by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

It’s early afternoon in the hot, Oklahoma sunshine and Christa Boren, LPN, pulls back on the slingshot straps and lets a water balloon fly.
The wooden SpongeBob target 20-feet away survives a dousing as the balloon splashes to the ground.
Boren laughs.
It’s good to be home.
“It’s amazing,” she says. “I really miss the center so when they gave me this opportunity I had to jump on it.”
Boren worked at J.D. McCarty Center in Norman for a number of a years as a nurse and nurse manager. When family business moved her away she thought she’d never get to work at the center for children with developmental disabilities again.
She was wrong.
Boren has worked as the evening and night shift nurse at Camp ClapHans for three years now.
Horseback riding, movie nights, talent shows and dance parties are just some of the events offered at camp ClapHans. Several members of the University of Oklahoma football team visited this summer as well as some church groups.
“That allows our kids to interact with other kids who are age-appropriate,” Boren said. “Our kids get to really play with those kids and they’re not being judged. It also allows those kids from these groups to come out and interact with our kids and learn. Maybe next time they’re out and they see a wheelchair they’re not going to stare … because they are just kids.”
Camp ClapHans is a residential summer camp for kids with special needs ages eight to 18.
The camp is located on the south end of the McCarty Center’s 80-acre campus in Norman.
It features two cabins, a multi-purpose building and is built next to an 11-acre lake. The camp features summer camp activities like archery, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, camp fires, swimming, indoor and outdoor games, arts and crafts and much more.
J.D. McCarty provides a one-to-one camper-to-staff ratio with a nurse on site 24-hours a day.
That’s where Boren comes in.
“It was a little overwhelming but really the worst thing about camp is the heat,” she said. “The kids are amazing. We have a group of counselors every summer who are college students … and they come out and they do this for free five weeks out of the summer and are an amazing group of kids.”
When her husband opened a physical therapy clinic in Elk City Boren quit her job at J.D. McCarty and moved with her family.
Boren became a nurse at 20 and had worked in the hospital setting before settling into her role with J.D. McCarty.
“It’s absolutely amazing. I loved the fast-paced stuff but at times it does get a little overwhelming. In the acute-care settings in the hospitals you have to deal with all the sad stuff – giving people cancer diagnosis and all that stuff that comes with nursing,” Boren said. “Here at camp we don’t have that at all. These kids love to be here. It’s so laid-back and we get to really enjoy the kids and try to make their time here as enjoyable as possible.
“These kids would normally not get to do this at a regular camp.”
When she’s not in camp, Boren still makes the drive from Elk City to Norman to take her six-year-old son for therapy at JD McCarty.
Last school year, Boren was a teacher’s aide but admits most of her time is spent being the mom to three boys active in sports.
The move to Elk City was a good but so has the opportunity to bring her child to treatment at J.D. McCarty.
The J. D. McCarty Center was founded in 1946, by a veterans group called the 40 et 8 of Oklahoma. The 40 et 8 was an honor society within the American Legion. When the McCarty Center first opened its doors to patients it only treated one diagnosis – cerebral palsy.
Today, the center has treated more than 100 different diagnoses in the developmental disability category.
Kids come to Norman for treatment from all over the state of Oklahoma.
Children referred to the hospital are evaluated and treated by a team of pediatricians, pediatric specialists, registered nurses and LPNs, direct care specialists, physical, occupational, speech and language therapists, a dietitian, a clinical psychologist and psychology clinicians and social workers who focus on getting a child to their highest level of functionality and independence. “Any kid who comes through the door becomes your kid,” Boren said.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Twenty five years ago, Deanna Waltens fled an abusive and threatening situation.
Life had put her in such a horrible situation that the prospect of leaving with nothing in hand was better than certain misery that waited for her at home.
“I was like Forrest Gump and I kept running and running and running,” Waltens laughed, looking back on her past heartaches.
“Maybe I could have done things better. Maybe I could have thought things out. Sometimes you don’t get that chance. So if you’re in that situation you just do what you have to do.”
Along the way she found people waiting to help.
She stayed at an emergency shelter.
“I saw all the hurt and all the need through all the little children that were there with their moms,” she said. “That really started opening my eyes a lot.”
Realizing she was homeless and chronically hungry she came back to Oklahoma.
Staying with her mom in Choctaw, she put her paralegal degree to work with a local attorney.
After more than a year she realized she needed something more permanent.
An application process through the federal government landed her a job with the immigration department.
After 15 years with the immigration department she retired.
Now she spends her days helping those in need at the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area command food pantry.
“I came here because actually I saw something in Oklahoma’s Senior News and Living about them needing summer volunteers,” she said. “I realized what it is to be hungry, cold and scared and all the things that go with the situation.”
She stopped by and hasn’t left since.
“It’s a lovely place,” Waltens said. “The people are so great. All the other volunteers are so sweet I really love it here. I decided this was for me.”
Waltens volunteers now, largely because it was volunteers who helped her journey.
Liz Banks, volunteer director at the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command, says that’s one of the beauties of the service. Lawyers, police officers, seniors, millennials – people from all walks and professions – come together with a common goal to help their fellow human being.
It truly is an army of people coming together to help those in need.
And the need is always great. That’s why Banks loves it when she gets a call for someone inquiring how they can help.
Right now, Banks is in immediate need of spanish translators. Help is ready but sometimes communication barriers make it difficult.
If you can help in any way with time or talent call 405-246-1107.
“I went to churches and they were good and helpful but nothing like this,” Waltens said. “To me this is the ultimate in food pantries. This is just really, really good.”
Waltens knows the need is there because it was once her.
Someday it could be you.
“I think maybe they understand some but unless you’ve been there you don’t understand the real impact of getting up and wondering if you’re going to have anything to eat today,” she said. “People don’t realize, I guess they think it’s third world countries that face it but you face it here.”
She likes the fact people can come and get short-term help while others can utilize services longer term.
“Makes me feel really good,” Waltens smiled. “I realize that the Salvation Army is just that, it’s salvation for a lot of people – not only temporarily but spiritually, too. So much good goes on here. I see the Red Shield Diner help people every day.”
“I know the shelter. I know it’s a great place to be. It’s just a helping situation.”
Waltens comes from a generation that takes great pride on self reliance. Hard times are just opportunities to pull up your bootstraps.
But sometimes life leaves you shoeless.
“Don’t worry about coming here if you need help because anyone of us is 24 hours away from something like that. Not only does it give them that experience and help but it gives us the opportunity to serve.”
“Everytime I help someone through there I think I’m getting a blessing.
“I get more out of it.”

