A GIANT Step Forward!

After what seemed like an eternity of time, energy, and resources our hopes and dreams for Emmy came true yesterday. For the last two and half years we have been making the trek (an hour one way) to Shriners Hospital in Portland on a weekly basis, working with Miss Amy in physical therapy, and working at home on a daily basis... waiting for this day. The day Emmy would walk independently with her crutches.

I have to be honest when I say, I was beginning to wonder if this day would ever come. Two weeks ago her therapist at Shriners made the comment that "Not all children walk with crutches, some just aren't cut out for it." To which I replied, "Oh we WILL walk with crutches!" So the next week Bill arrived at Shriners early to converse with the therapist and ask for any ideas he may have in making our dreams a reality. We began to implement his suggestions at home and out and about over the past week. We spent Saturday and Sunday with friends of ours that have a 10 year old with SB (who also uses the same brace and crutches as Emmy).

When we arrived at Shriners yesterday she didn't even want to walk from the car to the rehab floor with her walker, something we have been doing for months. She asked for her wheelchair. I thought to myself, "Oh, this is going to be a long day!" After I told her that the wheelchair was staying in the car she conceded to begin the journey and started walking. We stopped by the Orthotic dept. for an appt. there first. While there she had some adjustments made on her brace and we picked up a new, night time brace. We then continued our journey up to rehab. Her therapist met us in the hallway and began walking with her. He scoots behind her on a rolling stool and facilitates her crutch placement by keeping one finger in each cuff of her crutches. For the past two years we have listened to her scream if he so much moves one finger away. So today started out like any other. He put his fingers in each cuff and off we went. Only today was different, he took one finger out and she continued on (without screaming). He took the other finger away and put it his hand on her back, then shifted to her neck. She continued walking as if she has his full support. Slowly, he took both hands off of her completely and she kept right on walking. One week ago we weren't EVEN CLOSE to making this happen and this week she walked completely unassisted. As I told her therapist, I would love to know what clicked. I would love to know why she could do it today and not last week (or for the last 2.5 years). However, I will probably never know. Today, however, I can rejoice in the fact that SHE CAN DO IT!

The journey to this day was long, hard, frustrating, and discouraging, however, watching your child walk for the first time (after 2.5 YEARS of work) makes it all worth it. What a test of patience and faith this has been. Looking back now, with a new perspective, somehow makes it seem like it was just yesterday that we started this process. Time is somehow erased and the results are in... Emmy is walking by herself!!!

This accomplishment opens up so many doors Emmy. Freedom is hers in a whole new way. Most importantly... she will be able to walk to the " Girl's Fort" at Camp Attitude. Her walker had a difficult time crossing the grassy terrain, but with crutches she can go anywhere her little heart desires.

So many people have helped make this a reality for her. Thank you so much to each and everyone of you who have worked with her, encouraged her, slowed your pace to walk along side her, and thank you to her friends with SB (Josiah, Maddy, Zachary, and Meghan for paving the way with your crutches so that Emmy could follow your lead.

Look out world, her comes Emmy!