Heather and Matthew McConaughey

This will be the first of many blogs as we take a stroll down memory lane with "Heather the Actress".  So please join me for some great memories and funny stories.  I promise it will be light and interesting and not discuss medical stuff.  Shocking, I know.   Of course, Heather has given me the green light to proceed.

When Heather was 14, some of her friends at a community theater group guided her to sign with an agent.  This was Heather's dream.  My job was to make sure she kept on top of her studies.  Side note - The picture shown is one of Heather's first head shots.  So cute and it makes me smile.  So many wonderful memories.  We laugh about the bangs - they were very Beverly Hills 90210.

So here we go - Part 1 - Heather's first movie acting gig in  "Contact"  Starring Jody Foster and Matthew McConaughey.  Zoom in and you can see the movie poster that I "found".    Isn't Jody - errr Heather cute?

Heather's agent booked her as an extra for scenes being shot in front of the Washington Monument.  This was her first gig and we had no idea what to expect.  Of course she had high hopes of running into one of the stars.  

Since Heather was 14 years old, she got to hang in a warm tent next to the Craft Services tent.   Also, because she was under 18 years old, I had to stay near the set.

I had no desire to hang around with the other stage Mom's who  provided direction to their kids.  Seriously, these Mom's were a trip.  Did they really think their kid needed their instructions on how to stand in a crowd?  Ha, I guess they wanted their kid to stand out in a sea of extras wearing dark winter coats.  I just wanted to find a warm place where I could work on my computer. 

 I was going to sit in my car and work during the shoot, but they needed more adults and they asked me to be an extra too.   I figured what the heck, it would be fun to see what this whole extra stuff is about.  

While Heather sat her in  toasty tent, I sat in the 50 degree, damp, and drizzly weather on a cold metal bleacher.  Seriously - it was awful.....enough about me, this is Heather's story to tell.

Every few hours, they would take the extras onto the grassy area and shoot scenes of a large crowd.  Wow, this is some tough acting.  Thank goodness Heather had a voice teacher and acting coach - ha.

In between takes, Heather would retreat to her tent and I joined my fellow, over 18 non-SAG, extras on the cold bleachers.

Later in the day, they sent Heather out for another shoot and while she was quickly exiting her tent, she slammed into Matthew McConaughey - The Star - the dreamy upcoming new hot actor. 

What did she do?   Well, she gasped and froze in her steps.  Matthew McConaughey, being the true southern gentleman, laughed and then smiled and said in his slow southern drawl - "Why excuse me Little Darlin'?"  Heather gave a cute dimply smile and quickly exited.  Rule number one - don't bother the "real actors."   Matthew McConaughey just looked back and laughed as she ran out. 

Heather then went back on set for another high energy acting job of standing in a crowd - ha.  She was AMAZING.  Seriously, she followed directions, she wasn't annoying and asking questions, she sat quietly for hours between takes.

The movie was released and we went to see it with hopes of seeing our heads in the crowd.  Sadly, we made the cutting floor.   That didn't matter at all to Heather.  She had an incredible time, met some nice people, bumped into and spoke to Matthew McConaughey, and had her first professional acting job to add to her brand new acting resume.

Why do I always refer to him as Matthew McConaughey in this blog.  Can't he be just be Matthew.  Nope - in Heather's world he will always be Matthew McConaughey.   Do you ever call Betty Crocker, Betty?  I think not.  Martha Stewart will always be Martha Stewart. 

xo
Lisa

coming soon - Part II - Heather and Red Cross!

A new normal.......

Heather's liver enzymes have been the same for the last 3 months.  Trust me, this is a really good thing.  Her liver enzymes aren't normal, but who really knows what normal means.

Heather had a normal childhood.  But as I type this I don't think it was normal for her to have two surgeries before she was 2.  I don't think it was normal that she had her Screen Actor's Guild card at the age of 15 (yep, once a stage Mother always a stage Mother).   On a side note, Heather can attest that I wasn't a normal stage Mother.  I was simply the chauffeur to/from auditions, jobs, lessons.  Driving 100 miles a days were sometimes the norm for us, but I digress.   

So, bottom line, we are very pleased with Heather's health stabilization.  She will not see the Liver specialist for THREE WHOLE months.  Normally she was going every month.  Needless to say, we are ecstatic that the appointments are further apart.   She will continue to have her blood work done every month.

So does this mean that Heather's medical situation is now "normal"?  Well, I personally don't think that it is normal for Heather to still have severe neuropathy pain.  It isn't normal to sometimes have brain fog.   It isn't normal to be so fatigued after sleeping 12 hours.  Have I mentioned lately that ticks suck?   It really isn't normal to be seen every three months by a liver team.  It isn't normal to have MRIs done every six months.

What is normal about Heather's current health is that her blood tests are sooooooo much better than a few years ago and a lot better than 6 months ago.  We will take this new normal.

I do know that my "norm" always includes being by Heather's side and helping her navigate these curve balls that life has been throwing at her lately.  

I love you Heather.  This latest news is wonderful.  You have worked hard to stay focused, stay positive and stay strong.  Sure there have been some ups and downs, but that is life.  It's a good thing that your determination and positive attitude has, and will always be,  your "normal" approach to life.  Onward and upward Heather.  These baby steps are now normal steps and I like that.

xo

Lisa