We all have a personal connections to hospitals. Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for not so good reasons.
In late January of this year, Southlake Health had my back when I wasn't able to use my own.
On a random Monday evening, a funny yet familiar sensation started to appear throughout my body. Throughout that evening, I thought off and on “Could it be? Nah…”. In the next 36 hours, I would not only find myself in a position when I could no longer walk, but would find myself admitted to Southlake. In the following days I had copious amounts of test (MRI, CT Scans, Spinal Tap, and loads of blood work) and also found myself completely paralyzed from the shoulders down. Then came the diagnosis which I suspected all along, Guillian Barre Syndrome.. Once I plateaued, I started my journey of rebuilding.
With two weeks of rehab, I was as overjoyed to find myself going home. I spent a total of 3 weeks at Southlake (ICU and Rehab units). Some with GBS spend MONTHS in hospital, so as grateful as I am it was only 3 weeks, it was also a long three weeks. Three weeks away from from boys and husband, three weeks of not sleeping in my own bed, and three weeks anticipating the time in which I could go back to my "normal" life.
I’m on my way to making a full recovery.
I still have a bit of road ahead of me still but I’ve learned a lot along the way. Life isn’t always about the big wins. The little ones count too; a finger wiggle can turn into moving your hand can turn into lifting an arm can turn into hugging your kids. It all matters. Slowing down to recognize and celebrate the little wins is something we can all learn to do alittle better.
I’m fundraising because I want to say a big THANK YOU to all the staff who do their best everyday to help bring families back together.
I’m fundraising to ensure we all have access to the care we or those we love dearly need and deserve.
I’m fundraising because I want to bring awareness to this #raredisease and to connect with others who may also be "rebuilding".
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to walk the full 5 k that I’ve signed up for, but I’m going to try and do my best. Every step one takes is a little win in all our journeys.
If you, or someone you know has been affected by GBS and needs a fellow warrior to talk too, I’m here to chat.
I greatly appreciate all your support, regardless of its form
