October 31

I have to admit that not all days are great days. It's easy to get caught up in social media and a specific "image" we want people to see. People only post the happy pictures and the fun adventures they're having on Facebook; you don't see their struggles or problems because who would want to make those public? I guess I'm a little guilty of this too, even in my blog. I try to be honest and vulnerable. I've admitted my own struggles throughout this journey, but I don't think I've opened up about some of that in a little while. I try to focus on the high points, the laughter, and the perfect pictures, but that's only a small portion of my life these days. I still have those moments when I ask God "why me?" or try to figure out what the "bigger plan" might be. I mean, there's got to be something bigger than this...this has to be preparing me for something larger than what I'm capable of imagining. I frequently get frustrated about little things...or at least things I think are little and should be simple, like washing the dishes. And when I can't reach the soap or the dial to turn off the water, I can't fight back the tears. Stupid, right? Some days I just get so frustrated with tasks that should take a few minutes get dragged out to triple that amount of time. At the end of the day, I'm even more frustrated that so much of my time gets wasted, especially these days when every minute is valuable and needs to be put towards therapy, working out or my mounds of homework.

I feel bad that it's usually Dusty that is present for all these minor "break downs." I mean, we only get so much time together due to his work and both of us dealing with school, so it's a shame. It's just easier to be vulnerable in front of him because he handles it the best. He always knows what to say--the perfect balance between being sympathetic and telling me to "get a grip." And he never makes it about himself, which is the best part. I don't know why we all have a tendency to bring up or own problems when someone opens up about their troubles. I've done it. It's almost like "you think you've got it bad? Well guess what I've been dealing with."

I'm trying to learn from all of this and become a better person from it. I'm taking how I feel and what I like or don't like about how people treat me and taking a note of it so that I can be that way with others. I read a quote today that said "if it's an experience that you learned something from, then it was worth it." I'm trying to pay attention to everything I'm learning so that I can say this was all worth it.

October 28

Dusty and I went to Blacksburg for a wedding last weekend. The groom was one of his friends growing up and all of his other friends were coming with their girlfriends. We found out about it a long time ago (like when I was still in the hospital), but heard that it was going to be on a farm and nothing about that sounded "accessible." (And I definitely didn't want to ask and put another thing on the bride's plate). I told Dusty to just go and have a good time and I made plans to go to my college's homecoming. Well, when my plans started to fall through, the other girlfriends looked into the wedding details a little closer. As the weekend approached, I found myself wanting to go more and more...why would I say no to something I wouldn't have even thought twice about missing before I got sick? Turns out, the bride and groom had even looked into accessible venues with me in mind, so I'm even more thankful it worked out for me to go. 

I feel like so often, people don't understand that before I go anywhere, I have to plan ahead...I have to make sure there's parking, no stairs to get into whatever building I'm going to, that there actually is a wheelchair accessible bathroom, etc. So when someone actually takes that into consideration, it means so much to me. Hell, even our airbnb was accessible! I mean, yeah, I got bumped up a flight of stairs, but only because Dusty's friends were kind enough to give us the master bedroom on the upstairs level. The whole weekend just seemed so...normal. And that doesn't happen too often anymore. 

I got to get ready with the girls while the guys did...who even knows what. And of course, we got to twist our boyfriends arms into taking tons of pictures. Our house was only a couple miles away from the venue, so like usual, we were cutting it close on time. We got there and pretty much everyone was already sitting outside and ready for the ceremony to begin. Dusty and I had to park and navigate through a gravel parking lot (which is REALLY DIFFICULT) before taking our spots. We were having even more trouble than usual, getting those wheels to move in the rocks. Finally, we get all the way to the other side of the lot before Dusty (in his not so quite voice) says "are you serious?! You had one tire locked this whole time!" And that is how everyone knew we had arrived. 

