Wayland's Impact

On August 18, 2005 we lost our 1st born son, Wayland Clay Touchton (see Wayland's Story). We started this blog to represent the positive influence Wayland has had on our lives. Not a day goes by that we don’t feel the anguish of child loss, but in the wake of such a tragedy, you can either drown in a sea of self pity or channel your pain into something positive. From the beginning we knew we were going to make his impact on this world a positive one. It doesn’t always stop the grief or fill the void in our hearts, but it keeps him an active part of our lives and not just a memory. Every waking moment his touch is felt. He has made us better people and through this blog we will show parts of our lives in which his influence can be seen.

At the kick off for March for Babies (formally known as Walk America), Pam and I were named Suwannee Valley volunteers of the year. (click on pics for story).

This year’s March for Babies will be on April 19th. I agreed to be the logistics chair for the walk again. Hopefully we can use some of what we learned last year to make it a little more organized. If you would like to walk with us, help setup before the event, or would like to donate to our team, click on the Team Wayland logo below.

In other news, Holiday Magic was a big success this year. We ended up raising about $42,000.

Currently we are preparing for the Holiday Magic Signature Chef’s Auction for the March of Dimes. This year it will be held on Tuesday November 13^th at the Holiday Inn in Lake City. Tickets will be $50 a person. We were asked to write a letter to be sent out in the sponsorship packets… it can be read )))here(((.

Some Pics are now up from the walk. We also recently participated in a charity ride for March of Dimes.

Unfortunately we had to take down the forms on the webpage because of repeated SPAM attacks. I put a contact e-mail address in a CAPTCHA style image until I have time to find a better solution. Some people have no shame...

We are happy to say that Team Wayland raised around $4,500 for this year's Walk America! We not only met but exceeded our goal, qualifying us for our 2nd "Battered Boot" award. LCCC FACC also did a great job raising around $1,500. We would like to, once again, thank everyone who sponsored us, helped raise money or walked with us.

To get the Lake City Community College FACC team off and running Donna Poynor from the March of Dimes came and gave a short presentation at the monthly FACC meeting. As the ambassador of the college’s team, a poster was made with Wayland’s picture on it. We haven’t received the poster yet but I do have the file (below). If you are from the college and would like to join us, you can sign up by clicking the link below.

We had a shower/fundraiser in honor of our baby due in a few weeks and in memory of Wayland last weekend. Thanks to Sara and Randy for helping to make it happen! Ryan made white chicken enchiladas and Sara made dips and other snacks. Since we have a full nursery, and really don't need anything, we asked everyone to come eat and make a donation to the March of Dimes instead of bringing a baby gift. We had a great turnout and raised over $1000 for Team Wayland. We are well on our way to surpass what we raised last year. Thanks to everyone who came and/or donated or will donate!

We were so busy we didn't think about taking pictures, but we got a few mostly towards the end.

Lake City Community College FACC has decided to participate in Walk America this year. Wayland is going to be the team ambassador for the college and I am signed up to be the team captain.

Also, Pam and I have recently both started serving on the Executive Board for the Suwannee Valley March of Dimes.

Walk America is April 14th, If you would like more info or would like to donate, click on the Team Wayland logo.

We had the 4d ultrasound done but the baby was upside down and backwards so we didn’t get to see much. In January we will go back and try again. It looks like we are having a girl. The person doing the ultrasound said it was 100%. Looking back at the instant replay Pam and I don't really see indisputable evidence. Until we see otherwise I guess the ruling on the field will stand. We will be happy either way. You can hear the heartbeat here.

Miracle on Marion went well and exceeded its fundraising goal of 25,000. You can read more here.

We are kind of in between computers right now. We will post pics when we get a chance.

We were hoping to post pictures from a 4d ultrasound that was suppose to take place today. However, the machine broke down and we will have to reschedule the appt. Please check back in a week or so for pics. Next Saturday is "Miracle on Marion" at the Blanche Hotel. If you would like tickets or more info give us a call or shoot us an e-mail. Happy Veterans Day!

We had a Level 2 Ultrasound today, 10/3/06. No abnormalities were found and everything checked out normal. The pictures didn't turn out very good because he/she was being stubborn, but the doctors were able to see what they needed to see. We plan to have a 4D Ultrasound in a couple of months and will post those pictures when we get them.

On Wayland’s birthday this year a flag was flown over our nation’s capital in memory of Wayland. This was a father’s day present from Pam. We received it in the mail on Friday, just in time for the 5th anniversary of September 11th. When reflecting upon life, it is apparent how certain events mold who you are. The loss of Wayland and 911 are two events that forever changed the direction of our lives.

On 9/7 MOD had a VIP dinner in preparation for this years "Miracle on Marion". I gave a short speech about our experience. This was my 1st attempt at public speaking since about 8th grade. It is not really one of my strong points, but I gave it a shot. You can read the speech )))HERE(((. If you are interested in attending this event or would like to help sponsor it, let us know. It will be on November 18th at the Blanche Hotel. There will be food, music, live and silent auctions. Tickets are $30 a person. Also, WalkAmerica 2007 will be on April 14th. We will post more info as it becomes available.

This is a tile that was put up in Shands Children’s Hospital in memory of Wayland. The significance of the Dolphin has to do with Wayland’s nursery that was done with an ocean theme (pictured below). We would like to thank Billy Payne for having it put up and Clay Boutwell for the art work.

On April 8th we participated in our first Walk America for MOD. Team Wayland consisted of 21 family and friends that live nearby. Thanks to them and our family and friends all over the US Team Wayland raised OVER $2000! That qualified our team for a "Battered Boot" award. That's well over $2000 that benefits MOD in our son's name. We are so grateful for everyone who either sponsored us, helped us raise money or walked with us. We are already thinking about next year's walk and aiming to double what we raised this year.

~Pam