – known as the satellite shows or the Sati Scene. But that’s a whole other story, or episode, so to speak. Check out my blog over the weekend to find out what we uncovered – off the beaten path.
All that said, at the Convention Center, celebrated artists and leading art-world personalities participated in programs. More than 100 museums from the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The 200 galleries from 30 countries exhibited works by more than 2,000 artists.
Curiously I overheard an art dealer who had an interesting insight into desperate plight of the US dollar at the moment. She said she’s pricing all of her art work in Euros because she has “taken a bath” on the US dollar – currently trading at about $1.45 to the Euro.
At the Miami Beach Convention Center, where the proper show was installed meaning the works that had been shipped here from the city of Basel in Switzerland, everything was extremely uptight.
I can sum it up with a visual. One exhausted art dealer perched on the lap of a well-known gallery owner whom I know well but who asked not to be named. They were both perched on the hood of a silver bullet-proof Mercedes SUV … and this is what I heard: "He's got some big walls."
A guy called Earth Man was walking around the fair in a space suit breathing through a hose connected to a potted plant. There was a girl in a dress made of clothespins.
Speaking of, let me share our favorite pieces – or installations … or … ? A mobile of giant lava rocks by Robert Chambers for $30,000. A "400% cotton" hand-dyed T-shirt, titled "Pimp," by Dutch artist HuskMitNavn, for $60. Dammit … I missed it … are they selling on eBay? And finally there's Ralph Provisero's "Earthramp," two yards of pounded Everglades topsoil, and it's not even for sale. It will just . . . compost.
Don’t forget to watch are show tonight: “Art Basel Miami Beach." We’ll take you down to South Beach to the back courtyard of the Aqua Hotel on Collins Avenue where the real action was taking place – off campus. Just like at a university!
Can't Wake Up? Try a Puzzle!
Over the past year, I have come to believe that Americans are obsessed with the whole process of WAKING UP. The method and style of alarm clock issue … well, let me start at the beginning.
Back in May of this year, I broadcast a story on an innovative but really annoying alarm clock called Clocky! If you didn’t see my piece – it’s a clock that looks like a giant dog bone – and when you hit the snooze button it jumps from your night-stand and rolls around your room, making funny/cute sounds along the way. It’s kind of like a skittish cat because you have to search for it all around the room in order to turn it off.
One of my viewers wrote that she bought it after watching the piece and after a week was set to either throw it out the window or put it up on eBay.
After a barrage of emails the following week – one of my gadget sources told me about the Glo Pillow. I reported this story in May … six moths later the Glo Pillow was named one of Time Magazine’s gadgets of the year! Anyway, the Glo Pillow provides the comforts of a regular pillow but also features a built-in soft LED light that gently awakens the oh-so-sensitive sleeper by slowly increasing its brightness over 40 minutes … mimicking a perfect sunrise in the Caribbean. Apparently using the light rather than sound to wake encourages the body to establish a healthy sleep rhythm and makes the day more productive and stress free. The pillow is charged by induction and is wireless, which allows it to move freely about the bed. The ethos of this gadget? Think gentle, soothing – calming.
Three adjectives that would not describe the gadget in my report today! Bim Bam Banana s Puzzle Alarm Clock wakes you up by firing four puzzle pieces up in the air and then honks incessantly until those four pieces are put back into place – on top of the clock. Yes, you must complete a jigsaw puzzle to deactivate the alarm. No cord to cut, since its battery operated.
After pondering to what great lengths people will go … to actually wake up and get out of bed? I decided to survey a group of friends enjoying dinner at a local Italian restaurant down here in Boca Raton called Mario’s and listen to what they had to say about what gets THEM out of bed. Watch Tuesday for the whole story and our man-on-the-street interviews.
I myself – I wake up to my blackberry which I put in my bed somewhere under the covers – so when it goes off – I have to kind of dig around and find it. It works for me, but then again I sleep alone.
If you’re interested in purchasing the Puzzle Alarm Clock, you’ll pay $52 for the privilege of waking up to that kind of chaos!
Unhappy? Self-Critical? Maybe You’re Just a Perfectionist
I was searching the internet the other day and came across a fabulous article that goes a long with an upcoming KBTV episode. I'm copying the entire thing below because I just had to share it with my readers. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Unhappy? Self-Critical? Maybe You’re Just a PerfectionistBy BENEDICT CAREYJust about any sports movie, airport paperback or motivational tape delivers a few boilerplate rules for success. Believe in yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. Never quit. Don’t accept second best.
Above all, be true to yourself.
It’s hard to argue with those maxims. They seem self-evident — if not written into the Constitution, then at least part of the cultural water supply that irrigates everything from halftime speeches to corporate lectures to SAT coaching classes.
