Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
I believe in Miracles--our 1 year anniversary
Where did the year go? Tomorrow is July 15th and it was one year ago that we were in Dusseldorf, Germany waiting for our little miracle to happen. Today we're not waiting any longer as our miracle is here.
I think back to that day...it was a day of many tears. Yes, I was afraid...more afraid of the unknown than anything but I truly think that they were more tears of happiness than anything. The one thing that our child wanted...we were attempting. It wasn't that one toy that your child "HAS" to have...it was something simple...a pair of legs that work. What more could one little boy ask for?
Today... we have a little 6 yr old boy, running (okay...walking very fast) with his crutches. He climbs our playhouse ladder, goes down the slide, kicks the ball with his brother, rides a bike (and wipes out too), he does it all (including gets put on timeouts)... He's an every day run of the mill little boy. He loves the Nintendo DS and the Wii... and more times than not, he loves to pick on his sister (sometimes he sits on her)...
Life is good. Yes, we still have our challenges and his walking pattern might not be "pretty"...but you know what? I don't care. My child is happy & he's successful in reaching his goals at this stage of his life. What more could a parent ask for. We have absolutely no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Anyhow... today we had 2 news inteviews with FOX and NBC. I'll post them as available. Both went incredibly well and even the news people were astonished at where Ethan is today. He definitely has come out of his shell.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this past year, we couldn't have made it without your support and prayers.
Until later...Lisa
I think back to that day...it was a day of many tears. Yes, I was afraid...more afraid of the unknown than anything but I truly think that they were more tears of happiness than anything. The one thing that our child wanted...we were attempting. It wasn't that one toy that your child "HAS" to have...it was something simple...a pair of legs that work. What more could one little boy ask for?
Today... we have a little 6 yr old boy, running (okay...walking very fast) with his crutches. He climbs our playhouse ladder, goes down the slide, kicks the ball with his brother, rides a bike (and wipes out too), he does it all (including gets put on timeouts)... He's an every day run of the mill little boy. He loves the Nintendo DS and the Wii... and more times than not, he loves to pick on his sister (sometimes he sits on her)...
Life is good. Yes, we still have our challenges and his walking pattern might not be "pretty"...but you know what? I don't care. My child is happy & he's successful in reaching his goals at this stage of his life. What more could a parent ask for. We have absolutely no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Anyhow... today we had 2 news inteviews with FOX and NBC. I'll post them as available. Both went incredibly well and even the news people were astonished at where Ethan is today. He definitely has come out of his shell.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this past year, we couldn't have made it without your support and prayers.
Until later...Lisa
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Summer Time Enjoyment and our Next Steps
June is FINALLY here as is our warmer weather!
The kids are having a great time being outside. Ethan continues to get stronger and its so much fun watching him walk around the backyard doing things this year that we never imagined him ever being able to do. Over the last few weeks in May, he decided to start "walking" down and off the bus steps. He simply got his footing, grabbed the rails and carefully walked off. His bus driver, Lois, was so helpful and made sure that he didn't fall each and every night. She was a God-send! Never the less, the pride that showed on Ethan's face every night was something that made me beam as well..."Look mom--I did it" and then with a headstart, he'd race to the front steps, giggling all the way as he walked with his crutches, leaving poor mom in the dust...
Bike riding has gotten better and our rides are getting longer...hence my "workout". One of Ethan's favorite "games" is to let me get close enough to him; he'll look back; squeal and then put his pedaling into high gear...this game is repeated by the little stinker many times-
Well...our next journey begins in September as we'll be driving to Mnpls for a couple of days to repeat the Gait Lab (we previously had one back in Feb 2010) to determine what surgery needs to be done next. We're suspecting that some bone twists will need to be corrected along with some other orthopedic needs but we'll just have to wait and see what the dr's want to do. Honestly...the thought of driving in the cities gives me an anxiety attack but...we'll make it through as we always have and as one of my friends reminded me of the other day...we won't have to go through customs (which was one of the things I fretted about when we went to Germany last summer--don't ask)... Our only other concern at this point is how surgery will all play into our plans to go to DisneyWorld next year (planned for end of Feb/1st of March)... but again...it will work out and we will cross that bridge when we get there).
