Hi, hello, and welcome everyone! 🙋 Happy Tuesday again, and holy cats can you believe it's November?! It is Brandy again, Shayla's temporary scribe on this journey. I have some exciting things to share with you all in this weekly update! Shayla has been making some wonderful progress. She is simply amazing and I am constantly in awe of her strength and drive.

The first piece of news to share is that Shayla has an updated ride (wheelchair)! This new wheelchair has a lower back and does not have the lateral (chest/side) supports because she has gained enough strength in her torso that she doesn't have to be supported as much on her upper body! 

With this increased strength in her upper body comes a new way of getting to and from her wheelchair, the commode, the bed, etc.... Instead of the nursing staff needing to use the full body lift with Shayla, she is now able to do slide board transfers. Which means she is more involved in the transfer process. 

PT also has been having Shayla in something called (I think 😅) a Standing Frame. She is strapped in the frame in an upright standing position, there are multiple straps securing and supporting her in place. But this frame gets her in the standing position.

Shayla has also been working on reaching her mileage goal of 13.1 miles, the distance she would have ran in the Good Life halfsie had all of this not happened. She alternates putting in miles on the arm bike and the FES bike each day in therapy. While she is on the bikes and I think the Standing Frame electro-stimulation is also applied to her muscles. 

Shayla had been also having Speech Therapy along with Occupational and Physical Therapies. However, on Friday she graduated from Speech Therapy! Shayla has mastered all of the skills and tools that were taught to her in Speech Therapy, and so to allow her even more time in PT and OT she has graduated from Speech Therapy!! 

She has been showing such amazing and steady improvements.  It's exciting to see, please keep cheering her on! She loves getting all the e-cards and encouraging words from everyone. Shayla had a weekend of pampering over Halloween weekend. Jill, one of Shayla' s oldest friends, came to visit on Saturday and did a pampering day and painted Shayla's nails! Sunday I came to see her and we did some skin care, a little facial mask and pampering! The best news of all, Shayla also got to see Sammy on Monday!! 

Thanks for stopping by to check up on Shayla's progress and thank you to everyone who has been cheering her on. Thanks again for everyone's patience with me as I slowly get these updates out.