Happy Valentines Day

The BEAT GOES ON.....

Ellen and I were sitting in the old “Clinic ‘C’” at Riley Children's Health in Indianapolis. The date was February 14, 1991. The room was rather dark and outdated. Mickey Mouse sheets adorned the small bed where Ellen was laying. A small curtain separated us from other tiny patients being seen in this outpatient clinic. We didn't have a baby…..yet.

Ellen was about 7 months pregnant and a previous ultrasound done by the regular OB was suspect, so we were sent to Riley for an echo-cardiogram That day we met Dr. Robert Darragh and began a very long relationship with him, his colleagues, and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

“I have to tell you that your baby has a very serious heart defect.” Or something to that effect. The exact words are lost over time and the fog that such an announcement brings to one’s head. Our first baby. Serious. Cardiac. Stopped in our tracks like hitting a wall.

Dr. Darragh said some things about switching to a high risk OB at Indiana University Medical. He said something about after the baby was born they would have to monitor him/her to see how things went to determine the next step. However, the next steps would involve multiple surgeries to help the baby live. During this time we merely called the fetus “Buuud” because we didn't know its name yet!

1991. This was before the Internet was available to us. Before Google searches. We spent some time at the IU Medical Library looking up Single Ventricle, Pulmonary Stenosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels. The textbooks were not very friendly to my non-medical background. Ellen had a medical background and educated me about the heart.

As I recall we stopped on the way home to have a chocolate milkshake and then played Scrabble. It’s interesting the things you do when you are in shock. We couldn’t email our family or post a Facebook status. So some painful phone calls took place, followed by explanatory letters outlining Buuud’s condition and the proposed plan of action at birth. It was out of our hands. God had a plan and we had to see what would unfold. We have never asked "Why?"

After 11 surgeries later (and numerous hospitalizations), Alexandra is almost 27 years old and is married to a wonderful man, Alan. Alex has 2 younger brothers (Nate and Chase) who grew up in a house sometimes consumed by cardiac issues. They have been troopers throughout this life journey. Wow....what a ride! We are blessed to have 3 wonderful children and a great son-in-law.

God is good.

...and the beat goes on.

Happy Valentine's Day...the Buuud Files

Heart Day 2017 - the Buuud files

The BEAT GOES ON.....

Ellen and I were sitting in the old “Clinic ‘C’” at Riley Hospital for Children. The room was rather dark and outdated. Mickey Mouse sheets adorned the small bed where Ellen was laying. A small curtain separated us from other tiny patients being seen in this outpatient clinic. We didn't have a baby…..yet.

Ellen was about 7 months pregnant and a previous ultrasound done by the regular OB was suspect, so we were sent to Riley for an echo-cardiogram  That day we met Dr. Robert Darragh and began a very long relationship with him, his colleagues, and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

“I have to tell you that your baby has a very serious heart defect.” Or something to that effect. The exact words are lost over time and the fog that such an announcement brings to one’s head. Our first baby. Serious. Cardiac. Stopped in our tracks like hitting a wall.

Dr. Darragh said some things about switching to a high risk OB at Indiana University Medical. He said something about after the baby was born they would have to monitor him/her to see how things went to determine the next step. However, the next steps would involve multiple surgeries to help the baby live. During this time we merely called the fetus “Buuud” because we didn't know its name yet!

1991. This was before the Internet was available to us. Before Google searches. We spent some time at the IU Medical Library looking up Single Ventricle, Pulmonary Stenosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels. The texts were not very friendly to my non-medical background. Ellen had a medical background and educated me about the heart.

As I recall we stopped on the way home to have a chocolate milkshake and then played Scrabble. It’s interesting the things you do when you are in shock. We couldn’t email our family or post a Facebook status. So some painful phone calls took place, followed by explanatory letters outlining Buuud’s condition and the proposed plan of action at birth. It was out of our hands. God had a plan and we had to see what would unfold. We have never asked "Why?"

11 surgeries later (and numerous hospitalizations), Alex is 25 years old and married to a wonderful man, Alan. Alex has 2 younger brothers (Nate 22 and Chase 19) who grew up in a house sometimes consumed by cardiac issues. Wow....what a ride! We are blessed to have 3 wonderful children and a great son-in-law.

