Until the Fight Is Won

 I've been meaning to pop on here to provide an update but it's been a busy couple of months since the one year marker. So I'll list out some quick highlights and try to get back to updating more often. Thanks for loving Brian & checking in!

• New House Remodel:
• We are still under construction at the new house. Bathroom is currently in progress. Then will come the ramps, ceiling lift and equipment. Hoping to have him home by end of summer (so much red tape and time consuming processes with workers comp). Until then we are still at the rehab hospital and we LOVE and ADORE the staff there. Couldn't be happier to be held up with the best of the best. Going to be hard to leave them, which is something I didn't expect to feel...so SHOUTOUT to the incredible nursing staff, therapists, and everyone in between (transport/techs, cleaning staff, craft services, front desk, admin, office personelle) at Marianjoy. It's truly an anomaly to feel loved and cared for in the capacity they provide, compared to our previous experiences at 4 other facilities. Next to Good Sam, these people are the real deal and I hope they stay in our family for many years to come. <3

• Brian's Health & Therapy Updates:
• Brian's been in a long stretch of stability, praise the Lord. Vitals have been perfect, weight is steady at his pre-injury weight, no real hiccups with illnesses or major concerns.
• Last month he got another round of botox in his jaw, wrists, hamstrings and ankles to help relax his rigidity & muscle tone/spasms. It's worked wonders and we have noticed he is more relaxed and flexible than ever before.
• Last week he had his g-tube replaced. It was quick and easy. No biggie at all, which was a relief because I didn't know how simple that would be.
• Brian tolerates all therapies really well. Standing for 30min sessions with a standing frame, pedaling the bike forwards/backwards on his own, swallow test is still strong, blink responses seem to be 80% accurate (flutters for yes, closes for no), thumbs up is still inconsistent, visual tracking is the best of all! A few times he has activated his quads / glutes on his own which is exciting and he is moving both hands, fingers, and arms independently now.
• His eyes are coming to center every day and he tracks and focuses a lot! Eye doc gave an optimistic report!
• Brian said/yelled 'No!' in response to a night nurse asking if he wanted to be turned!! No words since, but lots of loud sounds.
• Brian expresses recognizable emotions on his face now. We can tell when he's content, sad, mad, frustrated, confused. It's pretty tough to see him upset, but it is also encouraging to me that he's aware enough to be emotive. One night I was hugging him and he head butted me -- to be fair it was dark and he had been sleeping so...I like the appropriate responses.
• Therapists have been putting him in a motorized wheelchair and letting him control it with his thumb via a handheld button. He does well but hard to determine if he's aware he's controlling it but the thinking behind it is to give his brain the satisfaction of cause and effect. If he pushes the button, then he moves. 
• He is still technically minimally conscious - so please continue to pray for his full emergence. 
• We have been exploring supplementary therapies for Brian (like cold lasers, vagus nerve stimulation, and oxygen treatments) - but I feel I could dedicate an entire post to that, so more on that later.

• Other:
• Brian won the "Iron Warrior Award" from the National Interdiction Conference (NIC) and I had the honor of accepting that on his behalf:
• https://www.instagram.com/tv/CdOGzg9ALpb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
• My former Junior High (Lisle Junior High School) kicked off a fundraiser for Brian through a non-profit company the 8th graders started called Wonband. Absolutely the coolest students on the planet with the biggest hearts. More to come on their wrist band / t-shirt / hoodie sales to come, but for now, show them some love on Instagram & check out their site. Future entrepreneurs and world changers. My heart is so full. Thank you to Jason Wiertel for being such a strong supporter and leader and influencing these students in this way. You all may never understand the impact you've had on our family. Lisle pride:
• http://wonband.com/home/
• https://www.instagram.com/wonbands/

The endurance to keep fighting alongside Brian has taken its toll on me as of late. Moving out our home this past weekend was harder than the news of Brian's crash...I expected it to be hard, but turned out to be even harder. People often ask me "how are you" or say "I don't know what to say." I don't know how to respond to that anymore.  I do take time for myself, I do have help, I know I need to be strong and healthy for Brian so I have prioritized my mental health and just got back into finding some time for fitness, nutrition and movement as we prepare for this next chapter at home. Please continue to pray for us. Please don't stop. The to-do list I have on my plate is unending and entirely too much, but being a business owner prepared me for these types of tasks. The tasks, I can handle, but the mental strength is where the battle is. And that is where I am desperately seeking God to carry me through. I'd be remiss to say I didn't see him show up every time, even if I didn't feel it IN the moment. I still believe God has his hand in this. Please continue to have faith with me...remind me, because I need to hear it over and over at this specific leg of the race. If you've ever been to a marathon, then you know the energy that the crowd gives out to the runners to keep going. I'm losing steam and I need the crowd's adrenaline. I need my arms held up because I am admittedly, worn down. But I don't plan to quit. Until the fight is won, am I right, LJHS!?

"When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset."

-Exodus 17:12