March 28, 2022
One year ago today, my life changed forever. It feels weird to mark the worst day of my life, and weird not to. I spend a lot of time trying to focus on everything I’ve gained, and not all that I’ve lost. Yet I feel incredibly lucky to still be here, to continue to live along side and love on all my favorite people. ❤️
March 1, 2022
Walking on the treadmill at home
February 16, 2022
Hello friends! It’s been awhile since my last update. As many of you know, in December I was hospitalized for a large blood clot in my left leg and pulmonary embolisms in both my lungs. After 6 days in the hospital and surgery to remove the clot in my leg and place a stent, I was sent home the day before Christmas Eve. I went from walking 30 mins at a time, to 5 mins before my legs would tire and my chest would hurt.
Since then, I’ve been working on getting back to where I was. Had another little setback when I was having issues getting my blood thinner medication and I ended up back in the ER with another blood clot in late January. They decided continued medication and monitoring was the way to go (yay no hospital stay) and sent me home.
I’m now up to 20 min walks and the PEs have cleared up with the blood thinners. I’m using a walking stick instead of a cane. I also started acupuncture, which has been so helpful in reducing my nerve pain. Debbie Williams is kind enough to pick me up every Tuesday so I can walk someplace other than laps in my house. I’m currently in PT and OT through the middle of March. After that, I plan on taking a driving course through Courage Kenny so I can figure out what adaptations I need in the car and get to driving again.
With my right arm, not much has changed. Still can’t use it in any functional way, unfortunately, so I’m learning to be left-handed and to do as much as I can one-handed. I continue to work on it in OT.
Rockstar Paul Gerrish, as always, has been amazing in keeping us all taken care of while still working FT. And we’ve been blessed with so many friends and family checking on us, cleaning our house, and helping me get to appointments. We are so lucky to have the love and care of so many! ❤️
December 21, 2021
Surgery was a success! Went into her vein behind the knee, basically sucked the clot out, did some angioplasty and put a stent in to deal with the pressure an artery was putting on it. She's out now and headed back to her own room
December 19, 2021
Back in the hospital for a large blood clot in my left (the good!) leg. Been in the ER since 8pm last night and staying tonight again in the ER because there are no open beds (get your vaccine people!) I’m on a continuous IV of blood thinners to make sure it doesn’t get any worse. The plan is to be scheduled for a procedure at Abbott tomorrow to either break up or surgically remove the clot. They will transfer me up there (I’m currently at at St. Francis) when it’s my turn for the procedure, do it, and send me home because there are no beds. At least I will be home with my family for Christmas!
November 8, 2021
Just realized I never posted this interview with Help, Hope, Live for Spinal Cord Awareness month back in September. So grateful to have such an amazing community beside me as I heal.
https://helphopelive.org/sarahgerrish/?fbclid=IwAR3Se7SeRgt7TtLLikHfsODGLYvyIN3A5RHwE90uR5hLL11E1nNaX3oi-D4
October 1, 2021
After 6 months, we had our final “Meal Train” meal tonight. We in awe of the many gift card donations and how long you all kept the meals coming. Not having the extra stress of preparing meals nightly while I was in the hospital, and then once I transitioned home, was such a blessing for our family. We are so grateful for you all! ❤️
September 22, 2021
PT just retested me today. I am now walking slightly faster with a cane than I was walking with a walker when I l started there about a month ago. I am only walking slightly slower with no device. Making great progress!
July 30, 2021
Continuing to build on the skills I learned at Courage Kenny and in home care. Can now walk short distances without any equipment (though I always walk in the narrow hallway with Paul Gerrish close.) Excited to head to out patient at Courage Kenny in a little over a week! -Sarah
June 29, 2021
I finally got a chance to see Sarah walking stairs and was blown away. She alternated legs on one of the sets and I got a chance to be her support on another.
She also started curb steps with a walker today and killed it.
Onward (and now upward apparently).