It was a beautiful wedding and it was incredibly fun...lots of catching up with different people and plenty of dancing. Dusty and I are always on the dance floor at weddings. I can't even tell you how many perfect wedding pictures we have of us dancing. And although we still made it out for a good number of songs, I was still fighting back a little emotion, knowing that it just wasn't the same.  How do you slow dance in a wheelchair? The second to last song was a slow one and Dusty and I found ourselves on the corner of the dance floor. Everyone was saying their goodbyes or trying to catch the last couple songs before heading home. Dusty and I were just talking because we hadn't really been able to do much when the DJ played a slower song. When he asked me if I wanted to dance, I just kind of laughed. But he didn't. He said "come on, let's try it." And within a few seconds he had helped me stand up so we could dance. My back was to everyone, so I didn't really know what everyone was up to, but I also really wasn't concerned. For a few minutes, it was just us...dancing like we always have. When the song ended, I sat back down and was swept away by friends to catch the last fast song. At the end of the night, Dusty said he had so many people come up to him saying how sweet our dance was and everyone had teared up or taken pictures. I thought he was being dramatic because he hates having much attention on himself, but then I had some friends send me pictures. I was so happy someone was able to capture that moment for us. One second I'm bummed I can't dance like I used to and the next, Dusty shows me that I can and that there's no such thing as "can't." 

October 19

It just occurred to me that I never made a post about my call from Dr. Pardo at Hopkins a few weeks ago. I don't know how this escaped me, because it was probably the best news I've ever received. Let me back up a little bit...I saw Dr. Pardo at the end of July and he confirmed by diagnosis of ADEM. He also ran a few tests and sent them to the Mayo Clinic to be sure that nothing else was going on, like another auto immune disease since ADEM is auto immune in nature and my mom's side of the family has a large history of those disorders. Everything came back negative (thankfully), but he wanted me to get several MRI scans to check the status of everything and the extent of the damage done. I had to go two separate days for my MRIs. They had to be with and without contrast of my brain and entire spinal cord. Basically a full body scan...and they took forever. I had mixed feelings about it too. While I was excited to see how things look, I found myself really anxious. I thought I was fine with all of it and ready to get some more answers, but as the days and weeks passed following the scans, I was starting to think that maybe not knowing anything might be better. What if there was bad news? Maybe no news was good news? I'd rather be oblivious than get a poor prognosis.

Dr. Pardo had been in Columbia, working with physicians and researchers on the Zika virus, so it took what seemed like months before he got back to me. But almost four weeks later, I got a phone call at almost 8 at night. He apologized for taking so long, but said he reviewed my scans. Then did it again...and then repeated it again. The last MRI I had was at the beginning of October, before I went to Magee. And at that point, each MRI I got was shockingly worse than the one before it. At one point, the doctor even reported that I had a total infarct at T2, basically meaning that I had a complete and irrecoverable injury. Now, we know this isn't true because Dr. Recio determined that I had an incomplete injury and that the injury level was below T2, at T5. Since then, I've also received good news in that my ASIA level changed from B to C while at KKI as I started to get some movement in my lower extremities.

He continued by admitting that he fully expected to see brain damage in the images of my brain. Judging by the previous pictures and the extent of both the meningitis and ADEM flare, it would not have been a surprise at all. HOWEVER, there was absolutely nothing wrong with those pictures. There were some "patchy" areas, like in the area of my hypothalamus, which is the area that controls temperature. This makes sense because I'm still having some temperature problems, like sweating at the wrong times or feeling cold ALL THE TIME. He said those little areas are fully recoverable and that he didn't foresee any problems in the future.  Also, continuing with the scans, the rest of the spinal cord was FINE. Let me repeat that...IT WAS FINE! More than fine, actually. He said I only had some atrophy, which he would describe as "weakness," but we pretty much knew that already based on the current circumstances. Apparently, all I need is to continue therapy to get stronger and keep my vitamin P--aka, positive attitude.

