Therapy Begins

One of the best things about moving here was the therapy I found.  I go to a clinic called Southwest Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation (http://www.swanrehab.com/).  If you are reading this and know someone who has had a stroke, I highly encourage you to explore this option.  Neuro therapy is different from normal therapy.  It is all about retraining the brain through repetition.  It is like playing the piano.  The more you practice, the better you get.  The program is based on intense therapy and the regular program is six hours a day.  When I was not there, I was working at home.  I had my own therapy room, and it was my full-time job.  Although I am not working as hard, I still work on therapy today and have a lot I still want to get back.  I have learned to live with my disability and it does not define who I am.  I have control over how hard I work but only God controls my recovery.  The ultimate goal in therapy is to get you to a point in your life that you can function independently and be closer to the old you.  I have my life back and that is the most important thing.  Your faith and heart is the most important thing to God.  When you take everything away and you are down to nothing, God will always be there.  He does not care about all of the earthly things we do.  It is truly a miracle that I am where I am today and I have the privelege of being a Mom!

Obstacle Three For Our Family

We had gotten settled in and liked Goodyear.  One afternoon in September, disaster hit again.  I was shopping with my parents and Dainis was at work when I had my first major seizure.  I was rushed to Mayo clinic, where I stayed for several days.  So, I was sick again and we had no doctors or resources.  My neurosurgeon in MN said I looked great and had no signs of seizures so he took me off my medication.  We now know that anyone with a brain injury should never go off anti-seizure medicine.  We learned quickly to be our own advocate.  The next two years were very hard and almost worse than the stroke.  We were always in a panic mode.  After two years of battling the seizures, we finally found a medicine that worked.  I have now been seizure-free for 5 1/2 years. We started to get our life back and new opportunities came about as I got stronger.  Becoming involved in the Women's Ministry at church was my first step for going out and meeting new girlfriends.  It has changed my life.

Our New House

We moved into our new house in August and started getting settled in Goodyear.

The Big Move

Because our house was so special to us, it was very difficult to leave and say good-bye.  Thankfully, we had a new house waiting for us in AZ.  I had worked with my therapists at the hospital since the day of my stroke.  They were very special and played an important role in my recovery.  Now it was time to move onto a new therapy clinic.

Dainis Is Off to AZ

Dainis found a position in Goodyear, AZ at an aircraft maintanence and overhaul facility.  He started there in June 2003.  I stayed with my parents in MN as they helped us sell both of our houses and then came to AZ to buy two new ones.  We would never be where we are today if it wasn't for them. Selling two houses in MN, buying two houses in AZ, and moving two families right after my stroke was unbelievably difficult.  If it wasn't for Lori's parents, we would have never gotten through it.  We moved to Goodyear because of Dainis's job, but it was a huge blessing in disguise because through it we found our current church, Desert Springs Community.  We love it and have been so blessed by everyone there.