Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sydney started out the morning attending a 30 minute church service at the hospital. The room was packed! Most attendees were church missionaries assigned to minister at the hospital, along with a few patients who were well enough to attend. Sydney really enjoyed the service, but found that 30 minutes in a wheelchair is a long time! She was pretty sore by the time we made it back to her room.

On the weekend (Saturday and Sunday), the therapy sessions are cut in half, but patients still receive limited therapy to get them out of bed, out of their rooms, and to keep their muscles stretched out.

For physical therapy, Misty wanted to have Sydney practice walking again – which is exactly what Sydney wanted to do! Unfortunately, Sydney's hamstrings had tightened up so much she could hardly move her legs without triggering severe spasms in her back. After a few very painful steps, the remainder of the session was spent trying to very gently stretch Sydney's hamstrings. This was disappointing to Sydney and she shed a few tears, but we all know that any journey consists of peaks and valleys. It takes courage and faith to continue moving forward even when we encounter small setbacks and challenges along the way.

For occupational therapy she joined a group of patients to learn breathing, relaxation and imagery techniques to help you deal with stress and anxiousness related to traumatic injuries, as well as to help you deal better with pain. This was helpful and timely, and helped Sydney get through a few more painful stretches. We will need to give her hamstrings some time this week to loosen up.

When Sydney received her lunch tray, the SunChips bag said:
“Big changes can come from small steps.”

It seems that everywhere we look we receive inspiration! We believe it is through the small steps we take every day, even under adversity, that we are able to move forward! Thank you for all your love, prayers and support! Thank you also to my mom's stake which is also praying for Sydney!