In March, Chris and his girlfriend Miranda took some time to get outside and try to make the most of what was left of the winter. They went hiking at Minnehaha Falls and WoodLake Nature Center. Chris was able to get around pretty well in the snow in just his stubbies! He then had a PT appointment at Courage Kenny with his “loaner” prosthetics, where he practiced walking with arm crutches and trying out stairs for the first time. After this appointment he decided to leave Courage Kenny because there wasn’t much that he couldn’t teach himself on his own. Later in March, he got his “forever” wheelchair that is much smaller and lighter in weight and disassembles, making it easier for transportation purposes. He finished up the winter with a few more ice fishing trips 😊 

 

Moving into April, Chris continued to practice on his “loaner” prosthetic legs and had some adjustments made as his legs continued to shrink in size. He also started his driving class and passed his drivers test! Mid-April, Chris had a final fitting for HIS prosthetics and he was able to customize the sockets! He left the prosthetic place that day with his brand new legs! He wore them for 12 hours the next day with the help of his arm crutches. The crutches lasted about 3 days before Chris decided that he didn’t want to use them because they got in the way more than anything- haha! We were able to go out of town- Chris, Miranda, my husband Josh and I, to Milwaukee for a weekend for the Morgan Wallen concert! Chris was a bit nervous being in a bigger crowd, but did great! He used his wheelchair just to be sure no one knocked him over.

Lately, Chris has just been practicing walking (using no crutches or anything!), and adjusting to his new prosthetics! He has been practicing walking on grass, gravel, up and down hills. He has taken a handful of falls, but he is always eager to get right back up and keep trying! 

More recently, his truck has been approved by work comp to have the modifications done to it so he can start driving again! He will get running boards and hand controls installed to make it more accessible for him.

And most recently, Chris had a doctors appointment to discuss his progress. His doctor suggested that Chris start PT at their facility. They have a harness system that will hold Chris up as he practices his walking indoors and outdoors. This system will be able to sense when Chris is about to fall and it will actually catch him. So he will be able to feel more comfortable trying new things. Chris sounded very eager to get back into PT and to continue progressing! 

 

As always, thank you to everyone who continues to ask us about Chris and how he has been doing! Thank you for being patient for me to post this update! We couldn’t be more proud of Chris and the progress he has made in the last 7 months! God has big, big plans for him! 

Continued thoughts and prayers are always appreciated! ❤️

Love, Katie