being a brat

if you were in a car accident and paralysed from the waist down, what would you be willing to do for the chance to walk again? to be able to go to the bathroom without using cathetors and enemas? to have the freedom to come and go as you choose, not to have to wait for someone to lift you into a wheelchair so you can move?
and how difficult would it be to come back from that..enduring surgeries, recoveries, physical therapies and rehabbing while keeping hope afloat?
it would be a challenge, it would be a struggle, but would it be worth it to at least give it a try?

and what if in the end you were not 100% successful..what if you only got partial recovery in the end so your muscles didn't contract and shorten, so you could at least do somethings that before you couldn't do when you were fully paralysed?

so this is where bratwurst is at...working hard towards the very best outcome that he can achieve, hopefully one where he once again has full control over his very own body and his mobility.

does he like his physiotherapy? not really. given a choice he prefers to drag himself around the kitchen barking and begging for cheese. does it hurt him? not in the least, the stretching exercises are like a mild form of yoga to help him stay flexible and its only 20 minutes 3 times a day so he can still nap or play with his toys or beg for cheese 23 hours each day.

but the benefits to helping him return as much function as possible are huge....independent mobility, decreased pain by preventing muscle contractures, healthier skin, healthier urinary tract, even healthier heart...and lets not forget..a healthier, happier, more independent life.

it is hard to watch the ones we love struggle thru difficult times and in some ways brat has it easier...he thinks as long as cheese is in his world, everything is really alright.

i don't have a crystal ball to see even just into the next few weeks future but i know everything we are doing for brat today, is really important in helping him have the best future. he won't be having any more surgeries but that doesn't mean we just leave him be. we have to keep helping him to be the best he can be. and that means some accupuncture, some physical therapy, it also means some fun stuff like barking and begging for cheese.

sometimes its hard to keep hope floating but giving up just lets hope forever sink. so our job in caring for brat is every day making sure he gets not only his current daily care...but the opportunity to surprise us all and regain his mobility.
we've got your back brat, we won't let you sink.