We knew she was going to be weak, but we couldn't believe what we saw. She literally couldn't even hold her head up. Forget about moving at all in the bed. She would tell me she was stuck when she wanted to roll to one side or the other. It was really scary to suddenly see Kaitlyn in this condition.
Recovering with Daddy.
Attempting to ride a bike.
Trying to smile.
Who says you can't celebrate New Year's Eve in intensive care???
After a week, we were ready to get home. However, we had a 3 hour plane ride ahead of us. How would we manage this with a limp little Kaitlyn who had a very sore incision on her spine? We had no idea what we were in for. Just as I was signing her dishcharge papers, Kaitlyn started to vomit. The nurses said not to worry about it, she was probably just moving around too much. So, off we went. We got through security at the airport with no trouble at all. We had Kaitlyn in her stroller, resting comfortably. I sent Chris off to get me a nice cold Diet Coke. Just as he got out of sight, Kaitlyn projectile vomited all over herself, the stroller, her bag, and the floor, right in the middle of a very crowded terminal. I started to try to clean her up with the tissues/wipes that I had, but clearly I needed help. Everyone within smelling radius had cleared out, and who could blame them. Out of nowhere a woman approached me and handed me a huge stack of napkins she had stolen from the closest food vendor. She mentioned that she had kids, and understood what I was dealing with. I love her. Eventually Chris came back, and somehow we got her cleaned up, and changed into a brand new St. Louis t-shirt from the shop next to where we were sitting. Chris held Kaitlyn the entire flight home. She actually slept a little, and seemed relatively comfortable. Chris on the other hand looked incredibly uncomfortable, but in true super-Daddy fashion, he didn't complain at all.
Once we got home, Kaitlyn improved very quickly. Her physical therapists came to our house at first until Kaitlyn was well enough to get to the gym. Within a couple of months she was back to her pre-surgery abilities.
For our family, 2007 was dedicated completely to Kaitlyn's physical therapy. Not only did she have 4 PT visits each week, Chris and I were tasked with providing an intense home therapy program as well. By early 2008, we could see that the surgery and therapy had paid off. Before the surgery, Kaitlyn was unable to walk on her own at all. However, a year later she was taking 10 steps on her own - incredible!!!
Through the next two years Kaitlyn continued working incredibly hard in physical therapy. Her stick-to-it-ive-ness was awe-inspiring. Can you imagine at age 2, 3, or 4 having to go through hour after hour of being pushed to your physical limit??? She was incredible through all of this. She never gave up. She never complained. She is just awesome. Of course credit needs to be given to Kaitlyn's therapists in NC. Miss Pam and Miss Trish are two of the most hard-working, caring, compassionate and motivating people on the planet. They will always hold a very special place in our hearts for the help they provided to Kaitlyn.
So, here we are coming up on the last few months of the 3 year post-operative physical therapy program. To say that we are happy with the results is a ridiculous understatement. To see Kaitlyn walking without the use of her walker or crutches (at least in protected, indoor environments) is like watching a dream come true. She loves to dance, ride her bike, and play with her peers. This past winter she participated in an adaptive ski program at Loon Mountain. You should have seen her flying down the mountain! She is always surprising us by doing something new that we know she never would have done without the SDR. Just within the last couple of months she has started to stand up on her own, without having to use furniture to pull up on, and she now rides her bike all by herself. She rocks.
Here is a video I made to show how Kaitlyn's physical therapy paid off...
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