I was overwhelmed with this news. Absolutely flooded with emotion. I've continued to be positive throughout this whole journey, but mostly because that's all I could do. What would being upset or worrying do for me? But to get the news that things really will be okay just reignited that spark of determination. So often, Dusty and I talk about the future and all our plans and things we want to accomplish and just hearing this news gave me such peace. It's not just talk. We really will be able to do anything. I mean, even if I didn't get back to 100%, I know he's still by my side and nothing is really holding us back, but to know that this really is just an obstacle that is only making us stronger truly leaves me speechless.

I'm currently reading Laura Story's book called "When God Doesn't Fix It." Mrs. Stile sent it to me and it has been such a blessing. (Which is kind of funny because Laura Story has a hit song called "blessings," but anyways..) She tells her own story about how she dealt with her husband having a brain tumor- what happened and how she handled it, both personally and spiritually. While my story is very different, there are so many things that I can relate to. She ends each chapter with a "myth" and a "truth." Basically, what she thought was true or what she previously believed, and then what she has learned or what God was teaching her. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far, the "myths" and "truths" she has talked about so far include:

Myth: Trials are a curse.
Truth: Trials are an opportunity.
She prayed "though we are on a scary new adventure and I have no idea where it will take us, I am willing to go." I believe I am your masterpiece, not because I feel it but because you say it. Though I can obsess about my deficiencies and insecurities, I know you designed me perfectly for the good works you set before me. Help me in this time of trial to follow in your footsteps, so that I may complete those works for your glory."

Myth: God's primary desire is to fix broken things.
Truth: God's primary desire is to fix my broken relationship with him.
More than healing us physically, God wants my relationship with him to be healthy. Jesus came to heal, but he doesn't always fix the broken things I want fixed. But if I allow him to, God will always heal my broken relationship with him. Understanding that doesn't lessen our desires to be healthy, but it does change everything else.

Myth: Salvation is gained by the things I do.
Truth: Salvation is gained by what Jesus did for me.
I think that's pretty self explanatory.

Myth: When things look dark, God is gone.
Truth: When things look dark, God's light shines the brightest.
My favorite thing from this chapter was when Laura was talking about James 1:2-4 ("Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.") How do you count the trials of your life as joy? She said "We all want to persevere in our faith. We want our faith to be 'perfect and complete.' But who wants to go through trials to make it happen? The problem is, perseverance doesn't come from listening to a sermon. There is no inspirational bestseller we can read that will help us plumb the depths of our faith. We don't become perfect and complete by sitting in church. We learn who he really is during the most desperate part of our trials. It's about meeting God where and when we need him most. Sure, our faith grows through reading Scripture and praying, but just as we don't know the strength of our body until we test it in a physical challenge, our faith isn't perfected until it's been tested in a spiritual challenge." She then made a comment about how all this doesn't necessarily mean that we should do cartwheels when bad things happen, but to simply hold onto God when these trials happen. It's an opportunity for us to look in the dark for those less obvious blessings and mercies of God that we might overlook in the light. When we do, God show us things that we otherwise might miss because his light is the brightest in the dark.

October 17

I could not have asked for a better turn out Saturday. We got together on Thursday of last week in order to organize everything and assemble the bags for each runner, but people were still signing up on Friday night and some people even showed up on Saturday morning to sign up in person. It was so great seeing everyone and I was overwhelmed by all the support everyone showed me. Dusty is always telling me "everyone loves you, Kel," but I really felt it that morning.

First of all, my friends, Caitlin and Christin, came in for the weekend. They drove all the way from Philly and even switched clinic shifts in order to make it. Not only was it great to be able to catch up with them, but they helped so much with the race and getting things in order for the event and our get together at the house afterwards. We were up making posters until almost midnight!

It was such a beautiful morning with the sun shining and a cool fall breeze. I spent the whole first hour at the park just greeting people and giving out like a hundred hugs, haha. All of my biggest supporters, some people I hadn't seen in a long time, and then some people I've never even met all came out. At the end of the event, people were already asking if we were planning to do it again next year. I hadn't really thought about it, but that's a great idea! I feel like even if it isn't to raise money for me or anything that I need, it would be really great to still have a "kel's fun run" to support spinal cord injuries or something like that. Wouldn't it be awesome to do it every year, making it a more well known event, and make a difference for someone else?