...and the beat goes on.

Heart Day 2016 - the Buuud files

The BEAT GOES ON.....

Ellen and I were sitting in the old “Clinic ‘C’” at Riley Hospital for Children. The room was rather dark and outdated. Mickey Mouse sheets adorned the small bed where Ellen was laying. A small curtain separated us from other tiny patients being seen in this outpatient clinic. We didn't have a baby…..yet.

Ellen was about 7 months pregnant and a previous ultrasound done by the regular OB was suspect, so we were sent to Riley for an echo-cardiogram  That day we met Dr. Robert Darragh and began a very long relationship with him, his colleagues, and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

“I have to tell you that your baby has a very serious heart defect.” Or something to that effect. The exact words are lost over time and the fog that such an announcement brings to one’s head. Our first baby. Serious. Cardiac. Stopped in our tracks like hitting a wall.

Dr. Darragh said some things about switching to a high risk OB at Indiana University Medical. He said something about after the baby was born they would have to monitor him/her to see how things went to determine the next step. However, the next steps would involve multiple surgeries to help the baby live. During this time we merely called the fetus “Buuud” because we didn't know its name yet!

1991. This was before the Internet was available to us. Before Google searches. We spent some time at the IU Medical Library looking up Single Ventricle, Pulmonary Stenosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels. The texts were not very friendly to my non-medical background. Ellen had a medical background and educated me about the heart.

As I recall we stopped on the way home to have a chocolate milkshake and then played Scrabble. It’s interesting the things you do when you are in shock. We couldn’t email our family or post a Facebook status. So some painful phone calls took place, followed by explanatory letters outlining Buuud’s condition and the proposed plan of action at birth. It was out of our hands. God had a plan and we had to see what would unfold. We have never asked "Why?"

11 surgeries later (and numerous hospitalizations), Alex is 24 years old and married to a wonderful man, Alan. Alex has 2 younger brothers (Nate 21 and Chase 18) who grew up in a house sometimes consumed by cardiac issues. Wow....what a ride! We are blessed to have 3 wonderful children and a great son-in-law.

...and the beat goes on.

Nate Miller will volunteer in Iraq

This article ran in the Daily Journal (www.dailyjournal.net) on 2/25/2014

Interested in helping Nate? CLICK HERE.

*******************************************************************

As a child, Nate Miller saw his older sister go to the hospital multiple times for surgery.

The family made countless trips to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis for appointments, procedures and surgeries for Alexandra Miller, who was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent surgeries until she was 16.

Nate Miller

Now, Nate Miller wants to help children who have the same problems but not the same resources. The Center Grove High School graduate will travel to Iraq this summer as one of five U.S. students selected to participate in a two-month internship with the Preemptive Love Coalition.

The organization provides heart surgeries to Iraqi children in need while also providing training to doctors in the area.

Miller, a business finance major at Anderson University, will work behind the scenes of the organization.

Each intern will work with a different internal department, such as marketing or communications. The application process began in late 2013 and included multiple interviews via phone and video and a questionnaire.

He primarily will communicate with donors on the organization’s ongoing projects and accomplishments and also compile donor-related reports.

The Preemptive Love Coalition is 85 percent funded by the Iraqi government, with the other 15 percent coming from donations. The organization provides pediatric heart surgeries and training to doctors 48 weeks out of the year and has completed nearly 800 surgeries since August 2010.

“Normally when I tell people I’m going, they think I’m joking, and then ask what I’m actually doing this summer,” Miller said. “They’re usually surprised and want to know why I would want to go.”

His sister, now 22, is healthy and works for the University of Michigan. But her struggles are the reason the Miller family focuses its charitable efforts toward the American Heart Association and related causes.

“With her heart condition, a lot of people don’t always come out alive,” Nate Miller said. “She is lucky we live in a place where those surgeries are possible.”

Nate Miller’s internship will last from June through July in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq. He has to raise $4,500 for his expenses, mainly airfare and accommodations, and already has raised roughly one-third of that amount.

