Feb. 7, 2022

Before Julian’s accident , I was a busy working mom with 3 kids at home. we balanced me working as a nurse, teaching at UofSC, and helping run Blazon apparel. That alll changed on August 21st. Nurses tend to be a tad control freaks when it comes to our family’s healthcare and the only place I was needed at that time was with him. I have a nurse practitioner degree in womens health so my knowledge wasn’t as great to help julian but felt like I knew enough to ask questions and be his advocate to make sure he was getting the best care possible. I tried to listen and learn quickly everything I needed to know about spinal cord injury so I could make educated decisions for him. They always ask, “any questions “ and it’s almost like I don’t even know what to ask in the beginning. Spinal cord injury is nothing like delivering a baby which I could do second nature. Once at home, Julian and I had a rough December and January until he was able to go to school. The gravity of being home without our SCI network was lonely. Julian has successfully gone back to school and seems to be much happier. I decided it was time for me to take a baby step back into the world again. I went back to work and it feels good to be back with friends and doing what I loved. It’s just 1 day week for now but it’s another step in the right direction. It does add to our plates but like julian gaining a piece of himself back by going to school, I’m getting a piece of me back as well.
Today, many people also sent me some research articles about spinal stimulators being used to help SCI patients walk again. What is so exciting about this is that these patients had complete injuries (which is more important than the actual location of injury) with no sensation below the level of injury walk. With Kristen’s help, I’ve been in contact with one of the doctors at Louisville which is doing some of these studies as well. This is my goal to get him somewhere that is doing cutting edge therapies to help him regain function below his injury. We spent the first few months recovering from his injuries and learning how to live with it. Now on to the next step! Still praying for his miracle.






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