May 20, 2021
Sarah is making steady progress at Courage Kenny and she's keeping her care team on their toes. She's progressed from standing for the first time with the help of a mechanical lift two weeks ago, to walking yesterday with a standard walker. Her coordination/balance is challenged and she needs help to keep the walker from tipping over, but she's doing all of the walking. The gains she's making has the physical therapist moving up milestones and pushing her for more. She also has made some great strides with the occupational therapist - Sarah is now brushing her own teeth, feeding herself, working on brushing her hair, and she's transferring in/out of bed without a lift.
We never expected to be excited about brushing teeth or using a walker, but we are thankful for the independence she's gaining and the hope it's given us. Hopefully we can capture some of these wins on video to share with you soon, but for now, here she is on 5/7 taking her first steps since before her injury.
May 12, 2021
Moving day! Sarah moved from Courage Kenny at Abbott hospital to CK Golden Valley, her next step closer to home. Less medical treatments, more therapy, and more freedom. Her room is Alexa enabled so making calls is easier and after therapy she can drive her chair outside by the creek and visit with family/friends outdoors.
We spent the evening her first evening in Golden Valley together, explored the grounds, and spent time talking/dreaming about our goals. Time to start the big projects, make sure we have accessible transportation and a home care plan before she rolls up to the front door.
Thank you all for the support and encouragement; we’re thankful we have all of you by our side.
-Paul
May 7, 2021
A few small steps at Courage Kenny, but huge leaps forward in recovery. Sarah is stacking wins this week. After standing for more than 8 minutes on Thursday, her physical therapist moved a significant milestone up by more than a week and had her try taking steps today. Sarah was standing, holding a machine, and in a safety harness and took more than 10 steps with a full team there to help her right foot get off the ground and ensure she was safe. We didn't dream this was possible while we were in the hospital and now we believe that with continued, intense therapy, Sarah will be walking again. After 20 years, I'm still amazed at Sarah's determination, perseverance, and fight. Onward!
May 7, 2021
03/28/2021 - Sarah and Paul were hosting their good friends and pastors for dinner for the first time since the start of the pandemic to celebrate life and being vaccinated. Just before 5pm, Sarah went out to the garage to get something from her van, like she'd done a million times before. As she was going down the stairs, her slipper started falling off and as she went to pull it up, she lost her balance, fell down the stairs and landed horribly on her head without being able to break her fall. She was rushed via ambulance to HCMC and admitted to the ICU with a broken C5 vertebrae in her neck that impacted her spinal cord between the C5 & C6, an arterial dissection at C2/C3, and a large cut on the top of her head requiring multiple staples. She had very limited sensation below her shoulders and no movement. Visitation is extremely limited due to COVID - Paul had to leave at 8pm and Sarah spent the night alone in the ICU, unable to page a nurse.
03/29/2021 Sarah had emergency surgery first thing in the morning to replace her C5 vertebrae with a full graft and it was fused to the C4 and C6 vertebrae for stability. As Sarah recovered from the surgery, she had more sensation throughout her body, but still no movement. The doctors called the surgery a success - Sarah's spine was stabilized - but they were clear that she had a very long, difficult, and uncertain recovery ahead. They were advised to measure recovery in months, not days and to celebrate the small wins along the way. They were relieved to have made it through the night and began a new journey. Paul's mom drove up from Indiana to care for the kids and let him spend more time at the hospital with Sarah.
03/30/2021 - Day 2 post-surgery and Sarah started physical therapy. As the swelling started to recede, Sarah was able to lift her arms (her shoulders and biceps were strong). Her left arm had full feeling down to her wrist and sensation down to her toes. Progress is slow, but the medical team was encouraged that she had regained some movement and feeling continued to come back.
