Hello everyone still following Shelby's progress. I write this entry as the final post to give everyone a status report- but to mostly thank all of you followers and supporters for your interest, prayers, help and devotion to Shelby and her recovery efforts.

A little over 2 years ago Shelby's life was changed in the flash of an instant. She woke up to family knocking on the door trying to get in to help her- followed by an ambulance ride to the hospital and emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on her spinal chord- right at jaw-level (C3 for those who know these things).  She also had a massive bruise on her right eye which was swollen shut and getting blacker by the hour. Surgery was done at 3:30am by Dr. Krass in Kalispell, while I waited alone in the waiting area at the hospital.  Longest night of my life thus far.  Thankfully the surgery "worked" and the pressure on Shelby's spinal chord was relieved. Now comes the hard part. Recovery.  The great unknown.

Hospital flight to Denver to Craig Hospital happened on June 4, and we stayed at Craig for nearly 3 months. It was there where we learned about our new life, new reality. Surrounded by people battling similar realities we were educated and trained in managing a life with spinal chord and brain injury. How to do everything. And I mean everything. I worked in a hospital growing up and I can say that nothing prepares you for what you see and experience at a place like Craig Hospital.  You quickly realize that your entire lives are turned upside down. Potentially forever changed. Nothing is taken for granted. Any and every movement is celebrated.  Sobering doesn't cover it.  Shovel in the forehead might come close.

At Craig no one tells you that "you will be OK", or "you are ahead of plan, or on track...". They only say to keep working. Every injury is different and every recovery is unique. Some recover and some don't. A C-3 level injury is devastating for most- if you dare research it online.  That level of injury affects nearly the entire body and nearly all functions. That was our starting line. A slab of un-moving human on the table.  Then came a toe wiggle, a shoulder shrug, subtle arm and hand movements.  Raised eyebrows among the trainers and therapists- "good signs" they said. Nothing more.  So you hope. And pray. And stare at the ceiling in bed wondering just what the hell is going to be the new reality in your lives. You hang on every word ANYONE in the business says to you.  At Craig we had a team of people assigned to Shelby. Doctors, nurses, PT and OT folks, Speech Therapists and Psychologists.  For me perhaps the most important advise we received came from a retiring Psychologist- Lester-that was assigned to us. He came out of retirement to fill-in for a new  Psychologist  that was out on Maternity leave. He had been at Craig for over 25 years. Wonderful man. We got on with him very well. He gave us the advise to be selfish. He said now is the time to focus on yourself only- that your recovery is in your hands only and that you will find that despite the best intentions of others around you that you must take 100% control of your time and energy. It was profound especially for Shelby who prefers to help others first.

Fast forward to today and I will report that it is Lester's advise that I constantly have to remember and remind Shelby about... We have had to learn how to say no, how to ask for help (very difficult for me) and how to be very patient. Recovery from these injuries is a marathon not a sprint.  Today Shelby can walk under her own power with me beside her. She routinely pushes our cart around the grocery store and peddles her recumbent bike.  Her strength has improved significantly from 2 yrs ago in every aspect. She feeds herself and brushes her teeth. She can use her iPad to text and email, but it is slow as she must use a stylus to get her messages out. Her hands are still not very functional.  She works for 2 hours every morning in our home gym/therapy room/office with me, and for 90 minutes at our local gym in the afternoons. Everyday. She is determined to continue to improve and re-gain everything she can for her future. I am very proud of her. A part of her is still in shock- and likely always will be.  She is surrounded by people that are busy living their full lives- out doing all the things she loved doing before her injury. This is the common refrain of people who suffer this type of injury. 

We will never stop working to improve. Our quest is different than most people's. We measure our successes in microns and inches. We take nothing for granted. Some days we see great progress only to see a setback the following day. Enough time has passed now that we understand these realities and we just keep working to improve.  There is no other option.

Finally- once more a huge thanks to all who have followed this journey. We sign off of Caring
Bridge with this post. We ask of you only one thing- please be thankful for all you have and all you can do, Stop and reflect once on a simple thing liking taking a walk or riding a bike and all the simple pleasure those things bring to your life. And smile.