Dusty gave a nice opening speech (while standing on the back of a pick up truck). And I got to blow the blow horn to start both the 5K and the fun run races. Dusty pushed me and we started off the fun run, then Christin took over and pushed me the rest of the way. She was even running while pushing me so that we could be at the end of the race to greet the majority of people finishing.

John at the Butcher Station made amazing power bars and muffins. Mackintosh donated apples. And Costco gave us waters to distribute. We had a table that said "Just like the quote says, this journey is full of ups and downs. Please write a note of encouragement for Kelly to read during those 'down' times." I really hope I don't have that many bad days, but I'm glad I now have all these cards to read to turn those days around and put a smile on my face.

People were still coming up to me at the end of the race. People came out for their first 5K, a friend hadn't ran since her double knee replacement, a friend was there on his birthday, a bunch of people from my high school and college came, and a couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by running their first 5K together. A girl I knew from Bridgewater even came and brought her parents. She came up to me afterwards to tell me that she didn't want to get emotional, but felt she had to tell me about how she always looked up to me in college since I was a year ahead of her and also a biology major, but that she admired me even more now. Let me tell you, that almost made me emotional! It was so kind.

Afterwards, we had people over to our house just so we were able to talk to everyone a little more and relax. And later that afternoon, the girls and I went down to Bridgewater for the football game. It wasn't a very good game, but it was nice to take a little road trip together, show them my school, and continue to tailgate.

It was such a great and successful weekend (the even ended with a Redskins win against the Eagles!!!) And I'm so excited to say that we raised enough money for the stim bike and hopefully it'll be here by the end of the month!!!

October 13

I've had a lot of people tell me they've had dreams about me walking over the past year. I've kept a list in my phone just to keep track of it all. The messages I get from people about their dreams have been hilarious. I wrote about it a few months ago, but my favorite is the dream Molly and I had. When I was in the ICU, I woke up and Mom told me that I had to get into that stupid chair they made me get out of bed and sit in. It was back when I had absolutely no core strength or movement, so doing anything but laying in bed took a lot of my energy.  It was back when anything I did besides laying in bed was "the hardest thing I've ever done." Breathing, sitting up,  and feeding myself were all dreaded tasks. I know, something that sounds so simple and common was something I struggled with every single day. Anyways, I told Mom (more like "mouthed" it since I still hadn't regained my voice) that I wasn't getting in that chair because I was exhausted. I said I had walked around the nurses station all night with Molly and I didn't want to do anything but sleep more. She laughed and asked me what in the world I was talking about and I explained "Molly and I walked around, laughing and talking all night about how we should go back to school for physical therapy instead of optometry because they barely have to do anything." I know now that this isn't at all the case. I was only feeling that was because my PT in the ICU only visited twice a week and mostly just stopped in and left, without doing anything with me. Looking back, I realize that his job was more to teach my family how to do different exercises and to help me stretch to keep range of motion, but in my almost comatose state, I didn't realize that at the time.

Everyone just kind of laughed it off and ignored my nonsense dream until Molly called that evening. She said "you'll never believe what I dreamed about last night! We were walking around outside your hospital room and laughing about how we should have gone to PT school." Seriously. And if that wasn't crazy enough, when Molly told her mom about the dream, her mom said she had the same dream a week prior to that. Every since then, I take these dreams pretty seriously. I know some are laughable, but some really might mean something. Anyways, I've listened to everyone else's dreams but hadn't really had any of my own until recently. Last week, I dreamt that I was at the gym getting ready, and while I was in the locker room, mom went to get the car but took my wheelchair with her! I was so mad...what was I supposed to do? How was I going to get outside? I took at that frustration and WALKED out to the car, just so I could tell her how mad I was, haha. I had a gait deficit and remember thinking about how hard it was to walk out there, but I did it. Mom joked that if that's all she takes, then she's going to take away the chair next time we're at the gym and see what happens, haha.

