As I sit here at the Starbucks enjoying what has become my normal Monday/Wednesday routine, I am filled with mixed emotion. Today will be my final day of this, Cameron will be graduating from day rehabilitation this Friday and moving to an outpatient facility where he will be getting only PT twice a week for an hour. This transition was supposed to happen 2 weeks ago and Cameron asked if he could continue at day rehab for 2 more weeks until he left to get his dog. He truly enjoys his therapy and loves everyone that he works with at the RIC facility. Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday he wakes up ready to go work for 3 hours and loves every minute of it! He works harder than anyone I know and always does it with a smile on his face. While he is sad to see it end and nervous about the transition, I am overwhelmed with emotions..........sad, happy, relieved, excited, nervous, ugh, you name it, I'm feeling it!
I look back at the last 4 months, and first of all I can't believe we've been doing this for that long, and I think WOW! We made it! Another mountain adventure endeavored, another flag at the peak yet so many more left in my backpack to place. We have made it through one of the toughest years yet and I'm sure it may not be the hardest one we will ever face, but boy it sure gave us a run for our money! Yet through all of this we have experienced so many heart warming moments. It is so easy to look back and reflect on the struggles we had and how hard things were, it seems so hard to find the positives, but they do exist. Through everything we have learned that no matter what the news says about people, there are a lot of amazing people left in this world with huge hearts, people that even if they don't know you they are willing to extend a hand to help, or offer words of encouragement just when you need them. I look back at those moments and they continue to bring tears to my eyes, keep in mind I am sitting at Starbucks right now looking like a fool typing and crying :).
We realized that we have an amazing group of people that are supporting us no matter what and are willing to help in any way we need it. I still remember the day we were sitting at the hospital unsure of how to get Cam home because insurance wouldn't pay for transport and the overwhelming response we received from people offering their services and time to help us. Unbelievable! Followed by this gift box we received that was put together by Cameron's best friend and his family. They gathered things from all of these people, most of which we don't know, and that night was one for the history books! Things had been worse than ever before and as we all sat in bed opening gift after gift, card after card filled with words of encouragement, our hearts were warmed and we were once again assured that we would get through this. I remember falling asleep that night next to Cam feeling so at peace, something I hadn't felt in awhile. From there we were inundated with cards, emails, visitors at the house and the hospital and each one of these left a mark on our hearts that we will be forever grateful for. These are the moments that helped us get to where we are today......at the peak ready for the next adventure!
So onto the next adventure. About a week before Christmas Kevin and I received the best phone call ever, Cam was matched with a service dog and we would be headed to Ohio I February! We have been waiting for this moment for over 3 years. We decided to not tell anyone, including Cam and let him open the announcement letter on Christmas. That moment was unbelievable. In 10 years I have never seen Cam cry from excitement before, and I mean cry, he couldn't even read the first line to let everyone else in the room know what it was. He immediately teared up as soon as he saw the logo on the letterhead! ( once again crying at Starbucks thinking about it). I have video and wish I could have held on to video tape a little longer, but I couldn't keep it together. What a way to start 2014!!!! So as we finish day rehab this week, we head to Ohio next week to begin an adventure that will be a huge part of Cam's life for years to come. We have a lot to learn and from what we understand the training is pretty intense, but we are ready.
At the same time, we were approached by a group of friends that said they wanted to put on a benefit for Cam and us. Wow, again what a heart warming experience to see a group of people dedicating their time, energy and resources to help us! These people that have chose to be on the committee have jumped in head first and have been truly amazing, and were just getting started. The benefit details are coming together nicely and a date and venue will be confirmed by the end of this week so we will keep you all posted.
Through all of this I feel like my marriage to Kevin grows stronger. It always amazes me that we can carry each other through each adventure and continue to strengthen our bond. We seem to know exactly when the other person needs strength, compassion, encouragement or just a swift kick in the ass! On a very rare occasion we are both sliding off the cliff and that's when we rely on the people around us. Eventually one of us grabs a hold of the edge and lifts the other back up. It's funny how people always question our marriage when things are bad, I think there is such a stigma about marital struggles when things are tough, but for Kevin and I we have some how managed to make ours work I thins crazy life we lead.
Thanks again to all of you for your support, it truly is what keeps us forging ahead. The words of love, support and encouragement are the foundation of our positive attitude and ability to keep going no matter what.
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