Rachel's Miracle

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

I'm hoping the new year brings as much, if not more improvement than the past year has.  My new year's resolution is to maintain a positive attitude and work even harder in my recovery.

The so-called experts have said that the greatest recovery time for TBI victims is within the first two years. They do agree that further recovery is possible, but after two years it’s minimal or at the least very subtle. BUT last week I had an appointment with my rehab doctor, who in the past hasn’t always been the most optimistic person. She told me how amazed she is at the improvement she has seen in my recovery in the past year. Specifically, she couldn’t get over how much my memory has improved along with my fatigue levels. I can’t begin to express what this meant to me . . . and all this during year three to four!

  

I told the doctor how hard I’ve been working while trying to maintain a positive outlook. She agreed that staying positive is a big part of ones recovery. The doctor went on to say that studies have shown that without a strong support system, the likelihood of full recovery from a severe TBI is improbable. She also stated that a good indicator of a TBI recovery is the type of student one was before their injury. While I was a decent student beforehand and continue to work very hard,  I could not have arrived to this point without my support system. My amazing recovery has only happened thanks to the tremendous amount of support I’ve received. These people are my family, friends, school, community, etc. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped make my recovery possible.

As the summer came to a close, I’ve found a paying job at a dentist office, working Monday through Thursday from 8:30 to 1:30 where I perform a variety of clerical tasks.  It feels great to be employed in a professional work environment and it feels just as good to know that I’m providing a needed service to this business; I hope they feel the same about me.  I also volunteer in the high school’s athletic department on Fridays. As time permits, I would like to do more volunteering in the community.

 

For the past four years, because of my memory challenges, I have been using a written planner/journal to aid in remembering, organizing and planning my day to day activities. Last week, I purchased an Ipad, which is a mini laptop, to take care of and simplify this daunting task. So far, I feel much more organized and less cluttered and confused. I’m hoping this works out.

 

I’ll continue to keep everyone up to date on what’s going on in my life, but I’m also open for any input from you.

 

 

-Rachel

Today marks the four year anniversary of the start of my new life. Through these past few years, I have learned so much more about who I am as a person, as well as the strengths in me that I never knew I had. It’s unfortunate that it took a tragedy of this proportion to teach me these life lessons.

 

Even though I’m “behind” in some areas, in many ways I feel that I’m ahead. For example, I’ve learned many strengths that I possess, such as never giving up. When I set a goal for myself, I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it. I have also learned that the most important aspirations we strive to reach take a lot of time. But life isn’t about who reaches their dreams the fastest, it’s about making the most of those dreams and of everything else we have.

 

It's true, the healing process is taking longer than I would ideally like, but everyone continues to see improvement in my recovery . . . including me.

 

I believe that God is the reason for my continued healing. So I ask all of you to please keep praying because trust me, prayers work.

 

And four years later, I STILL believe in miracles!

 

 

-Rachel

This summer has been a busy one, but I have had no problem finding things to occupy my time. Here is a list of some. 

 

I have:

 

1.) Vacationed to North Carolina twice; in June for my cousin’s high school

graduation and then again in August to attend a family reunion on my mom’s side.

 

2.) Worked at the concession stand at our community pool.

 

3.) Attended the four day Youth Leadership Forum for people with disabilities.

 

4.) Attended another family reunion in July;  this time on my dad’s side.

 

5.) Stayed active with Toastmaster’s meetings, where I spoke on dealing with adversity.

 

6.) Attended two weddings; one was my cousin Jaimie's, where I gave a scripture reading, the other my friend Caitlin’s.

 

7.) Worked with a new therapeutic device called the Walkaide, which is a tool that sends electrical currents to help raise my left foot, therefore allowing me to walk without wearing any type of leg brace. I also received a botox injection to my left arm, which helped decrease spasticity in my hand.

 

8.) Had many routine doctor’s appointments and continued rehabilitating both physically and occupationally at home.

 

This summer has been filled with many things which have kept me busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Have all of you enjoyed your summers as well?

Hey everyone,  

I just returned from the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF). It was a four day overnight event.  I gained much from this forum, including independence and time management skills. I obtained this by having to follow a set schedule and by not constantly having a parent or aide by my side. I also gained confidence of what I need to do without the annoying reminders.

It was nice knowing and seeing that I'm not alone; so many others face struggles in their everyday lives. Each one of us have difficulties and differences, but we all have one thing in common: we are each seen as leaders in the community, with our individual talents.The friendships we made will be life-long (well, at least on Facebook).

We all grasped a new understanding of life. We learned that it IS possible to obtain our future dreams. One woman, an amputee gold medalist, left me with this thought: anything is possible if you set your mind to it.  Needless to say, very inspiring. Watch the news story video; I'm interviewed in it.  -Rachel

 

I completed the Project Search program, we had a nice celebration. One of the employees of Anthem shared memories he had of each of us; he especially said nice things about me. This program has taught me many fundamentals of the business world; I will miss the program, all of my peers and my teacher and job coach Joan and Mary. I have just completed a major step in my recovery and am looking forward to meeting the challenge of the next step of this journey.

-Rachel

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”    -Dale Carnegie

     These last few years have been difficult and I have had to search for hope in the most unlikely of places.

Imagine this:

-Not anyone, including the experts, knowing how long, or how far my recovery will go. This is very scary.  

- Continuing high school for four additional years even though you’ve earned all the credits necessary to graduate on time . . . while your friends moved onto college.

- Relearning the basics of life: including walking, acting appropriately and even having to learn how to tie shoes again.

- Constantly being critiqued for improper behavior.

- Losing independence i.e. driving.

     All this might be considered negative to some, but I choose to view it as a positive. I continue to amaze the experts in my recovery. What good has come from the four additional years of high school? I’ve earned an early childhood education certificate for one. I’ve learned office skills in a professional environment. I have also gained more strength, and not just physically speaking, but spiritually as well. My faith in God has never been stronger. And as frustrating as being critiqued is, I have re-learned much of what I’ve lost. Losing my independence has only been a motivator to get it all back.

     The miracle God has granted me can best be described as Him giving me a rainbow. Now it’s up to me to decide what to make of this gift. I AM determined to find the "pot of gold" at the end of this rainbow.

     Thank you for all your prayers and support, I know it’s what has gotten me this far in my recovery.

 

-Rachel

Great News! I've been accepted as a delegate to the Youth Leadership Forum for the Govenor's Council For People With Disabilities. This will take place July 19-22. I'm really looking forward to this experience.

Earlier in the year, I applied for The Youth Leadership Forum For Students With Disabilities (YLF). The YLF is through the Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities. The application process was a very detailed one and only around forty students state wide are selected for this program; the selection process is a very limited one. Just having a disability isn’t enough to be accepted, the other qualities they’re looking for are community and extra-curricular involvement, leadership potential and being able to interact with others. The YLF is a four day overnight event, taking place in July and will present an opportunity to show my independence. It will also be nice to be around other disabled students knowing that they also face similar challenges as mine. It'll be comforting knowing I’m not alone in this world.

Last Thursday, I was interviewed by the YLF’s Ability Advocate. I thought the interview went very well. They’ll let me know within the next few weeks if I’m accepted. I'll keep everyone posted.

Wish me luck!

-Rachel