So it’s been 6 months and 7 days since Riley’s accident and this was supposed to be his “golden time”. The time in which you get the most back because hopefully, by now the swelling has gone down around the contusion. However last week on Tuesday Riley woke up and he had without warning lost everything he had gained. All the sensation from his nipples down was gone and when I scratched his feet he couldn’t feel it. We immediately went to the hospital and saw his spinal cord doc she ordered an emergency MRI in fear that he had post traumatic swelling of his spinal cord. In which case he would have to have another surgery. However the results of the MRI were much more damaging then the idea of another surgery. The MRI shows that Riley has damage to his brain stem indicating a possible stroke. When and if that stroke may have occurred is unknown at this time.  I had to track down all the other MRIs and x-rays from the other three hospitals and we still have to meet with a neurologist in order to decipher what this news means.

However the thing is that Riley’s spinal cord doc said there was no explanation for him being able to feel his feet in the first place after reviewing the most recent MRI. She said all the swelling and blood was gone and what remains is a very damaged spinal cord.

With that being said, Riley is obviously still trying to wrap his head around this discouraging confusing news. In the meantime he has decided to take the high road staying positive, refusing to give up hope and taking life one step at a time. As many of you know Riley’s current film project titled “Transitions” has been his passion for the last two years and he continues to work hard at it every day he’s still planning to release it in September.

The next time you talk to Riley, please don’t ask him how his progress is coming along or how the physical therapy is going. You can imagine how frustrating it is to reiterate this news to everyone who checks in on him, he will bring up his progress when it is right for him.  The last thing either of us wants to admit is that he is starting at the foot of the mountain again with no view of the peak in sight just blinded by the sun trying to hike up a road that doesn’t exist.

We remain hopeful and convinced that the body and brain remain unexplainable to modern medicine and since they can’t explain how he did it before, and they can’t explain how he lost it.  Then they won’t be able to explain when he summits that enormous peak and proves them wrong once again.

Always fighting

Katinka

(not an english major)