Hi all. I know I've been owing y'all an update---I've had the best intentions to blog many times but between Steve being sick/recovering/etc & him finally feeling like leaving the house I've been slacking.
So for starters a big thank you again to everyone that helped us rally & get stem cell---friends, family, & even strangers all rallied around us & really helped make this opportunity to come true. We took Steve to an amazing doctor to get an incredible stem cell procedure. People have a lot of skepticism with stem cell for multiple reasons. There are a lot of people out there that are thriving on people's desperation & are complete scams but thanks to some very knowledgeable people we were able to determine that the doctor we found is legit. Another reason people are hesitant is the fear of the unknown, it's not truly known with 100% why stem cell works, if it's going to work on everyone, etc. The cost was $15,000 & yes that is a lot of money (which is why I continue to thank everyone who made it possible) however when put in this situation I would give anything, any penny/possession/etc to say we tried everything we could to help Steve fight this. Seeing how much hope there is in stem cell that $15,000 wasn't going to stop us from trying everything we could to raise the money. Thankfully we are blessed with amazing people in our life that truly understand the importance of trying everything we can. I can't even begin to thank everyone individually because there were so many people who supported us. The donations, prayers, warm thoughts, well wishes, spreading the word, helping us research, etc. Without all of you it wouldn't be possible. Also a special thanks to Steve's parents for helping financially with the trip to get the procedure done & coming with me to help take care of Steve afterwards. I would have been a basket case without them & am so grateful they were able to be there with us. I don't feel like I could explain the procedure anywhere near as well as the doctor, so for anyone interested in this please feel free to contact me, I will give you the doctors information for you all to call & see if it something suitable for you or your loved one. SO...the thing y'all have been waiting for, did it work?
For those that follow me on Facebook or twitter have seen my updates. It is working!! :) The doctor was upfront & open the entire time & told us that the results will be different in each person & gave us an idea of what we could expect, however Steve is going above those expectations. 4 hours after the procedure Steve was in some pain (of course) & said "Oh my God." I immediately jump up to see what's wrong & he said, "I took the first deep breath I have been able to in over 6 months." I immediately tear up & begin to thank God & spread word. Steve has continued to see slow progress. His breathing is still improving, he has some significant less choking, his voice is getting stronger, & since the pain has subsided we started physical therapy again & our amazing physical therapist even noted that his movement has increased some. He is able to roll over in bed with a little more ease & is able to move a little more in his chair. We are so thankful for these improvements & are extremely hopeful for more to come. Thanks for all the prayers & I ask that we continue to pray for Steve to show more significant improvements & also for us to have continued guidance with what steps we should take next.
Steve & I sometimes feel like we can't be great friends, like we aren't even the best of people that deserve all this love but the amount of people that helped & donated was unbelievable & continues to overwhelm Steve & I with how quick everyone stepped up to support us. To everyone that has never given up on us, never veered from supporting us, who understands our sometimes mood swings, who constantly is there standing behind us, supporting us, cheering us on, pumping us up---please know it is because of you that we are still so determined to fight this. It's easy to get discouraged in life even without extreme trials & there will always be those people working against you, but because of all of you that have never left us we continue to go on----we truly thank you. I know people say a lot that we are inspirational (which that is what we aim to do), but you all that rally around us are also. Each of you that has stuck through us even when the times got really hard, you are the ones that inspire us to keep going.
Steve & I continue to grow as people through this & continue to learn new lessons. Without a lot of the trials we have faced we wouldn't be half the people we are.
There have been so many other things I've wanted to blog about---but for now I will leave it at that update & share a few things coming up.
Few things coming up:
*Steve & my anniversary October 15th! What a year it's been & I'm so grateful that we were able to take this journey together. Will be updating with anniversary plans in the future :)
*The HOPEforSteve golf tournament is on October 20th, even if you aren't a golfer there will still be activities for you!
*Steve's 30th bday pub crawl For Steve's birthday we decided to put together a pub crawl October 26th, the details are still being worked out but wanted to make the invite so people would save the date. If I left anyone off the invite on facebook, forgive me, & please pass it along.