Yet several recent studies stand as a warning against taking the platitudes of achievement too seriously. The new research focuses on a familiar type, perfectionists, who panic or blow a fuse when things don’t turn out just so. The findings not only confirm that such purists are often at risk for mental distress — as Freud, Alfred Adler and countless exasperated parents have long predicted — but also suggest that perfectionism is a valuable lens through which to understand a variety of seemingly unrelated mental difficulties, from depression to compulsive behavior to addiction.
Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types, based on answers to standardized questionnaires: Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high standards and appear to be at risk of self-critical depression; outwardly focused zealots who expect perfection from others, often ruining relationships; and those desperate to live up to an ideal they’re convinced others expect of them, a risk factor for suicidal thinking and eating disorders.
“It’s natural for people to want to be perfect in a few things, say in their job — being a good editor or surgeon depends on not making mistakes,” said Gordon L. Flett, a psychology professor at York University and an author of many of the studies. “It’s when it generalizes to other areas of life, home life, appearance, hobbies, that you begin to see real problems.”
Unlike people given psychiatric labels, however, perfectionists neither battle stigma nor consider themselves to be somehow dysfunctional. On the contrary, said Alice Provost, an employee assistance counselor at the University of California, Davis, who recently ran group therapy for staff members struggling with perfectionist impulses. “They’re very proud of it,” she said. “And the culture highly values and reinforces their attitudes.”
Consider a recent study by psychologists at Curtin University of Technology in Australia, who found that the level of “all or nothing” thinking predicted how well perfectionists navigated their lives. The researchers had 252 participants fill out questionnaires rating their level of agreement with 16 statements like “I think of myself as either in control or out of control” and “I either get on very well with people or not at all.”
The more strongly participants in the study thought in this either-or fashion, the more likely they were to display the kind of extreme perfectionism that can lead to mental health problems.
In short, these are people who not only swallow many of the maxims for success but take them as absolutes. At some level they know that it’s possible to succeed after falling short (build on your mistakes: another boilerplate rule). The trouble is that falling short still reeks of mediocrity; for them, to say otherwise is to spin the result.
Never accept second best. Always be true to yourself.
The burden of perfectionist expectations is all too familiar to anyone who has struggled to kick a bad habit. Break down just once — have one smoke, one single drink — and at best it’s a “slip.” At worst it’s a relapse, and more often it’s a fall off the wagon: failure. And if you’ve already fallen, well, may as well pour yourself two or three more.
This is why experts have long debated the wisdom of insisting on abstinence as necessary in treating substance abuse. Most rehab clinics are based on this principle: Either you’re clean or you’re not; there’s no safe level of use. This approach has unquestionably worked for millions of addicts, but if the studies of perfectionists are any guide it has undermined the efforts of many others.
Ms. Provost said those in her program at U.C. Davis often displayed symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder — another risk for perfectionists. They couldn’t bear a messy desk. They found it nearly impossible to leave a job half-done, to do the next day. Some put in ludicrously long hours redoing tasks, chasing an ideal only they could see.
As an experiment, Ms. Provost had members of the group slack off on purpose, against their every instinct. “This was mostly in the context of work,” she said, “and they seem like small things, because what some of them considered failure was what most people would consider no big deal.”
Leave work on time. Don’t arrive early. Take all the breaks allowed. Leave the desk a mess. Allow yourself a set number of tries to finish a job; then turn in what you have.
“And then ask: Did you get punished? Did the university continue to function? Are you happier?” Ms. Provost said. “They were surprised that yes, everything continued to function, and the things they were so worried about weren’t that crucial.”
The British have a saying that encourages people to show their skills while mocking the universal fear of failure: Do your worst.
If you can’t tolerate your worst, at least once in a while, how true to yourself can you be?
Behind the Scences of the Production of "Maestros and Marauders in Marathon (Key!), Florida" Part 1
Have you ever thought about how a script is written and what it looks like? Well here's your chance to take a sneak peak in to the production of an episode of the Watercooler Diaries! [KATE ON CAM] Hi. I'm Kate Bohner for the "WatercoolerDiaries"on KBTVonline. Thanks for joining our Florida in Focus series as we peek in on a sprawling, sleepy, sea-faring town that marks the midpoint of the archipelago at Florida's southern tip known as The Keys.
Marathon ... it's a Mecca for laid-back vacationers seeking an authentic honky-tonk adventure filled with quaint motels as colorful as the fish that fill the ubiquitous waters surrounding the loosely knit chain of islands that make up this tropical paradise.
[KATE OFF CAM/ON VOICE OVER][BROLL AND KATE VO WITH MONTAGE OF KEY'S PICS PLUS A COOL MAP MADE BY KIRST] Our journey began at 6:30 a.m. when the KBTV team set off for the Florida Keys. No, we weren't hitting Key West [K GRAPHIC OF CRZY DRUNKEN REVELERS ON DATURA STREET] (KATE PAUSE)...We wanted something a little more relaxing, so we settled on a destination nestled in the middle keys.
