On June 23 of this year, I posted the following message concerning my daughter Kimberly who was a hit and run victim last year.
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Guts
This is the toughest, most determined person I have ever known. Just 5' tall and 115 pounds. 22 years old last Thursday.
After weeks of walking her daily on a walker, holding onto her left arm and her waistband and balancing her because she couldn't balance herself, I decided to push the envelope today. I had her standing up with the walker, and I asked her to take a step without me touching her at all. She shook her head no. I asked her what she thought God wanted her to do. She considered this and nodded that she would try. (This is my ace in the hole. Every time she just refuses to do something in therapy, I ask her whether she thinks God wants her to try or not. She invariably ponders this and then agrees to proceed.)
She started to fall and I caught her. Over and over we repeated this,
me catching her every time. I finally sat her down in the wheelchair and told her how proud I was of her for trying. Then she insisted on getting up and trying again. Step, fall, catch. Over and over. Sat her down again to rest. She insisted on getting up again. Started achieving one step at a time before falling.
She would not stop until, seeing that she was totally exhausted, I insisted we had done enough for today. I took her back to her room.
She kept indicating that she wanted another try, although the previous effort had been so taxing that her head was trembling. I finally gave in, stood her up on the walker again and let go.
She finally started to fall on the forth step. I caught her, sat her down and gave her a big hug. She looked at me, held up four fingers then pointed at me and then upward - 4 you and God, daddy.
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Now that she is at home, I take her to our church every weekday to walk on her walker in the hallways.
On Monday of this week she started in the foyer in the hallway and walked to the back corner of the building without me once having to touch her to provide balance! This is the second time she has done this. It is a distance of about 45 yards and is the maximum distance she had ever walked. I told her that within two months she would be going all the way around.
Yesterday, two days later, she did it! She went all the way around and back to her wheelchair, a distance of nearly 100 yards total. She did this at a noticeably faster pace than she has walked before.
Today she did it again, faster and with 49 fewer steps required than yesterday.
I had already decided that she was ready to attend Blade 2004 in her wheelchair. Now I am not certain that the wheelchair will be making the trip.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Guts
This is the toughest, most determined person I have ever known. Just 5' tall and 115 pounds. 22 years old last Thursday.
After weeks of walking her daily on a walker, holding onto her left arm and her waistband and balancing her because she couldn't balance herself, I decided to push the envelope today. I had her standing up with the walker, and I asked her to take a step without me touching her at all. She shook her head no. I asked her what she thought God wanted her to do. She considered this and nodded that she would try. (This is my ace in the hole. Every time she just refuses to do something in therapy, I ask her whether she thinks God wants her to try or not. She invariably ponders this and then agrees to proceed.)
She started to fall and I caught her. Over and over we repeated this,
me catching her every time. I finally sat her down in the wheelchair and told her how proud I was of her for trying. Then she insisted on getting up and trying again. Step, fall, catch. Over and over. Sat her down again to rest. She insisted on getting up again. Started achieving one step at a time before falling.
She would not stop until, seeing that she was totally exhausted, I insisted we had done enough for today. I took her back to her room.
She kept indicating that she wanted another try, although the previous effort had been so taxing that her head was trembling. I finally gave in, stood her up on the walker again and let go.
She finally started to fall on the forth step. I caught her, sat her down and gave her a big hug. She looked at me, held up four fingers then pointed at me and then upward - 4 you and God, daddy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Now that she is at home, I take her to our church every weekday to walk on her walker in the hallways.
On Monday of this week she started in the foyer in the hallway and walked to the back corner of the building without me once having to touch her to provide balance! This is the second time she has done this. It is a distance of about 45 yards and is the maximum distance she had ever walked. I told her that within two months she would be going all the way around.
Yesterday, two days later, she did it! She went all the way around and back to her wheelchair, a distance of nearly 100 yards total. She did this at a noticeably faster pace than she has walked before.
Today she did it again, faster and with 49 fewer steps required than yesterday.
I had already decided that she was ready to attend Blade 2004 in her wheelchair. Now I am not certain that the wheelchair will be making the trip.
