It is pretty amazing what the human body can do, I tell you! The other night Dave and I lay in bed we were marveling that you can take a girl, open her back, heave bones and ribs and muscles and nerves into the right spot, put rods and screws in there as well as shaving off part of the bone, close that back back up, and the person can stand up and declare it’s time to organize their room a couple weeks later.

Ha!

Lucy is amazing.

And so is the power of love:

Siblings and friends and family. And even people who don’t know her from the blog 🙂

And the power of the human body.

And the power of Lucy’s spitfire personality (yes, LOTS of that 🙂

We came home from the hospital exactly three weeks ago from tomorrow and it has been a journey over here. We have felt the prayers and love spilling in from so many…(thank you for all the love from the blog!)

Our neighbors had heart-attacked our front door:

And friends (and sisters) had filled her room with posters, notes and gifts (talked about that back HERE).

She is so lucky she had sisters to nurse her and love her up…

And an awesome Dad who always knows how to cheer that girls up (ok, well, MOST of the time at least!)

One day shortly after she arrived home her friends arranged to come by one by one every hour to visit and love her up:

Seriously how incredibly sweet is that??

Check out that poster up above on the bottom left…so many pictures of those two growing up…it deserves a bigger picture…I’ll come back and add that later because it’s the sweetest.

More hearts attached to the front door:

…and LOTS of Harry Potter.

Loved her “surgery notes:”

(I am adding those a month or so after I posted this post so we can have them for the record.)

Within a couple days she was ready to sit at the table for some games:

This is after she sat here the very first day home and scooted out and fell off one of those white chairs. Oh it was the worst, totally in slow motion in my brain, and we were pretty worried about her, but she bounced back pretty quickly thank goodness!

Snuggling is so precious with Lucy because she has to be in the right mood, but when she asks, you sure jump on it I tell you!

She was good enough to come join us on the back porch for Grace’s mission call opening:

(that is back HERE)

A couple-day-old braid, more visitors, more sweetness from friends:

More games:

When she felt good enough to ask to start doing a new Lego set her friend had given her, it was a battle but I’m so grateful she let me get her set up in the dining room (rather than trying to do it sitting all skiwampus in her bed). Boy that girl has a strong will! So it was extra rewarding to see her so happy in her element, finally doing what she loves so much once again!

Made it even better that Elle Belle was FaceTiming with her almost the whole time talking through the world of Harry Potter:

The doctor was pretty proud of her at her post-op check up:

And the day after that she decided it was time to clean out her room. I’m not sure a whole lot of spinal fusion patients who want to do that in less than two weeks after surgery!

…but she did have a lot to organize:) Check out all those sweet notes:

I know I have a picture of the posters all over her room too, I’ll have to come back and post that.

First scooter ride…

And we finished Harry Potter. WooHoo!

That means she has read the whole series in less than a couple months. Pretty impressive if you ask me. And I’m SO Happy I got to read so much of that last book with her because it sure is a good one, so filled with good and evil and the triumph of the goodness.

Now believe me, it has not been all rainbows and butterflies around here.

These pictures do not show the wailing and misery, and gnashing of teeth that have gone on. Nor how many times Lucy wished with all her heart she had never done this “impossible” thing.

Oh, there is still a lot of “chicken on that bone” as Dave would say. She is still walking slow and is wishing with all her heart to be able to jump and run and swim and be herself again.

But she is doing it.

And there sure is a lot of beauty in that!

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21 Comments

  1. I am so glad that she is progressing so well. I’ve been thinking about her. Thanks for the update!

  2. Thinking good thoughts that the recovery continues to go well. What an incredible, hopeful time for medical “miracles” with this surgery and the new-ish medication you’ve written about.

  3. Hey Lucy! You are doing fantastic, like a warrior. Did you know that Princess Eugenie had scoliosis surgery at the age of 12? She spent 3 days in intensive care and then six days in a wheel chair before she could walk again in hospital. You are amazing! Keep going!
    *Wave* From Scotland!

  4. Thanks for the update. I’ve been thinking about you all in your house of spinning plates :). What a great dad she has and you are pretty wonderful yourself! And looking prettier than ever 🙂

  5. What a great report! I know your family isn’t big on amusement parks but it might be worth considering taking Lucy to Harry Potter world in Orlando FL. Restrictions seem comparable to what you have in AZ and will only ease up by the end of summer so maybe by the team Lucy is fully healed and able to travel, it might be a nice visit. The great thing about HP world is you could do a long weekend and do 2 days in the parks. Even if you don’t ride rides, she might just enjoy being immersed in the world!

  6. Good job Lucy. You too Shawni. That is a very big thing for a mother’s heart and brain to handle. Please, please, make sure you are being responsible by wearing helmets on scooters though. I saw Dave on a story riding around without one. If you don’t think it’ll ever happen to you. Go look up Michelle Money. Her daughter (15) just just tripped off her skateboard and ended up with a fractured skull. In a coma for weeks, all because she didn’t wear a helmet.

  7. I’ve been thinking about Lucy and wanted to recommend a middle school book—Braced by Alyson Gerber. It’s about a middle schooler with scoliosis based on the author’s own experience. Alyson Gerber came to the teacher/library at and she is lovely and the kids loved her! xo

  8. Thank you so much for the update!! Keep going strong LUCY and family! You are inspiration to so many!!!

  9. My 14 year old daughter is getting ready to have spinal fusion for her scoliosis in a few weeks. She is very anxious and scared. Any suggestions from you or Lucy to help calm her down some?

  10. Oh Lucy! Well done, you’re such a brave girl (and so is your mama). Lots of love to you all the way from Australia XOXO

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