Happy New Year! I am a few weeks behind. But, I wanted to give one final CaringBridge update as promised. We can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done to serve our family over the recent months. Your prayers, texts, calls, meals, visits, etc. will not be forgotten. We are so thankful and we have felt so loved and supported. 

As for Hayden, he is doing well! He finished out his fall semester remotely and we can’t offer enough thanks to his school, Christian Academy of Knoxville, for how they worked with Hayden during this time. But, as of last week, Hayden has now returned to attending school in person for the winter/spring semester! In addition, he is actually driving himself to school! Hayden got his driver’s license just a couple days before we left for NYC for his last surgery this fall. But, after surgery, he had to wait 3 months to get back behind the wheel and then we gave him a few more weeks of getting re-acclimated with driving. This is a big deal for him obviously. But, there are lots of other “common tasks” that he’s been able to gradually re-introduce back into his life, which is so awesome!

Hayden’s back is recovering slowly but surely. His mobility is increasing, but he is far from where he once was. Although he has returned to school, he still has a long way to go in building his body back to play baseball. He attends practice every day with his teammates at CAK and just does what he can to help the coaches and his teammates get ready for the spring season. Along with physical therapy, he's working hard on his own to get back to where he once was and beyond. But, it's definitely going to take a while. 

Through all of this, baseball remains important to Hayden. But, he also understands there are much bigger things in life. We'll see how his body progresses and just take it a day at a time. For now, though, he's focused on getting healthy and enjoying time again with his friends and teammates!

Above all, we’re just really proud of Hayden. He has grown and matured so much this past year. I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone. But, I can also say that we are truly thankful for how these events are clearly shaping Hayden into a remarkable young man. I know we’re biased, but we really believe it! We also truly believe all of this had a purpose. And we have all tried our best to steward it and we’ll continue to do so! 

Again, we love you! We’re eager to see what God has in store for 2023 and the rest of Hayden’s journey! And, finally, … if you ever know of anyone who is walking a similar path, please point them our way! We’d be honored to be of whatever help we can be by sharing what we’ve learned and experienced.