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.” – Vince Lombardi

by Brandon Rabhar

Blake Leeper, an eight-time Paralympic Track and Field international medalist, world record holder and three-time American record holder, knows all too well the hurt that accompanies falling down. Physically, he has fallen down time and again due to being born with no legs. In the eyes of the Paralympics community, he has fallen from grace due to self-admitted bad personal life decisions.
But every time Blake Leeper has fallen, he has got back up stronger than ever before. And each time, he has risen with a newfound purpose in his life.
Born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Blake has defied the odds since the moment his parents Billy and Edith welcomed their baby boy in 1989.
“Being born missing one leg is a one in 40,000 chance,” said the jovial Leeper. “But being born without two legs? Those are astronomical numbers.”
Doctors told Leeper’s parents that the best case scenario for their legless son would be living life in a wheelchair. Fortunately for Leeper, his mother knew better. Edith worked as a nurse and was heavily involved in the medical community.
“This is not going to be his story,” Edith told those doctors and her husband nearly 30 years ago. Truly prophetic, Edith knew the key to changing the course of her son’s life was prosthetics.
Fast forward four years, and young Blake had major surgery so that his first legs would fit his little body better. For eight long weeks, Blake was in a full body cast and a wheelchair.
“I remember every single day being in that wheelchair and wanting to go outside. I knew in my head this was the last time I wanted to be in a wheelchair and it was,” recalls Leeper. “From that point on, I’ve been living life to the fullest.”
A purpose was born.
Blake, armed with legs for the first time, literally hit the ground running. He played any and every sport. He roller-bladed with his older brother Kris. So many times in those physically formative years, Blake’s legs would break or fall off, but he would always get back up. His main objective was to show the world how much he could do with his new legs.
In high school, Blake’s best friend just happened to be the best athlete on campus. His name was Coty Sensabaugh, who is currently starring at cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Coty pushed me in a lot of areas where other people were afraid to push me,” said Leeper. “When you’re dealing with people with a disability, others are afraid to push us. But the only way we can get better is to be challenged.”
After high school, Blake enrolled at the University of Tennessee as a pre-med student. He was ready to hang up the sneakers and become an orthopedic surgeon. That all changed the moment he saw Oscar Pistorius sprint across his television during the 2008 Olympics.
“It was the first time I saw an amputee on TV in a major sport,” said Leeper. “I remember thinking, ‘This is what I want to do! I have to get those blades!’”
A purpose was redefined.
Blake got his first pair of running legs the next year. Before he even had time to start seriously training, he and his parents drove 14 hours to Oklahoma to participate in the Endeavor Games and his first ever race. As a rookie competing in a field stacked with national champs, the odds were stacked against him. The doe-eyed novice took first place in all three events he raced in: the 100, 200, and 400 meters.
Two whirlwind weeks later, Blake found himself racing in an international event in Brazil. He ran even faster than he did in Oklahoma, won a silver medal and came close to conquering the world champion.
In 2012, Blake tied Pistorius’s record time in the 400 meters going into the London Paralympics. He was ranked #1 in the 100, #1 in the 200, and #2 in the 400. In London, Blake won the silver medal in the 400 behind previous inspiration Pistorius and took home the bronze in the 200.
Only a few years after getting his running blades, Blake became a celebrated media mainstay. He played alongside superstars Kevin Hart and Chadwick Boseman in the NBA All Star Celebrity Game. His positive personality was welcomed on The Queen Latifah show, the Arsenio Hall show, and the Naomi Campbell fashion show. For the first time in his life, Blake was making big money.