The area he will stay and work in is considered the safest in Iraq, said Matt Willingham, the organization’s press secretary. The U.S. Department of State issued a warning against travel in Iraq in late 2013 but said the Kurdish region is more stable than other areas of the country.

“It definitely crossed my mind that it could be somewhat dangerous because it’s in that part of the world,” Nate Miller said. “But it wasn’t a factor that would have kept me from going.”

He has been in dangerous areas before on a mission trip, traveling with his family to Honduras in 2008.

Men with machine guns served as protection for the missionaries when they walked down some of the streets.

“Iraq, even for us, is a different world,” his father Charles Miller said.

Media reports about violence in Iraq are hard to miss, but almost all of the violence occurs outside the region where his son will be this summer, Charles Miller said.

“The idea of going someplace different, somewhere very unfamiliar, is something we hoped we could instill in all of our children,” his mother, Ellen Miller, said. “That’s a good thing, not a scary thing.”

Nate Miller needed some coaxing to become more outgoing, she said.

But he became highly interested in missionary work after the family trip to Honduras, his father said.

The family participated with Project Manuelito, a program that gets homeless children off the streets and into a group home. The Millers lived with more than 30 kids in the group home during the trip, helping with homework and serving as mentors.

“When he was a little boy, he was the one that didn't want to go to camp,” Ellen Miller said. “I had to do a lot of talking and do my song and dance to get him to go to the overnight camp when he was in fourth grade. Now, he’s 19 and wanting to go to Iraq by himself. So something has worked.”

Another Year......YES!

  February 14, 1991. A day we will always remember.

Ellen and I were sitting in the old “Clinic ‘C’” at Riley Hospital for Children. The room was rather dark and outdated. Mickey Mouse sheets adorned the small bed where Ellen was laying. A small curtain separated us from other tiny patients being seen in this outpatient clinic. We didn't have a baby…..yet.

Ellen was about 7 months pregnant and a previous ultrasound done by the regular OB was suspect, so we were sent to Riley for an echo-cardiogram  That day we met Dr. Robert Darragh and began a very long relationship with him, his colleagues, and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

“I have to tell you that your baby has a very serious heart defect.” Or something to that effect. The exact words are lost over time and the fog that such an announcement brings to one’s head. Our first baby. Serious. Cardiac. Stopped in our tracks like hitting a wall.

Dr. Darragh said some things about switching to a high risk OB at Indiana University Medical. He said something about after the baby was born they would have to monitor him/her to see how things went to determine the next step. However, the next steps would involve multiple surgeries to help the baby live. During this time we merely called the fetus “Buuud” because we didn't know its name yet!

1991. This was before the Internet was available to us. Before Google searches. We spent some time at the IU Medical Library looking up Single Ventricle, Pulmonary Stenosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels. The texts were not very friendly to my non-medical background. Ellen had a medical background and educated me about the heart.

As I recall we stopped on the way home to have a chocolate milkshake and then played Scrabble. It’s interesting the things you do when you are in shock. We couldn’t email our family or post a Facebook status. So some painful phone calls took place, followed by explanatory letters outlining Buuud’s condition and the proposed plan of action at birth. It was out of our hands. God had a plan and we had to see what would unfold. We have never asked "Why?"

Now Alex is a 22 year old college graduate with a career at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Wow....what a ride! 

February 14, 2014 ----- We are so thankful that we get to spend another Valentine’s Day with Buuud ---- aka Alex Miller.

Isn't It Ironic ?

February 14, 1991. A day we will always remember.

Ellen and I were sitting in the old “Clinic ‘C’” at Riley Hospital for Children. The room was rather dark and outdated. Mickey Mouse sheets adorned the small bed where Ellen was laying. A small curtain separated us from other tiny patients being seen in this outpatient clinic. We didn't have a baby…..yet.

Ellen was about 7 months pregnant and a previous ultrasound done by the regular OB was suspect, so we were sent to Riley for an echo-cardiogram  That day we met Dr. Robert Darragh and begin a very long relationship with him, his colleagues, and Riley Hospital for Children.

