Hello everyone…today is 10 months since AK’s accident.  It seems like this day of the month comes around faster with each passing month.  Our days and weeks are measured by our activities which consist of our schedule of taking care of AK’s daily needs and attending school and therapy sessions.  The days and nights are long for us all, and we are always exhausted by the weekend.  However, we have settled into this new normal. 

AK will be hitting another milestone in her life as she will graduate in just a few weeks.  It’s hard to believe that this little girl that we brought home from Ukraine 17 years ago has reached this point in her life.  We are so proud of how hard she has worked over the years to accomplish this achievement as an “A” student, even while training to become an accomplished athlete and musician.  She has an incredible determination and work ethic that has, and continues to serve her well on this life journey.  

We are continuing to see gains at both her PT and OT sessions.  Most noticeably over the last few weeks we have seen continued increases in her shoulder strength and flexibility.  Her range of motion has also increased due to all the different strengthening exercises that her therapists continue to introduce in her sessions.  Her core strength has also improved, and her ability to be able to support herself while sitting up has increased dramatically.  

You can also see her improvement during her pool sessions, since her movements seem to be more controlled than they were just a few weeks ago.  We continue to see improvements in her ability to move her hips from side to side in various positions.  Her triceps continue to show signs of getting stronger as well; especially during her extension against the stainless steel bar that her hands are wrapped to.  

The therapists are also continuing to use electrodes during various exercises in order to help wake up the neuromuscular signals in the areas that have been slower to respond.  The good news is that we are indeed seeing responses, and in typical fashion these responses are slow to emerge at first.  But we have learned that this is normal for a spinal cord injury, and is part of the rehabilitation process.  

We are grateful for those in her life who have continued to walk with her on this journey.  She recently had a couple of her teammates attend an OT session and got to see firsthand how hard she works during these sessions.  We know it doesn’t surprise them, since they witnessed it in the gym each day during her practices. She has also kept in touch with friends that she made at Shepherd Center.  

One of those unlikely friendships was forged between two kindred spirits.  Captain David McBrayer, a Dekalb County fire chief who was injured in a car wreck around the same time that AK was injured.  These two became very good friends; always encouraging one another and sharing stories of faith.  He posted a pic on his Facebook page this past week that we wanted to share.  They both have that incredible positive spirit and work ethic that is needed in order to overcome an injury like this.  They also have a strong belief that God has a plan and purpose for their lives, and they are determined to fulfill that plan moving forward.  

Thank you so much for continuing to remember her during your prayer time with our God.  We ask for continued prayers for her triceps and her hands.  For continued improvement in her core and her quadricep muscles in her legs.  We haven’t had any indication that she has had any hamstring contractions yet; so we ask for continued prayer that they might also be restored moving forward.  We certainly know and believe that God can continue to heal and restore her body if it’s in his will to do so.  We ask that you pray for us as well; for continued patience and endurance since this is an incredibly slow process to witness each day.  Blessings to you all!