The last two years have been nothing short of overwhelming. We managed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic (even though we also contracted it), which spread violently on a global scale beginning in 2020 (after my last update).

One bright moment in the middle of so much uncertainty was when our second-oldest son graduated from high school in 2021. Like so many families, we had to adapt when the kids were shifted to online schooling at home — a change that impacted households everywhere. Our son finished his junior year and most of his senior year virtually, which made the possibility of a traditional graduation ceremony feel uncertain at best. There were many times we didn’t think a graduation would even happen because of the social distancing requirements, but somehow it did, and that milestone felt especially meaningful given all that had been taken away. At the same time, we started to notice academic struggles with our youngest son as he tried to adjust to an online format, a reminder that the fabric of education everywhere had been permanently changed by the pandemic.

For me personally, the pandemic also brought multiple painful setbacks. I lost access to all of my therapies (including pool therapy) because they were considered “non-essential” and were closed down or cancelled due to restrictions. Without those supports, I went backwards in my rehabilitation. My mobility declined, my health suffered, and I lost a good portion of the progress I had worked so hard to achieve.

It was also eye-opening to watch how people around me struggled with isolation, confinement, and having their lives turned upside down. For many, this was a brand-new experience. Yet for me, it was a way of life I had already been living for the 8 years. In a strange way, it highlighted the invisible battles that polytrauma and brain injury survivors face daily, and how the world suddenly got a small glimpse into that reality.

During this time, I also continued working on higher education goals by taking classes – a process that has been both rewarding and incredibly challenging. Learning in a different way than I was once accustomed to has tested me in ways you’d think I’d be used to being challenged on by now. Memorization, organization, and time management is especially difficult, but living this experience firsthand has deepened my perspective. I have always known how important accommodations are for people with disabilities, but now I am living proof of why they matter. Being able to share that reality with others has become important to me because accommodations don’t provide an unfair advantage like some may think….instead, they level the playing field and make learning possible. It is a scary process facing the unknown and knowing that failure could happen in any moment (especially when you aren’t accustomed to failing in a particular area), but keeping the mindset that anything is possible with the right attitude is where I tend to keep my thoughts as much as I can.

Still, I often wish I were more mobile and able to walk further and stand longer than I can now. Feeling limited in travel, participation, and experiences can be deeply demoralizing. Yet here I am continuing to push myself and determined not to let these limits define all that my life can be.

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