Hey Team Lange, it&#39;s been a while! 
In some ways, September 30th, 2017 feels like a lifetime ago; in others, it feels like yesterday. So much has changed over the last five years. As a family, we have experienced moments of immense growth, happiness, loss, strength, laughter, pain, and everything in between. To say it has been an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement. But we were never, not for one moment, alone. We had each other and the support of everyone we knew - even the support of people we didn&#39;t know through the power of sharing and compassion. We had a community that showed up for us in ways that are still hard to comprehend. I know I can speak for my entire family, both immediate and extended, when I say: we feel just as grateful for that support now as we did then. 
I could update you on the Lange family&#39;s life events, but instead of writing about them, I made this video to show you what we&#39;ve been up to as a family. I also wanted to showcase the unbelievable (yet so believable) progress that Kevin has made since his injury. One of the most incredible things about going through a family tragedy is seeing how much love people have to offer. It makes something feel less like a tragedy and more like an opportunity to embrace hope. As we all do, I experienced the last five years through my own lens. I wrote these posts sharing my thoughts as I processed what we were going through, and it was so encouraging to know that you all read this blog. The kind words that followed each post inspired me to stay positive and hopeful. I read every comment, and they all meant so much to me. 
Over these last few years, I have witnessed the people in my life empower the best versions of themselves in the face of their most challenging moments. Looking back, I see how much I learned from them, and I am in awe of their strength. Much like my one-year post, when I began writing a five-year post, I didn&#39;t know where to begin. I just started writing what came to me, and it unintentionally turned into one big love letter to my family. So bare with me and my emotional pregnancy hormones as I go on and on about them.
My grandparents, Paul and Diane, had to experience every parent&#39;s worst nightmare. Still, they remained selfless and kept their composure for the sake of their family. I can still picture my Grandma, who was taken from us too soon, knitting me a purple pot holder in the lobby of Dartmouth Hitchcock hospital. Despite the unimaginable pain and fear that she and my Grandpa must have felt, they were a pillar of stability for all of us. They put everyone else before themselves, as they did their whole life. My Grandpa, by example, taught his family to always find the silver lining. He has shown unimaginable resolve in the last five years. I am continuously amazed at his positivity (as well as his golf swing and his knack for technology - specifically his frequent DM’s on instagram of funny videos). His presence always brings joy and laughter. My Grandma is undoubtedly smiling down at him, as we all are when he is around. We all miss her every day, and keep her memory alive by living our lives the way she did hers - on the bright side. 
When Andrew and I began dating in 2012, my twenty-year-old self would have the typical cheesy daydreams of our future. Those daydreams never included Andrew driving me back and forth to a hospital in New Hampshire, helping my Mom pack up my childhood home before we moved, or having him sign up as a caregiver for my Dad. But nonetheless, those moments meant just as much to me. As we all sat in the waiting room that first night in the hospital, my Mom thanked Andrew for being there with my family. He looked at her and said, &#34;Christina, this is my family too. There is nowhere else I would be.&#34; I do not have enough words to express the level of love and support he gives not just to me but to all of us. Over the years, he has never wavered in his commitment and has shown how much he meant what he said that day. Andrew isn&#39;t just an in-law, he has become integral to who we are as a family. I cannot fathom what my life would look like today without him, and I feel so thankful to have him as my teammate. As we prepare for the arrival of our first child in March, I feel calm because of him. This baby will have the kind of Dad who always puts family first, has the best laugh, is the most generous, and simply makes everything better.
My brothers stepped up for our family over the last five years in more ways than I can count. Not living at 35 Clark was difficult for me, but knowing that Alex and Matt were there eased that pain. While they are deserving of their own paragraphs, because I love them as individuals, they equally put my family first and supported my parents. Together they became the glue that kept my family intact - helping my Mom around the house, Matt cooking my grandma’s favorite recipes for my Dad, Alex picking up Dad’s favorite smoothie on his way home from work, taking turns driving me back to the train station after a late night visit, becoming caretakers when my Dad needed them…the list could go on forever. But they were also keeping me sane through it all. You can pick your friends, but you can&#39;t pick your siblings. Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with them. Spending your childhood together bonds people in ways that you weren&#39;t even aware of as a kid, but going through what we did as a family showed me just how lucky I am to have my brothers. Alex and Matt are my &#34;stuck with them forever&#34; siblings but they’re also my chosen friends. These last five years included some of my most significant life events, and my brothers have always been there to cheer me on. They’re going to make the most incredible uncles, teaching my kids all of the things I can’t and no doubt making fun of me incessantly. I don&#39;t say it to them enough, but being their sister means the absolute world to me. I am unbelievably proud of the men they have grown up to be - caring, funny, strong, and selfless. Like the glue they are to our family, whether they like it or not, they&#39;re stuck with me too. 