“I have to tell you that your baby has a very serious heart defect.” Or something to that effect. The exact words are lost over time and the fog that such an announcement brings to one’s head. Our first baby. Serious. Cardiac. Stopped in our tracks like hitting a wall.

Dr. Darragh said some things about switching to a high risk OB at Indiana University Medical. He said something about after the baby was born they would have to monitor him/her to see how things went to determine the next step. However, the next steps would involve multiple surgeries to help the baby live. During this time we merely called the fetus “Buuud” because we didn't know its name yet!

1991. This was before the Internet was available to us. Before Google searches. We spent some time at the IU Medical Library looking up Single Ventricle, Pulmonary Stenosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels. The texts were not very friendly to my non-medical background. Ellen had a medical background and educated me about the heart.

As I recall we stopped on the way home to have a chocolate milkshake and then played Scrabble. It’s interesting the things you do when you are in shock. We couldn’t email our family or post a Facebook status. So some painful phone calls took place, followed by explanatory letters outlining Buuud’s condition and the proposed plan of action at birth. It was out of our hands. God had a plan and we had to see what would unfold. We have never asked "Why?"

February 14, 2013 ----- We are so thankful that we get to spend another Valentine’s Day with Buuud ---- aka Alex Miller.

I received this today from my fee-only wealth management advisors........

August 5, 2011

Overview of Current Market Correction

“We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to

be greedy only when others are fearful” ‐ Warren Buffett

At the start of this week the U.S. government found itself facing down the barrel of the debt ceiling crisis. They were under pressure to act under the premise that inaction would lead to some serious repercussions for the global investment markets. They were able to agree to a last minute compromise to avert the crisis – but despite the conventional wisdom it would provide at least short‐term support for equity markets – the global investment markets embarked on a serious decline this week anyway.

The primary causes for this decline? A continued deterioration of the view on global economic growth – or lack thereof – along with concerns of growing systematic risk in Europe due to the spread of their sovereign debt issues. Before we delve deeper into those issues, let’s first put in context where we are right now. The domestic stock market has experienced a 12% correction and is down about 4% year‐to‐date. Let’s recall that just last year the domestic market declined about 17% and was down nearly 8% at mid‐year and then experienced a strong rally in the second‐half of the year. Market corrections are a normal part of any market cycle and historically have presented great buying opportunities. However, it’s easy to spot these opportunities in hindsight as opposed to the middle of a correction, when the fear factor is at

its highest. The question this morning is whether the current market correction is just part of a longer term bull market offering a buying opportunity or are we on the cusp of a new bear market driven by the issues mentioned above.

Global Economic Slowdown

Based on the depth of the recent financial crisis, the ongoing deleveraging process of both consumers and governments and the depressed state of the U.S. real estate market, we have fully expected to be in a protracted slow growth environment. When growth is slow, any soft patch in economic data will be enough to spark fears of a double‐dip recession or, by this time, a new economic recession. The current fears of recession are the same fears that drove the market correction in 2010. At this time, our research sources are still indicating that they do not see a new economic recession in the face of slower growth, due to the continued stimulative policies instituted by the Federal Reserve. What they do so see is a continued slow growth cycle with sluggish growth occurring in the developed markets of the U.S., Europe and Japan balanced by stronger growth occurring in most Asian regions and the emerging markets.

European Systematic Risk

Similar to the recession fears, this issue also has a sense of déjà vu as this concern helped spark the market decline in mid‐2010 as well. The fear is that sovereign issues in Greece, Ireland and Portugal will spread to the much larger economies of Spain and Italy and then to the European banks. Issues with the European banks could lead to additional liquidity issues worldwide based on exposure to these banks by other global institutions. While some degree of interconnected risk does exist, our research indicates that this is primarily a European issue and the impact will be slow or negative growth from Europe adding an additional drag to overall global growth. The reason for this rationale is these issues have been well known and thoroughly discussed for the past 12 to 18 months so global financial institutions have had time to understand and prepare for this issue. This is different than the Lehman Brothers failure that froze global markets in 2008. That failure occurred in a matter of weeks with most people still not believing it would occur until its failure was announced.