Otherwise, life has been good...no more nasty emails/comments since my last post. So I'm hoping it stays that way. After my last post, I had so many supportive comments from friends/supporters--THANK YOU! Those comments mean the world to us.
Well..that's its for now. Have a great summer...Until later..
Lisa
The kids are having a great time being outside. Ethan continues to get stronger and its so much fun watching him walk around the backyard doing things this year that we never imagined him ever being able to do. Over the last few weeks in May, he decided to start "walking" down and off the bus steps. He simply got his footing, grabbed the rails and carefully walked off. His bus driver, Lois, was so helpful and made sure that he didn't fall each and every night. She was a God-send! Never the less, the pride that showed on Ethan's face every night was something that made me beam as well..."Look mom--I did it" and then with a headstart, he'd race to the front steps, giggling all the way as he walked with his crutches, leaving poor mom in the dust...
Bike riding has gotten better and our rides are getting longer...hence my "workout". One of Ethan's favorite "games" is to let me get close enough to him; he'll look back; squeal and then put his pedaling into high gear...this game is repeated by the little stinker many times-
Well...our next journey begins in September as we'll be driving to Mnpls for a couple of days to repeat the Gait Lab (we previously had one back in Feb 2010) to determine what surgery needs to be done next. We're suspecting that some bone twists will need to be corrected along with some other orthopedic needs but we'll just have to wait and see what the dr's want to do. Honestly...the thought of driving in the cities gives me an anxiety attack but...we'll make it through as we always have and as one of my friends reminded me of the other day...we won't have to go through customs (which was one of the things I fretted about when we went to Germany last summer--don't ask)... Our only other concern at this point is how surgery will all play into our plans to go to DisneyWorld next year (planned for end of Feb/1st of March)... but again...it will work out and we will cross that bridge when we get there).
Otherwise, life has been good...no more nasty emails/comments since my last post. So I'm hoping it stays that way. After my last post, I had so many supportive comments from friends/supporters--THANK YOU! Those comments mean the world to us.
Well..that's its for now. Have a great summer...Until later..
Lisa
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Finding a bridge over troubled waters
Well, it looks like warm(er)weather has finally decided to come to our area...the kids are having a blast being outside and Ethan is becoming quite fast on his bike...occassionally I even find myself out of breath trying to keep up with him.
Outside of that we all are doing well and keeping in stride. We visited with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday and have some decisions coming up in regards to next steps and handling Ethan's hamstrings. More updates will likely follow in the next few weeks.
The last few weeks have been tough for me in particular. With some changes (not all details are known), the clinic we visited in Germany has closed. Some say temporary; some say permanent. Thankfully none of the known reasons include health risks but turn towards more political & ethical ventures.
Needless to say, people have been taking it upon themselves to gobble up the "scandal" and to suddenly become 'experts' on the topic. Labels such as "pathetic", "desperate" & "Suckers" have been placed on many parent(s) who have taken their child for treatment at the associated clinic.
In the last few days, I've received some harsh emails-none of which I have commented back on but instead have deleted; one comment regarding my son directly and one questioning how I can call myself a good mother. Both very hurtful. I realized that when we went into this adventure, that it was full of controversy but in turn it frustrates me when people like to comment in such a manner without knowing all the facts. In the end, I'm looking it as an opportunity to learn how to be a stronger/wiser person and as a chance to develop that "thick skin" everyone talks about.
Overall, whatever the case, what I can say is that my wonderful son has IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY and is enjoying life more than ever--thanks to the treatment. Neither myself nor my husband have any regrets.
What amazes me even more is that people are continuing to seek treatment and while the door to Germany may have closed, parents are continuing to seek opportunities to go to elsewhere to have their loved ones treated in hopes of seeing improvement. They will not give up and for that they have my full admiration and support.
That's about it for now but again, prayers & support are much appreciated as we lumber though this time of uncertainty and craziness.
Outside of that we all are doing well and keeping in stride. We visited with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday and have some decisions coming up in regards to next steps and handling Ethan's hamstrings. More updates will likely follow in the next few weeks.
