Facebook post from Chris on November 17, 2021


“NEVER GIVE IN”
This is Julian’s room at Shepherd. The other week when I was visiting, I tried to slow it down and take take more in. I walked the hallways along the floor and main areas while Julian was sleeping to read more of the narrative told along the walls, enjoyed time with the other patients and families, and really tried to process the “experience” overall and not what I was feeling at the moment.
Then walking into Julian’s room this picture and room donated by sign hit me like a rock.
Shepherd is a very unfortunate place to end up. I remember all the stories growing up outside of Atlanta of the types of patients they took in and never could I see that we would be there for our child one day with one of the highest degree spinal injuries possible. But we did.
We now find ourselves approaching his departure date and it’s scary. As we prepare to leave over the coming weeks we find this balance by experts to be realistic on what we are facing. Realistic translated means he won’t get much back. Statistically and historically this is accurate.
I believe though that it’s possible to be realistic and a bit of a dreamer at the same time. An outlier. Different. It’s never possible until it is.
This sign moves me every time I think about it. Moves me, lifts me, reminds me, speaks to me. What we are navigating is hard, but we have a choice.
“NEVER GIVE IN” - @stevepenley
Dee Colquitt, Jessica Colquitt Apsey and 152 others
19 Comments
Like
Comment
Share

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mamma Bear

Image
Mamma Bear moment.  It’s sad that you feel like you must protect your child from words from important people who could have the ability to drastically make life exponentially harder for my son who tragically was injured in a car accident 3 years ago and was paralyzed from the neck down.  Life isn’t easy for him or us that take care of his every need.  In the heels of a terrible plane crash, to tell the world it was due to a program through the FAA that helps include people with physical disabilities was highly misleading to a population that won’t know or investigate the truth of the program or the cause of the accident.  Words are powerful and some’s carry more weight than others.  Implying that hiring people with a physical disability will compromises safety will increase the harmful stigma of a population that is already vulnerable and has the highest unemployment rates in America. Ever since Julian was hurt, we have tried to convince...
Read more
Image
 catching up on old info: 3 YEARS! Hard to believe we were thrust into this world 3 years ago. Many of you know how hard this year has been. Reality set in. Days are hard and life isn’t easy and I could write a book on all the ways the system isn’t there to help support and protect those individuals with disabilities. It makes me sad to think of all those less fortunate than Julian that don’t have loved ones advocating for them, and making sure they have the best life despite the circumstances. Despite what life has given Julian, his loving personality is always present even on the hardest days like today. Trauma is real and heavy, that day will always be so vivid in our mind. Thankful for all the messages sending love especially on tough days. It really does help get through the days. Last week Julian had an opportunity to go to a week camp for SCI in Rhode island put on by Empower SCI just for teenagers. Julian has never known a stranger and loved getting to meet new fr...
Read more

25 years!

Image
 July 31, 2024 Hard to believe it's been 25 years since Chris and I got married.  We were such babies back then and had no idea the ride we would embark on since that day.  I feel like we've lived more life in 25 years than some do in a lifetime.  We have moved 7 times, 4 different states, and 2 different countries.  Each time a new adventure that we looked forward to the new experiences and people we would meet.  We both put ourselves back to school to get our master's degrees while navigating life with work and children.  We had 3 beautiful children that I've been proud to watch grow.  Being a mom is one of my most favorite things and could not be happier with the family we have created together.  We've also experienced such profound loss and grief mixed in through the years, especially the last 5.  Some days I wonder how we are still standing, but we continue to push through and make it through another day always hoping that things wi...
Read more