Good Days and Bad Days

It’s been a while since I have posted an update...to be honest.... life gets in the way.

There are good days and bad days, like every family with young children.... but for us, the injury is still very front and center.

On June 27, 2020, we marked a year since Jack’s spinal cord injury. This is what I posted on my personal Facebook page.

It was one year ago today at 2:42pm-our lives changed forever

Most people say "our lives changed forever" with immense joy or heartbreaking sadness…. a baby born, a freedom finally acknowledged, a life lost.

But I’ll take this day for myself.

It’s not easy living with trauma.

Jack and I have both been more sad than happy lately.

Guess it’s part of the journey, Jack's Journey, we are learning that it’s ok to let go of the life you thought you were going to have and forge a new one.

Today starts a new year for us - hope is back in play!

Love you all-near and far

In the past 9 months that we have been home from Sheperd Rehabilitation Center, boy have we been waking up to a new world! It's overwhelming when you get home from a place that KNOWS what you are going through, from people who KNOW first-hand what you are going through. You can tell your story, but only those who have lived in it can understand. That's so true of everything in life. A divorce, a death, a childbirth, happiness, sadness....

Kip and I have been humbled by the support, love, and prayers that we have encountered throughout this journey. All these things have led to us being able to attain and create some really amazing things for Jack.

From the accessible van from Mobility Works (aka Darth Vader) to the endless medical supplies not covered by insurance. The ramp that allows Jack to enter the house, the battery powered Hoyer Lift that helps us get him in and out of bed, every day. The manual wheelchair (also funded by the great Travis Roy Foundation. The ROHO cushion needed to treat his pressure sore.....

The biggest two, for him and his mental wellbeing, have been...his own space and Project Walk Boston.

Project Walk Boston is an amazing place that has changed Jack's view on getting stronger and fighting for the future. It is an hour away from our home and we currently take him two days a week. This facility has made us all feel like we are home again. It's where acceptance, courage, non-discrimination, and hope lives. The costs are not covered by insurance, but that is no way to look at this. He needs and wants it, so we get it done.

There are plans on getting him to Kentucky, where he can get an epidural implant for upper body function (use of his fingers and hands) as we wait for the new stem cell therapies to become approved. This, sadly, is on the back burner due to a pressure sore that is making life extra hard, mentally, and physically.

Many more things are in the works to help Jack cope with his injury:

• Unlimited access to uninsured therapy. (This is the most important)

• A deck, so he can participate with all the outdoor fun that happens daily (think: dog chasing a frisbee, brother, sister, cousins making s’mores, fire-pit and enjoying the sunshine on his face)

• A pool remodel and lift, so he can get back in the water-facing a fear that I can only imagine.

• An Action Track Chair that will allow him to explore the wonderful landscape and access trails on his 5 acres of land that will allow him to get down to the creek and fish.

Your contributions, volunteering, love, and prayers are how these things will come into fruition for Jack.

Thank you all for all your support - past, present, and future. When I look back at how my family got through this...I will smile and know that love is the answer.

I am not sure we could ever say thank you enough, but we will always pay it forward :)

Cammie

More information:

• Facebook at Jack’s Journey https://www.facebook.com/groups/jackweekspeeps

• Instagram at jackweekspeeps https://www.instagram.com/jackweekspeeps/

• Mobility Works https://www.mobilityworks.com/locations/wheelchair-vans-for-sale-in-gray-maine/

• Travis Roy Foundation https://www.travisroyfoundation.org/

• ROHO cushion https://www.permobil.com/en-us/products/seating-positioning/cushioning-products/roho/other-cushioning-options/roho-custom-product

• Project Walk Boston https://pwboston.com/

• Frazier Rehabilitation Institute https://www.uoflhealthnetwork.org/frazier-rehab-institute