We’re looking back today, on where Brady was, and how far he’s come, because today marks TWO MONTHS post injury!

First, education. Because I love information, I’ve eaten up all of these new concepts. Spinal cord injuries are often referred to as SCIs. And an “injury” isn’t just an accident or a broken bone. In Brady’s case, the injury wasn’t the tumour. The injury was the surgery.

So the date of Brady’s injury is February 10th. He is two months post injury.

Now the level, or the ‘”height of injury.” This is labelling the highest post of his spine that was affected by his injury. There are four sections of the spine. The upper back is the cervical spine (C), ribs are thoracic (T), lower is lumbar (L), and the very lowest is sacral (S). From the section of spine, then, its counted by vertebrae. Brady’s tumour affected his T7-T11 vertebrae, but the surgery began at T6.

The height of Brady’s injury is T6.

Lastly, SCIs are either complete or incomplete. Believe it or not, complete is worse. “Complete” means the spinal cord was fully severed at the height of injury. Brady is fortunate to have an incomplete injury, meaning that he still has nerve function between his brain and the part of his body below the injury.

All of this being said, in the medical world, Brady’s SCI is a T6 incomplete.

Boom. Educated.

I am VERY excited to share with you today, at two months post injury, that Brady has a confident discharge date! We’ve carried this date as our goal the entire time, always being reminded that it is a moving target. We’ve not wanted to hold our breath or count it down, but as the discharge plans move forward and its finally written on his schedule, we feel hopeful enough to share it with you all!!

Lord willing, Brady will be coming home on Wednesday. April 14th. FOUR MORE DAYS.

Consider where he was two months ago. And where he is now.

Things have CHANGED!

Find me a man who works harder than this man.

I am deeply proud of my husband for taking on this GIGANTIC challenge of recovering from major spinal surgery, relearning his mobility from being flat on his back and numb, surviving a pulmonary embolism, and gracefully accepting a truly vulnerable, humbling experience. As if I didn’t love you as much as a person can love another before, it has only grown over these months.

I am ready. It is time to bring my man home. Lord protect us, as this fight is not over. This is long game, and we deeply appreciate our people who see that and continue to encourage us. Times are tricky, but God knew we’d be here, and He has not forgotten us.

I love you Lord
and I lift my voice
to worship You
Oh my soul rejoice!

Cher here!

I picked the kids up right after lunch! I was greeted with a VERY sweet little note from Laela and I felt SO loved and so happy they were excited for another date!

On our way to Warman, we saw some cows!!! So, we pulled off the road to go say hi to them!

I taught the kids to move slowly and keep their voices down because cows are much more afraid of us than we are of them, lol. So, a couple times the kids spooked them, but they were able to call them back softly and move slow enough to invite them close. Dekker and Laela had fun trying to feed dead grass to them.

The owner of the farm at one point came in her truck to see what all her cows were doing. So we visited a little and she was happy her cows had friends.

When we got to Warman, we did a little shopping at Dollarama and Dollar Tree, and then off to 7-11 for slushies as big as our heads!

Then we went to one of the first parks we didn’t have time to visit the other day. I let each of the kids pick a candy at Dollarama, so they went back and forth from the playground to the picnic table, taking chugs of water and slushie and snacking on their treats. 

It got a little cool when the sun hid behind the clouds, so we went for a drive out of Warman so I could show them the Ferry! They loved that! Too bad it wasn’t up and running though.

When we got back to Warman, we went to the second playground.

THE KIDS LOVED IT! They went wild. I have never watched them run so much and laugh so much!

They made up a lot of games and enjoyed the patterns and built-in trails that go around the playground equipment, and through tunnels and up and down stairs.

Laela spent so much time in the tunnel that her hair got staticky. I tried to capture it.

At one point Dekker got his foot stuck in a hole, that was a very funny moment. That kid is so laid back these days. I took pictures of him struggling and Lalea came to join in the fun!

It was supper time, so we decided to go through Little Caesar’s Pizza and get our own yummy suppers. We wanted to eat outside so we went back to the park and ate on the bleachers.

But it was too cold, so we went and ate in my car instead.

SUCH a fun day. The kids asked me a lot if we can do this again. YES we can!!! I had SO MUCH FUN!

Yesterday was SUCH a loaded down, I hardly even know where to begin. So. Much. Stuff.

