02/13/2026
Yesterday, on our way to therapy, we stopped to charge the car at the same place we had the last time Jackson was fully healthy, on our way to the airport, heading back to CDA. Jason and I both took him that morning. Normally, we would have taken turns, but for some reason we both chose to get up at 5 a.m. and make the drive together.
You don’t realize how meaningful those small moments are with the people you love. It’s not about the big milestones; it’s about showing up for the little things car rides with your kids, the drives to practice, the road trips.
Some of the best conversations you’ll ever have with your children happen in the quiet space of a car.
Remember that when you’re deciding what to show up for. The most important thing is simply being there, for the small moments, the everyday moments.
After that, we had a really good day. We went to physical therapy and saw the PM&R doctor. A lot of people don’t realize that two to three days a week we drive down to Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley for Jackson’s doctor appointments, PT, and OT. We try to schedule everything within those few days because it’s a 2.5-hour drive there and 2.5 hours back. We basically live in the car.
Today Jackson walked 700 feet using his arm crutches. His core gets really fatigued when he uses them, but he keeps pushing.
During our appointment, the doctor told us that Jackson’s recovery is the most unexpected she has seen in all her years working in spinal cord injury (SCI). She said that if she had been asked to predict who would improve, it wouldn’t have been Jackson given his level of injury. She told us she can’t wait for the day she walks into his appointment and doesn’t see him using his wheelchair.
She also reminded us that we won’t truly know what Jackson’s recovery will look like for another two to three years. For me, that means two to three more years of intense therapy and just continuing to keep going.
Jackson worries a lot about his right arm and how it’s not improving, but it is slowly. Everything is firing; it’s just very weak. We’re hopeful that the ARC-EX technology will help. He will be one of the earliest injuries they’ve tried this on at Courage Kenny. He starts on March 1st and may try TSS for his lower extremities this summer as well.
Technology is advancing quickly and we’re holding onto that hope.
