Hey Charlie and all the Mason's here....
Every year we go to a parade in my hometown in Pecatonica, Illinois, it's the Memorial Day Parade and is a big un. Anyway there are five different groups of Tebala Shriners that are in the parade. During the parade when we see the Shriners come by Lilly holds up a sign saying "Thank You". Early years they didn't really take notice until this year the one Shrine float saw her and began talking about her on the p.a. about "This little girl knows what we're about and "Thank You" he told her. Also Bob from the Tebala Thunderbirds saw her and asked me if I had a camera? I nodded yes and the next pass he came around and stopped by the curb and had Lilly step out and I took a pic of them. I don't have a copy of that pic right now but if you get ShrineLines, look back into June and you'll see it.
After the parade we sent the pic to Tebala Shrine in Rockford, they then contacted Shrinlines after wanting to do a blurb about the photo. The secratary had forwarded it on to them.. The secratary had told us via email that the guys were all talking about the family saying thanks and how nice it would be to see the photo, so I sent it in. Then she said that Bob would love to see it, so I sent it to him along with a breif story of our daughter.... Lilly is a Shriners kid, she goes to Shriners Hospital for Children of Chicago and she is a hit everytime she goes there. She has had surgery on her cleft pallette, left hip displasia along with a pharegenyl flap repair done there. They have been very, very helpful in everything they have done for Lilly and us. Trust me, we talk very highly of Shriners Hospitals as well as the Shriners that help out.
The photo below was taken by a friend of ours that was sitting accross the street. In it you can see her tube that she feeds on, It is placed directly into the stomach and is ran by a feeding pump. She is now eating two meals a day by mouth although it's pureed food. Her speech has improved dramatically after her second surgery.
Again to any Shriner or Mason out there, Thank YOU!!!!!!!