I left for the hospital in the morning, same as always. Once I arrived, I texted a friend and arranged some childcare for another day. Locking down childcare is something that really stresses me out, and it turned out to be a smooth, easy interaction. Thank you Lord!

I met Brady up in his room and we went right to OT where he made us grilled cheese and bacon for some early lunch. It was a nice session, where we made good food and talked about family, Easter, and plans when Brady got home. Meanwhile, Brady stood and cooked, sitting for the occasional break, but standing almost entirely for a half hour. It was a great accomplishment! His endurance is amazing.

After OT, Brady and I played a handful of rounds of Skipbo and made coffee. It was relaxed and normal and really really nice. We periodically did some texting and planning for home modifications. Lots of contacts needed to be made, so we did that while we played, sipped, and listened to music. While I was at the hospital, a friend texted me and offered to bring supper for tonight. What a beautiful gift! I accepted!

Around 2:00, we spoke to our family doctor. It became an hour conversation, but she is SO willing to help us through a handful of roadblocks, wade through some contradicting information, and help us hunt down a bit more info where we feel we lack. She clarified a bunch of things and printed off some reports for us. We talked for a long time and laughed a LOT, as we tend to do. She just has such a way about her, where everything is honest and straight forward, but she remains reassuring and warm.

Brady had PT and I headed home. I had the windows open and listened to AJR. It was a nice drive home.

When I got home, a big project was started at our house. I’m going to tell you more about that one another day, though.

Shortly after I got home, Brady got out of physical therapy and called me. It had been a loaded appointment, filled with clarifying information, as well as beautiful progress with Brady using only one crutch, and also standing without crutches and trying to maintain his balance while catching a ball, leaning, etc. He aced PT and felt great about it.

A friend brought us supper, and it was SO yummy!!! We had a meal train going for about two months, and even though its over, people are still offering to cook for us. Its an AMAZING gift. And that chicken stir fry just really hit the spot for me!

The day finished off sitting on the deck with my mom, Cher, and Brady over FaceTime for a couple of hours. It felt almost normal. It’ll be even better when his actual butt is in the actual seat, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it! Soon enough, Lord willing!

Cher here! 

Today’s post as you may have already figured out is about Dekker and Laela! Monday, I asked if it would be all right to take them to the park on Wednesday since the weather was going to be so nice. One thing about Dekker and Laela is they are the two oldest, so they don’t nap. Taking them out doesn’t make me feel SUPER guilty because the nappers nap. I got to the Born’s at 12:25 right as a surprise showed up. Not sure if I can say. So, we got the seats set up and got a block away… then realized no masks! So Lala ran home and grabbed some and came back. I kept them in the dark until we pulled up to Warman Dollarama. On the trip there, I showed them everything I love about driving on powerline rd. The old barns, black houses, boats in ditches, beaver damns. It was a fun drive. We had the windows down, music up, and the sunroof cracked. 

Once we got to Dollarama, I handed the kids 5-dollar bills. They were SO EXCITED! I remember as a kid when I got to pay for my own stuff, I would be SO excited. I wanted to see them experience that too. What a treat that was. I let them pick whatever they wanted with their 5 dollars. The first thing that happened was Laela wanting to get flowers for Hailey. Man that girl ADORES her mamma SO MUCH. It’s near heart-breaking. Then, she picked a few girly things for the lake, but as always, Dekker looked for something he truly wanted. Usually, it’s something WAY TOO practical. He is only 9, but there is a reason why we call him Dave. He is SUCH a dad. He chose a digital alarm clock. I wasn’t surprised. I also wasn’t surprised that Laela wanted the same thing LOL. So, we put her stuff back and went through the line-up. I let them choose a candy and a drink. They both chose mint gum and lemonade. They paid for their clocks and away we went. 

Tim’s drive thru was a success. A bagel and coffee for me, Tim bits for my Born bits. We got to Prairie Oasis Park, and the kids WERE STOKED!

They played for about an hour after devouring their Timbits. Dekker CHUGGED his lemonade and Laela, very much like her sweet, adorable mom, took tiny sips that LOOKED huge. It’s okay, Hailey, you are dearly loved. 

