In one way it seems like a long time since I wrote the last post – and in another way, it seems like the last 10 weeks just flew by in an instant. We are back from Canada and although Jesse didn’t get the type of miracle results you might see in the movies, he did get some new movement in his wrists and is much stronger in all areas. The people of Canada are the nicest people. It’s amazing that America has not rubbed off on them! (lol)
Jesse caught so many bad breaks when he was first injured and in his first year, that it is truly amazing he’s still here. (And testament to his toughness.) We also felt that he was due for some good breaks and they started happening when he got to Canada. First we met Mitch Brogan, owner of Able Bionics (which is the place Jesse stayed and where he did the Erigo machine and other exercise on a daily basis). Mitch is a recovering quadriplegic who in his words is now “70-80% independent” and is working on becoming 100% independent in the next year or two. He’s worked extremely hard for the last 8 years to get to where he is at in his recovery and he has generously laid out the path for Jesse. He has always encouraged Jesse to follow his path, improve on it and exceed it! He’s a great guy, budding entreprenuer, has some amazing ideas and someone we will all see on the cover of Inc. or Forbes magazine one day. We’re just grateful he’s our friend!
Jesse caught another break when he was introduced to Christina Porter, manager of Able Bionics and someone who could help Jesse whenever he needed. Christina has worked with Mitch since he came home from the hospital almost 8 years ago. She would get Jesse on the Erigo and then climb up on a chair just to get tall enough to exercise his arms while the Erigo exercised his legs. She got Jesse to therapy, cooked him meals, kept him entertained and was a great friend from the first day she met him. Her boundless energy and sincere concern for what was best for Jesse is something we will always remember and appreciate.
His good luck in Canada continued when we met Sari Shatil and everyone at Neuphysio. They administered his MyndMove Therapy, pushed him in his physical therapy and all the time showed him love, patience and concern for his best interest. They went way beyond professional; they are an amazing group of caring individuals that Sari has put under one roof!
Now we are back in Chicago and he’s working really hard to not lose his gains from Canada while he waits to get started at NextSteps in a couple weeks. Along those lines, we are happy we found Kaitlin Adams, or she found us, but either way, we found each other and she’s a certified athletic trainer who will be a nurse practitioner someday and in the mean time is going to help Jesse get even stronger and increase his range of motion on a daily basis. Kaitlin will be his American version of Christina except with a special focus on making sure he’s exhausted by the end of every day!
Over the next two months we are going to make a lot more home renovations, pursue new opportunities for Jesse and try to get some sort of routine to our lives again. Check back here or check in with me, the journey continues!
Finally, we want to thank everyone who has continued to donate to Jesse’s special need trust or HelpHopeLive account. Although the number of donors has slowed down, the donations Jesse has received have been incredibly generous. We are in the process of putting some very expensive therapy equipment in the house for him to use on an almost daily basis, so if you can please spread the word, Jesse can still use any and all donations he can get. Thank you again, from sending Jesse messages to all the different offers of help, we are fortunate to have all of you supporting Jesse and our whole family truly appreciates it. Till next time, stay safe.
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