“My life changed and I wasn’t prepared for it. I left college to quit partying, and I changed my environment but I didn’t change the person inside of me,” said Leeper. “I started hanging with the wrong people. Track, TV, interviews, flying everywhere for events. The only way I knew to balance that was to drink.”
Relying on talent, Blake was able to pull off the delicate balancing act of partying and still competing and winning. He broke every American record. He seemed invincible on and off the track.
In 2015, Blake did cocaine and a week later raced in the US Paralympic Nationals, breaking the American record. But he failed the drug test. The punishment was a one year suspension, reduced from two years behind the promise that Blake would get clean. The story broke in the Los Angeles Times.
“I lost my career, I lost my sponsorships, and I lost my legs,” said Leeper. “I hit rock bottom.”
A purpose was knocked down. But it would get back up.
Determined to come back stronger and faster after serving his suspension, Blake needed to find a new pair of running legs. Aaron Holmes from Wiggle Your Toes connected Blake with Scott Sabolich Prosthetics.
Blake walked into the building, back in Oklahoma where his racing career had begun, for the first time wearing two different pairs of legs that he had duct taped together.
“I had to go into my closet of legs I had collected over the years and put them together myself. I walked out with three pairs of legs,” said Leeper. “Scott Sabolich Prosthetics, they’re the best in the world. Their facilities, their lab, their staff. And for them to want to take a chance on me was truly amazing.”
Refocused, Blake was ready to prove that he was the fastest amputee in the world. Along with the new legs, he obtained new coaches, management, a trainer, and a nutritionist in preparation for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Running was no longer a hobby or a job, it was his life.
One year after testing positive for cocaine, Blake dropped his 400 meters time from 48 seconds, an American record at the time, to 46.1 seconds. He made the 2016 Paralympics team.
“My parents and my girlfriend Sadie are in Rio. We got a dog and named it Rio. Two weeks before the Paralympics, I got a call. The USA approved my deal, but the international committee did not,” Leeper said. “I was devastated, but I knew it was a self-inflicted wound. I took responsibility.”
After that life altering phone call, Blake went to his room, took off his legs and didn’t leave for three days. His coaches had to bust down Blake’s door to get him out. He walked out of that door a new man.
A fun and easygoing soul, Blake was mad and trained with a chip on his shoulder. The 46.1 he ran qualified him for the 2017 able body national championships, making history as the first amputee to qualify for any national championships.
At trials, Blake ran a blazing 45.5, qualifying for the semifinals. The man with no legs beat 2016 Olympians. The next day, Blake ran a 45.25 and broke Pistorius’s amputee world record, a personal goal of his from day one. He finished 12th overall out of top 64 fastest runners in the nation.
A purpose fulfilled.
To make the 2020 Olympic relay team, Blake needs to cut his time down about half a second and place top 6 overall. That’s his primary focus on the track these days. But it’s getting his life off the track back on the right track that defines the man.
“I love to talk about my failures because those were the most important days of my life. Being suspended actually saved my life,” Leeper said. “That’s my message. It’s one thing being born without legs. I didn’t have a choice. But as an adult, I had to lie in the bed I made. My mamma always said that.”
Edith Leeper was right. Being in a wheelchair would not be her son’s story. His story is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption and most importantly, purpose. And it’s a story that he fully embraces and loves.
“I’m living life to the fullest right now, trying to be present in the moment,” said Leeper. “But down the road, I’m gonna be like holy smokes, I played basketball with Black Panther!”

