97s Journey - Jackson Drum

02/21/2026

Yesterday, was National Caregivers Day❤️❤️❤️❤️ Here is a video when Jackson was learning how to get out of bed on his own with help instead of using a hoyer lift. This was back in September at Shepherd Center Day program!

02/15/2026

Yesterday Bob Olson and Jason took Jackson out fishing for the first time since his accident. It went smoother than expected! Thank you Bob.

Jackson got a workout with his hands reeling them in.

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.

02/04/2026

Jackson is getting stronger everyday! He made a hash up of some of his old videos. These videos are around the time his body started to wake up. When his leg woke up, fingers ect. This year has been a whirlwind. Our prayers are being answered and we are so very thankful. From being ventilator and feeding tube dependent we are so thankful for every blessing. When Jackson said he was going to get better only him and God knew❤️🙏❤️

01/26/2026

I waited to post yesterday. It’s been a few very heavy days. I haven’t slept much and the nightmares have been constant. Last year, yesterday was one of the worst days of our lives. We watched Jackson take a hit to the shoulder going full speed straight into the boards head first. Jackson lay on the ice, not breathing, until he was rescued by a firefighter and a trainer. (Thank you, God, for placing them at that hockey game.) They were able to get him breathing again, all while Jason and I watched from thousands of miles away, on TV.

What we didn’t know at the time was that the injury Jackson sustained is known as a hangman’s break essentially a decapitation, to put it plainly. We are beyond blessed that the bones did not damage his brain stem.

Today, one year ago, Jason and I finally saw Jackson lying in the ICU after making the trip from Minnesota to Vancouver. At the time, I hesitated to take any photos of him because I didn’t want them shared with anyone. Today, I’m posting them as part of my healing, and only after getting Jackson’s permission. Back then, I couldn’t even send the photos to his sisters, it would have made everything too real. I think I wanted to hide, because speaking about it meant facing it.

Looking at the photos now, I realize how healthy Jackson still looked. He didn’t have a single scratch on him. Just a small bruise on the front of his neck and the surgical incision on the back of his head and neck. When we looked around the ICU, we saw people with severe burns, missing limbs, and signs of starvation. Jackson lay there fully paralyzed, yet appearing so healthy. As the days and weeks passed, we watched his body and muscles deteriorate daily, his skin peeling, his calluses coming off.

Through all of this, there have been so many miracles. Truly. We have chosen to focus on the positives and hold onto them.

Something like this can happen to anyone, at any time. Please hold your loved ones close ❤️❤️
Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. We have met and been supported by some truly incredible people along this journey. Please keep praying—every day is a work in progress. 🙏🙏

Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Please share maybe it will encourage people to spend time with their loved ones. Anything can happen at any time. There have been so many miracles along the way. Just Jackson being alive is a miracle 🙏🙏

01/15/2026

Jackson and I sat down to talk to the Reeve Foundation! They are so instrumental in spinal cord injury awareness and research.

Jablonski pointed her toward the National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and it was here that Albers found the crisis support the Drums needed.

01/15/2026

I have an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the team at Shepherd Center, more than words could ever describe. These are people you hope you never have to meet, because Shepherd is a catastrophic care hospital. And yet, I am endlessly thankful that God brought them into our lives.

As you drive into the parking garage at Shepherd Center, there’s a bridge with a sign that reads: “The difference between I can’t and I can.” That message couldn’t be more true.

Shepherd Center was the first place, after Jackson’s accident, where I heard the words, “Everything is going to be okay.” We were told that we would be able to bring Jackson home, no matter what that might look like, rather than facing the possibility of long term care. They would teach us how to take care of him no matter how he left the hospital. This was a hospital willing to give Jackson a chance. Many hospitals won’t accept a spinal cord injury patient who is on a ventilator, in fact, very few do.

From the moment we arrived at Shepherd, a large team came in to welcome us. They greeted Jackson, evaluated him, determined a course of treatment, already had a fitted power wheelchair he could use, and performed his ASIA test. You are immediately surrounded by people who are focused on what’s possible.

Just a few small stories that come to mind from some of the incredible people on this team:

Deb — The morning after we arrived at Shepherd, Deb gave Jackson his first sip of water in about 25 days. That sip of water was the best thing ever. She continued working with him on feeding, and Jackson went on to pass all of his swallow studies. It still makes me wonder why he ever needed a feeding tube in the first place…..especially considering it had been placed incorrectly.

Special K (Kelsey, OT) — Kelsey had endless patience with Jackson, who absolutely refused the sip and puff wheelchair 😬. For a month or two, Jackson and Kelsey worked tirelessly on wrist and hand exercises until he was finally able to drive his power wheelchair on his own. For a long time, every therapist was the one driving Jackson’s wheelchair for him 🤣

Julie Shepherd — Jackson loves your dogs, and you have the biggest heart. Julie waits at the hospital to welcome new patients, along with her dogs, and her compassion is undeniable. Her heart and soul belong at Shepherd. She was one of the first people I noticed who always spoke in terms of when Jackson could do something. I never once heard the word can’t.

I could keep going, but I’m tired. I’ll share more tomorrow.

Today, Jackson saw an orthopedist about his right foot. It works well until it gets tired. The positive news. No foot drop, just needs more strength. Which means more exercising 🙏 A lot of people with a sci experience foot drop.

01/02/2026

My Glassouse pro. I’ll explain how it works and how I use it.
Works with my I pad, I phone and MacBook.

#2026 https://linktr.ee/jacksondrum

Link to product: https://glassouse.com/?ref=45594