March 10th a day that will forever be etched in my memory. A day where I was forever changed. A day that was extremely scary and the future was unknown but a day I will forever be grateful because the girl who came out on the other side is so much better off because of it. 

A little recap…in late February I was diagnosed with optic neuritis and was losing control of my right leg. On March 9th I was medicated pretty well stuck in bed but did my last hockey game of the season. I was completely blind in my left eye. I could barely move my right leg but I wasn’t missing the game. I told people I was fine and I would get better little did I know I would get worse before getting better. March 10th 2015. I woke up to take my medication and could not feel or move my arm. I thought I must have slept on it funny and I waited and waited for it to wake up. It didn’t wake up. I crawled out of bed and I dragged my useless right side of my body down the stairs  to the kitchen to see cliff. I told him and he told me we had to go to the hospital. Obviously I didn’t want to do this and told him he had to call laurel instead. If she said we had to go then we’d go. Of course she said I had to go…and when I made it through those doors of the ER I didn’t make it back out of them for 10 weeks….

2 years later I can’t believe how far I have come. From being told I would never walk again and I should pick out my wheel chair to know and all that I have accomplished I can say the power of will is an amazing thing. 

I’m not saying it was easy because this journey has been one of the hardest journeys I have ever gone on but I can tell you it’s been the most eye opening adventure. I have learned that I am stronger than I could have imagined. That I can conquer just about anything I put my mind to and that I always will succeed. 

In the two years since I went into the hospital I have graduated college and university. I have become a registered kinesiologist and have worked my first job. 

I have walked I have run and I have SKATED. I have worked out and gained a routine that works for me. I have lost almost all hospital related weight and feel amazing. I have completed a bootcamp and now coach the bootcamp. I have learned to do a push up. I am close to a pull up. I push the sled. And every wednesday I workout with josh my mind is blown at the crazy things I can do!  We’ve got my hand back for a whole day! TWICE!! 

I’ve developed friendships with people and have gone on many great adventures. Concerts, races, hikes, camping, swimming, skating with katie and her kids (a day I never thought would come). 

All of this was possible because I refused to give up. I refused to back down and I refused to let my disability beat me. I did cry. I did get angry but I worked and I never stopped trying. It was hard but I honestly left it all on the floor and continue to every day. 

When I got to the rehab hospital I did my therapy seven days a week. When I missed my therapy on the weekend I made the rehab assistant (who happened to be a friend) leave the tools I needed in my room so I could do my exercises when I got back. My neighbour thought I was crazy but I knew that the only way I could achieve the things I wanted in life was by working hard and doing the time. When I started working with josh I didn’t know what we would manage together but I will forever be grateful for the time we have. The work that we have done has lead me to walk without a brace, take stairs, run, skate and soon my hand and a pull up! Without his knowledge and my sweat and hard work none of that would have been possible. The way the system works when I left therapy I wore a brace on my ankle and one on my wrist and without josh I believe I’d still be that way. 

Telling yourself constantly that you can do something and you will achieve something is half the battle. Never giving up is so rewarding. You never know what your body can handle until you put it to the test. For me a wheel chair just wasn’t something I could see myself dealing with. I told the doctors there was no way I wasn’t walking out of the hospital. I was right. 

The support system I have had throughout this whole journey also has played a massive role in my recovery. I lied and hid my hospital stay to many people for a long time but the ones that showed up and stayed when I finally told them are the real winners. From the food to the coffee to the rides to the emotional support this journey wasn’t something I could fully do on my own. 

Finding a hero and then making yourself your own hero is part of the journey. Batman was the hero I needed until I realized the strength I had within myself to overcome this mountain. If you are ever finding yourself unable to move forward find a hero. Think about what is needed for that hero to succeeed and embody that. Find the will to fight. Don’t ever give up. Push yourself. Find the limit and then push past that limit. Never stop working. Always keep improving. Don’t let what others say hold you back. Focus. Cry. Get angry. But use those emotions to fight. Fight for you. Battle the you from yesterday. Spend each day trying to one up yourself from yesterday. It’s you vs you every day. Nobody else matters in this journey to be your best self. Only you matter so why fight anyone else but you from yesterday. 

Be strong and life each day to the fullest. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow so why not start today!!! 

*sorry this was so long. And I felt like I rambled but I got emotional*