Clara's Happy Thumbs!

Clara's Yard Sale!

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 23:34:01 -0400

We just want to thank everybody for coming down to support the event!! We are so grateful for all the love that is shown by everyone, and we can’t express our gratitude enough!

It was so much fun, and Clara loved every moment of it dancing on the porch and interacting with people who stopped by.

Now, for the pictures!

Clara doing a welcome dance!

—

Yes.. there were many, many, MANY items on sale!

—

Yummy baked goods for sale as well! Just look at all that chocolatey goodness!

—

Clara doing more dancing… it never ends!!! Go ballerina!

Someone was trying to teach Clara some Kung Fu moves… I think she still prefers ballet for sure!

—

Of course Cookie wookie was part of the yard sale!!! (Clara’s favourite doggie in the entire world!)

—

Finally, a picture with Jonathan Alderson, the director of the IMTI program!

—

The yard sale was a wonderful experience for the whole team and Clara. She got to meet so many of her “fans” and talked to them.

It was such a fun filled event.. and one last big THANK YOU to the whole team and friends who made this event even possible!!! We couldn’t have done it without you guys!

Therapist Mel

Clara learning about static! Enjoy!

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:53:35 -0400

Clara learning about static! Enjoy!

Keep Smiling =)

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:01:40 -0400

This is Clara on her way to school one winter day. Doesn’t her cuteness instantly draw a smile on your face?

Everyone who works with Clara knows she’s a cheerful girl. There is really nothing in this world that could bring her down (except maybe the time her dog, Cookie, went for a haircut and Clara thought Cookie was gone forever - that made her cry for a really long time).

People might think that it’s us, the therapists, who teach this little girl different skills. But come to think about it, I think we’re constantly learning from Clara: her positive attitude and cheerfulness inspire us everyday. She teaches us how to have faith; she is a living proof that nothing is impossible as long as you try hard enough.

So thank you Clara for enlightening us.

Keep dancing and never stop smiling, our wonderful ballerina!

Therapist Lesley

Clara Fun Facts!

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:01:00 -0400

DID YOU KNOW?

Clara is an expert on cooking scrambled eggs!!!

Clara’s getting all the ingredients out and mixing them…

Managing the eggs over the stove! (of course with adult supervision!!!)

And serve. She’s definitely got love in her tummy. :D

We’re teaching Clara how to eat with her mouth because she has been eating through a G-tube for most of her life. We picked soft easy food for her to chew and swallow, and figured that scrambled eggs are so soft and yummy that she will love it!

The team decided to get Clara involved in the cooking process so that she’d be even more motivated to eat something that she cooked on her own.

Guess what, scrambled eggs is one of her favourite foods now!

Go Clara!

Therapist Mel

Just a quick reminder for the yard sale tomorrow! And the prima...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 00:47:00 -0400

Just a quick reminder for the yard sale tomorrow! And the prima ballerina herself would be there! Come join us for fun, food and laughter (for a good cause)!

See you all there!

Clara saying bye to her favorite dog and dolls before she heads...

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:43:00 -0400

Clara saying bye to her favorite dog and dolls before she heads out for school.

Clara told me she wanted ballerina hair for school today, because she’s having ballet lessons after! So I gave her a beautiful ballerina bun and topped it off with a pink ribbon.

What a pretty little ballerina!

Therapist Mel

Clara’s speech therapy session on Monday was a blast! You...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:48:00 -0400

Clara’s speech therapy session on Monday was a blast! You can see Clara facing her challenges with such high spirits.

As usual, this little girl tried her best and impressed all of us that day. The challenge this week was to keep her lips together when she is not talking.

Clara had very narrow nasal pathways, therefore she used to be a very strong mouth breather. However she went through surgery in June to open up her nasal passages in order to help her breathe better and hopefully help her sleep apnea.

After her surgery, we’re trying to help Clara get used to breathing with her nose, and to also change her previous habit of leaving her mouth open even when she’s not talking. This will also hopefully help her transition into school, and to decrease the likelihood of anyone picking on her differences.

Clara was so awesome at remembering to keep her mouth closed and constantly wanted to show it to the speech therapist with such enthusiasm. What a trooper!!!

Clara’s government funded speech therapy is also coming to an end and has only about 4 more sessions left. To be placed on the government waiting list may mean years before she resumes speech therapy again. This means that the family will have to look for a private speech therapist which would cost them extra money, if not it could be another few years before Clara gets to have speech therapy again!

Let’s all hope that Clara does not have to wait that long for therapy!

Therapist Mel

This little ballerina is spreading hope everywhere!!! From...

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 23:03:17 -0400

This little ballerina is spreading hope everywhere!!!

From Australia:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8536893/autistic-girl-memorised-and-learnt-entire-ballet

To Taiwan:

http://n.yam.com/newtalk/international/20120924/20120924830526.html

To the United States:

http://now.msn.com/autistic-girl-memorizes-and-performs-coppelia-ballet-in-viral-video

We cannot express how much we appreciate each and everyone of you who showed your love and support for dear sweet Clara.

Let’s keep spreading the hope around to other families who need it!

Therapist Mel

Hello Everybody! Thank you so much for supporting our dear...

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 22:43:27 -0400

Hello Everybody!

Thank you so much for supporting our dear Clara and showing her so much love and support.

In our efforts to try and fundraise for Clara, we’re having a yard sale next Saturday!!! *HURRAH!!* So if you’re living in Toronto and want to help contribute to Clara’s funding, do come down to check it out!!!

Claudia (Clara’s sister) suggested having face painting for the other children in hopes to do her part to help fundraise for Clara!!! Kudos to Claudia for being such a loving and creative sister!!!

Also we want to give special thanks to Printman & Graphics Plus for sponsoring Clara’s posters!!! So if you have printing needs, do visit their shop and give them support!!!

Thank you everyone once again for showing Clara so much kindness and love. Hope to see you guys at the yard sale!!!

Cheers!

Therapist Mel

A little note from Clara herself...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:02:00 -0400

hi everybody, i am clara bergs. i can do coppelia ballet!

i can do performance with mel miti lesley edith clara bergs emma cookie claudia bergs mommy and daddy and cienna.

bye everybody

lovee clara bergs.

—-

Side Notes (haha!):

Mel Miti Lesley Edith (Therapists)

Emma and Cookie (Doggies)

Claudia Bergs (Sister)

Cienna (Clara’s favourite toy)

Clara flaunting her phenomenal talent… What a great...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:32:10 -0400

Clara flaunting her phenomenal talent… What a great memory, what amazing rhythm, and what awesome musicality this little girl has!!!

And…. just look at that smile….

She’s born to be on stage!

Hi Everyone!!! On this very first post on Clara’s blog,...

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 23:10:00 -0400

Hi Everyone!!!

On this very first post on Clara’s blog, and all of us will like to thank you for coming to visit and to help support this little girl…

Clara has been in the IMTI program (http://www.imti.ca) for the past 4 years, and it has helped her become the smart and lively girl she is now. However because funding is being cut off, her family is now struggling to keep the therapy program afloat.

Clara still needs to work on many of her other challenges, and with help and support from everybody, we’re sure she’s bound to soar in life!

We will update this page every so often with pictures of Clara and her progress… so stay tuned! It will probably be flooded by cute pictures of her overcoming her challenges!!!

Love,

Team Clara