*The ALS guardian angels, whom have helped Steve & I a great deal are doing skydiving fundraising event the 27th. I am actively fundraising for them as they've helped us so much, Steve's been having nightmares about me jumping so I may not jump, but still want to fundraise. If you are interested in donating click here
Again, thanks for all the love & support. Y'all/Yinz are amazing!! :)))
So for starters a big thank you again to everyone that helped us rally & get stem cell---friends, family, & even strangers all rallied around us & really helped make this opportunity to come true. We took Steve to an amazing doctor to get an incredible stem cell procedure. People have a lot of skepticism with stem cell for multiple reasons. There are a lot of people out there that are thriving on people's desperation & are complete scams but thanks to some very knowledgeable people we were able to determine that the doctor we found is legit. Another reason people are hesitant is the fear of the unknown, it's not truly known with 100% why stem cell works, if it's going to work on everyone, etc. The cost was $15,000 & yes that is a lot of money (which is why I continue to thank everyone who made it possible) however when put in this situation I would give anything, any penny/possession/etc to say we tried everything we could to help Steve fight this. Seeing how much hope there is in stem cell that $15,000 wasn't going to stop us from trying everything we could to raise the money. Thankfully we are blessed with amazing people in our life that truly understand the importance of trying everything we can. I can't even begin to thank everyone individually because there were so many people who supported us. The donations, prayers, warm thoughts, well wishes, spreading the word, helping us research, etc. Without all of you it wouldn't be possible. Also a special thanks to Steve's parents for helping financially with the trip to get the procedure done & coming with me to help take care of Steve afterwards. I would have been a basket case without them & am so grateful they were able to be there with us. I don't feel like I could explain the procedure anywhere near as well as the doctor, so for anyone interested in this please feel free to contact me, I will give you the doctors information for you all to call & see if it something suitable for you or your loved one. SO...the thing y'all have been waiting for, did it work?
For those that follow me on Facebook or twitter have seen my updates. It is working!! :) The doctor was upfront & open the entire time & told us that the results will be different in each person & gave us an idea of what we could expect, however Steve is going above those expectations. 4 hours after the procedure Steve was in some pain (of course) & said "Oh my God." I immediately jump up to see what's wrong & he said, "I took the first deep breath I have been able to in over 6 months." I immediately tear up & begin to thank God & spread word. Steve has continued to see slow progress. His breathing is still improving, he has some significant less choking, his voice is getting stronger, & since the pain has subsided we started physical therapy again & our amazing physical therapist even noted that his movement has increased some. He is able to roll over in bed with a little more ease & is able to move a little more in his chair. We are so thankful for these improvements & are extremely hopeful for more to come. Thanks for all the prayers & I ask that we continue to pray for Steve to show more significant improvements & also for us to have continued guidance with what steps we should take next.
Steve & I sometimes feel like we can't be great friends, like we aren't even the best of people that deserve all this love but the amount of people that helped & donated was unbelievable & continues to overwhelm Steve & I with how quick everyone stepped up to support us. To everyone that has never given up on us, never veered from supporting us, who understands our sometimes mood swings, who constantly is there standing behind us, supporting us, cheering us on, pumping us up---please know it is because of you that we are still so determined to fight this. It's easy to get discouraged in life even without extreme trials & there will always be those people working against you, but because of all of you that have never left us we continue to go on----we truly thank you. I know people say a lot that we are inspirational (which that is what we aim to do), but you all that rally around us are also. Each of you that has stuck through us even when the times got really hard, you are the ones that inspire us to keep going.
Steve & I continue to grow as people through this & continue to learn new lessons. Without a lot of the trials we have faced we wouldn't be half the people we are.
There have been so many other things I've wanted to blog about---but for now I will leave it at that update & share a few things coming up.
Few things coming up:
*Steve & my anniversary October 15th! What a year it's been & I'm so grateful that we were able to take this journey together. Will be updating with anniversary plans in the future :)
*The HOPEforSteve golf tournament is on October 20th, even if you aren't a golfer there will still be activities for you!
*Steve's 30th bday pub crawl For Steve's birthday we decided to put together a pub crawl October 26th, the details are still being worked out but wanted to make the invite so people would save the date. If I left anyone off the invite on facebook, forgive me, & please pass it along.
*The ALS guardian angels, whom have helped Steve & I a great deal are doing skydiving fundraising event the 27th. I am actively fundraising for them as they've helped us so much, Steve's been having nightmares about me jumping so I may not jump, but still want to fundraise. If you are interested in donating click here
Again, thanks for all the love & support. Y'all/Yinz are amazing!! :)))