First, we want to thank each and every one of you who responded so generously to the fund raisers that we held back in May to raise money for Ruby to receive horse therapy (hippotherapy) at the Shea Center. Ruby officially began her program in early July and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results that we’ve seen already. After a few sessions, Ruby’s therapist decided on the best horse for Ruby. Her horse's name is Alec. They chose Alec for Ruby because his gait causes the most side-to-side movement, which is optimal for strengthening Ruby's core. She has gotten remarkably stronger during the past few weeks as a direct result of this therapy. Not only does she ride Alec, but they also have Ruby perform tasks like taking of the horse with feeding, brushing, washing, and even painting! She loves going and we ware so grateful that everyone has come along side us to see this come to fruition.
Over the summer, we also tried a new medication to try to control Ruby’s dystonia. Unfortunately, the side effects of the medication were negative to the point of rendering the exercise counterproductive. So, Ruby is still experiencing dystonic episodes, but we are very glad to be rid of the medication’s side effects. We’re not sure, at this point, what our next step will be on this front, but, for now, managing the dystonia itself seems to be the best path forward.
We can hardly believe that Ruby is now 7 years old! We celebrated her 7th and Molly’s 5th birthday with friends, family, and one very special guest this summer.
We had such a fun celebration. Thank you, Ariel, for helping to make their birthday so special.
Our most exciting news to report is that, after nearly 5 years on anti-seizure medication three time a day, Ruby’s brain is ready to do without it! Ruby had another EEG, which is used to evaluate the electrical activity in the brain. After interpreting her EEG, Ruby’s neurologist happily reported that he found “no abnormal activity indicating a tendency towards seizures”. Thank you, Jesus, for calming Ruby’s brain! We started the weaning process last week and should be done with the entire process in approximately 8 weeks. While we’re excited about having reached this milestone, of course, there is some trepidation associated with this change. Please join us in praying that the Lord continues to protect her brain from any and all seizure activity.
As you can see in the EEG pictures below, we do our best to make it fun (we got ice cream afterwards), but as she’s getting older Ruby’s seeming to be more annoyed with getting her “hat” on a little more. This time she looked at herself in the mirror and said, “ugh… this hat is not so beautiful.” That said, as usual, she was mostly very a good sport.
Finally, Ruby started 2nd grade and Molly started Kindergarten. This was a very big moment for them as they have been longing to walk to school together for some time now! They’re so glad to both be Meadow Park Mustangs. :)
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! God is good all the time!
