Thankful was truly NOT what I was feeling in the locker room at the Y this morning as I stood there half-dressed realizing that my swimsuit was still hanging up at home. I still wasn't feeling very thankful as I got dressed, grabbed my car keys and headed home. Once I got home, I noticed Matt was still there - and still in bed! So I knocked on his door and asked, "What's zup?" He had closed at the Y last night and either didn't set his alarm or didn't hear it and he now had exactly 45 minutes to get to his last class before finals! Thankful was what I was feeling as I headed back to the Y with my swimsuit in my hand . . . thanking God that I was there, in a very small way, for Matt!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Fifalina
Today's post is reblogged from "Through My Porthole". Enjoy!
Fifalina is one of the most courageous people I have ever met. It was
a monumental privilege to walk along side her in her 6-month journey to
healing. Here’s a glimpse into her remarkable tale.
Her mother, Ludvine, says Fifalina’s legs were normal at birth.
However, when Fifalina started to walk, she often fell, and Ludvine
noticed that her legs began to curve.
The tiny nine-year-old struggled into the Mercy Ships admissions
tent. Fifalina’s legs seemed to be slowly folding beneath her. They
could no longer hold her erect.
Fifalina’s father had to find work each day to provide for his
family, but they managed to scrape together enough money to visit a
doctor. He told them the little girl needed calcium and said there was
nothing more he could do. Then the desperate parents sought help from a
traditional healer who massaged Fifalina’s legs. Nothing helped, and her
legs continued to weaken.
This bright little girl was eager to attend school despite her
physical challenges. Initially, Fifalina could walk the 30 minutes
required. “Her curved legs were getting worse and worse,” Ludvine
recalls. “One time she fell down at school. After that, her legs were
really curved, and her knees could not support her.” So Ludvine carried
her daughter on her back to and from school every day.
But school wasn’t always a pleasant experience. Fifalina whispers,
“At school I’m always left behind. I can’t play with the other kids.
I’ll play with the other kids when I’m healed.”
Ludvine first heard about Mercy Ships on television. “They said Mercy
Ships is healing,” she explains. “At the beginning we did not know that
they are fixing legs. I just knew about them removing tumors. They
published a video. When I saw Vanya’s story*, I wanted to see healing
in my daughter.”
They learned of a patient screening nearby. “I believed they could
fix my legs!” exclaims Fifalina. “I said to myself, ‘Let’s just go
there, and we will see.’” She was examined and given an appointment.
Mercy Ships consultant Dr Frank Hayden (USA) performed complex
orthopedic surgeries, correcting Fifalina’s twisted upper and lower
legs by rotating her bones through more than 200 degrees. A series of
pins now holds her knees and hips in alignment. After surgery, Fifalina
was enveloped in full-leg plaster casts that weighed almost as much as
she did.
At nine, Fifalina is the average height (according to the World
Health Organization) of a four-year-old. The utter cuteness of this
child, displayed in her infectious giggle and broad grin, disguises the
valiant heart of a tiny warrior. Time and time again during her
procedures, Fifalina smiled, bit her lip, and pushed through a
pain-barrier that would make a grown woman whimper.
When her leg casts were first removed, Fifalina declared, “I’m going
to learn to walk again!” Ludvine gasped and shed tears when she first
saw her daughter’s straight little legs.
Months of splints and physical therapy followed Fifalina’s surgery as
she bravely relearned to walk. Her muscles, weak from years of disuse,
were retrained by a team of volunteer physiotherapists. Daily routines
were performed with peals of laughter and entertaining activities.
Ludvine had plenty of time to reflect as they journeyed through the
six-month long process of surgery and rehabilitation. “If they did not
fix her legs, she would suffer a lot, and I would suffer too. If her
legs were left like they were, I think she would end by walking on her
knees. When I look at the photo before the surgery, I can see that her
legs are so curved, like if her knees are going down. So if they did not
fix them, forever it would be like it was. Our problem would get worse
and worse. I would not be able to carry her on my back. Now she will be
able to walk and just hold my hand!”
Finally the day arrived when Fifalina could achieve her milestone
tasks unaided – balancing on one leg, walking with one foot in front of
the other, and standing on tiptoes. These ordinary playtime activities
were herculean and enchanting new experiences for this not-so-ordinary
nine-year-old.
Ludvine thinks Fifalina would make a great teacher when she grows up, but the Mercy Ships crew members will tell you that Fifalina is already a pint-sized inspiration.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Today on our run . . .
We saw . . .
27 vehicles,
seven people who waved or said "Hi",
three dogs (two barking!),
and one white squirrel!
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Return to Sand Creek!
Today marked my first day back at Sand Creek Adventures for the 2017 season. Some high (and low) lights:
- I sent an 80 year old grandmother down the zip line along with her family;
- We celebrated different three birthdays on the zip today;
- I only hooked one person up wrong on the ascender for the high ropes course - out of like thirty;
- We had a youth group that came for a time of team building before they head to Spain;
- Everyone's cell phones said it was 50+ degrees and sunny out - they were ALL wrong!
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Thankful Thursday
I thankfully received the results of my MRI early this morning. Even though the pain is not in the usual place, the MRI points to Plantar Fasciitis. My doctor gave me a list of things I can do to help the pain with the good news - he thinks it'll go away in ten months, more or less, if I behave!
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
What's Zup?
I called Twin Cities Ortho this morning because I had accidentally erased a voice message and I wanted to make sure it wasn't them calling me (by the way, if it was you, please call back!). I spoke with Deb from Dr. Ebeling's office and she said they had been waiting for the results of my MRI because they hadn't seen them yet - and they would e-mail me the results once the doctor had looked at the MRI.
My next stop was to check e-mails and worker's comp (RTW) had sent me an e-mail - what were the results of my MRI? I told them that TCO hadn't received the MRI yet, but when they did, I would let RTW know what's up.
I came home later this afternoon and checked e-mails again. There was another one from RTW. They had faxed my MRI results to TCO. Why did they have my MRI results and where did they get them from and why were they asking me what the doctor had said when he had never seen them? Truly, what's zup?
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