Dulce de Donke offers health products through unusual commodity

Donkey milk may be an uncommon drink for most people, but for Walt and Saundra Traywick, it is the answer to their prayers.
In 2014, their 6-year-old daughter became sick with a common case of strep throat, which caused an autoimmune disease that attacked her brain.
The doctors said the only options were hospitalization for immunoglobulin treatments via an IV or antibiotics every day for the next 12 years. Luckily, the family discovered donkey milk, which helped heal their daughter, and surprisingly, turned into a family business, Dulce de Donke.
The Traywicks began with three donkeys and now own 14 American Mammoth donkeys.
“We use the donkey milk that our daughter and other sick children don’t drink to make our line of organic donkey milk soaps and skincare that we sell on our website and through select retailers,” Saundra Traywick said.
Using donkey milk for skin care is known to for its anti-aging abilities and can heal eczema and psoriasis, Traywick said. Dulce de Donke offers organic donkey milk soap, all-natural and aluminum-free deodorant, moisturizer, and a leave-in organic conditioning balm.
Traywick said consuming donkey milk helps kids who can’t drink cow or soy milk, and it helps with other ailments like her daughter faced. It has also been prescribed to help everything from asthma to cancer, and although it is rarely used in the U.S., it is very common in other countries, she said.
“It’s packed with anti-inflammatory omega 3s, calcium, phospholipids, probiotics, vitamins A, C, D and E, and ceramides, and it’s naturally antibacterial with a high content of lysozymes and lactoferrin,” Traywick said.
The Traywicks give sick children their first jar of donkey milk free. The family is continuously looking for ways to teach the public about their operation.
“Unfortunately, our farm isn’t open to the public on a daily basis,” she said, “but we are planning a Donkey Dairy Day event and hope to offer farm stays at our Oklahoma Donkey Dairy in the future. When kids come to our farm, they never want to leave. Our dream is for our farm stay to be a place to unplug and wake up to the crow of a rooster and a hee haw instead of an alarm clock.” Traywick says the goal of Dulce de Donke is to “help as many sick children as possible with donkey milk, to bless others with natural skincare that is an effective, healthy alternative to chemical-laden products, to provide an Oklahoma Donkey Dairy farm stay destination that is a place for spiritual and physical rest and rejuvenation, and to educate others about the incredible heritage breed of American Mammoth donkeys so they’ll fall in love with them too.”
Dulce de Donke has been in operation since 2014 and joined the Made in Oklahoma Program this year. To learn more about the Traywicks’ donkey farm, find Dulce de Donke on Facebook and Instagram. To find a retailer who carries Dulce de Donke products, visit madeinoklahoma.net/products/dulce-de-donke or order products at www.dulcededonke.com.