Not just in the last five years, but especially so, my Mom Christina has shown me how to be strong when the world doesn&#39;t stop for your pain. We’ve joked that she is the energizer bunny because she is always on the move. Have you ever seen her sit down for more than 5 minutes? She has and always will be a mover and a shaker. She is the driving force behind every success and accomplishment my family has had these last five years. My Mom had every reason to cave into the fear and sadness of that awful day, but she never did. Much like myself, I know she daydreamed of what her and my Dad&#39;s life would look like in the early days of their relationship. But that is the thing about daydreams; they are not predictors of the future. There are no guarantees. Going into my own marriage, I had already learned from witnessing my parent&#39;s relationship that you need to mean it when you say &#34;in sickness and in health.&#34; You have to be willing to face whatever life throws at you as a team. I have seen genuine commitment and love through my parents&#39; marriage, which celebrated 35 years this past April. I watched as my Mom had to adjust every aspect of her life. She energizer bunny&#39;d her way through obstacles that would have made most people sit down and quit. She never gave up on my Dad, our family, or herself. My Mom has made the absolute best lemonade with the lemons that the world gave her on 9/30/17. I am so proud of who she is as a person, a wife, and a mother. If my brothers are the glue, she is the foundation…and the beams, the studs, the walls, the roof… you get the point. Simply put, we would fall apart without her. Thank you for everything, Mom. As a family, we see you, appreciate you, and love you so much.
And then there is Kevin. I told my friends once that the only way to describe my Dad&#39;s attitude is that he &#34;lives in the light.&#34; And to this day, I have never found a better way to describe his outlook. He is an eternal optimist, whis is not surprising, given who raised him. Not many people I know would handle the cards he was dealt the way he has, and I am in constant awe of his positivity. He never dwells on the negative. Instead of seeing what he can&#39;t do, he thinks about what he can do. His motivation, dedication, and drive are unmatched. I don&#39;t know anyone with as much patience and resilience as my Dad. When we were kids, he always joked that he had the strength of ten men, but he really does. I can still recall how he made us laugh in the hours after his accident. We were in the ER, surrounded by uncertainty, yet he was making us update him on how his fantasy football league was doing. Months later, he told me that during that time in the ER, he thought he was going to die. I remember the quiet fear that hung in the air that day, all of us worrying about the same outcomes but unable to speak them out loud. But because it is the Kevin Lange way, in that hospital room with him, we all stayed positive. He made sure we felt like everything was going to be okay even when he believed in his darkest moments that it wasn&#39;t. He kept us laughing and was as selfless as his parents. 
But here we are after successful surgeries, rehab, constant workouts, and endless grit, looking back on the immeasurable progress that he has made. From water skiing, snow skiing, bowling, Mountain Trike riding, swimming, ladder golf playing, and so much more, Kevin has shown us that there is no holding him back. He is the definition of a true fighter, constantly trying to better himself. I could brag about my Dad’s progress forever. He is an inspiration and a hero to me and everyone who knows him, and I don&#39;t have the words to express how grateful I am to be his daughter. 
I&#39;ve rambled a lot because I have so much to say about the people I love. And there are so many more people that I could go on about! What you&#39;ve all done for my family - every gesture, text, call, hug, and extension of love - has gotten us through some of the most challenging years of our lives. You helped us take a family tragedy and turn it into a triumph. What a gift it is to have so many people that I could write paragraphs about. 
We will constantly be adjusting to the new normal. But there is only going forward, no going back. And if the last five years have shown me anything, it is that people and relationships are what make life worth living. You all, the people who mean so much to my family, are such a massive part of our lives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for my family. Thank you for sticking with us for the last five years. And if you made it to the end of this too-long post, thank you for reading it! Being a part of Team Lange goes both ways, and I hope you all know that we will always be there for you the way you were there for us. 
Until next time, whenever that may be and with so much love,
Liz<a href="https://youtu.be/EWSrr1iIg34" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/EWSrr1iIg34</a>

Kevin Lange

Update: 5 Years Later... – by Elizabeth Lange