The Road To Recovery

My sister was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at five-years-old. This autoimmune disease attacks her joints, making it difficult for her to move. After a few years of aggressive treatment with chemotherapy drugs, she went into remission. Now at twenty-four years-old, her arthritis came back, and it came back with a vengeance. On February 24, 2017, she went to the hospital ER and was admitted for having pericarditis – shortness of breath and swollen ankles. After a battery of tests they realized she was going into kidney failure and congested heart failure. From there, her health has been up and down. She was then diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that attacks her organs, and a rare blood disorder that causes her blood to clot in the blood vessels. Due to all these complications, her health really declined and she was put on life support machines (a ventilator, 24 hour dialysis, and a plethora of medications) because of multiple organ failure. She was so critically ill that her team of doctors and nurses were very worried she wouldn't make it. By the grace of God, on April 11, 2017, she was able to get off of the ventilator, 24 hour dialysis and many of the medications after 17 days. Despite this very tough and scary battle, her toughest and most crucial battle has now arrived. She now needs acute rehabilitation. She is severely malnourished, and has nerve and muscle damage. Many of the basic tasks/movements we take for granted she can't do for herself. She has to relearn how to do many of them. Having been in the hospital for seven weeks is getting to her (she hasn't been outside since she went into the ER), so I chose the word Strength to remind of her own strength, the strength of her family and the strength of God; that she needs to draw on these to motivate her to push past the pain and discomfort so that she can get out of the hospital and be able to come home. She has a long road ahead of her, but she has the strength and fight in her to be able to make a full recovery.

-Nicolette