The sequel to the story, "Ronee's Story: The 'Don't Give Up' Kid". An update on what has been going on with Ronee'.
Ronee' is still managing to amaze people whenever they see her. She continues to defy the odds.
At nearly the age of 10 1/2, Ronee' is now just about to end school (in fact, today is the last day of school for her), and in the fall, she will enter the fifth grade. She has consistently gotten good to excellent grades in all of her classes, and she has continued to win awards for her writing and spelling skills. She has just learned that she has passed the fourth grade with flying colors.
Perhaps the best news of all: tomorrow starts the first day of summer vacation; she won't return to school until the day after Labor Day, in September. She will then enter the fifth grade. This means no more getting up at 4:30/5:00 in the mornings to soothe stiff, achy joints before she goes onto the bus when it comes to pick her up. She can sleep in to as late as 8 or 9 in the morning, which is fine with her (excepting on Sundays; she must get up early that day to go to breakfast and then church).
She is also serious about her music career. She still wants to be a country and Cajun music performer, and in a few weeks, she will be performing at several Cajun and country music festivals around the south. She is still singing, and she is still playing her accordion. And, thanks to an appearance on "Star Search" earlier in the year, undoubtedly, more people will want to hear this young songbird sing her Cajun-style traditional country music.
Her health has its ups and downs. While her asthma and breathing, as a whole, has improved markedly, she is still somewhat plagued by allergies, and she continues to struggle with the pain associated with her having systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Her doctors think she will need surgery on her one knee within a few months, but Ronee' is determined to put it off as long as possible; she wants to wait until school starts up again. Summer is the busiest time for her. She is still puttering around on her forearm crutches and leg braces, and she will use her wheelchair if her knee or joints are especially bothersome. She knows the limits of her own body, and she is careful not to overdo it.
For the most part, Ronee' is still the happy-go-lucky child, but she is quickly heading towards adolescence. She is now wearing a bra, even though she has "nothing up front" to show for it, and she is wearing clothes geared for the older girls; she is shying away from "little girl" clothes. She is letting her hair grow out again, and now it falls to below her shoulders. It is still very wavy and luxuriously blue-black in color, and it is still very thick; but she will put it up into a ponytail if the weather is hot enough. Or she will cool off by swimming in the family swimming pool, where she swims like a little fish. (She loves to swim because it is so beneficial for her arthritis, and afterwards, she can always move around so much easier.) At the age of 10 1/2, Ronee' is still noticeably small for her age: she looks to be about the age of seven or eight. Yet she still refuses to let her smallness get to her, and she is determined to make the best out of her situations regarding her health or her height.
Already she is sporting a healthy bronze tan tone to her skin, and her friends who don't tan as easily are jealous of her natural dark beauty. She does wear sunscreen when she is out of doors, to protect her skin from the sun's rays; but she still manages to pick up a glorious tan. Her Native American Indian, Cajun French, Spanish, and African-American heritage show up well in her beautiful skin color.
Ronee' is looking forward not only to performing or being with her family or her friends: she is also looking forward to August, for August means camping for her. She will be attending Camp SteppingStone, which is a camp for children with arthritis; and it is put on by the local Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. At camp, Ronee' loves being with other kids who suffer the same problems she does, and she doesn't feel so alone or out of place. And, perhaps best of all, she can also be with Nicole Aldape, who is her best friend. She and Nicole are together a lot anyway during the school week, but they are more so during camp time. She will attend Camp SteppingStone for a week.
Ronee' is certainly a busy young lady; and she feels that if she IS busy during the summer, she will forget about her health problems for a while. It IS hard, though, as every day, she is reminded of them; still, she is determined to overcome them, and live out her young life as normally as possible and enjoy being a kid who now has summer vacation to look forward to. She also has her "half-birthday" party to look forward to. On June 26, she and Johnny will have their birthday party instead of in December because their birthdays happen to fall on Christmas Day (Ronee') and the day after (Johnny). Friends, family, and relatives will converge at the Sandusky household for a big birthday blowout, and cake and presents will be commonplace, as will laughter, music, and overall kid-style silliness and antics.
What an exciting summer it is going to be for this young lady teetering on the edge of adolescence!
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Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
5/30/2003
Thanks for the ongoing chronicle of a very special child. {{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}
Reviewed by Cathy Montgomery
5/30/2003
Would love to tan--but can't!
Certainly love this story about Ronee' and yes, how she lives a life of victory! She's an inspiration to us all! God bless ya!!
Enjoyed Ronee's story very much...and yes
Already she is sporting a healthy bronze tan tone to her skin, and her friends who don't tan as easily are jealous of her natural dark beauty....Know this milky feeling...and the whably knees on a golde beach.........hehehe
(((karen))) i enjoyed reading about ronee' and how she is triumphing (is that a word?? LOL) against incredible odds...uplifting and inspirational...great job! (((HUGS))) and love, karla. :)
Ronee' is still managing to amaze people whenever they see her. She continues to defy the odds.
