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Many of the movements Deb is making are too minute or discreet to capture on video or be of much interest for others to watch. But here is Deb pulling her knee outward without assistance.  She can generally do a large movement like this once or twice a day on each leg and then we continue to work with me assisting her. As time goes on, we are confident that there will be more and more major movements to share with you here.  Remember...Dreams never die, Miracles ARE happening, and never, ever... Read Full Story

Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves why we do some of the things we do.    In talking with Deb, she shared a very important aspect of this blog for her that I had not considered.  She often asks me to share details that are minute or personal that I have heretofore forgotten to include, or worse, been guilty of the unpardonable sin of ignoring my wife's wishes.  Today she explained her reasoning. Deb is not the first person to regain mobility after some affliction or injury, we have... Read Full Story

This is the time in our story that usually gets skipped over in the movies.  You see the miraculous first movements, you see the initial struggles to get stronger...then a caption of "SIX MONTHS LATER" flashes under the screen and our hero is up and walking, maybe with just a slight limp. What they can't show is the day to day grind of working.  Pushing with the effort of an Olympic powerlifter going for gold, just to see the leg move a 1/4 of an inch.  You don't see two steps forward, one... Read Full Story

This video was shot on our second day back from Florida, 3 days after her last treatment with Ken Bryant. Read Full Story

I realized that I didn't specify that trip to Florida was not for the same treatment that Deb went to back in 2008.  This one is done by a licensed physical therapist name Ken Bryant down in Largo, Fl.  I would be hard pressed to adequate explain the mechanics/physiology of what he does.  It is related to Reflexology and works to turn on dormant, but intact, nerves.  Here, check it out for yourself: http://www.nsctherapyproject.com/index.html. Deb works with Ken Bryant at... Read Full Story

We just got back from Florida tonight and we are still elated at the prospects of what lies before us.  Deb is still kicking up her heels, literally.  Oddly enough, she has this new movement of swinging her leg out to the side when sitting on the edge of the bed.  Picture a kid swinging her feet together, clicking her new patent leather shoes together, that's the motion Deb started doing when trying to swing her leg forward, so we just went with it (at this point, movement is movement and... Read Full Story

Deb and wrapped up the week of tough therapy and treatment doing an hour in the EZ Stand Glider and then displaying another awe-inspiring demonstration of moving muscles which she hasn't controlled in 20 years.   The stander is designed to help strengthen her legs and prepare her for standing. It was also very psychologically uplifting for her to feel herself standing at her full height of 5' 11". During her exercises, she again alternated lifting her feet at the knee as they hung from the... Read Full Story

Deb is now moving her legs definitively and consistently.  As of this writing, we are in Clearwater, Florida where Deb is receiving therapy that is meant to reactivate her nervous system.  The strongest movements have been leg extensions and hamstring pulls from the sitting position.  I know I have shared reports of her moving before, but none of them compare to what I witnessed yesterday.  The movements were strong and repetitive, lifting her foot about two inches about ten times and then... Read Full Story

" Eat your vegetables!" "Eat more fruit!" "You should have at least 5 - 8 services of fruits and vegetables a day." I have heard such things from Deborah (and my mom before her) for years now. She has always liked her veggies, even eating nothing but veggie meals such as sauteed spinach with mushrooms and onions served over rice or couscous. But I have to admit that my son and I have been a bad influence on Deb. We would plop down a sack full of Burger King burgers, hand Deb her obligatory... Read Full Story

Deborah and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week. There was time to reflect on all the challenges that we have faced over the years and it seems that with every new challenge, we learn more and more about each other and about ourselves. We took time to reminisce this week about how much our lives and our beliefs have changed since we first met. It seems to me that it really has been one big, continuing journey. While Deb's health has had a major impact on everything we do, there... Read Full Story