The last few weeks have been tough for me in particular. With some changes (not all details are known), the clinic we visited in Germany has closed. Some say temporary; some say permanent. Thankfully none of the known reasons include health risks but turn towards more political & ethical ventures.
Needless to say, people have been taking it upon themselves to gobble up the "scandal" and to suddenly become 'experts' on the topic. Labels such as "pathetic", "desperate" & "Suckers" have been placed on many parent(s) who have taken their child for treatment at the associated clinic.
In the last few days, I've received some harsh emails-none of which I have commented back on but instead have deleted; one comment regarding my son directly and one questioning how I can call myself a good mother. Both very hurtful. I realized that when we went into this adventure, that it was full of controversy but in turn it frustrates me when people like to comment in such a manner without knowing all the facts. In the end, I'm looking it as an opportunity to learn how to be a stronger/wiser person and as a chance to develop that "thick skin" everyone talks about.
Overall, whatever the case, what I can say is that my wonderful son has IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY and is enjoying life more than ever--thanks to the treatment. Neither myself nor my husband have any regrets.
What amazes me even more is that people are continuing to seek treatment and while the door to Germany may have closed, parents are continuing to seek opportunities to go to elsewhere to have their loved ones treated in hopes of seeing improvement. They will not give up and for that they have my full admiration and support.
That's about it for now but again, prayers & support are much appreciated as we lumber though this time of uncertainty and craziness.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Happy Spring!
Well, it looks as though after much ado, Spring has finally arrived to North Dakota. Things have been going well and we continue to see positive changes and growth in Ethan. For the 1st time in his life, he's able to ride a bike. We were fortunate enough to have additional funds in Ethan's "Germany" account whereby we purchased a special bike that he was comfortable on and supported his needs. He picked out a lime green bike, with a little basket in the back that he can put things in. A video of his very 1st time can be seen below. That was on a Tuesday...by Sunday he rode 1.5 blocks while we took a walk along side him..He loves it! Now, all we need to get is some Toy Story decals to put on the bike and we'll be really set.
Outside of that, Ethan has decided to learn how to climb a ladder and proceeded to climb up the 5 rung ladder into our playhouse and then went down the slide (on his tummy) all by himself. Of course mom was having a heart-attack just waiting for a fall but as Ethan put it... "mom, I can do it--SEE???!!!" He's having a blast with his new found freedoms and the smile on his face really shows it.
In addition, he's growing like crazy as it seems I'm buying him new jeans all the time (my husband is convinced I'm just shrinking them). Its fun to see him stretching out and moving out of that "little boy" phase.
We see the orthopedic surgeon in mid-May regarding Ethan's progress and will be discussing Hamstring surgery as Ethan's hamstrings are still short from the past tone in his legs. Stretching helps some but will likely not be enough to get him stretched out to where he really needs to be in order to stand up straight and without support. For the time being however, he continues to get faster and faster with his crutches and his footing too has showing improvement over the last few months.
We're truly excited to see what the summer months bring...Stay Tuned! :-)
Well..that's its for now. Until later..
Lisa
Outside of that, Ethan has decided to learn how to climb a ladder and proceeded to climb up the 5 rung ladder into our playhouse and then went down the slide (on his tummy) all by himself. Of course mom was having a heart-attack just waiting for a fall but as Ethan put it... "mom, I can do it--SEE???!!!" He's having a blast with his new found freedoms and the smile on his face really shows it.
In addition, he's growing like crazy as it seems I'm buying him new jeans all the time (my husband is convinced I'm just shrinking them). Its fun to see him stretching out and moving out of that "little boy" phase.
We see the orthopedic surgeon in mid-May regarding Ethan's progress and will be discussing Hamstring surgery as Ethan's hamstrings are still short from the past tone in his legs. Stretching helps some but will likely not be enough to get him stretched out to where he really needs to be in order to stand up straight and without support. For the time being however, he continues to get faster and faster with his crutches and his footing too has showing improvement over the last few months.
We're truly excited to see what the summer months bring...Stay Tuned! :-)
Well..that's its for now. Until later..
Lisa
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
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