Contests
Danny the Dragon Contest Winner- February
William Morris is my February contest winner for a Danny the Dragon gift basket full of fun stuff from Danny the Dragon. Here is what William and his family had to share about his winning a basket like this:
I’m sending Danny the Dragon a picture of me. I hope he can come to my house soon. I love him.” Thank you Tina! -William Morrison Age 4
Danny the Dragon Contest Winner- January
Alejandra Vargas is the lucky winner this month. She drew a lovely picture which she submitted accompanied by her very proud and caring father, Bernardo Vargas Sanchez. Thank you Alejandra!
Danny the Dragon Contest Winner – December!
Twelve year old Laurie T. from Eugene Oregon won the Danny the Dragon contest of December! She is the lucky recipient of a wonderful gift basket (pictured above) from Danny and Tina filled with all sorts of fun stuff and a signed book from me. Congratulations Laurie! She wrote back ” Thank you Tina and Danny. This was real fun to draw and win a gift.”
Danny The Dragon Contest Winner- NOVEMBER!
I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting many schools this month as well as received MANY pictures submitted to the site and to my e mail at info@dannythedragon.com.
We have another winner for the November gift basket! Here she is:
- Paulina- 3rd Grade Winner- NOVEMBER
- A New Friend For Danny
Here is what our wonderful 3rd grade winner, Paulina has to say:
Dear Ms. Turbin,
I am Paulina Kapuscinska and I go to 3rd grade at Highland Lakes Elementry
School in Palm Harbor. I like to make arts, crafts, and drawings. I had fun
making the picture of the dragon in the library because I like dragons and
dinosaurs. I liked the book about Danny the Dragon a lot. I also have a
favorite stuffed animal dinosaor that I go to sleep with.
I am really happy that I had a chance to win the contest.
Thank you,
Paulina
Danny the Dragon Contest Winner for November!
Leah Naumec was the winner of the October contest as part of the October Danny the Dragon Gluten-Free cupcake party hosted by Tina Turbin in Florida.
She received a Danny the Dragon gift basket loaded with goodies and Danny the Dragon give-aways!
I am very pleased to also share Leah’s story. Her mother briefly shares what it has been like to raise a child with celiac:
A new mom, feeding journals, diaper journals, sleep schedules… all trial and error! Leah’s precious life started with a week in the NICU, but as a fighter she bounded out and has been that way for her six dear years. Leah never delayed her eating and loved noodles, bread, cookies and of course her fruits and vegetables. However, Leah seemed to have one cold after another, Eczema and vomited every so often. Again as a new mom, nothing seemed odd just part of the development course. At 18 months, however we realized that her shape was that of a bird and a food deprived child with an extended abdomen. Our pediatrician indicated her weight was declining rapidly and she was diagnosed with “Failure to Thrive”.
Obviously fear struck (don’t look up Failure to Thrive) we quickly tried to find what the cause was. Fortunately, two family members had heard of Celiac Disease and mentioned it to us. Having an amazing pediatrician, he requested a blood test which was an immediate indicator of Leah’s issues. Soon after Leah endured an endoscopy and received the diagnosis of Celiac. In just three months we went from scary to diagnosed.
Ok, so what now? Daunting! As a new mom and truly not a person who enjoys cooking, the challenge was on. We were on a mission, what was Leah going to eat, how were we going to establish a “typical” lifestyle for her, what resources were available? Needless to say we began our education process and we had tremendous support from our family.
Once gluten free Leah’s health improved tremendously and rather quickly. Leah is an amazing child and has taken responsibility for her nutrition and diet, always asking if there is gluten in the item or just declining gracefully. We take great strides to make sure Leah fits right in to any food situation by contacting party hosts to see what food is served, we are in constant communication with teachers and we have open conversations with her about the food she will eat and why it might look different. As a positive being gluten free is a healthy alternative and the world today has become more aware of what it is to be gluten free.
