Rachel's Miracle

Hey everyone,  

I just returned from the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF). It was a four day overnight event.  I gained much from this forum, including independence and time management skills. I obtained this by having to follow a set schedule and by not constantly having a parent or aide by my side. I also gained confidence of what I need to do without the annoying reminders.

It was nice knowing and seeing that I'm not alone; so many others face struggles in their everyday lives. Each one of us have difficulties and differences, but we all have one thing in common: we are each seen as leaders in the community, with our individual talents.The friendships we made will be life-long (well, at least on Facebook).

We all grasped a new understanding of life. We learned that it IS possible to obtain our future dreams. One woman, an amputee gold medalist, left me with this thought: anything is possible if you set your mind to it.  Needless to say, very inspiring. Watch the news story video; I'm interviewed in it.  -Rachel

 

I completed the Project Search program, we had a nice celebration. One of the employees of Anthem shared memories he had of each of us; he especially said nice things about me. This program has taught me many fundamentals of the business world; I will miss the program, all of my peers and my teacher and job coach Joan and Mary. I have just completed a major step in my recovery and am looking forward to meeting the challenge of the next step of this journey.

-Rachel

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”    -Dale Carnegie

     These last few years have been difficult and I have had to search for hope in the most unlikely of places.

Imagine this:

-Not anyone, including the experts, knowing how long, or how far my recovery will go. This is very scary.  

- Continuing high school for four additional years even though you’ve earned all the credits necessary to graduate on time . . . while your friends moved onto college.

- Relearning the basics of life: including walking, acting appropriately and even having to learn how to tie shoes again.

- Constantly being critiqued for improper behavior.

- Losing independence i.e. driving.

     All this might be considered negative to some, but I choose to view it as a positive. I continue to amaze the experts in my recovery. What good has come from the four additional years of high school? I’ve earned an early childhood education certificate for one. I’ve learned office skills in a professional environment. I have also gained more strength, and not just physically speaking, but spiritually as well. My faith in God has never been stronger. And as frustrating as being critiqued is, I have re-learned much of what I’ve lost. Losing my independence has only been a motivator to get it all back.

     The miracle God has granted me can best be described as Him giving me a rainbow. Now it’s up to me to decide what to make of this gift. I AM determined to find the "pot of gold" at the end of this rainbow.

     Thank you for all your prayers and support, I know it’s what has gotten me this far in my recovery.

-Rachel

Great News! I've been accepted as a delegate to the Youth Leadership Forum for the Govenor's Council For People With Disabilities. This will take place July 19-22. I'm really looking forward to this experience.

Earlier in the year, I applied for The Youth Leadership Forum For Students With Disabilities (YLF). The YLF is through the Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities. The application process was a very detailed one and only around forty students state wide are selected for this program; the selection process is a very limited one. Just having a disability isn’t enough to be accepted, the other qualities they’re looking for are community and extra-curricular involvement, leadership potential and being able to interact with others. The YLF is a four day overnight event, taking place in July and will present an opportunity to show my independence. It will also be nice to be around other disabled students knowing that they also face similar challenges as mine. It'll be comforting knowing I’m not alone in this world.

Last Thursday, I was interviewed by the YLF’s Ability Advocate. I thought the interview went very well. They’ll let me know within the next few weeks if I’m accepted. I'll keep everyone posted.

Wish me luck!

-Rachel

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Thank you for being part of this ongoing MIRACLE! --GB

One of the biggest obstacles I face as a result of this injury is short-term memory loss. I know that without a memory, I will never have full independence. I was told there was a time when my memory span was only minutes at best. As time went by, my memory slowly improved, yet still remains a challenge. But when I woke up this morning, after a good night’s sleep (which is also a challenge), I was lying in bed trying to remember the previous evening. That’s when it came to me; I realized today is Good Friday and my thought process led me to think about yesterday being Holy Thursday. After putting two and two together, I vividly remembered attending Holy Thursday Mass, the procession concluding the service and even some of the people there I know. There have been many other instances of me remembering events from not only the night before, but also from weeks, months and even years before. Not bad for someone whose doctor told her family she will never have a memory lasting more than  ten minutes. I understand for my memory to continue to improve, my brain must be well rested and I must continue with the memory strategies I have learned in therapy. All this continues to give me hope to one day regain my independence. Happy Easter everybody!

Tonight I gave a speech to the Delaware Area Career Center School Board concerning Project Search. In addition to the board members, the Superintendent, the Project Search supervisor and my instructor were also in attendance. This presentation was to inform the board of what is involved with Project Search. It was quite the honor! 

I thought it went very well . . . let’s hope the board thought so too.

-Rachel

I just celebrated my 21st birthday. I bought my first beer for my dad and step-mom; it’s pretty cool finally being able to do that. It was a good feeling being carded and even better knowing that I had nothing to hide. Later that night some of my friends came over and we celebrated. The next day I had an actual party with my friends. It was a great birthday.

I am now officially legal!

I went to visit my brother, Joe and sister, Bailie at Ohio University for sibs weekend; my step-mom took me. I also saw my good friend, Kenzie, who goes to school there. It was nice being in the college atmosphere and seeing what college life is like. I had a great time! The strange thing is, it felt like I shouldn’t be the one visiting. I should be a student there and my youngest sister, Krista, should have been the one visiting me. For the time being, it seems like God has other plans for me. I don’t know what road this whole experience is going to take me down. All I know is I’m looking forward to the journey. There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way but I am happy to endure these adventures if it means that my life ambitions will be achieved.

-Rachel