Conclusion & Trading Strategies

We currently believe the current correction bears more similarities to April 2010 rather than October 2008. The positive U.S. jobs data that was reported this morning helped reinforce those thoughts. Based on the relative low equity valuations enhanced by the recent decline, combined with the strength of corporate earnings and balance sheets, this correction more likely represents a time to buy rather than a time to get more defensive. With that being said, events in Europe and the weak patch of economic data, cannot be fully discounted so while the probability of a new bear market is low we must assign a higher chance or likelihood to it than we previously thought. It is also likely that we will experience a continued high degree of volatility over the next month or so as the market works through this uncertainty, so be prepared for that volatility to occur both on the upside and downside.

Our actions today include eliminating emotion and continuing to implement our investment strategies. This includes taking some risk off of our current long positions within our alternative strategies, maintaining our current short or defensive positions, but also maintaining a longer‐term bias towards the upside as we think that global economic growth and higher equity prices will not be completely derailed by these current issues.

We hope this correspondence provides you with more insight to our tactical investment approach and how we are focused on using the current environment to benefit our clients’ portfolios as well as protect those portfolios during all market environments. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us to further discuss or ask any questions you may have.

The Veros Wealth Management Group

317-781-9300

www.verospartners.com

Are you a "counter" ?

I've known for a long time that I'm a "counter." I have never told anyone because I wonder if it is some freaky kind of obsession I have that no one else has or can relate to.

Counting doesn't consume my life by any means! Don't get me wrong...I'm not weird or anything!! But as I was shoveling mulch the other day (6 cubic yards to be exact), I kept counting how many shovels full it took to fill the wheel barrow. (About 15 in case you are wondering). Why would I do this!?

I also tend to count how many steps it takes me to get between cracks in a sidewalk. What about counting steps as you ascend to your car in a parking garage?

As I started writing this Blog entry I did some internet searches and see that some people are seeing psychologists for this issue. I am proud to say that this "counting" thing does not enter my mind on a regular basis. It only occurs when I am doing some mundane task and my brain wanders off!

So...let me know if you Count.

Know people...make a difference

I have lived in Indianapolis for over 20 years now. Over those years I have become connected with various organizations and individuals. Some connections stemmed from work activities, some from church, some from our kid's activities, and some from volunteer efforts. None of these relationships were created on false pretenses or simply for the idea that I might "need something someday."

However, when you do the right things for the right reasons you tend to make solid friendships that last a long, long time. All of my volunteer activities have centered around something I was passionate about: Church, Heart (cardiac) organizations, soccer, football, scouts, those less fortunate, etc. I have always enjoyed these efforts -- a trait learned as a child back in Decatur, Illinois. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).

Now, when I am "in need" myself I find that these longtime friends are willing to help out in any way they can. Mostly this means networking for a new position. People are willing to lend their endorsement and open up their "rolodex" if they have some contacts that make sense.

So....get involved in your community. But don't get involved just to pad your resume. Get involved in something that makes sense to you...something you are passionate about. There are SO many ways to help others.

Go on.....make a difference today.

Chaperon

Yesterday I volunteered to be a chaperon for high school field trip. Nate's Anatomy class was to visit Community Hospital South and they needed adults to accompany them. I was thrilled to learn that I passed the "background check" and was considered to be an Adult. Woo hoo!!!

At first Nate was VERY against me going on this trip. I guess it went okay and I didn't embarrass him too much after it was all done.

I had a clipboard with the instructions and the names of 11 students who were randomly put in my "Group." By the way...GROUP #3 rocked it!!

Anyway...we had a short bus ride to the hospital. After some orientation and a panel discussion each group was assigned to visit 2 different areas of the hospital. I must say that I was very impressed by how professional the high school students were in the orientation and panel...actually throughout the entire day. They were quiet and respectful, asked appropriate questions, etc.

