So proud of everyone

[alaskanmom]

It's been a while since I have posted. I'm Caralyn's mom, she was 14 years when she had a sledding accident. Sounds pretty simple saying she was hurt riding a sled down a hill. Until you say she was on an inner tube going downhill and the girl on the back fell off which caused her to speed up and launch off the bank and literally fly through the air head first and slam into a utility pole then fall another 10 feet to the ground and lay in the cold for 10-15 minutes before she was found. She has a complete right brachial plexus avulsion and that was the least of her injuries. She literally broke every bone in her upper body.
She is such an incredible kid and has proven over and over again that she can do anything anyone else can do with two hands, she can do better with one hand and two feet. Everyday she shows everybody that she is capable of anything. I swear her toes must be 2 inches long now.
She is 17 years old now and a junior in high school with a really great boyfriend who treats her like a queen. She has a lot of surgery scars on both legs and a couple of rather large ones on her chest and neck area. She has never been ashamed or embarrassed by them. She had surgery done with the mayo clinic team and now she has bicep movement and shoulder shrugging. Her back still aches everyday. Because of the nerve grafting no chiropractor will touch her. Any ideas? I did take her to a massage therapist for a little while.
Everyday I thank God that she is still with us She may have lost the use of her arm and lung but she can still give one heck of a hug. I guess the real reason I am posting this is to just say how proud of her I am. She gets frustrated, angry and can cry at the drop of a hat. But she picks herself up and figures out a new way to do it. I read the posts and I see a little bit of Caralyn in all of them. Everyone has the right to get angry or sad or frustrated, just remember that you are not alone. I am so proud of all of you that continue to move forward and just live your life. Some of you have crippling pain issues and still you keep moving forward. You are all real champions.
Not just you but your parents, spouses, children, etc.. anybody that cares for you and has to stand back and pretend not to watch while you butter your bread or use scissors and we bite our tongue or put our hands behind our back to prevent us from helping. God bless all of you and keep moving forward. Rene

[Karen McClune]

Rene,

Tour message made me cry with joy. Your message means so much to me, as I see Ryan in Caralyn. Yes it is very hard to stand back and let them find there own way and it is wonderful to see them do it. Yea for Caralyn, I can't wait to see you all again when we come up for Aaron's wedding in June.

Thanks again for a beautiful post.

Hugs, Karen