Everyone had to pee, so we went to Co-op. I made Dekker take his empty lemonade bottle and fill it with water. Laela was afraid of the toilet so I went in the stall with her and showed her a trick. Sometimes when you close the lid and then flush it, the loud sound isn’t as scary. She was very cute. We found each other after that, and I let the kids choose whatever chips they wanted. Dekker chose popcorn twists, because there are NO kernels, and he now loves Old Dutch… when he didn’t before because it wasn’t as good. But.. it’s better now. ( apparently ) Laela and I chose cheezies because we are very smart ladies.

We went to Lion park after that. Dekker totally DEVOURED his twists. I think he came back every couple minutes to shove his face. I didn’t stop him. I felt like he deserved to be free today. I took some pictures of the kids climbing this weird rope thing. Do they name playground equipment? I dunno. I watched them play for over an hour while I went through school notes. 

On the way back I played some 80s fun music. ALL windows down. Kids were happy. Laela finished her cheezies and was totally orange by the time we got home. Only a few mins later, my sweet best friend came home, and we got to talk for a few mins. I loved that. In case you didn’t know. I am a HUGE fan of my best friend. 

A couple hours later, I get a photo from Hailey of a sticky note Laela had written. SO SWEET.

When I arrived to get them, she gave me gum. And as I left, she gave me a candy cane. That girl has SUCH a big heart. She is very tender, generous, and loving. I am so excited I get to watch all of them grow up. I am a proud auntie. 

Yesterday’s blog about Brady being able to move his foot was met with so much beautiful support! Its not that I didn’t think people would care, but I didn’t think it would be SUCH well received news, because in the whole big world, two toes and one ankle can be seen as pretty small. But you don’t realize the gravity of it! Except it seemed like you all did 😘 So thank you for sharing in our joy and making that new discovery just all the more enjoyable!

I was SO excited to go to the hospital to see Brady today. I haven’t been to one of his physio sessions in a while, and I was going to be able to be at one this morning. I made Brady promise not to tell his PT until I was there, which was a little selfish, maybe, but I knew he understood I just wanted to be part of the excitement. And guys, it was SO worth it!

We met with her and Brady asked if we could start the session sitting on a mat somewhere, so we could show her something we discovered over the weekend. Her eyes lit right up, undeniably, and she got excited.

“Ooooo! What are you going to show me?? Little bit of movement? Little bit?! I LOVE new discoveries! Show me!”

Brady beat her to a mat, got onto it, got his shoes off, and started moving his foot up and down at the ankle. Dorsiflexion, its called. She squealed and celebrated with us.

“Its a lot! Like, not just a flicker, even. Thats a LOT!”

It was so validating to celebrate with her and have her be so excited alongside us. In the great big world, a foot moving up and down a little doesn’t look like much, but when you know the history, or you’ve walked/rolled through rehab with someone, you can see the victory. And she saw it 🙂 It was SO wonderful!

We ran out of the rest of his PT session with some exercises on his hands and knees, as well as some walking with a different brace. Brady’s brace was shipped off again to Saskabilities for some tweaking, so today he tested out a might lighter, smaller, brace that allows for more movement but less stability. He used it beautifully! It didn’t trip him up at all! I was SO impressed!

That PT session just felt victorious and fun and SO productive! We went from there back to Brady’s room and played some cards. In that time, one of the residents on the ward came by to touch base about Brady’s clonus, and Brady showed her his new movement, too. She was up out of her chair, so excited with us!

It was just immensely validating to have so many of you celebrate with us yesterday over the blog, Facebook, and over text, and then to celebrate here on the ward with his medical team today.

Thank you Lord, for constantly answering prayers, pouring in the good news, and reminding us just how closely you’re watching! We we feel SO cared for.

Today, we witnessed miraculous change in Brady’s right leg! Medicine is school, and science is really smart, but God cannot be denied!

This morning, when asked “Can you wiggle your toes?” during around, Brady wiggled his toes. The toes on the right foot. The toes on the foot that doesn’t move on its own.

That may sound small, but it is a HUGE victory! Brady has worked SO HARD to move that foot, and we’ve stared at it, willing it to move, but no dice, ever. Until today.

When I got to the hospital, he showed me excitedly how he could move his toes. His feet have moved teeeeeny tiny bits in the recent weeks, but we’ve seen how its mostly his thigh muscles straining and compensating. This was undeniably the toes on his right foot, moving independently. He said his toes were moving even more than they did earlier in the day!

