Chris & Cassie: A Journey That Takes Two: The Recovery Must Go On

Our Story

It all started in a seminary class in high school, with a "mop-headed boy" and a dancer/singer who sat behind him. As only friends in high school, and then reuniting after Christopher's mission, we were married in the LDS temple in Manti, Utah, and have now been married for over 7 years.

On January 16, 2013, Cassie was diagnosed with a stroke. As a result, many of our dreams and goals were delayed. But we were not to be deterred. Chris graduated in 2014 and currently works at Imagine Learning, and Cassie graduated in 2016 and now volunteers at the hospital while maintaining the apartment.

As we now commence on our journey to adopt, please spread the word! Comments are welcome as expressions of love and support. Most important is the faith and prayers offered in our behalf. So we invite you to share in our journey, as we look back in time to the beginning of the emergency and then update you to the joys and trials we face together. This is our story.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Recovery Must Go On

Cassie has exhibited no more seizure-like symptoms, which is a good sign. Ideally it would be due to her body healing, but the prescribed seizure medicine could be helping as well. I call it her medicine cocktail as she is taking multiple medicines; it is hard to keep track of them.

I will be honest. I am almost paranoid, at times, whenever Cassie makes a noise and when she doesn’t do anything at all. I unnervingly anticipate anything going amiss, which is not healthy. I am just overly concerned at times, but I certainly do not want to be so unobservant that I miss any warning signs. It’s like being in the ICU paranoia. This time around, it’s just normal things that set me off. I recognize that it is still a burden for me, albeit an entirely different burden than the one that Cassie shoulders. In my opinion, she has the spiritual gift of optimism and faith – she seems to be able to accept her trial without complaint, even in the midst of a hard day, and to smile and laugh and look for a better day. I appreciate that, as I am pessimistic sometimes, planning for the worst. She helps to balance life.

Time is running out on her therapies. She is scheduled for Botox on June 6, as Dr. Leininger believes that such an injection will help relieve the tension and tone that her arm and hand are currently using. It would do so by weakening the overacting muscles and tendons/ligaments, so that the overpowered muscles and such can work and be controlled by the brain. Her hand, at times, can be completely relaxed, while at other times is resistant to movement. On the flipside, some good news: she was able to move her foot the other day. She has been working on voluntary movement of her ankle, feet, and toes. At this time she can only do it while lying down, but it was a pleasure and uplifting experience to see her bend that ankle and those toes. It is a waiting game, and fortunately she is still months within the timeframe of the quickest recovery.

Exciting event! We were able to participate in a stroke awareness event entitled "Strides for Strokes." It was held at the Kiwanis Park in Provo, Utah, sponsored by multiple Utah County organizations. It was such a huge blessing to have Cassie walk a 1K with such determination. We were able to see multiple therapists, Dr. K. Call and many others. As she crossed the finish line, tears came to my eyes and acquaintances and strangers alike applauded her. It was a great reminder of the support system we have in place. We were joined by my parents and Cassie's mother. What a wonderful family event.