Group #3's first stop was the SIMULATION ROOM.....which I initially misread at STIMULATION ROOM. What a disappointment. The mannequin in this real-life hospital room was a scary sight. Poor guy had fallen 20 feet on his construction sight. He had a piece of metal through his face, broken clavicle, intestines hanging out, burned arm, severed toe, etc. The really cool part was that there is a control booth behind a two-way mirror and a technician runs a computer that allows the "dummy" to speak, change his vitals, etc. So as the simulation is going on the dummy can go into cardiac arrest, talk about his pain levels (actually say anything the tech wants him to), etc. Really cool. The kids also got to try their hand at inserting a breathing tube which was interesting. Some of the accidentally got the tube in his esophagus and blew up his stomach instead of hitting the trachea and his lungs. Oops....poor dummy.

Then we were off to the Emergency Room area. Once we were in place they came rushing in with a 17-year-old patient (not a dummy) that had been in a car accident because he was texting and driving. This was all simulated but it was cool. The driver's "parents" were there as well as his siblings/friends. They were crying, etc. They hooked the kid up to all the equipment, started IVs and assessed him. Eventually they decided he needed to be airlifted to higher level trauma center. So....we followed the air-evac team outside to the helipad while they placed him in the helicopter and prepared to leave.

Other groups of students had different experiences including labor/delivery, pharmacy, surgery, etc.

All in all a great experience for the kids. Some of the students have an interest in health care and some others (including Nate) have no interest whatsoever in healthcare. It was still very educational and fun.

Next, Ellen wants me to join her as a volunteer at the Post-Prom party which runs from (something like) midnight to 3am. I'm pretty sure I will be sleeping during those hours!

Study Shows Unemployment Can Be Deadly

Great. Just great. As if I wasn't stressed enough already my wife shows me this article.

In reality I am not that stressed...yet. However I was speaking with a friend at our Rotary meeting this morning. He was recently hired...after 31 months of unemployment. Yikes. I see that Home Depot is hiring down the street.

I have had several professional opportunities go by the wayside already. One because I hadn't been in the I.T. field for more than 10 years and they went with someone who was in I.T. currently. Another because they only wanted to hire someone who had particular experience in their industry. Too bad because I really thought I could have contributed there! Some places are putting off hiring decisions, etc.

So, back to the networking circuit. I don't mind it. People have been very good (for the most part) about agreeing to at least meet and share ideas and thoughts. My problem is that I go into meetings thinking I am a prefect candidate for these positions...for the most part. Why wouldn't they want to hire me? I mean....c'mon!! :)

New Blog Initiative - Make a Difference

I am re-igniting this Blog to share things with family, friends, and others. Life continues at a dizzying pace and I like to share things with people!

Let me bring you up-to-date. In January 2010 I left the business world to join the non-profit world. This was a very deliberate decision not one that was "forced" on me by losing a job or anything of the sort. I joined a group that provided free heart surgeries to children in 3rd world countries. This made total sense because our 19-year-old daughter has had 10 heart surgeries....and we enjoy doing volunteer work in 3rd world countries.

I went in to this endeavor with perhaps too many stars in my eyes about helping others on a full-time basis. It lasted a year before we agreed to part ways. I am still wanting to believe that not all non-profits have the issues I encountered. I worked hard and raised funds....but not quickly enough for the Founder. I had hoped to stay there for many years but the environment turned out to be not suited to me. Bummer.

So now I am in the job hunt. At age 49. I read the papers and see that it is tough for people in this age group to find jobs. However, I don't "feel" 49. And, the new paradigm (a word which has been overused for too many years) indicates that I could have a good 15-20 years left to work....maybe more if I "want" to. What is your definition of retirement? Mine is not sitting on a rocking chair watching the world go by.

So, age should not be an issue when looking for a job. Income? I think everyone is fairly flexible to a certain degree. It's the new economy, right? Relocation? Okay....not flexible there to be sure. Work ethic? Strong, Experience? Plenty...those gray hairs bring a lot of knowledge and can turn a learning curve into a mere bump in the road. Ethics in general? Strong...we understand what's important and how to create long-term, long-lasting relationships.

