Hi Everyone,

Every parent thinks their child is beautiful. Tonight when I walked into Corey’s room I must admit, she’s never looked more beautiful! Her cervical collar is OFF!! Her neck fracture is healed and she no longer needs the confinement of the brace. Last night Ashley gave her a complete spa experience, including blow drying her hair. I have been keeping her hair french braided to ensure it wouldn’t get matted from the brace and the helmet she has to wear. Ashley had her hair styled and draped down to her left. I wish you all could see her.

Corey was alert when I arrived but continued to doze in and out. (This is a normal side affect of increasing the anti-seizure medication and closing the shunt off. The increased pressure can make her lethargic) There were several times that Corey would wake taking a deep breath, stretch all her limbs and lift her head and shoulders off the bed as if she was going to sit up! What a surprise to witness this! I found myself excited, confused and a little nervous wondering where she thought she was going? She was turning her head from side to side, lifting her head back as she yawned and tried several times to open her mouth. Imagine how it must feel to move freely after such a long time being restrained? I rubbed her neck, chin and face…and like every good parent couldn’t help but kiss her over and over. I’m so happy for her!

Tomorrow she will have her cranioplasty surgery at 11:30 am. I’m not sure how long the procedure will take. I will post an update as soon as we hear she’s in recovery. Her surgery will consist of the following; The doctor will remove the bone flap from her abdomen. He then will cut along the same incision from the craniectomy. He lifts back her skin and will insert the bone flap (like putting a piece of a puzzle in place). The bone flap is then secured with 4 titanium clips. He will pull her skin back into place and then suture. She will be in the hospital for 48 hours after the surgery to watch for any post surgical issues. If she handles everything well, we will be back at the rehab by Monday, Tuesday the latest.

Tonight I am hopeful. Hope is more than a wish. Hope is not a free ride, it’s a path that takes effort and commitment to deal with challenges. I believe that the cranioplasty is a piece of the puzzle and when Corey returns to rehab, it’s going to be nothing but forward motion with all this behind her. With the bone flap in place, she won’t need her helmet. Being free of the cervical collar, she will gain much more range of motion. Speech will have a better opportunity to help her develop her facial muscles and hopefully begin to extract vocalization. Ortho is looking at the HO growth, but with any luck, they will upgrade her non weight baring status and PT/OT won’t have to limit their exercise techniques. Corey’s braces should be waiting for her at rehab. Those will hopefully help bring her feet and ankles back to normal range. The possibilities are beginning to present themselves. Hope can make the impossible happen.

Corey, we will pray for you and we are hopeful that you will continue to get stronger and healthier each day. This is our commitment to you sweetie. Nothing is impossible! When all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, we will witness you living the most beautiful life imaginable. That happy dream will be our reality! xoxo