Christmas is Coming.

The final days of December are often a time for reflection, as well as New Year’s resolutions. We, too, felt inspired to put together a brief summary.

At the beginning of the year, we learned about the next multi-month stage of treatment awaiting our daughter. For our family of five, this meant a massive logistical undertaking and many changes to our relatively organized, routine daily life (if one can even speak of routine with three children).

Thanks to the efforts of many people, on October 17, Antosia underwent another complex reconstruction surgery of her right ankle joint at the Paley Institute in the USA. A special device was also placed on her leg (Taylor Spatial Frame - more about this device here), which we adjust 3 times a day to lengthen her tibia. This was the seventh time we carried our daughter into the operating room. Every single time, it is just as terribly stressful for us. During the long hours spent waiting outside the operating room, you think of everything and nothing at all. These are hours when we analyze, wonder, and sometimes even blame ourselves, thinking whether we could have done something differently… Something so that our child wouldn’t have to suffer like this. The first days after the surgery (when we count the hours, and even minutes, to be able to administer the next dose of pain medication) look very similar in our minds. In this difficult time, comfort comes from those close to us who listen, empathize, and do not judge. Thank you for being there for us!

Today marks over 2 months since the surgery. We are on day 58 of adjusting the fixator, and Antosia’s leg is currently longer by about 4.3 cm. Flying here, we prepared ourselves for the possibility that Antosia might blame us for the pain and suffering she has to go through every day. That she would ask questions to which we ourselves cannot find answers. We were simply afraid that it would all overwhelm her (it would overwhelm many adults). However, our nearly seven-year-old daughter has approached her treatment very maturely. She amazes us every day and at every turn. She goes to rehabilitation eagerly, never getting discouraged even during difficult moments. If something doesn’t work out, she tries and tries again until she succeeds. She is incredibly brave, and we admire her for this perseverance and enthusiasm every single day.

We still have many weeks of treatment ahead of us. And although things are not always rosy, and the tears that appear more and more often do not portend happiness, we nevertheless look to the coming year with optimism, wishing everyone health, closeness, and a wonderful Family Christmas!