First, for all the Sydney supporters out there, please accept my sincere apologies for not posting sooner.  Many of you have been reaching out, wondering and asking if Syd is ok.  I'm so sorry for being so quiet.  Honestly, I think I may have hit a wall.  Almost 5 weeks went by since my last post with nothing new to report.  Four hours of therapy daily (and we even added aquatic therapy to her regimen).....but nothing.....crickets.....zero new movement.  You can imagine how easy it is to drown in discouragement when you're not seeing results. For weeks, I cried out to God, begged Him for something new - a sign that we're still on the right path.  And, He delivered in a very big way.  Last week, our sweet Sydney moved her right leg up and down in the most pronounced movement we've seen so far. 

Here are a few YouTube videos that show Syd's new movement.  She was able to engage her right quad and right hamstring - two major muscles.  She still can't stand or initiate walking on her own, but a flicker of voluntary movement in a muscle as large as the quad gives us so much hope.       

https://youtu.be/maUMnEakX5g

https://youtu.be/Hq--JYrji-g

https://youtu.be/ay3ilBZkOwE

Here's what I've discovered over the past 6 months.....

1- Spinal cord injury is brutal.  It robs you of so much dignity.  Living life in a chair attracts attention, the kind of attention no one wants. Poor Sydney feels the stares and curious glances wherever she goes.  When you're in a chair, it feels like the whole world is upright and super tall.  Everything is hard.  Things that were once so independent and simple are no longer simple -- like getting into/out of bed, getting a glass of water, getting into a car, picking up something dropped or even getting dressed.  And, sadly, the loss of bladder and bowel function is something a young teenage girl should never have to endure.

2 - Spinal cord injury recovery is SLOW.  The nervous system is a complex, mysterious circuitry that controls every single movement we take for granted.  When those nerves are damaged, deprived of oxygen or deprived of blood flow, they get angry....and they stay angry for a very long time. So, we are buckled up and fully understand that this journey is long.         

3 - But the biggest discovery is this:  In the face of adversity, some people crumble.....
Sydney Fowler is not one of those people.  This girl continues to have her "game face on."  She wakes up each day to slay the giants without complaint.  Her tenacity, positive attitude and hope for the future keeps us all pushing ahead.  

We continue to ask for your long-distance love and prayers.  You'll never know how much your cards, texts, online comments, care packages and donations have meant to our family.  I'm absolutely certain we would not have our sanity without our amazing family, friends and community.  We are standing on your shoulders and lifted daily by your kindness and prayers.