So where does this lead? Perhaps in non-profit again. I am not ready to assume that all non-profits are the same. I think I just happened to latch on to one that didn't mesh with my business mentality and drive. Business --- sure. I was there for 26+ years. Being in Sales, Marketing, Finance creates a nice broad skillset that translates in to many industries.

Bottom line is that if you understand people you can succeed. Those skills that they teach in college and continuing ed classes are accurate --- listening is a critical skill. Create solutions that solve problems. Communicate regularly. Be real. Follow through. Dig, dig, dig --- got the extra mile. Make a difference.

I welcome your readership and your comments. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Argentina

Okay.....I will try to update this Blog for family....

Mom and I will be in Argentina from May 24-June 1.

Later.

Mid-Life "Crisis"? or following your passion?

When I was 40 I bought a Harley-Davidson…. while my wife was out of the country. I told everyone that that was my mid-life crisis. As a baby boomer I rationalized that this purchase was appropriate and better than some other mid-life decisions I have heard of other people making. I’m not sure my wife agreed completely. Eight years later I still have the motorcycle. And my wife.

I’ve only really had two jobs in my adult life. For the first 16 years I worked for the same Information Technology firm and for the past 10 years I have been a fee-only financial advisor. I enjoy working with people and really like making complex topics, like retirement planning, easy for people to understand. I thought I would be a financial advisor until I retired. My, how things change.

Throughout my working years I have always volunteered along with my wife and children. I have been involved with the American Heart Association, Rotary, Arms of Life, the Refuge, my church, international mission trips, and Center Grove Band Boosters to name a few. My main focus has tended to lean toward “heart” organizations and international mission work. Our 18-year-old daughter, Alex, was born with serious heart disease and has had 10 cardiac surgeries over the years. Combine that fact with our various international mission trips and it was easy for us to see that children in other countries are not nearly as lucky as Alex has been because they do not always have access to life-saving heart surgeries.

About a year ago I started doing internet research into how we might be able to help poor Honduran children get much needed heart surgery. I mentioned Honduras because our family has spent extensive time there over the years. I attended a conference in the Dominican Republic and began to meet people in various international organizations who strive to provide cardiac surgery to needy kids around the world. One such organization is called the International Children’s Heart Foundation, or ICHF. Based in Memphis, TN they send medical teams around the world and perform more than 500 surgeries per year on children in underdeveloped countries.

So, here I am at age 48 facing yet another “mid-life” change – not a crisis. Although this one doesn’t involved any motorized vehicles, yet. I started talking with the ICHF and began to wonder if my skill set could be used to further their mission. I suddenly found myself moving from potential volunteer to potential employee. Could this really be happening? Another career change? Moving from the business world to the non-profit world after 26 years? How much stress can one Boomer take?

So, in January I embark on my third career. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average U.S. worker changes careers 3-5 times during their lifetime. Okay, so I am only on my third. Whew, what a relief to be “average.”

The difference this time is that I am truly passionate about what I am going to be doing. I enjoyed working in the I.T. industry for 16 years. I really liked helping clients for 10 years in the financial services industry and many clients became friends. But this “mid-life crisis” is different. I am passionate about helping save children around the world who have heart disease. I am comfortable telling the story of our daughter and how she wouldn’t have lived had she been born in an underdeveloped country. I know what it is like to wonder what to do when your child is critically ill. We always had a hospital just down the street with qualified surgeons and cardiologists. But many times in these underdeveloped countries the parents of “heart babies” are simply told to take their child home and keep it comfortable as it dies. Now I can look some of those parents in the eye and tell them about my daughter’s struggles and how their child can get the same surgery, provided free by a group of caring medical professionals from the United States.

Are you ready for your “second act”? Are you following your dream? Are you making the difference you want to make? If you feel empty in your career then start planning for a change. That may mean new training, assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and networking. It will also undoubtedly involve evaluating your finances to see if a mid-life crisis fits in to your budget. You may need to trim expenses and save money to make the transition.

Just don’t sell that Harley !

No more braces!

Here's a recent picture of Alex -- without her braces!!

