Lauren reminded me today that March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. The pandemic has been especially tough for Lauren, she has always been a social butterfly and staying home is boring. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and we are ready.
Last week we went on a family ski trip to Winter Park Colorado. I found an adaptive skiing program and signed Lauren up. Five of Lauren’s siblings and a few cousins also joined us. We had 16 people in all, Lauren had a blast. She did stand up skiing the first day and did great, the second day she fell and hit her head. She had to be rescued by ski patrol and brought down the mountain on a toboggan. Not exactly the day we had hoped for, but Lauren was okay aside from a small headache. She did mention that the guy from ski patrol was super cute and she was disappointed when he took his gloves off and noticed he had a wedding ring on. Same old Lauren… I brought her back to the rental house for lunch and a nap and despite her headache, she decided to return for the afternoon session. Lauren tried the ski bike and loved it, she figured out the steering rather quickly and was able to go pretty fast. It was amazing to see the huge smile on her face. I am thankful for organizations like DASA (disabled athlete sports association)https://dasasports.org/ here in St. Louis as well as NSCD (National Sports Center for the Disabled) in Winter Park. https://nscd.org/ The people that volunteer for both of these organizations are so kind, they help Lauren to continue living a fun, adventurous life. They truly see the ABILITY in disability.
Another exciting tidbit of Murphy news is that Lauren’s speaking calendar is beginning to fill up for spring. We have had four requests in the last week and a half. That is something that makes Lauren happy and gives her a sense of purpose. We are thankful for all of you who continue to support us and share our story!
