Today I sat outside...the sun shinning down on my face. I soaked in the rays of the sun and just allowed myself to be in the present. I didn’t think about the past or the future. I wanted to remember this season. A season of struggle with so much love, support, giving and good. Every high and every low. You see they remind of who I am. There is so much good and I’m choosing joy. No cheeky Red Devils here. Sure there are a ton of things to get me down but with God by my side, how could I not be moved. Let this be my testimony that there is good, no great, all around us. We really just need to see it. Really see it. So stop. Stand there. Breathe in all the things that you are grateful for in this life.



So what exactly does my day look like? Well I’m here to tell you that I went from full independence to complete dependence. I’m on severe bedrest for 22 hours of the day. I get turned every three hours to prevent pressure sore from forming. This happens all day and night. I wear a TLSO back brace (aka turtle shell) all day and get a break when I’m sleeping. It hurts. Point blank. Having a brace that cuts into your pits and does not allow you to bend or twist is uncomfortable but also needed to make sure my back will not break. It’s at a fragile point right now and there is no turning back. Dr. C took all my discs from T5-L2 and replaced them with artificial discs and then added another set of titanium rod along side my already installed rod which are used to stabilize my entire spine.



Through the daily struggles of simple things like reaching for water inches away or having to be dressed, I’ve learned that I love laughing. A lot.



I have complete assistance when getting up for about two hours of the day. Dr. C is very conservative, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My health is something sacred to me these days. I’ve found ways to pass the time. If you know anything about me, it’s that I have a love for knitting and crocheting. Although sometimes hard to do when laying on your side and not getting bound up by the yarn, I’m making it work.



When life sucks you under and swallows you up whole, you have to kick back , hit the bottom, surface and breathe again. Take a deep breath and exhale.



What I’ve learned Throughout The face of this challenge is that I can choose joy. It’s the hard days that have challenged who I am. I’ve been given the gift of grace and I don’t take it for granted.



All I can do is make the best decision I can at any given time with the resources I have. So while this road right now feels bumpy and scary as hell, I know I will look back on it at some point with the beauty of hindsight and see the aw-inspiring, God provoked lesson in it. I do know that I am strong enough to ride it out and come out the other side even if I might get some cuts and bruises along the way. I believe we get stronger at the broken places. So this is me being honest, struggling, reaching out. Progress not perfection, right.



I’m blessed to be surrounded by deeply empathetic people. I feel all your prayers and I’m grateful from the depth of my heart and soul for all of you. I am so thankful for the patience my family has had with me as I work through this difficult process.



Psalm 65:5 says, You are the hope of everyone on earth. So thankful that Jesus is Our hope. Life can get messy, but the one thing I know is Jesus is where our hope is found. You’ve gotta have hope to cope.







My heart is His.







Living Brave,



Amanda Trei and Family







“Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.”



Psalm 97:11







#Godhasmyback #schoolfamiliesrock #liveabovetheline #ichoosejoy #mayoclinicmn #faith>fear #hopetocope
#teamtrei


#t5-l2fusion&discreplacement



#charotspinaljointdiease