As the Turnpike narrowed to a two-lane road at US1 the air got lighter, the light got brighter and the road-side marinas became to tempting not to get out and stretch our legs. Of course, with the ulterior motive of a photo op. [RUN PICS AT OUR FIRST STOP. BARRY SEE KBTVONLINE@GMAIL.COM FILE WITH SAME HEADINGTK].
[KATE STILL V/O] … Forty-five minutes latter we hit our destination...the Sea Dell Motel. Although the place was newly remodeled...with brand new refrigerators, microwaves and high speed wireless Internet access....the exterior harkened back to a simpler time...that of station wagons packed with children, dogs, inflatable rafts and soda pop-filled coolers.
[KIRST GRAPHIX OF OLD-TIME VACATIONERS AND PICS AND VIDEO OF THE SEA DELL]
My expectations for the stretch of road between Miami and Key West were pretty low. We're talking cheesy T-shirt shops, 10-foot plastic mermaids and rusted beer cans dotting the shoulder of US1. What we found, however, was an entirely different scene.
[KATE STAND UP ON SOMBRERO BEACH] Marathon, situated mainly on Vaca, Fat Deer and Grassy Keys, is a 10-mile-long island city at the midpoint of the Florida Keys island chain. Locals call their home "the heart of the Keys" for geographic reasons, but also to reflect the old-Keys lifestyle they enjoy among the spectacular fishing diving snorkeling and sailing. This quaint tropical key has spruced itself up with new parks, the impeccably maintained Sombrero Beach, and a newly renovated airport – the largest in the Keys! These improvements were made with careful thought toward maintaining the simple, sea-faring tradition that gives Marathon its character.
Fresh fish is the local fare and dozens of ramshackle marine-style restaurants pepper both coasts on either side of Route 1. A favorite local spot [RUN PHOTO OF FISHER GUYS AT BAR] is Keys Fisheries, Market and Marina. [PHOTO MONTAGE OF THE PLACE] Tucked away at the end of 35th street on the Gulf side, this little full-service fish market turns out to be more than just a grab-and-go joint. Instead, picnic tables topped with giant rolls of paper towels, old bay seasoning and hot sauce line the dock. There's a full bar, raised two stories above the place...giving you a panoramic view of the gulf. And the food...simple and spectacular...fresh filet of blackened grouper on a bun with homemade spicy tartar sauce....coconut-batter-fried shrimp with a mango salsa....and a tangy Caesar salad.
We decided to take in some of the local art we'd seen around town. And that's when we met Rocky Farris one of the 28 artists whose work is featured at the Bougainvillea House Art Gallery....this cooperative … which captured an almost ‘60s-ish feel … is owned and operated by the artists.
[BITE OF ROCKY SAYING SOMETHING NOT SNIPPY]
[KATE ON CAM] After the interview I walked out with one of Rocky’s photo-surrealist prints – one of 10 – featuring a blow fish morphing into a coconut. [RUN FAUX KATE WITH PAINTING PIC TK] Then Rachael...always the consummate producer...reminded us we had a plane to catch.
[BROLL OF PLANES AND THE AIRFIELD WITH KATE VO] We buzzed out to Marathon's private airport to meet the Sea Dell Motel owner, Harry Caplan, a former real estate developer, salesman and current pilot and self-described "commercial-handy-man."
After a few pre-flight checks and a refuel [PHOTO OF KATE PUMPING GAS] his INSERT PLANE NAME HERE was ready to go. [BROLL OF PLANE TAKE OFF] Soon Rachael and I were gazing at Marathon and the middle keys from thousands of feet up. The view was amazing. The different keys looked like emeralds dotting a sea of turquoise. [PICS TAKEN FROM PLANE]
Once our 20 minutes of perfect panoramic views had come to a somewhat screechy close (KATE DISPLAYS MOCK SURPRISE ON CAM), we headed back to the Sea Dell for a chat with Harry about how someone who helped develop $2 billion dollars in real-estate projects ended up owning a motel in a sleepy little place like Marathon.
[BITE FROM HARRY]
… [KATE COMES OUT OF THE BITE WITH A SMIRK … AND KATE ON CAM] … Harry Caplan? He was just a smidgeon of the “local culture.”
[KATE ON CAM] Tune in next time for the second installment of our trip to the middle keys. Watch as Kate…quite literally…rubs elbows with a couple of dolphins…both descendents of the dolphin TV icon Flipper. [MAYBE TEASE WITH A FEW SEC OF FOOTAGE FROM THE FLIP CAM OF K AND KRIS GETTING READY TO GO. Thanks for joining Part 1 of our Florida in Focus … "Maestros and Marauders in Marathon (Key!) … I’m Kate Bohner for the WatercoolerDiaries on KBTVonline.
And as a bonus we've included pictures!