Then, last night, I had another dream. This time, it was Dad that I was mad at (I see a trending theme here..) This one was actually the most realistic dream, too. Like I can totally see this happening. I was downstairs in my room and Dad had packed so many random things in my room that I couldn't get around in the wheelchair. He has this habit of kind of hoarding things we don't need and whenever he doesn't know where something goes, it somehow ends up in my room. It's always been like this. So, I was in my room, surrounded by all the random stuff Dad put in there, I couldn't move around, so I decided to just get up and walk around the room. It's so believable too, haha! I told Dusty he's next.

October 12

Throughout this illness, I would wake up and feel like all of this must be a dream. This past week, that has still been happening, but for a different reason. Instead of always waking up and thinking about my situation with sadness and disbelief, it has changed to a more thankful view. I'm getting daily emails, phone calls, and having people stop me everywhere I go. I've had people stop me in the locker room at the gym to ask for my address in order to send me a check or sit down at my table at lunch to talk and write out a check. To hear so many people tell me they're rooting for me or sharing their own personal stories has meant so much to me. I love meeting all of these new people that I otherwise wouldn't have met. It's the ultimate "networking."

The other day, I went to the park to do some planning for the run this Saturday. Afterwards, I met Gary Auerbach, who has a following and does live videos on Facebook. He talks to different people, goes to different places or events, and shares stories. He reached out and wanted to share my story after reading the article in the paper. I originally told Dusty he had to join me because I'm not good at those types of things! It was live and I was convinced I was either going to freeze, fumble over my own words, or worse-- be too wordy and say too much (which it totally something I'd do).

Here's a link to the video, I'm hoping it works, even for those that don't use Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/frisbeechamp/videos/10154659855212235/

In other news, the run is really coming together...almost 150 people signed up with donations still coming in! I just feel bad that we can't include everyone on the shirt since they had to be sent to the printer in order to be ready on time. Not that everyone really cares about having their name on the shirt, I just like being able to thank everyone that way. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the total number of people is that show up Saturday. I'm also really excited to see everyone- people I haven't seen since high school, people I haven't had a chance to catch up with since I got sick, and then just some of my favorite people that I love spending time with.

Since the run is only from 9-11am, we are inviting people to come to our house after for a little cookout. We figure since there are so many people coming from out of town and since we may not have time to talk to everyone, it'll be a nice opportunity to catch up. People can just bring a dish and a chair and spend the afternoon with us! It should be a really great day.

October 8

Woman Loses Mobility But Never Her Smile

Posted: October 8, 2016

By BY JACKIE PUGLISI

The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Kelly Morse has a beaming smile that welcomes everyone she meets. She is friendly, positive and upbeat. It’s an attitude she has carried for most of her life.

When an unknown illness suddenly left her almost completely paralyzed late last year, the 25 year old didn’t lose her spirit.

Everything happened in September of 2015, shortly after Morse started her last semester of optometry school at Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Elkins Park, Penn. She had just returned to her home in Philadelphia from a trip to the beach with her friends and was preparing for a Saturday clinic at school.

"[The next morning] I woke up with the worst headache that didn’t go away," Morse said. "I couldn’t break a fever."

Morse’s boyfriend, Dustin Canterbury, drove her to Winchester to be near her family and see a doctor.

During her doctor’s visit, she was sent to the emergency room at Winchester Medical Center. Within five days of her symptoms, her brain and spinal cord suffered severe swelling that left her paralyzed from the nose down. Her vocal cords were alsoparalyzed, and she couldn’t speak. She was placed on a ventilator and after five days at WMC was transferred to University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville. While there, she spent five days in the intensive care unit. She was on a ventilator for a total of 33 days and at UVA Hospital for 35.

"I don’t remember most of the month," she said.

From UVA, she moved to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Two weeks after arriving there, she started to gain back function of her vocal cords and was able to speak after two months of silence. On March 1, she moved to The International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.

To keep herself motivated, Morse created small goals for herself. She wanted to feed herself again. As her arm function returned, she was able to accomplish more, like putting in her contacts and brushing her hair. With each goal she accomplished, her confidence grew.

