The Newest

I have had a difficult time writing these last few days. The transition to the new facility has been really rough and I only want to write about the happy things. I know that every good story has its element of drama and opposition but I don't want to burden those who are following with the details.

Suffice it to say that, I am deeply committed to helping Maddi get whatever she needs to have a great recovery! Insurance companies reluctantly pay for life saving needs and pretty much deny any quality of life recovery needs. I had to let this facility know that the insurance will not be dictating what her recovery looks like. This has been a three day affair and it will be an ongoing battle for me. Being able to control your own muscles is not a luxury!

On to the happy news; Maddi walked across the room today. Of course, we were supporting her trunk but she picked up her feet and moved each leg all on her own! This impressed the Physical Therapists. Prior to my setting the ground rules, I felt like they had the mistaken impression that Maddi only needed basic range of motion therapy.

Today, she also threw a ball and handed a tennis ball to the therapists many times in the same way. That may not sound like much but when you consider that she had to hold the ball with a good grip and turn her hand over to hand it to the therapists, that makes it a pretty complicated move! She is doing so well! She also sat completely upright for more than 15 minutes in her chair with pretty good head and neck control. She is making her desires known and they make a lot of sense as well.

Needless to say, the fight we are fighting is now quality of life. According to her diagnosis she shouldn't be able to do most of what she is doing. I know the reason for her great responses; the prayers and faith of the many, many people praying on her behalf. Thank you! We know that her rapid relearning is a direct relationship to a loving Heavenly Father and loving caring people.

We are also so amazed at the generosity shown to us right now. The windows of heaven have been pouring down on us during this time. That has helped me in my fight for the therapy Maddison needs. It felt so good to say to this facility that if the insurance won't pay for enough physical therapy, we would write out a check for the additional time. I could only say that because of the generosity shown by all of you! Every minute of therapy is more recovery she is able to have, so metaphorically every penny counts as one of those minutes!

Please know of our gratitude and desire to "pay this forward" for someone else in need! Words alone cannot even express how we feel in our hearts, hopefully our actions can be a reflection of that gratitude each day as we try to make a difference with others around us.