03/31/2021: The hospital granted a compassionate visitor exemption and I was able to spend the night in Sarah's room to call a nurse if she needed one or just reassurance or a drink of water. This was the first night either of us slept for more than a few hours and the first chance we'd had to talk for more than a minute between visits. They were able to get Sarah's bed to a seated position to start occupational therapy and work more on stretching her arms and legs.
04/08/2021: After a few stable days of steady progress (movement in her left leg and toes, more strength and control in her arms), Sarah had a few setbacks. Her blood pressure dropped significantly, leading to dizzyness and nausea; it is made much worse when she sits up and that's making therapy a challenge. Muscle spasms started in her legs and spread through her body, making for difficult nights with less sleep. Despite the hurdles, Sarah stayed engaged in therapy and kept making small gains. Her identical twin, Andrea flew into town and lifted her spirits.
04/09/2021: While Andrea was visiting, Sarah had the first movement in her hands! She was able to pinch her thumb and index finger together. Over the next 3 days, each of our kids were allowed to come up and visit their mom for the 1st time in two weeks. After a lot of tears, there were nothing but smiles and cuddles. Sarah was more determined than ever after seeing the kiddos.
04/13/2021: Sarah's recovery took a big step forward as she transferred from HCMC to Courage Kenny Inpatient Rehabilitation. She's still getting round-the-clock medical care, but the focus has shifted from getting medically stable to rehabilitation. Sarah was thrilled to get to the place where she would make the biggest strides, but almost immediately had the start to her biggest setbacks to date. In addition to the challenge of low blood pressure, nausea, and vertigo, her blood pressure began to spike higher than it had ever been before. The medical team had a hard time getting it back down and the rapid response team joined her team of doctors and nurses. High Spinal Cord injuries can often create issues with how a patient's body responds to stimulus like pain and it can result in dangerous blood pressure spikes.
04/21/2021: Over the last week, the team at Courage Kenny worked to get her BP under control through medication, and treatments. She's still having some issues, but they have been less drastic and she's spending more time in therapy and tolerating sitting upright for longer stretches. Todays big wins: I got to see Sarah move her fingers today for the first time. I know she's feeling isolated in the hospital and disconnected from her friends/family - the sooner she can get dexterity in her fingers, the sooner she can get online to reconnect with her people. She was also able to pick up and move a small object.
04/24/2021: Family visit outside in the courtyard at Courage Kenny. For just the 2nd time in a month, the kids got to see the center of their universe and Sarah got to spend time with the kids. It was cold and gray and too short of a visit, but it was a blessing. Sarah was even able to use her left arm to give each kid a hug.
04/26/2021: Sarah was able to extend her leg (a kicking motion) for the first time. Her left leg continues to be well ahead of her right, but she has movement in each. Her PT was able to get Sarah sitting up, unassisted for the first time since her injury. She was able to support her own weight and balance sitting up before vertigo and blood pressure issues sent her back to bed. Her doctor put her through the ASIA Spinal Cord Impairment Scale test to assess Sarah's sensory and motor impairment below the injury. She's diagnosed as a C, incomplete, meaning motor function is preserved below the injury, but more than half of the muscle groups are unable to actively move against gravity. She's making great progress, but has a long way to go.
05/04/2021: Sarah's super power is grit. And it's paying off. Her PT said she's never had anyone with Sarah's injuries come so far, in such a short time. Sarah was able to stand for 40 seconds today. Just a couple weeks earlier she wiggled her toes for the first time and now she's determined to walk. She also fed herself for the first time and I'm pretty sure Lay's potato chips never tasted so good.
05/06/2021: Two more big wins for Sarah today. 4 weeks ago, Sarah couldn't lay in bed at a 45 degree angle for 30 minutes. last week she stood for 3 seconds and passed out. Monday she stood for 40 seconds. Today, she shattered her personal best standing time of 40 seconds with an amazing 8 minutes and 25 seconds standing in the gym. She followed that up with another 7 minute stand. Her PT was so impressed they moved a milestone up to Friday. Tomorrow... Sarah will take her first step post-surgery.
