Gratitude for Each Small Victory
In June of 2019, doctors in the Emergency Room discovered a large tumor in my spinal cord just 3 weeks after I had my first baby boy. My neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins removed the entire tumor and reconstructed my spine in an intense surgery, but I woke up from surgery without feeling and very little movement from my shoulders down. I couldn't even sit up in bed for a month. It has now been 2 years since the surgery, and I’ve recovered most of my arm function and can even walk short distances with crutches. It has been a roller coaster of survival, recovery, and now learning to thrive in a new way. These years have been brimming with grief AND beauty, weakness AND strength, despair AND boundless hope. I've logged many grueling hours a week at the gym or in therapy and learning how to be a mom and a wife from my wheelchair.
I can tell you that in June of 2019, I wanted nothing more than an instant miracle, a “pick up your mat and walk” moment. Instead, I got a stable of answered prayers, everyday miracles (like watching my baby grow and develop), and miracles that grow a millimeter a month and have required gallons of my sweat to accompany our prayers.
