Tuesday, January 11th

It was 6 months yesterday since the night of the girls' accident.  6 months since we were last in Florida and how do we spend that anniversary?  By getting on a plane going BACK to Florida!  

It has been a little over 3 months since our last update.  The challenges that we've faced during that time weren't as critical as the first 3 months but I suppose in some ways they are just as impactful.  This update could be a little long so hopefully you can grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back, and relax for a few with us.

Sydney's scope did show that she had those eosinophils in her esophagus.  The treatment we chose was to treat her with a stomach acid reducer and so far we have not had any other flare ups!  Our other option was to eliminate all of the major known food triggers and then add them in one at a time with a scope after each addition.  While we don't relish the idea of Syd being on Pepcid for the rest of her life, it seemed the lesser of two evils.  Perhaps at some point the science may allow her to pinpoint with greater accuracy what is causing those eosinophils and treat that accordingly.

Sydney's physical injuries are completely healed and she has begun working out at our local CrossFit gym.  Her depression has also eased substantially and she rarely has nightmares any more.  She has also been driving more and now has the hours to complete her 2nd segment of drivers ed.   She will start that when we return from Florida.

Since school has remained in person, Syd is also doing really well and continues to aspire to being a surgeon one day.  Perhaps a trauma surgeon!  For Christmas she received multiple gifts related to that goal including a suturing kit, an anatomy coloring book, and an IV/injection practice kit.  Thankfully those kits have silicone blocks so she isn't asking one of us to let her practice on us, lol!

At the beginning of October, we made the difficult decision that I would not return to work.  While the number of appointments are not nearly as numerous as they once were, we still have more than we did a year ago.  When we have to go to Mt. Clemens or Ann Arbor it also becomes a whole day affair.  Emily's nub is still healing and the skin smoothing from her silicone sleeve.  We haven't started the build portion of the prosthetic yet, but should at our next appointment.  And as the girls' health has improved, so have their social lives which has me busy taking them different places.  Emily has even started working again with jobs both at Swiss Valley and at Bullseye.   

I know that we were given a second chance with our daughters.  As teens, they don't cry for my attention like they used to as babies or small children.  Instead, their requests for attention are much more subtle.  Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly testing to see whether they are a priority and if they are they worth our time.  Without being confined to a work schedule, I can stay up and talk at night if necessary, I can take Emily separately to her class in Centreville because she had a late morning start, or I can make treats to celebrate Diwali for a fellow classmate and take them to the school.  I praise God for these opportunities and cherish the fact that they are still with us.

We did have Emily's driving evaluated and assessed for any specific accommodations she may now need with only having one arm.  She did fantastic and aside from a knob on the steering wheel, the instructor also recommended wireless controls for the steering wheel that will allow her to use the turn signals and wipers with her right hand.  Once she gets another vehicle and we give the ok, we will get that car outfitted with these items and she will once again be able to drive.  Even though she knows that she abused it, she is at a place where she is just missing the independence and freedom that driving her own vehicle provides.

At the end of October, Emily was able to fly to Del Mar in California and participate in the Beautifully Flawed retreat.  To say that she had an amazing time is a gross understatement!  She made some wonderful friends that she intends on staying in touch with and she would love to attend next year as well.  I feel  like the retreat gave her a renewed sense of confidence in herself and it helped normalize her disability.  In our local high school, Em doesn't know of any one else that is missing a limb.  The issue isn't with anyone treating her poorly or differently (because they absolutely do not), but rather in her confidence to ask for help with small tasks; small tasks that no one else is asking for help with.  For example, while at the retreat she had no problems asking Becky Hamilton to put her hair up for her because there were several other girls asking for the same help.  Em was surrounded by girls similar to herself with limitations similar to hers.  When she came back home, she was like, "Where are all the one-armed baddies?"  

When the high of the retreat wore off, Emily found herself really struggling with feelings of anger and depression over her arm.  In her words, "Life sometimes just catches up with you".  The busy-ness of appointments had settled down and the routine of school slowed life down a lot.  Reality has a way of setting in when everything seems to be back to normal except you.  Em spent a good month until just before Christmas really struggling with the fact that she no longer had her left arm.  It was difficult to watch her get so frustrated with herself because she wasn't performing athletically at the standard that she was before the accident (when she had two arms).  Initially we were baffled because she had been so positive and focused up until then.  The stages of grief don't seem to care about time though.

While being surrounded by people with similar disabilities can increase both confidence and comfort, being surrounded by able-bodied people makes those with physical limitations sometimes think outside of the box because there is no one around for them to imitate.  Next month Emily will travel to Traverse City to participate in the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)  State Leadership Conference.  She placed in the top ten for her Physical Therapy division!  One of the skills that she demonstrated was the donning and doffing of PPE (personal protective equipment).  Have you ever seen someone put on a sterile glove with only one arm?  I hadn't either until Emily did it using a tongue depressor!  Additionally, our CTE instructors used Emily's predicament as inspiration when they assigned the CAD class  to design something to assist a one-armed person with putting on a sterile glove.

Which brings me to why we are in Florida, Miami specifically, 6 months after the accident.  Well, Emily made it to Wodapalooza, the large CrossFit competition this weekend!  We decided to come down a couple of days prior to enjoy ourselves.  Em is among 10 athletes competing in her division, the Adaptive Standing Upper.  Competition starts Friday morning so if she crosses your mind this weekend please pray that everything goes well and that this competition is used to continue to encourage her on this journey.  She is thrilled just to be able to participate and get to meet new people, including those of companies who provide adaptive equipment so that athletes like her are able to compete.  We wouldn't be here though without the support of many people: Jen Dombrowski who used her own time and money to make bracelets and necklaces to raise money for expensive equipment, Jeff Pelon who orchestrated a GoFund Me, Brock and Autumn Yost the owners of Triple River CrossFit who constantly research and learn how exercises can be adapted, and countless other people who have been so generous.  And who would have thought that the very guy, Koty Blackburn, who cut Emily out of the truck that fateful night would become a beloved member of our extended family and would be house-sitting with our Bella for us this week.