There was a summer in my young adult season of life where I lived on Kejick Bay, a small island in Northwestern Ontario. We would walk to an area known as high beach which at the top was an amazing view, at the bottom was the lake. Separating the two was a very long and steep hill of sand. Going down was easy, climbing back up was a workout. I remember the first time starting off thinking “this isn’t so bad” only to learn walking uphill, in sand,  is no easy feat and the top was feeling like a long way off especially since every step took great effort and we slid back a step for every two we took. Progress was slow and it felt like we weren’t making any but eventually when we stopped and looked back we could see we were actually getting somewhere. Finally with burning legs we reached the top. One step at a time. This visual is how our last month has felt in our family.  Ayla was at a plateau, there was not regression, nor was there obvious progress if we just looked at life the in the moment. When we could look at the long term past two months yes, she has come a long ways. Physically she has gotten very independent again. She now has times where her legs get stiff & weak even shaking but no longer does she have complete immobility in her legs & back. Immune system has definitely been compromised in all of this and she has dealt with several times of sickness. Two weeks ago we saw a shift in her and more progress than we had seen in a long time. More energy and in a more stable place emotionally as well. This was so encouraging for all of us! Ayla has always been quick witted and free spirited and seeing her have outbursts and emotional meltdowns very out of character for her has been a painful piece to watch and walk with her in. She is much happier and herself again. The biggest change I saw was in her eyes. They are getting the warm Ayla sparkle back she is beautiful. I had not noticed this until it was mentioned but her therapist noted how her skin color is looking so much better. Healing is happening in her heart & in her brain and it just cannot be hidden.