Doctors first thought she might have bacterial meningitis, but that was ruled out. Through process of elimination, doctors are calling her condition Acute Demyelinating Encephalomyelitis — an inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages the protective covering of nerve fibers. However, they still aren’t 100 percent sure that this is the right diagnosis.

Now home in Frederick County with her family, Morse has full sensation and movement abilities above her waist. Because her leg muscles are larger than those in the rest of her body, they will take the longest to recover.

The hardest part for Morse is not knowing when she will be able to walk again. Her doctor — Frederick Kozlowski at Winchester Internal Medicine — has told her she gains a millimeter of nerve growth a day.

"He said there are three things I need for a full recovery," she said. "Aggressive rehabilitation, patience and Vitamin P — a positive attitude."

Her mother, Nancy Morse, added that Kozlowski has been very supportive of Morse and is available if she simply is having a bad day and wants to talk.

Morse visits the Valley Health Wellness and Fitness Center on a regular basis to help build her strength. Alhough she is wheelchair-bound and unable to walk, she is strong enough to swim laps in the pool.

"When I started, it was like learning to swim all over again," she said.

She also does some weight lifting at the center.

Morse’s handicap hasn’t stopped her sense of adventure. In August, she visited Virginia Beach, where she had the opportunity to surf through Life Rolls On. The organization — founded by world champion quadriplegic surfer Jesse Billauer — gives paralyzed individuals the chance to experience the ocean through adaptive surfing. Participants lie on a surfboard and are assisted by an experienced surfer to ride the waves.

"It was the best thing ever," Morse said.

One of her goals is also to drive again. She would have to retake classes at the Department of Motor Vehicles and learn to drive with hand controls. However, she is unable to do that until she is approved for disability status, which she applied for back in early April.

Nancy said every week they see progress in Morse’s recovery.

"That’s an important part that helps keep our Vitamin P," she said.

Although Nancy wouldn’t have willingly chosen to become part of the spinal cord injury community, she said those she has met are the most positive group of people she knows.

"The patients have great, vibrant energy," she said.

Morse is a Millbrook High School graduate and attended Bridgewater College —where she met Canterbury and majored in biology. After putting her education on hold for about a year, she is back to taking classes through Pennsylvania College of Optometry. While the school does not typically offer online classes, they are working with her so she can finish her degree.

"I’m slowly easing back into it," she said. "I’m taking two classes right now. I’m impressed with how accommodating they’ve been."

"I wanted to be an optometrist since third grade," Morse said. "When I got my first pair of glasses, I left the office and I could see the leaves on the trees. I said, if I can do that for people every day, then I want to be an optometrist."

Nancy and Morse are overwhelmed by the amount of support shown by friends, family and strangers. Nancy and Morse’s father, Scott, and brother, James, stayed in a hotel room while Morse was at UVA Hospital.

"We never saw a hotel bill," Nancy said. "I’m not sure where the payment came from. People did unbelievable things for us. It was an unbelievable outpouring of love."

Food was delivered to the Morse’s home by family and friends. Someone also paid the family’s electric bill for one month. Morse received more than 600 cards, letters and electronic cards from professors, classmates, family and people who had never met her before but knew her story. She also received many visits while in the hospital and in rehabilitation.

Morse still talks to the patients and doctors she has met through her journey. She keeps a blog detailing her progress at www.kellymorsesjourney1.blogspot.com. It is also a coping mechanism. People she has never met have reached out to her through the blog to share stories similar to her own.

Canterbury was also very supportive. Morse went on a ventilator on the couple’s three-year anniversary. He slept in the ICU when Morse was at UVA Hospital.

Now, her boyfriend takes her out as much as he can to events like concerts and the fair to help keep her life as normal as possible.

"Kelly has always been pretty positive," Nancy said. "[When this started], she couldn’t talk, but she didn’t lose her smile."

