Hello everyone! We are nearing the 5-year mark with Ahnna so I thought it would be nice if I gave an update!

Our medical journey has been at a stand still but Ahnna is still progressing!! We are so amazed by what she can accomplish with only half a side functioning normally. She will be 5, March 19 and can now put on her own socks and shoes, take off her own clothes and put some dresses back on. She can also put a lot of her jackets on by herself.  She tells herself as she struggles into something, “I can do this!” over and over until she accomplishes the task. She has a brace for her hand that she wears some. (Should more than she does😬.) She did have a leg brace but has outgrown it.  She loves learning and is so smart! Recently I started doing some homeschooling with her and I plan to do a kindergarten course at home before she starts kindergarten just to give her as much of a boost as possible. I don’t know that she will struggle in school, but I want to give her every chance to succeed. I am finding out I would not be a good kindergarten teacher🤭  

Anyway, for the medical stuff now. I’ve done a lot more research on Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy. So many scary unknowns. I read that these children can have pain or uncomfortable tingling on their affected side. Several times a week she does complain about leg pain. In those times, I give her ibuprofen and a massage and that seems to help! 

Also, it’s not IF she would have seizures someday, it’s WHEN and most have some sort of learning difficulties. And so on and so forth. But, we trust and serve a mighty God. He knows all of my mama fears. He also loves Ahnna more than I ever could and wouldn’t leave her on her own. 

Last year, we were dropped by Sooner Care. That was such a big let down! Now what?!? She needs so much yet as far as doctors go! I had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about what we would do! We missed all of our yearly appointments and quit therapy. I tried for another type of state aid but “we need a list of all expenses.” I don’t have any medical expenses! Everything has been paid for up until now. So…on to CHA we go!! This Thursday, I have an appointment with her PCP to renew all referrals. We will have a lot of out of pocket even after CHA pays, but we refuse to go another year without getting Ahnna to her cardiologist, neurologist, physiatrist, ophthalmologist, and therapists. The Lord gave us Ahnna as a precious gift and He won’t leave us now. He has a plan in all this and I am learning to trust Him even in the financial part of Ahnna’s journey. 

I am currently trying to get her on disability. If I can do that, all of her medical will be paid for, but it’s a lot of wait and see. We are hoping though, for a positive outcome!🙏🏻

Since my last post, we moved to Goltry, OK. That means a lot more driving for me/us. It’s about 2.5 hrs to all appointments. So please keep us in your prayers as we travel the big roads. Recently we made a trip to NC in the truck (Chris is a trucker now) and I was reminded how slow paced everything is in Midwest Oklahoma. So, although we have less busy roads than some places in the US, we still covet your prayers. 

Once we have had all of our yearly appointments, I will post again. Thank you for caring and praying!

May God bless you all~

Chris, Natalia, Ahnna, and Seth