As a baby boomer, enough of the 1960s rubbed off on me to make me willing to question everything. I still believe there are absolutes, however, no matter how polically incorrect that may be,
The cataclysm of the Sixties started long before. You could say it began with early man. A survey of what our great philosophers had to say about humanity points to a downward spiral:
During the Iron Age, Israel’s King David asked, “What is man, that [God] is mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4, NIV), but in Ancient Greece, Plato defined man as “a being in search of meaning.” He didn’t turn to God exclusively or even primarily in the search for his identity.
During the Renaissance, Descartes described humanity’s increasing dependance on their own reasoning. “I think; therefore I am.” No wonder in the last century that Friedrich Nietzsche said, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”
In the wake of the sweeping changes that changed how our nation thought, God raised up warriors to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV) As Francis Schaeffer said, “He Is There, and He Is Not Silent.” I read his books, as well as others by C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, and Josh McDowell. What I learned only magnified my commitment to what I already believed by faith.
A generation later. my son struggled at a much deeper level. He wanted to believe in God, but he didn’t know that he could. He read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and sought answers to his questions. Now he is an apologist himself, eager to share not only what he believes but why.
I’m proud and grateful for my son’s calling. But it’s not mine. My intellect agrees God is sovereign, but my old way of life tugs me in the wrong directions. The apostle John describes my struggle well: in addition pride in my achievements and possessions, I’m also drawn to a craving for physical pleasure as well as for everything I see(I John 2:16 NLT).
Some of those distractions are outside of my control. In the nursing home where I live, we have several residents with dementia. People suffering from the disease may grow belligerent and offensive
Not everyone is surrounded by dementia patients, but most of us hear offensive language fairly often—at work, at school, sometimes at home and on the media. The best way I know to combat such repulsive thingsis to fill my mind with good thoughts, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8, NLT).
No, I don’t have complete control, not even in my room, since I share it. But where I can make a choice, I seek to proactively fill my mind with good things.
I’ve memorized hundreds of Bible verses. I continue to dive into scripture and to write devotions and poetry based on my studies, stockpiling memories for future reference. As hymnist Kate Wilkinson wrote, “May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour.”
I also train myself to have the mind of Christ, to look out for the interests of others before my own (Philippians 2:3-5). When I do, my spirit grows calmer, and I am able to communicate with someone who otherwise annoys me.
If I review the day’s problems at night, wakefulness plagues me. I sleep better when I review memory verses, pray, or sing hymns. Occasionally I create a poem. It doesn’t matter if I remember the lines when I wake up. The process helped me rest.
I also find it helpful to speak frequently of God’s wonderful deeds on my behalf. The more I do, the more His blessings come to mind. Encouragement, not complaints, should come from my mouth.
Bottom line? When I set my mind on things of the spirit, I will prove that God is true, even when every man seems to be a liar. He corrects my hearing and my vision.

Battle of the Mind
Jesus, hosanna, save now
My thoughts may wander
Let me in Your mind abide
You make me stronger.
May I never brood on strife
Rehearsing details
Better to hold Your word tight

The Western Dressage Association® of America is hosting its sixth annual Western Dressage World Championship Show Sept. 27-30 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. Entries are open through Sept. 5, and no qualifying is necessary. Admission is free for spectators.

Competitors from across the United States and internationally will vie for 77 world championships, more than 30 breed high-score awards and 20 divisional championship belt buckles. Other competitions include musical freestyle jackpot classes.

New in 2018 is the addition of therapeutic riding exhibition classes, where the benefits of western dressage – and the partnership it can create with a horse – will be on full display.

“Western dressage honors the partnership between horses and riders, and that was certainly on display at our 2017 World Show,” said WDAA World Show Committee Chairwoman Ellen DiBella. “I was especially thrilled to see the riders in our Physically Challenged division.”

In 2017, three-time world champion Shawn Makepeace, who is legally blind, earned that divisional championship on her American Quarter Horse mare, Mosly A Rose. Volunteers held bright LED lights at each letter around the dressage arena, making it possible for Makepeace, of Belleville, Ill., to discern the location of the letters as she rode her western dressage tests.

This inclusive sport is welcoming to all types of horses and both beginner and expert riders alike. Older horses have also found success in this discipline – many of them on their second or third career.

“It’s so exciting to see horses in their mid-20s competing successfully,” DiBella said.

A great example was the American Quarter Horse Spindoll, who in 2017 at age 25 helped her rider, Rose Ruotsalainen of Cheney, Wash., earn three junior world championships, two reserve world championships and the overall junior divisional championship at the introductory level.

Support from generous sponsors is what makes this championship show work. Sponsorships are still available for classes, welcome parties and other awards, and inquiries are welcomed.

WDAA’s mission is to build an equine community that combines the traditions of the American West with classical dressage. We honor the horse, and we value the partnership between horse and rider.

WDAA is a 501(c)3 educational not-for-profit organization, focusing on educating riders and promoting the ethics and values inherent in western dressage. The United States Equestrian Federation has recognized WDAA as the sole affiliate representing the discipline of western dressage.

To learn more, or for entry or sponsorship information, go online to www.wdaaworldshow.org.

What’s your favorite part about Fall? Norman Regional Health System Auxiliary

I love the leaves and the changing of the trees.

Cathy Dutcher

I don’t like the Fall because I don’t like raking leaves.

Vivian Holt

No more lawn mowing!

Frances Skidmore

I love the cooler weather and the fall colors.

Dolores Larison