Hello family & friends of Brooklyn! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I have updated this site...shame on me?! First of all I wanted to ask for prayers for B right now as she is currently in surgery to address several issues she's been having with her bad leg. This surgery will correct a 13 degree difference in her stance, because basically her bones have healed "knock-kneed". We've also figured out that her right leg is over an inch shorter than her left. Both of these issues (along with lots of arthritis in the knee) have been causing her a lot of pain over the past few months. She is in good hands with her surgeon, Dr. Dahl, who literally invented some of the technology he'll be using to lengthen her bone over the next few months. He will fix both of those issues with an internal fixator that uses a magnet to gradually lengthen the bone & an osteotomy to straighten her bones. He will be replacing the huge rod she has from her hip to her knee with this high-tech system. It's amazing what these doctors can do! 

Just a quick update over the last year.... She's had 3 more surgeries to "fine tune" her knee & foot since I last posted. She has done amazingly well with all of them, of course, with her grit & determination. We got rid of all her "apparatus", including: hospital bed in our living room, wheelchair, crutches, etc. Yay hooray! She has continued with her physical therapy & absolutely loves her therapists. So much so, that she has decided to go back to college to become a PTA (physical therapy assistant)! She wants to bring hope & healing to others in her situation by helping them with their PT. She knows exactly just how much it will hurt, how it can be frustrating & how long it can take. She will be the BEST PTA ever!😊 She started attending St. Kate's in St. Paul in early Feb. & will be done in about 2 yrs. She is doing awesome & loves her professors, who are very understanding about her physical limitations & her surgery. She's acing her classes thus far & we couldn't be more proud of her❤️ It will be difficult for her the next few months as she will be on crutches for 3-4 months, but she is determined! 

 I think I may have mentioned in my last journal that we went as a family to meet the rest of the EMTs, firefighters & anyone else involved with saving her life the night of her accident at the St. James Fire Station last Spring. Those people  hold a special place in all our hearts & always will, eternally. B loves to hike & the family went hiking up on the North shore of MN the weekend of her accident. She also celebrated a huge milestone & got her one year of sobriety medallion on top of a mountain there❤️🏵 She has an amazing sponsor & attends meeting with a group of about 14 young women in her situation who have become very close friends. We took a trip to Costa Rica in January to celebrate her "one year of life" (as it's rainy season there in the fall, we postponed until New Year's Eve). We had an amazing trip where B swam every day in the ocean to watch the sunset, saw lots of monkeys & sloths & she even did a short zip line?! I highly recommend Costa Rica as a destination...the people are as warm & sunny as the weather.

Brooklyn is loving life & moving forward in so many ways. She loves to bike, hike, swim, walk, ice skate & dance. She will be snowboarding next winter, for sure! She continues to amaze those around her with her positive outlook on life & she always lights up a room with her smile when she enters. We thank God every day for saving her life & helping her through her long recovery. Thanks again for your prayers...she feels them all. She told us that! God bless🙏🏼❤️