As he showed me, and we celebrated, he touched his toes to point out which ones he felt were doing most of the work, and he learned in that moment that he has SENSATION in those toes!!! Now, Brady has some sensation in that right leg. Mostly, if I touch his leg, he feels some pins and needles. Recently, its changed a little, and instead of pins and needles, sometimes touch feels like pressure. So his senses have been trying, but not quite getting it 100%. Close, though 🙂 Today, we discovered that two of his toes have feeling! When he touches them, he can feel his hand touching them! Again, maybe it sounds small, but it isn’t. Its incredible!

As if this wasn’t enough, he heaved his leg into the air where there was no pressure or resistance, and moved his foot at the ankle up and down, up and down, over and over. We laughed like idiots and celebrated as his foot moved with so much confidence!! Praise the Lord for progress! For nerves healing and changing! For muscles strengthening! For endurance and hard work! For miracles!

We spent the rest of our time together going for walks on the ward, playing cards, eating lunch, and watching an episode. It was normal, but a little lighter than usual. It felt so good. So hopeful.

Just a few hours later, Brady’s foot moves even better, further, smoother. Its visibly improving.

Thank you Lord, for continuing to restore Brady’s body. Your will be done.

We all thought last year was a bit of a crap shoot, but goodness. In our family, 2020 was a cake walk in comparison to 2021!! I praise the Lord for 2020, because for our family, is was a year of thriving! If we hadn’t been granted the ability to work as hard as we did, and accomplish all we did, this coming year would be a LOT hairier!

Though we didn’t spend Easter Sunday how we usually do, we did still enjoy it. We spent time outside at our special park, enjoyed a picnic lunch of cinnamon buns and cheese buns, and the kids were gifted a delicious treat from, of all people, our critical illness insurance representative!!

It wasn’t sunny and warm, but it wasn’t miserable by any means. It was fresh and light. I’m so grateful we have our little park to visit from time to time.

The main point of today is that Jesus rose from the dead. Praise the Lord for taking our sins from us so we could LIVE! For carrying our pain on the cross. For knowing and loving us imperfect, messy people on that deeper level. For God grace, we praise Him!

Today, Brady and I got to walk together, just the two of us. I wish I had pictures, but I was trying to be very concentrated on him and his steps, so that’ll have to come down the road. For now, we’re just enjoying our relaxed walk through the rehab ward. He is getting SO smooth on his forearm crutches, its crazy! With a well fitted AFO and a strong pair of shoes, plus his growing confidence and stability, he is well on his way to going for walks without any assistance. I am SO proud of his immense progress!!

Together, we walked from his room to each end of his chunk of the rehab ward three times in one walk. Three full laps of the hallway. The furthest he’s ever walked in one walk! He showed me the sunroom at one end of the hall, with couches and flowers and movies. Seriously though, don’t stand too close to the windows. You do NOT want to fall into those plants!

Once his body was tired enough, we headed back to his room and played some skipbo. I destroyed him for a couple of rounds, and then he crushed (crutched) me a couple of times. It was a really really nice way to spend time together.

We had such a nice time, but then I realized I couldn’t count and I had been at the hospital considerably longer than I thought I had. So I packed it up and headed on out. It was sad to leave. Today felt like SUCH a nice visit, I wish I could’ve stayed and stayed. But I’m grateful for the time I do get, and that its possible for me to go just about every day.

I am SO proud of Brady, and the amazing strides he is making!! As we hone in on his projected discharge day, we pray God’s covering over him. Please feel free to do the same.

We had a very nice outing this morning. Its another one of those outings I can’t talk about in too much detail on here, but I am HAPPY to share more privately 🙂 If you haven’t caught my drift about whats all going on, please just message me. I have to be careful. And I can only share a fraction of the pictures I took. Just take my word for it that it was a really beautiful couple of hours back at that playground just behind Kinsmen.

“Look at me! I’m Daddy!”

Laela found some crutches at the park.

Meanwhile, the bike tires they were rolling around last week were still there, and Rowan decided they were a wheelchair! It was actually really fun to see them pretending that way, without any hangups or discomfort. Just accepting of the new norm.

There was a moment where Solly fell, kind of, but not really, and wanted to have a really big cry about it. Laela is working hard to be a caregiver, and right away went to him and tried to bring him to me. It didn’t work out. Or it did 😆 It was a little funny.