For parents of newly diagnosed children I say take a deep breath and take it one step at a time! Become informed and join a local ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids) group online if possible. Know it is overwhelming at first, but there are some great resources. Try to make an event, holiday, or food based situation about the event and not the food! Having Celiac is challenging, but manageable.
Contest for Parents/Adults – Win a Set of Movie Tickets!
Sign up now for the Danny the Dragon contest for parents and adults and you could win a night out to the movies!
Hurry and don’t miss out! Enter at the Danny the Dragon home page.
Best,
Danny the Dragon Contest – October Winners!
The Fowler family including Tyler (7 yrs old), Parker, Isabell and Peyton (4 yr old triplets), pictured above in their Halloween costumes, are the winners of the October contest as part of the Danny the Dragon Gluten-Free “Halloween” cupcake party that was hosted by Tina Turbin in Florida.
The kids will soon receive their Danny the Dragon gift basket loaded with goodies and Danny the Dragon give-aways!
I am very pleased to also share the Fowler triplets’ story. Their mother briefly shares what it has been like to raise 3 children with celiac:
Our Celiac Disease Journey started in May of 2007, the triplets were about to turn two and I was questioning the doctor about their small stature. Like most, the belief was that there were 3 of them, so it might just be their size, but at their two year check up we would run more tests if they had not gained any weight. No surprise, their two year check up came and the girls had failed to put on ANY weight in the 6 month period prior to their checkup.
At that point, we decided to see the Pediatric GI here in St. Pete who immediately thought Celiac or Cystic Fibrosis. He was pretty optimistic and we were sent home wishing for an auto immune disease. Being a mom with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Auto-immune hepatitis and Thyroid Disease (all auto immune diseases), I only began to worry about what the girls health would look like in the future. Not a promising outlook but the Celiac diagnosis was manageable and that is what we were hoping for.
Halloween 2007 we spent the majority of the day screening at All Childrens for Celiac and Cycstic Fibrosis. The girls were poked, and encouraged to sweat for their tests, so we walked the halls of All Childrens prompting them with Candy corn.
Long story short, the results were Celiac Disease and after their biopsy’s we learned their small intestines had been effected and they were no longer absorbing the nutrients they needed to grow. AHHHHHHHHHHH at last a diagnosis, now to change the diet.
My husband and I left the hospital that day and went straight to the health food store in St. Pete and began our Gluten Free lifestyle. We also have a 7 yr old soon (5 at time of diagnosis) and another son (the 3rd triplet), both who do not have Celiac, so we knew we were in for a big change.
The transition went better than expected and within 6 months the girls blood levels had balanced off and were within normal range. We finally saw the weight gain, and they were beginning to look like big kids, instead of a year or two younger than they actually were.
The girls are now getting close to being on the growth charts, and are showing signs of growth all around. We still hear that they are small because they were multiples but at least now we know it is not their diets causing it. Overall you can see they are eating more of what they like and just feeling better.
It is a big adjustment to make, but it is manageable and with the right attitude and support you can fine tune the diet so that no child is left out or feels “different” because of what they eat. My girls are sure to ask at every outing, “is it gluten free?”, and that alone puts a smile on my face.
Contest Winner! Danny the Dragon Drawing
Rachel Katz, age 6 from Palm Harbor Florida, draws a cat for Danny the Dragon.
Rachel Katz, age 6, was the winner for September. She received a Danny the Dragon gift basket loaded with goodies and Danny the Dragon give-aways!
Contest Winner! Danny the Dragon Drawing
Winner from Pinelles Park, Florida
Ashley was the winner for August. She received a Danny the Dragon gift basket loaded with goodies and Danny the Dragon give-aways!
Dear Ms.Turbin,
My name is Ashley Carvalho and I attend John Hopkins Middle School.I am in the Fine Arts program because I like art.
I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your contest.I was there with my younger cousins to watch them.
Because I like to read and do art it was fun to draw the picture for the contest.I didn’t even know it was a contest I was only doing what I like to do.
Thanks again,
Ashley
