January 11 Update

What a week and a half it has been. Davin has just completed his 8th straight day of therapy and I am amazed at what a tired little body can do. He did very well today working on keeping his body straight while tucking his chin, while walking on his knees one knee at a time. All this while keeping his arms on the walker. He gets much help from the therapists, but slowly his body is doing more and more by itself. There are so many things to think about when doing a task like this and we take all of those things for granted. Davin has to think about keeping his hips forward and his chin tucked and then think about moving the knee forward. It is quite amazing how intricately our bodies were created. Most of us are blessed not to have to think about all of those things before we take a step.

We are enjoying our therapists. They are three girls who are very nice, but they never give up on Davin. Their names are Kasha, Ella, and Ustina. If he has to do an exercise ten times, he must do it ten times no matter how long it takes. And believe me, sometimes it takes a long, long time. They encourage him and remind him and sometimes we beg him.

Tomorrow will be a day off and it is much deserved for all of the children. All of the parents seem pleased with the therapy and the progress that is being made. Much of it is slow, but it is progress. For parents of children who make such slow progress, any progress is wonderful! This has been such a unique experience to be among families that are all like us. We are not different here. Everyone has a wheelchair, except maybe one child. Almost everyone has to feed their child. No one looks at us or the chair, because we are just like everybody else. No matter what country we are from.

There are families here from Egypt, Poland, Italy, and of course, the United States. There are about 25 children here in all. There are generally many more children for each session, but due to bad weather here there were many families who cancelled. The youngest is 4 years old, and the oldest that I know of is 21. They accept patients here until they are 30 years old. All of the children seem to really enjoy each other and be excited to see each other as we pass in the halls going from therapy to therapy.

Your prayers have sustained us while we are here. We are so thankful for everyone's support. I would have never dreamed that I could be separated from my children for such a length of time. We all have such a peace about being here that I know is of the Lord. We are also thankful for all of the emails that we receive on a daily basis. You can imagine how exciting it is to check the email everyday and hear some news from home as well as encouragement.

Davin's spirits remain high and his smile can usually still be found on his face. There are times when he is angry during therapy, but for the most part, he continues to be happy. That makes it easier for us to take. There is one little boy who cries during much of his therapy in the suit and that is very hard for his mother and grandmother. His name is Chad and he is 4 years old.

We have been able to get out of the Euromed a couple of times to eat or to shop for some needed items, but also to see what it is like in Poland. The people have been very friendly and it has been a good experience for the most part. The days are long, but we anxiously look forward to each day and all of the possibilities that it holds.

Alan will be traveling to England on Monday morning and will return on Friday. Davin and I will be fine now that we are so adjusted to our schedule. We just want to thank you again for all of your prayers and support that you have given us as we push Davin to do his very best.

Please continue to pray for my Mom as she finishes up her babysitting duties this Thursday. Alan's Mom and Dad will be arriving on Wednesday to take over for her. My Dad has been alone all of this time and I know he will be glad to have my Mom home. I also know that he was glad to be able to do his part to allow Davin to go. Everyone has worked so hard to make this happen. Alan's parents will be there for the remainder of the month and will be at the airport to pick us up on the 30th of January, which also happens to be Cheney Alan's birthday. Please pray for Davin's endurance. He has never had to work this hard all at once and it is very difficult for a body to get used to. We also need prayer for motivation. We would like Davin to want to do all of these exercises because he knows that they will help him be more independent.