September 2006

This past Saturday (Sept 16th) was the annual HeartWalk to benefit the American Heart Association. We have been participating in this event since its inception in 1991. Alex has turned into one of the events biggest fundraisers here in Indianapolis. I imagine over the years, she has raised more than $80,000 for this event alone! This year there were thousands of people in downtown Indianapolis raising much needed funds for research and education about Heart Disease and Stroke. Locally, the event was anticipated to raise close to $1,000,000. Alex's goal was to raise $15,000 and she may very well reach $17,000 which would again probably make her the number 1 fund raiser in Indianapolis for this event! Below are a couple pictures from the event. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the Walk was nice!










Alex preparing to cut the red ribbon to start the Walk. Each year she has special TEAM ALEX t-shirts made. On the back of the Shirt the various Corporate ($1000 or more donation) and individual donors ($500 or more donation) are listed.












Alex and her Aunt Debbie before the Walk began.












Alex being interviewed LIVE at the event on the NBC Affiliate in Indy!

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DID YOU KNOW:

Each day an average heart “beats” (expands and contracts) 100,000 times and pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood.

About 1% of kids are born with Congenital Heart Defects? Of those 1%, Alex is in a more rare category due to her having a single Ventricle (she was also born with Pulmonary Stenosis and Transposition of the Great Vessels).

Alex has a 2-chamber heart (normally it's 4 chambers) and a pacemaker. She takes about 4-5 different medicines, some of them 3 times a day. She has a special machine which is used to call into the hospital over the phone so they can monitor the pacemaker. The old/unoxygenated blood in her body never really goes into her heart...it gets sent directly to the lungs! The sole purpose of her heart is to pump the good/oxygentaed blood to the body through the Aorta.
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Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your support! ! ! ! !

Ellen's Birthday Weekend

We celebrated Ellen's birthday last weekend with some motorcycle riding! Just what she always wanted. She was a trooper. Linda and Dave came down from Wisconsin and we went riding south of Indianapolis through the winding back roads. We had lunch at the Story Inn (www.storyinn.com). Loophole and the FTC also joined in the ride.

Ellen and Linda at the Story Inn.

Ellen, Dave, me, Linda (nice helmet, Dave)

I also learned something about Ellen that I didn't know after 18 years of marriage. Apparently there was a tradition in High School of eating ice cream cake rolls. But you could use no utensils and you passed it along to the next person so they could have a bite. So...sitting on the back deck we shared the cake roll....

ALEX UPDATE - Alex seems to be recovering nicely. Her incisions are healing but still "itch." She has a 24-hour Holter monitor the other day and we don't have those results back yet. She is being seen back at Mayo Clinic on July 17th. Regarding Marching Band...she will play in the band but will play keyboard (in the Pit) so she doesn't have to actually march on the field. This will work out great for this year!

BOYS - Chase comes home from camp tonight. He goes to another camp the week of July 10th in Wisconsin and the next week he has Scouts camp. Busy dude this summer! Nate went to camp a couple weeks ago. He also has soccer camp coming up.

More picstures to follow! Have a GREAT and safe 4th of July.

Disney World - April 2006

We went to Orlando for Spring Break. We had not been since 1999 so it was fun to go back. We visited Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Studios. We also saw the Cirque de Soleil show at Downtown Disney...very cool


Nate LOVES riding Dumbo with his big sister!




The kids by Cinderella's Castle





We were selected to be the GRAND MARSHALLS of the afternoon parade. They gave us these free Mickey hats and we led the parade...there were an estimated 40,000 on the park that day!


This is the car we rode in as the Grand Marshalls!


At 3-D presentation



Can't go to Disney without riding the Tea Cup ride. This was BEFORE the ride...we are not queasy yet!

Merry Christmas

Here are the kids visiting Santa in downtown Indy.

Have a Merry Christmas. Also....even though this is a picture of Santa....please remember the real reason for the season!

God Bless.

Charles

December 7, 2005

Miscellaneous PIctures

(Left - Chase definitely enjoys dressing up like a cowboy and also likes his homemade bow/arrow.)

Below - Chase (on left) and his fellow Cub Scouts learn about electricity













Kids at the Indpls Symphony

and

Kids seeing Santa