Hi Everyone,

I have something funny to share with you. You all know that Corey has a VERY BUSY right foot and leg. Truthfully, she doesn’t stop moving unless she’s asleep. Today I gave her a pedicure. Can I just tell you how comical it was to try to paint the toes on the right foot? Her left foot looks great! Trying to paint her right was like trying to catch the corner of a flag in a windstorm. I have to admit, it was the most fun I’ve had in quite awhile. It made me laugh out loud and it felt like we were playing together. PS – she’s wearing purple polish and I didn’t even miss!

Overall Corey had a relatively quiet day. Her only therapy was OT for a half hour, but don’t think she slacked off because of the short session. For the last four nights, we have been working on “wiggle your fingers”, “thumbs up” and “squeeze my hand”. I have been noticing some twitching and flinching. After sharing this with Jen yesterday, she saw new progress. Today, Rob did too! He hadn’t worked with Corey in a few weeks and we focused her entire session on her upper arms and hands.

Corey moved her fingers, squeezed her hand and tried to lift her thumb on her left hand. She surprised us by lifting the right arm again as well as moved a few fingers on the right hand. More importantly…she was consistently responding to Rob’s commands! Way to go Corey!

With the super bowl coming up, Rob asked if Corey was a football fan. I shared that she was a die hard Phillies fan! Corey loved baseball and her interest tracked both the American League and National League. She could recite stats for all the teams and loved to predict the outcome of the games based on who was pitching and what their line up was for both leagues. It made me think, if she could, she’d be marking the days on the calendar at home to countdown to spring training and opening day! Last year she even made a Phillies clock on poster board for the countdown. I’m going to have to go home and bring in all her Phillies shirts so she can dress for the games as she typically would. Her superstition was never to wear the same shirt twice…she has a lot of Phillies gear! Corey received a rally towel from one of her girlfriends when we were in the ICU. It hangs above her bed at Bryn Mawr, as her Phillies Bear (also a gift) sits on her windowsill.

I was thinking of Corey routing for her team. I thought of the Phillies but also thought about her being on her cheerleading team. I thought about the performances we would go to. Then I thought of the hours spent in the gym multiple nights a week preparing for those performances. How many times did the girls have to practice to get a stunt so it would stick? How many times did they fall? How many times did they get frustrated and mad because they couldn’t do their “back flippy things”! (Corey loved it when I would make up names for the gymnastic moves, then she’d roll her eyes) When we did go to the competitions, how many times did they place 2nd or 3rd or last? Regardless of where the girls placed, they were back in the gym trying to do better for themselves and their team.

She’s on a new team now. She’s got to go to the gym everyday and workout to build her strength. We can’t sit still at night either. She needs to keep practicing. We all are hoping for the ultimate victory. The World Series of recoveries, but the truth is sometimes we’re going to tie and we might even lose some games if we get there at all. Corey would tell me, ‘Mom it’s a long season and anything can happen’. When it comes to the Phillies, that girl KNEW that was true! She didn’t give up on her team, the Phillies or the Cheerleaders. She would keep routing, keep practicing. Win or lose it didn’t matter because she loved the game, loved the competition and there was always next season.

Corey you’re on a new team now. You have new coaches and plenty of fans. You keep focused on winning the championship because we know you will push through the workouts and practices to make it happen. Don’t give up and don’t give in. When it gets too difficult, set it aside and rest. We’ll be here to coach and cheer you on. Trust me sweetie, you keep making the progress you are, you’ll have your own parade someday!
Happy dreams, xoxo