To continue her rehabilitation efforts at home, Morse needs equipment not covered by her insurance company. An electrical stimulation bike uses electrodes that are placed on different muscle groups for stimulation. The bike can be used to fire muscles in the right order to simulate walking. The machine will help Morse to strengthen her legs and prepare them for walking. It usually costs around $24,000.

A standing frame, with a cost of $6,000, is meant to prevent bone loss. Morse will be able to use it to stand in and re-train her muscles to be in an upright position. It also helps with weight bearing.

To help pay for the equipment, Canterbury and his family are planning a fun run for Morse. A 5K fundraiser named Kel’s Fun Run will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 15 at the Clarke County Parks and Recreation trail. Registration is $30 per person and includes a T-shirt. To register, visit www.runsignup.com/Race/VA/Berryville/KelsFunRun. Prizes for the 5K include $75 for first place, a $50 gift card for second and a $25 gift card for third place.

A Christmas Bizarre is also slated for 9 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 12 at White House Event Center at 550 Fairmont Ave. One hundred percent of the proceeds from both events will go toward Morse’s equipment.

— Contact Jackie Puglisi at jpuglisi@winchesterstar.com

Follow on Twitter @LifeWinStar

And here are the pictures that were included in the article:

I thought I had support before, but after the article in the Winchester Star this morning, I'm even more amazed. People have messaged me, commented on my blog, and stopped my family and me in public. They're sharing similar stories, offering support, and giving advices or possible resources that I can look into to get the help I need. I laughed about being worried about the photos that might appear in the article and even had a Facebook post that day saying that I better put something on other than my workout clothes that I practically live in these days. Well, I'm glad I changed because there were three photos in the paper and they were great!

Jackie Puglisi wrote a great article and I'm still so honored she reached out to me in order to do it. Even I have a hard time keeping the order of everything happened straight or the number of days different things happened, but it was a perfect recount of the events of the past year. I'm praying that because of this story, more people will be aware of different things that go along with paralysis and when reading my blog, the public will take more notice in things that wheelchair users encounter and the fact that just because something is "ADA compliant" doesn't mean it's necessarily accessible. ADA also encompasses the blind and deaf, so it doesn't always meet wheelchair standards.

I say all the time how I've studied science and been around the medical field my whole life. I studied it in school, worked in various offices, and even saw my own patients, but I never recall hearing the term "spinal cord injury." I knew what paralysis was, obviously knew people in wheelchairs, but I was still so clueless and didn't even know. I know God is using my story for something. I know there's a purpose and while I may not know the extent of it, I feel like at least part of it is to spread awareness.

October 4

Every day, I'm amazed by the outpouring of love and support I encounter. Over 75 people are signed up for the run and the amount of money in sponsorships makes me feel like the goal of getting my equipment is actually attainable. Instead of the daunting number of over $25,000, it seems more like just a few more stepping stones. Just a little more support and we'll be there, like I actually think it's going to happen! I'm anxious about the run, too, because not only will I be able to thank everyone for all they've done to make it possible, but I'm also going to be able to see people I may not have even seen since I got sick. It's a little nerve-wrecking, but also exciting. And I'm really thinking about the concept of doing a "run" for all of this...what I wouldn't give to be next to everyone at that starting line and able to push myself of that same track that Dusty and I have ran together so many times. I hope people won't be taking that for granted when they go out there on the 15th. I hope instead of feeling sorry for me or anything like that, they will instead feel motivated and willing to push themselves. For the simple reason that they're actually able to.

Speaking of the run, I got an unexpected phone call the other day. It was a writer from local newspaper, the Winchester Star. The woman had seen my flyer and wanted to interview me about my story and hopefully promote the run. I'm really hoping it gets the word out even more. The woman sat in the living room and talked to me for over an hour about my experiences this past year (all the while, her photographer shot photographs...I'm hoping they're good photos and not just of me mid sentence with my mouth wide open, haha). As she went to leave, she said to look for the story in the Saturday paper. The Saturday paper?! That's kind of a big deal! But until I see the story and the picture, I don't want to tell everyone to watch for it, haha.