I loved her effort, and I secretly enjoyed the dynamic when he fell and she got upset with him. It was solid 👌

Aaaaand the last picture I have from today is just of Wavy being beautiful, as she does, so effortlessly.

She was doing all kinds of daredevil things today, no fear whatsoever. Is it ok that I’m scared of her fearlessness? Because I absolutely am.

The weather cooperated beautifully, and everyone really enjoyed their time outside and our new special park. We made friends last week who even showed up again today, and the kids all got to play with some familiar faces.

Everyone is home now, nice and tired, my mom and I included! Whew! Those outings sure take it out of you, but they are SO worth it.

But, I can’t really talk about it…

Today was an exciting day 🙂 I’ve been looking forward to it since last week when it was still waiting for official approval. When approval went through, we confirmed schedules, and all was set.

This morning, I was cleared to be Brady’s “assistance” when he’s on crutches, and transferring to and from the van. His physical therapist watched him do a few things, and advised me how she would brace him in what setting, all the while saying “less is more,” saying that Brady is so stable and capable, and its more about being on than hands on, if that makes sense.

Today, I got to take Brady out! JUST THE TWO OF US!!!

Going out meant Brady getting in and out of the van, using his crutches and chair out and about, without his physical therapist. It also meant me getting acquainted with his wheelchair, taking it apart and reassembled properly. I assume that’ll get quicker and easier and more fluid as time goes on, but it wasn’t complicated, so I already feel pretty comfortable with that.

Brady has been wearing shoes from the rehab ward this entire time, as they’ve been sending his AFO (ankle brace) back and forth to Saskabilities for tweaks and modifications. Now that its almost exactly how they want it, we booked a field trip to Brainsport to get Brady some shoes that are actually his, that fit how they should, that he likes. We went in with some ideas, with plans to buy two pairs with the gift card someone anonymously gifted us earlier on. One pair that he was hoping for fit perfectly, and they offered to ordered them for him in the color he preferred. The other pair he had his eye on was a bit of a bust because they didn’t come in wide. So, while it wasn’t his very first choice, we left Brainsport with a pair of shoes that fit beautifully, but aren’t his favorite style. Still, they are SO stable, and he is truly happy with this choice.

When we got back to the van, we just happened to notice the early time, and a Subway directly beside Brainsport. So we decided to take gentle advantage of our time away, and we grabbed some subs and went to eat them by the river. It was SO calm and nice out. I think it did Brady good to just smell the fresh air.

It felt like a day of accomplishments! Now, Brady and I can go for walks together over the long, long weekend, and practice walking with crutches without a therapist or a nurse. It frees him up in a lot of ways, and brings him closer to being able to walk with his crutches unassisted! Thats the direction he’s moving in, and he is excited about it.

Another milestone from today has left me with a mix of emotions. At first, it was a little comical, but then I cried on the drive home about it, so there’s that.

While we were at Brainsport, the man helping us was grabbing a size of a shoe, and other employees were helping other customers. Suddenly, someone was right next to us. All they said was “What the hell, guys?” And as you know, in masks, its harder to recognize people immediately. But it came within just a few seconds. It was our chiropractor. Dr. Mike. And we haven’t seen him in a LONG time. It was the first time we ran into someone who knows us pretty well, but has no knowledge of whats been happening. He just stood beside us, eyes wide with genuine concern. he finally uttered “Whats going on?!” Brady kind of chuckled and told him he had a spinal tumor removed in February. Dr. Mike asked the height of injury. T7-T11. They had a very brief discussion of details. But then his salesman resurfaced, as did ours, and we got back to our fittings. We ended up leaving before he did. As we walked past him, he just looked at us and offered up a feeble “Good luck, guys. I hope you’re ok.” I thanked him and we kept walking. I looked back a couple of seconds later, and he was completely slumped forward, shaking his head. Dr. Mike is a very upbeat, boisterous guy. I have never seen him so solemn. That felt like a shakedown. It was a first, and it won’t be the last time, either. Thats going to be a hard part of all of this, I think. More for Brady, of course, but we’ll all feel it.

Today was a strong day together. I truly enjoyed our outing. We did great. Nothing was ruined or wounded. Only one really zinger moment, but we can get past that easily. Brady got shoes that he can walk so much more confidently in, and now he has more confidence and independence. It was a great day.