One hell of a ride

Two years ago today our family started on a journey that we were totally unprepared to embark on.  Most journeys that we have taken as a family begin with me (the mom) doing a ton of research so we know everything that we need to know to have a safe and enjoyable trip.  This "trip" began without any notification and absolutely no preparation on my part.

Let me back up...August 29, 2015, Kelly called me to tell me that she wasn't feeling well.  Nurses are known for being hard on their children when they are ill.  I'm not an exception to that!  I even made James pitch a game with a broken arm that I was sure he was being over dramatic about.  Therefore, when Kelly called with complaints of fever, aching and headache I told her to go to bed and she'd be fine in the morning.  It took 3 days for me to become alarmed that something may be going on that she needed to be seen by a doctor for.  Surely it was just a bug that might require some antibiotics or flu medicine to cure.  I had NO IDEA!

I watched my husband cry out of frustration that he couldn't save his little girl.  I saw my son punch walls because he was so angry that she had to go through this.  I stood in awe of the love that Dusty showed her as he played pandora for her all night so she wouldn't wake up afraid.  I stayed awake at night so afraid that her life could end at any moment.  This wasn't a journey that I was ready to take.

Two years ago today, Kelly crashed in the ICU of Winchester Medical Center and was sent to UVA for treatment of what would later be identified as ADEM (Acute Disseminating Encephelo Myelitis), an auto immune response to a virus that was most likely caused by a mosquito.  Her brain, spinal cord and every other nerve in her body was attacked by her own immune system leaving her paralyzed from the nose down.

She has since made amazing progress and is currently living independently in Philadelphia while she finishes her dream of becoming an optometrist.  She hit a speed bump (disguised as a mountain) and plugged forward to get where she needed to be.

There were days that I wondered why she/we had to go through this.  What good could possible come of such a horrific experience?  Why my daughter?

I don't have answers to those questions, but I do know that most people would not have handled these past two years with as much grace and determination as Kelly has.  Most people wouldn't have had the ability to make friends with people all over the world and encourage them in their circumstances while fighting her own battles.  Kelly has an unbelievable way of making people feel like they have known her for a lifetime.  She has "gathered" some remarkable people over her lifetime.

This wasn't a journey that we chose to embark on, but it is a journey that I learned to be thankful for.  I look back and I am overwhelmed at how far Kelly has come, but I am also overwhelmed at how much we have all grown.  I would never choose this for any of us, but I am able to see some of the good things that have come out of it.  Don't get me wrong...I would give up anything to go back 2 years and slap that damn mosquito!

We have met some of the most incredible people.  Therapists, Doctors, Friends, other patients, SCI (spinal cord injury) survivors, volunteers, nurses, etc....I can't even list them all!

Kelly is still Kelly.  Driven, focused, friendly, energetic, did I say driven...she just gets places on wheels instead of on feet.  She won't let something like her legs not moving stop her from getting where she wants to go.

I think, if someone asked me "why did this have to happen to her" my answer would be simply, because she has the ability to make the most of it.  She has and will continue to make a difference in the SCI community.  She will make most of us think twice about complaining about a sore back or an ingrown toenail.  She will fight for people with disabilities to be heard in a world that isn't equipped to handle all their needs.  Kelly will make an impact on the world because she will not fade into the background.  No, she will speak out and stand tall for all to see where she has been and where she is going.

The last two years have been one hell of a ride, but I am so thankful for those that rode the waves beside us.  I'm even more thankful for all of those that helped us tread water when we were drowning.  Mostly, I am thankful that I am the mom to this beautiful girl that won't let anything get in the way of her dreams.